A salaam wr wb my dear brothers and sisters the blessed month of Dhul Hijjah (The month of Hajj) has arrived and especially the first ten days of this month have been singled out like no other days of any month in the Islamic calendar as being days of great merit and reward. These blessed days start on Saturday the 29th of November till Monday the 8th of December!
Allah in His infinite wisdom and mercy has blessed these days so much that he has made them worthy of making an oath by them and swearing an oath by something is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Almighty Allah says: (By the dawn; by the ten nights.) (Al-Fajr 89: 1-2).
This just shows us Allah’s overflowing mercy towards His servants, and it should encourage us into doing so many more righteous deeds and eager to worship Him abundantly! We can gain a big share of reward so that we can prepare ourselves for death and supply ourselves in readiness for the Day of Judgment.
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah possess tremendous blessings and excellence and we should all make the best of these blessed days. This has been confirmed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who is reported to have said, “There are no days that are dearer to Allah in respect of devoting oneself to devotion and worship than the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjjah.”
Ibn `Abbas (ra) reported that the Prophet (saw) said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause (of Allah), and came back with nothing." (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
Scholars have stressed that these special and blessed days and nights of the first ten days in particular should be spent doing intensive worship and virtuous acts as well as contemplation.
When there is a sale on in the stores a lot of us will get so excited and be the first to get there to make use of the sale prices and give away deals! Now that these blessed days are with us there is an amazing opportunity for us to grab these good deed bargains which are multiplied more than most parts of the year! And let’s make the best use of our almighty lords amazing unbeatable giveaway deals and special good deed offers which he is willing to multiply significantly compared to any other time of the year and this is due to the fact that these first ten days are the days of Hajj rites of. IT CANNOT BE MISSED!
The following can be virtuous deeds can be done so that we may get as much blessings as possible and HAVE THEM MULTIPLIED ALONG MORE THAN ANY OTHER TIMEs OF THE YEAR and not miss out!!!
1) Read Qur’an-We should try our best to read as much of the Holy Qur’an as is possible during these days in particular! We should set ourselves high targets like even trying to complete the whole Qur’an within this period which is around 3 juz a day and it is possible but remember every action is judged by its intention and even if we don’t complete it at least we intended to and who’s to say Allah the most compassionate won’t reward us fully and multiply our deeds as much as he wants to! For it is possible for him to do what he wants and he loves his slaves doing righteous deeds and having good intentions.
Hazrat Anas(ra) reports that Rasoolullah (saw) said::” Whoever reads the Quran, Allah grants that person ten good deeds for every letter. And for one who hears the Quran being recited, Allah grants a good deed for every letter, and such a person will be resurrected among those who will recite and ascend the stages of Jannat."
Hazrat Ibni Abbas(ra) narrates that Rasoolullah(saw) said: "He who listens to one letter of the Quran, ten good deeds are recorded for him, ten sins are forgiven, and his status is elevated by ten stages."
So if one letter of the Qur'an is equivalent to ten good deeds then imagine how much is the reward for reading each letter in these 10 days! Subhanallah!
2) Fasting is very much recommended in the first 9 days of this month and is a means of A GREAT REWARD! It a means of receiving much forgiveness especially cause we sin so much as humans and what a great opportunity to gain forgiveness and closeness to Allah the most forgiving most compassionate! If we can fast for the first 9 days then at least on the ninth of Dhul-hijjah which is known as the day of Arafah. Fasting on this day will expiate for the sins of two years. It is forbidden to fast on the 10, 11, 12 and 13th of Dhul hijjah which are the days of Eid ul Adha and are the days of festivities and celebrations.
3) Make Dhikr: The remembrance of Allah is the greatest act we can do to get the closest to him! He who remembers Allah then Allah remembers them! If we perform much Zikr then are promised Success, Peace, Happiness, Mercy, Forgiveness and Great Rewards in this life and the next. All of which are valued as being positive important factors in one's religious and worldly life.
"Remember Allah abundantly, in order that you become successful" (Surah 8: Verse 45)
"Only in the remembrance of Allah (swt) will your heart find peace" (Surah 13: Verse 28)
Abu haraira(ra) Narrates: Prophet(saw) said: whoever says: Subhanallahi Wa Bihamdihi – (I deem Allah free of any resemblances to anything whatever in any repeat, and I glorify his praises) one hundred times a day will have his sins forgiven even though they may be as much as the foam of the sea – (Bukhari,b73:c19)
Read much of this dhikr as it causes Beautiful trees and palms to grow for us in paradise and expiation of sins and many virtues:
Subhaan-Allahi walhamdu-lillaahi, wa laa ilaa-ha illa-la ill-lal-lahu wallahu Akbar, walaa haula wala quoow-wata illa billa hil-Aliyyil-azeem.
"Glory is for Allah and all Praise is due to Allah. There is none worthy of worship except Allah. Allah is the greatest. There is no power and no strength except with Allah the Most High, the Great."
If we don’t remember Allah then only we will be the losers in this world and the next!
"The likeness of the one who Remembers his Lord and the one who does not Remember Him is like that between the living and the dead" (Bukhari).
4) It is Sunnah to say “Subhanallah” (Glory be to Allah), “Alhamdulillah” (All praise is due to Allah), “Allah hu Akbar” (Allah is the greatest) and “La ila ha ill Allah” (There is no worthy of worship except Allah) and say it around ones home or streets or any place where it is permitted to remember Allah! Men should say these loudly and women should say them quietly.
