First
Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah: Days of Virtue and Righteous Deeds
… Excerpted from Sheikh
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid’s article in Islam Q&A
Among the special seasons of worship are the first ten days of
Dhu’l-Hijjah, which Allah has preferred over all the other days of the
year. Ibn
‘Abbas (Radhi Allahu Anhu) reported that the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe
Wasallam) 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 to fight giving himself
and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing."
(Bukhari, 2/457).
You should know, my brother in Islam, that the virtue of these ten days
is based on many things:
1. Allah
swears an oath by them, and swearing an oath by something
is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Allah says: "By the
dawn; by the ten nights" [al-Fajr 89:1-2]. Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr,
Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations said that this
refers to the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Ibn Katheer said: "This
is the correct opinion." (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 8/413)
2. The
Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) encouraged people to do righteous
deeds because of the virtue of this season for people
throughout the world, and also because of the virtue of the place - for
the Hujjaj (pilgrims) to the Sacred House of Allah.
3. The
Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) commanded us to recite a lot of
Tasbeeh ("Subhan-Allah"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillah") and
Takbeer ("Allahu akbar") during this time. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (Radhi
Allahu Anhu) reported that the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam)
said: "There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which
righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during
this time recite a great deal of Tahleel ("La ilaha ill-Allah"),
Takbeer and Tahmeed." (Ahmad, 7/224).
4. These
ten days include Yawm ‘Arafah (the Day of ‘Arafah), on
which Allah perfected His Religion. Fasting on this day will expiate
for the sins of two years. These days also include Yawm al-Nahar (the
Day of Sacrifice), the greatest day of the entire year and the greatest
day of Hajj, which combines acts of worship in a way unlike any other
day. 
5. These
ten days include the days of sacrifice and of Hajj.
A.
Types
of worship to be performed during these ten days:
Concerning the
types of worship to be performed during these ten days, one must
understand that these days are a great blessing from Allah to His
slave, which is appreciated properly by the actively righteous. It is
the Muslim’s duty to appreciate this blessing and make the most of the
opportunity, by devoting these ten days to paying more attention to
striving hard in worship. Among His blessings to His slaves, Allah has
given us many ways in which to do good and worship Him, so that the
Muslim may be constantly active and consistent in his worship of his
Lord.
B.
Types
of good deeds Muslim should strive to do during these ten
days:
Among the good deeds which the Muslim should strive to do during the
first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah are:
1. Fasting:
It is Sunnah to fast on the
ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe
Wasallam) urged us to do good deeds during this time, and fasting is
one of the best of deeds. Allah has chosen fasting for Himself, as is
stated in the hadeeth qudsi: "Allah says: ‘All the deeds of the son of
Adam are for him, except for fasting, which is for Me and I am the One
Who will reward him for it.’" (Bukhari, 1805).
The Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) used to fast on the ninth of
Dhu’l-Hijjah. Hunaydah ibn Khalid reported from his wife that some of
the wives of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) said: "The
Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) used to fast on the ninth of
Dhu’l-Hijjah, on the day of ‘Ashoora’, on three days of each month, and
on the first two Mondays and Thursdays of each month." (al-Nisa’i,
4/205; al-Albani in Saheeh Abi Dawud, 2/462).
2. 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 go on Hajj to
His House and to perform all the rituals properly is included in the
words of the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam): "An accepted Hajj
brings no less a reward than Paradise."
3. Doing
more good deeds in general,
because good deeds are beloved by Allah and will bring a great reward
from Him. Whoever is not able to go to Hajj should occupy himself at
this blessed time by worshipping Allah, praying (salat), reading
Qur’an, remembering Allah, making supplication (du’a’), giving charity,
honouring his parents, upholding the ties of kinship, enjoining what is
good and forbidding what is evil, and other good deeds and acts of
worship.
4. Sacrifice:
One of the good deeds that
will bring a person closer to Allah during these ten days is offering a
sacrifice, by choosing a high-quality animal and fattening it, spending
money for the sake of Allah. (more information to follow, in sha Allah).
