Superiority Of The First Ten Days Of Dhul-Hijjah (Starting Today)

CrediblechamberOctober 6th, 2013 0 Comments »
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. May peace and
blessings be upon the Chief of the Messengers, Muhammad.
Indeed it is a great favour and blessing from Allah that He has made
for His righteous servants periods of time within which they can
increase in good deeds to attain great rewards and one of these
opportunistic periods is the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah (the final
month of the Islamic Calendar, in which the Hajj is performed).
Superiority of the First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah
The excellence of these ten days have been mentioned in the Qur'an and
the Sunnah.
1. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"By the dawn and by the ten nights … " [Al-Qur'an 89:1-2]
Ibn Kathir said that "the ten nights" referred to here are the ten
days of Dhul-Hijjah, and this opinion was also held by Ibn Abbas, Ibn
az-Zubair, Mujahid and others.
2. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"There are no deeds as excellent as those done in these ten days."
They (the companions listening) said, "Not even Jihad?" He, peace be
upon him, said, "No, not even Jihad except a man who goes forth
endangering his life and wealth and does not return with anything."
[Recorded by Imam al-Bukhari]
3. Allah says:
" … and remember the name of Allah in the appointed days." [Al-Qur'an 2:203]
Ibn Abbas and Ibn Kathir said this means in the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.
4. The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said:
"There are no other days that are as great as these in the sight of
Allah, the Most Sublime. Nor are there any deeds more beloved to Allah
then those that are done in these ten days. So increase in tahlil (to
say la illaha illallah), takbir (to say allahu akbar) and tahmid (to
say alhumdulillah)." [Reported by at-Tabarani in al-Mu'jum al-Kabir]
5. With regards to the noble companion Sa'id bin Jubair, when the days
of Dhul-Hijjah began he would strive to increase in good actions with
great intensity until he was unable to increase anymore. [Reported by
ad-Darimi]
6. Ibn Hajar says in Fath al-Bari:
"The most apparent reason for the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah being
distinguished in excellence is due to the assembly of the greatest
acts of worship in this period, i.e. salawat (prayers), siyam
(fasting), sadaqah (charity) and the Hajj (pilgrimage). In no other
periods do these great deeds combine."
What are the Recommended Acts in these Days?
1. Prayer – It is highly recommended to perform the obligatory acts at
their prescribed times (as early as possible) and to increase oneself
in the superogatory acts, for indeed, this is what brings a person
closer to their Lord. The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace,
said:
"Upon you is to increase in your prostration to Allah, for verily you
do not prostrate to Allah with even one prostration, except that He
raises you in degrees and decreases your sins because of it."
[Reported by Muslim]
2. Fasting – This has been mentioned as one of the acts of
righteousness where Hanbada ibn Khalid reports on the authority of his
wife who reports that some of the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon
him, said, "The Prophet, upon whom be peace, would fast on the ninth
of Dhul-Hijjah, the day of Ashura and three days in every month."
[Recorded by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nisa'i and others]
Imam an-Nawawi said that fasting in these ten days is extremely recommended.
3. Saying allahu akbar, la illaha illallah and alhamdulillah – It is
found in the aforementioned narration of Ibn 'Umar:
"So increase yourselves in saying la illaha illallah, allahu akbar and
alhamdulillah."
Imam al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"Ibn 'Umar and Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with them both, used
to go out to the markets in the ten days saying the takbir causing the
people to follow them in this action."
He also said:
"'Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say the takbir in his mimbar in Mina,
whereupon the people of the mosque hearing 'Umar, would start to say
the takbir as would the people in the markets until the whole of Mina
was locked in glorifying Allah."
Ibn 'Umar used to say the takbir in Mina during these ten days and
after prayers, whilst on his bed, in his tent, in his gathering and
whilst walking. What is recommended is to say the takbir aloud due to
the fact that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, his son and Abu Hurayrah used to
do likewise, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Strive with us O Muslims in reviving this sunnah that has become lost
in these times and it was almost forgotten, even amongst the people of
righteousness and goodness all of which is unfortunately in opposition
to what the best of generations were upon (preserving and maintaining
the superogatory acts).
There are a number of ways of making takbir that have been narrated by
the companions and their followers and from these ways is the
following:
Superiority Of The First Ten Days Of Dhul-Hijjah (Starting Today)