Allah says: (That they might witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e., reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the name of Allah on appointed days, over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice)...) (Al-Hajj 22: 28)
Make Dua (supplication) - What a beautiful thing it is to create a relationship with Allah through Dua and asking his help and invoking in him for whatever we want in this life and the next! Especially in these days we should increase the amount of Dua’s we do especially in the latter part of the nights when they are most listened to.
"When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me" (Quran 2:186),
Aisha (ra) said: "No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated."
In fact, it is even wrong to never make Dua, "Whosoever does not supplicate to Allah, He will be angry with Him." [Saheeh Jaami`as-Sagheer #2414]
5) Perform Nafl Prayers: I have attached a file at the bottom of Nawafil (superogatory prayers) prayers throughout the day which is very beneficial so please download.
6) Increased love and help for our parents: Our parents have a very high position in Islam as the lord tells us:
Allah says: “And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.” [Quran 17: 23]
One of the greatest acts is the helping of one’s parents and in these first 10 days of this blessed month we should try to increase in helping and showing love and affection to our mothers and fathers because this will be a means of Allah’s pleasure and a great reward!
The Prophet (PBUH) placed kindness and respect towards parents just after the prayer offered on time as the prayer is the foundation of Islam.
‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood (RA) said: “I asked the Prophet (PBUH) which deed is most liked by Allah? He (PBUH) said: ‘Prayer offered on time.’ I asked him: ‘Then what? He (PBUH) said: ‘Kindness and respect towards parents.’…” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
7) Visit the sick: Visiting the sick is from the clearest signs of such mutual love, mercy and empathy. More than that, visiting the sick is a major responsibility that every single Muslim is duty-bound to fulfil. We should endeavour to visit the sick and elderly as much as we can in these few days and then stick to this very rewarding act for life inshallah!
The great reward awaiting those who visit the sick was spelt out by the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, when he explained:
“A Muslim visiting his sick brother will continue to be in the harvest of paradise until he or she returns home.” (Saheeh Muslim)
And Allah’s Messenger of Mercy, Muhammad, also said:
“A visitor walking to visit a sick person will be wading in the mercy of Allah. When the visitor sits with the sick one, they will be immersed in mercy until his or her return.” (Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hibban)
Allah Himself explained the importance of and greatness of the reward of visiting the sick. The Prophet said:
“On the Day of Resurrection, Allah the Mighty and Majestic will say: ‘O child of Adam! I became sick and you did not visit me!’ The person will say, ‘O Lord, how can I visit you and you are the Lord of all that Exists!’ Allah will say, ‘Did you not know that my slave ‘so and so’ became sick, and you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you visited him, you would have found me with him?’” (Saheeh Muslim)
8) Enjoin good and forbid evil: Directing people towards good (al amr bil ma'rouf) and directing them away from evil (an nahy anil munkar) is among the most important religious and social duties for us as Muslims. It is the duty of every Muslim to direct people to act according to the precepts of Islam and to abstain from improper behaviour.
Almighty Allah says: ‘You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind, you enjoin Al-Ma’ruf (whole Deen) and forbid what is Al-Munkar (all that is evil), and you believe in Allah’ [Ale-Imran v.110]
• The Prophet (S) said: ‘Whoever amongst you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot than with his tongue; and if he cannot then with his heart, and this is the weakest of Imaan’ [Bukhari]
The reward for enjoining good and forbidding evil is immense and if we can get this habit in these next few days and keep it for life then we will truly be the successful ones in this life and the next!
Hadrat Abu Huraira (ra) reported Prophet Muhammad (saw) as saying: "If anyone summons others to follow right guidance, his reward will be equivalent to those of the people who follow him without their rewards being diminished in any respect on that account; and if anyone summons others to follow error, the sin of which he is guilty will be equivalent to those of the people who follow him without their sins being diminished in any respect on that account." (Muslim)
9) Make sacrifice: This will bring the person closer to Allah by sacrificing an animal in these blessed days.
10) Performing Hajj and `Umrah: One of the best deeds that one can do during these ten days is to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah. The one whom Allah helps to offer Hajj to His House and to perform all the rituals properly is included in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "An accepted Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise."
Let’s make full intention and get the determination and drive to do as many good deeds as possible in these blessed few days and gain abundant rewards to please Allah and to become closer to him. If we don’t grab this opportunity then we will regret it later on in life or if not certainly on the day of judgement when we will truly realise our loss at how much more we could have achieved!
We can’t see the reward for our good actions but if Allah showed us the reward we would gain for our actions then we would truly crawl towards it and do as much as we can to gain it! Let us not be the ones that lost out and let us be the ones that gain an unimaginable amount of good deeds and get our sins forgiven! So that our lord may give us the best and highest Jannah and save us from the torture of the grave and the fire of Hell!
May Allah the Most Exalted and Glorious give us the ability to carry out these good deeds with full sincerity and for us to carry on doing these good acts for the rest of our lives!
Oh lord please give us the opportunity to grab and benefit from the vast amounts of good deeds that are available especially in these first ten days and may he abundantly reward us for them and give us forgiveness of our sins whether minor or major and may he save us from the torture of hell and the grave and give us Jannat ul Firdaus inshallah! Allahumma Ameen
Source: Compiled myself with some sources from Islamqa.com
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