5. Sincere
repentance: One of the most
important things to do during these ten days is to repent sincerely to
Allah and to give up all kinds of disobedience and sin. Repentance
means coming back to Allah and foregoing all the deeds, open and
secret, that He dislikes, out of regret for what has passed, giving it
up immediately and being determined never to return to it, but to
adhere firmly to the Truth by doing what Allah loves.
If a Muslim commits a sin, he must hasten to repent at once, without
delay, firstly because he does not know when he will die, and secondly
because one evil deed leads to another.
Repentance at special times is very important because in most cases
people’s thoughts turn towards worship at these times, and they are
keen to do good, which leads to them recognizing their sins and feeling
regret for the past. Repentance is obligatory at all times, but when
the Muslim combines sincere repentance with good deeds during the days
of most virtue, this is a sign of success, in sha Allah. Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "But as for him who repented, believed
and did righteous deeds, then he will be among those who are
successful." [al-Qasas 28:67]
6. Recite
a lot of Tasbeeh
("Subhan-Allah"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillah") and Takbeer ("Allahu
akbar")
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Virtues
of the Day of Sacrifice, Characteristics of Udhiya, and Days of Udhiya
(Sacrifice)
… Excerpts from various topics in Islam Q&A
The
sacrificial camels we have made for you as among the symbols from
Allah: in them is (much) good for you: then pronounce the name of Allah
over them as they line up (for sacrifice): when they are down on their
sides (after slaughter), eat ye thereof, and feed such as (beg not but)
live in contentment, and such as beg with due humility: thus have We
made animals subject to you, that ye may be grateful. It is not
their
meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches
Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may
glorify Allah
for His Guidance to you and proclaim the good news to all who do right.
[Quran, 22:36-7]
Part-1:
Virtues of the Day of Sacrifice
When the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) came to Madina, he found
that they had two days on which they used to play. He said, “Allaah has
given you two days better than these, the day of al-Fitr and the day of
al-Adha.” [Abu Dawood, 1134; saheeh by al-Albaani].
In this world the believers have three festivals or Eids: One Eid which
is repeated every week is Friday (Jumu’ah), and the two other Eids
which come once a year:
1. Eid
al-Fitr: the breaking of the Ramadaan fast. This comes
upon the completion of the month of Ramadaan, which is the third pillar
of Islam. When the Muslims have finished fasting the month that is
enjoined upon them, Allaah has prescribed that they celebrate a
festival on which they gather to thank Allaah, remember Him and glorify
Him for His guidance.
2. Eid
al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice), on 10th day of
Dhu’l-Hijjah. This is the greater of the two feasts, which comes after
the completion of Hajj, for when the Muslims complete their Hajj they
are forgiven. The day of ‘Arafah is the day of ransom from the Fire,
when Allah ransoms from Hellfire those who stood at ‘Arafah and Muslims
who did not stand at ‘Arafah. Hence the day that follows is a festival
for all Muslims, those who attended Hajj and those who did not. It is
prescribed for all of them to draw closer to Allaah by this ritual of
shedding the sacrificial blood.
The virtues of this day may be summed up as follows:
A. It
is the best of days before Allah. The best of days before
Allaah is the Day of Sacrifice, which is the greatest day of Hajj
[Sunan Abi Dawood (1765), classed as Saheeh ny al-Albani].
B.
It is the greatest day of Hajj. It was narrated that Ibn
‘Umar (Radhi Allaho Anhu) said: The Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe
Wasallam) stood between the Jamaraat on the Day of Sacrifice during his
Hajj and said, “This is the greatest day of
Hajj.” Bukhari,1742. That is because the greatest actions of
Hajj take place on this day, when the pilgrims do the following:
(i) Stoning Jamrat al-‘Aqabah
(ii) Offering the sacrifice
(iii) Shaving the head or cutting the hair
(iv) Tawaaf (circumambulation of the Ka’bah)
(v) Saa’i (running between al-Safa and al-Marwah)
C. It
is the Eid day of the Muslims. The Prophet (Sallallaho
Alaihe Wasallam) said: “The day of ‘Arafah, the day of Sacrifice, and
the days of al-Tashreeq are our festival, us Muslims, and they are days
of eating and drinking.” [Tirmidhi, 773; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani].
Part-2:
Four Days for Udhiya (Sacrifice)
Days
of Sacrifice: The time for offering the sacrifice begins
after the Eid prayer on Eid al-Adha and ends when the sun sets on the
thirteenth of Dhu’l-Hijjah. So there are four days of sacrifice: the
day of Eid al-Adha and the three days after it. It is better to hasten
to offer the sacrifice after the Eid prayer, as the Messenger
(Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) used to do, then the first thing he would
eat on the day of Eid would be meat from his sacrifice.
‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (Razi Allaahu Anhu) said: “The days of sacrifice
are the Day of Sacrifice (yawm al-nahr) and the three days after it.”
The three days are specified because they are the days of Mina, the
days of stoning (the Jamaraat) and the day of al-Tashreeq. It is
forbidden to fast on these days. It was narrated via two isnaads, that
the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) said: “All of Mina is the
place of sacrifice, and all the days of al-tashreeq are days of
sacrifice.” [al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 2476]
Time of Sacrifice: It is permissible to offer the sacrifice during any
time by night or by day, but it is better during the day, and the day
of Eid after the khutbah is the best time. Each day is better than the
following day, because that means hastening to do good. [Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
in Ahkaam al-Udhiyah]
Part-3:
Characteristics of Udhiya (Sacrifice)
There are six conditions for the udhiyah:
1. Types
of Animal: The best type of animals are camels, then cows
– if sacrificed on behalf of one person; then sheep; then goats; then
one-seventh of a camel; then one-seventh of a cow. The best types of
animals are those which are fat and have more meat, and are physically
complete and good looking.
2. Age
of Animal: It should have reached the age stipulated in
shari’ah, which is six months for a sheep and the age at which the
animal is considered to be an adult for any other animal, because the
Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihe Wasallam) said: “Do not sacrifice anything
but an adult animal, unless it is difficult for you, in which case you
may slaughter a six-month old lamb (jadh’ah).” [Muslim]. So, a camel
must be five years old. The cattle (class of cow) must be two years
old. A sheep should preferably be a year old. The jadh’ah is that which
is six months old (sheep).
3. Free
of Defects: It should be free of any faults that would
render it unsuitable for sacrifice:
a. An obvious defect in one eye, such as when the eye is
sunken in its socket, or when it sticks out like a button, or is white
and obviously defective.
b. Obvious sickness, whose symptoms are clearly apparent in
the animal, such as fever that prevents it from grazing and causes loss
of appetite; mange that obviously affects its flesh or its health; deep
wounds that affect its health, and so on.
c. Obvious lameness, which prevents the animal from walking
normally.
d. Emaciation that leaves no marrow in the bones, [Maalik in
al-Muwatta’ from the hadith of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib. Also in Sunan,
Saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 1148].
On the basis of similar faults or more severe faults, following are
also unsuitable for sacrifice:
a. One that is blind in both eyes.
b. One that has eaten more than it can stand, until the danger
has passed.
c. One that has encountered difficulty in giving birth, until
all danger has passed.
d. One that has suffered something that could kill it, such as
strangulation or a fall from a high place, until the danger has passed.
e. One that is unable to walk because of a defect.
f. One that has had one of its forelegs or hind legs cut off.
4. Castrated
and Uncastrated, both, are permitted – evidence exists in
ahadith for both.
5. Ownership
of Animal: The animal should belong to the person who is
offering the sacrifice, or he should have permission for that either on
the grounds of shariah or from the owner. A sacrifice offered by the
guardian of an orphan from the orphan’s property is valid if that is
customary and if he feels sad about not offering a sacrifice. A
sacrifice offered by a guardian from the property of the person under
his care is valid, if done with permission.
6. Free
from Rights of Others: No one else should have any rights
to the sacrificial animal; the sacrifice of an animal that is held in
pledge is not valid.
7. Permissible
Time of Sacrifice: Refer to Part-2.
8. Must
not be sold: The animal of sacrifice must not be sold, nor
should any part of it be sold, nor be given as compensation to the
butcher.
9. Pronounce
Name of Allah while slaughtering: Bismillahi Allahu Akbar;
Allahumma minka, wa laka: "In the name of Allah, Allah is most Great! O
Allah, this is Thine and is presented to Thee".
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