Virtues of Dul-Hijjah

 The Prophet (PBUH) said, “There is no deed that is better in the sight of Allah or more greatly rewarded than a good deed done in the (first) ten days of Al-Adha”. It was asked, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?” The Prophet (PBUH) replied, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah unless a man goes out himself for Jihad taking his wealth with him and does not come back with anything.” Narrated by Al-Bukhari

Allah  blessed the nation of Muhammad  with opportunities to reap rewards and blessings every day of the year. The last ten nights of Ramadan (the month of fasting) are among the most blessed nights of the year; in particular, Laylatul-Qadr (the night of power) is extremely sacred. Similarly, the first ten days of Dhul-Hijja (the 12th Islamic calendar month) carry special status during the blessed month of “Pilgrimage.” The above Hadith of the Prophet  spells out the importance of these ten days in the sight of Allah  and the amplified reward for all good deeds during this blessed season.

Just like the last ten nights of Ramadan are the best ten nights out of the year, these first ten days of Dhul-Hijja are the best days of the year and the most beloved to Allah as they combine acts of worship in a way,, unlike any other time.

So, the questions we should be asking ourselves are, “How do we make the most of this season of blessings?”, “What deeds can I perform to attain His pleasure?”. The following are some examples of the acts of worship that will help us gain His pleasure InshaAllah.

1. Fast all nine days and especially on the ‘Day of Arafah’

The Prophet  said: “Anyone who fasts for one day for Allah’s pleasure, Allah will keep his face away from the (Hell) fire for (a distance covered by a journey of) seventy years.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

The Prophet  used to fast on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijja and he said: “Fasting the Day of ‘Arafah (ninth Dhul-Hijja) is an expiation for (all the sins of) the previous year and expiation for (all the sins of) the coming year.” (Muslim

2.Perform Dhikr and Takbeer

The Prophet  said: “There are no days on which good deeds are greater or more beloved to Allah than on these ten days, so recite much Tahleel (saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allah), Takbeer (saying Allahu Akbar),, and Tahmeed (saying Alhamdu Lillaah).” (Ahmad -Saheeh)

Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijja, reciting Takbeer, and the people would recite Takbeer when they heard them. (Bukhari)

Takbeer at this time is a Sunnah that has mostly been forgotten, especially during the first few days. So say it in the masjid, in your home, on the street,, and every place where it is permitted to remember Allah. Revive the Sunnah that has been virtually forgotten and earn great rewards for doing so.

The Prophet  said: “Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward.” (Tirmidhi- Hasan)

3.stand the Night in Prayer

Seeking Allah’s forgiveness and humbling ourselves in front of Him in supplication and prayers during the latter part of the night is an act of worship that is very beloved to Allah .

Allah Almighty calls out to His servants in the latter part of the night: “Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?” (Bukhaari, Muslim)

We should seize this opportunity and beg Him  for His Divine Generosity and Mercy. We should ask Him as our Prophet  taught us “Our Lord, bless us with the best of this world and the best of the hereafter and save us from the fire of Hell.”

4. Make Sincere Repentance

Allah  loves those who repent to Him in complete submission. The act of sincere repentance to Allah with an intention to never return to His disobedience and sin is very dear to Him . Return to Allah by giving up all the deeds, open and secret, that He dislikes. Be regretful of your sins and disobedience and resolve to never return to sin and to firmly adhere to the path which Allah loves.

Allah  says, “But as for him who repented, believed and did righteous deeds, then he will be among those who are successful.” [Al-Qasas 28:67]

5. Return to Book of Allah (The Quran)

It is time to dust off your copy of the Quran. Establish a beautiful new relationship with the book of Allah starting in these ten days of Dhul-Hijja. Recite its verses and you will reap its blessings. Understand its message. Implement the commandments of this book in your life. This relationship with the Quran will open for you the doors of wisdom and happiness in your life. This will ultimately lead to guidance and success in this life and the Hereafter.

6. Increase in doing ALL good deeds

If you are not able to perform Hajj this year, occupy yourself during these blessed days with any and every possible good deed. Every act that is done with sincerity for the pleasure of Allah  will bring you closer to Him.

“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it, and whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it.“[Al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]

7. Slaughter an animal and distribute the meat (Sacrifice)

Ibn Umar said: “The Prophet  lived in Madeenah for ten years and every year he slaughtered an animal.” (Ahmad-Saheeh by al-Albaani)

8. Attend Eid prayers

Attending Eid prayers is from the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet . We should be keen on practicing this Sunnah and performing it according to the teachings of our Prophet . Eid is a time of joy and happiness and we should be inclusive of all of our brothers and sisters who may not be as fortunate to have enough to enjoy this blessed occasion.

9. Thank Allah

est forms of worshiping Allah  is to thank Him, deeply, sincerely,, and conOne of the biggtinuously. After all, it is He who blessed you with all that you have. You wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for the Mercy of your Creator. So thank Him for ALL that He gave you: the blessing of Islam, the blessing of life,, and every blessing you possess. Thank Him for the opportunity to experience these ten days. Ask Him for His mercy, forgiveness,, and guidance.

كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ

Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; 

Alhamdulillah, there is much to be gained in these coming days. So make the most of this perfect opportunity offered by these invaluable and irreplaceable ten days. Hasten to do good deeds and appreciate this blessing and make the most of it.

“And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (death).” [Al-Hijr 15:99]

Surely in the Messenger of Allah there is an excellent example for you (...

Tawheed

What is Tawheed?

Literally, Tawheed means "unification" (making something one) or "asserting oneness", and it comes from the Arabic verb (wahhada) which itself means to unite, unify or consolidate. However, when the term Tawheed is used in reference to Allaah (i.e. Tawheedullaah), it means the realizing and maintaining Allaah's unity in all of man's actions which directly or indirectly relate to Him. It is the belief that Allaah is One, without partner in His dominion and His actions (Ruboobeeyah), One without similitude in His essence and attributes (Asmaa wa Sifaat), and One without rival in His divinity and in worship (Ulooheeyah/'Ebaadah).

What are the Categories of Tawheed?

1-Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (Maintaining the Unity of Lordship) This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allaah alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing; He sustains and maintains creation without any need from it or for it; and He is the sole Lord of the universe and its inhabitants without any real challenge to His sovereignty.

2-Tawhee al-Ulooheeyah (Oneness of Divinity)

This means worshipping only Allah with all forms of worship, such as submission, humility, adoration, reverence, bowing, prostration, sacrificial offering, and vow. None should be associated with Him in any of these acts.

3-Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (Maintaining the Unity of Allaah's Names and Attributes). That is to believe in the exclusive possession by Allah, of names and attributes to Him either in His Glorious Book or the Sunnah of His Prophet. This also entails Him above any defect or shortcoming, and not likening Him to any of His creatures in anything known to be His special quality.

What is the benefit of affirming Allah’s Oneness (Tawheed)?

It is salvation from eternal punishment in the Hereafter, right guidance in this world, and forgiveness for sin. Allah, the All Mighty says:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ

“It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zuim (wrong i.e. by worshipping others bes ides Allah), for them (only) there is security and they are guided ’ [6:82].

The Prophet said: The worshipper’s right on Allah is that He will not punish those who worship none besides Him (Bukhari and Muslim)

The Last Sermon Of Prophet Muhammad Peace be Upon Him

This sermon was delivered on the Ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, 10 A.H. ( 623AD) in the Uranah valley of Mount Arafat in Mecca. It was the occasion of annual rites of Haj. It is also known as the Farewell Pilgrimage.

After praising and thanking Allah the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) began with the words:

"O People! Lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore, listen carefully to what I am saying and take these words to those who could not be present here today."

"O People! just as you regard this month, this day ,this city as sacred ,so regard the life and property of every Muslim a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that he will indeed reckon your deeds."

"Allah has forbidden you to take usury, therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital is yours to keep .You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequality. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all interest due to Abbas Ibn 'Aal-Muttalib be waived."

"Every right arising out of homicide in pre-Islamic days is henceforth waived and the first such right that I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabiah ibni al-Harithiah."

"O men! the unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calendar in order to make permissible that which Allah forbade, and to prohibit what Allah has made permissible. With Allah the months are twelve in number. Four of them are holy, there are sucessive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumada and Shaban."

"Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will be able to lead you astray in big things so beware of following him in small things."

"O People it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well never to be unchaste."

"O People! listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat .Perform Haj if you can afford it."

"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a White has no superiority over a Black nor a Black has any superiority over a White except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly."

"Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer your deeds. So beware, do not astray from the path of righteousness after I am gone."

"O People! No Prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore O People! and understand words that I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and the Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray."

"All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly."

"O Allah, be my witness, that I have conveyed your message to Your people."

As part of this sermon, the prophet recited to them a revelation from Allah, which he had just received, and which completed the Quran, for it was the last passage to be revealed:

This day the disbeliever's despair of prevailing against your religion, so fear them not, but fear Me (Allah)! This day have I perfected for you, your religion and fulfilled My favor unto you, and it hath been My good pleasure to choose Islam for you as your religion. (Surah 5, Ayah 3)

The sermon was repeated sentence by sentence by Safwan's brother Rabiah (RA), who had powerful voice, at the request of the Prophet and he faithfully, proclaimed to over ten thousand gathered on the occasion. Towards the end of his sermon, the Prophet asked "O people, have I faithfully delivered unto you my message?" A powerful murmur of assents "O Allah! yes!"arose from thousands of pilgrims and the vibrant words "Allahumma Na'm," rolled like thunder throughout the valley. The Prophet raised his forefinger and said: "O Allah bear witness that I have conveyed your message to your people."

Muslims greeting non-Muslims in Holidays and Exchanging Gifts

 Greeting the non-believers on Christmas and other religious holidays of theirs is haraam. 

Imam ‘Ibn al-Qayyim’ may Allaah have mercy on him, said in Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah:  "Congratulating the disbelievers on the rituals that belong only to them is haraam by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. If the one who says this has been saved from kufr, it is still forbidden. It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensiveness of their actions. Whoever congratulates a person for his disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah."

If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals and because they are not festivals that are acceptable to Allaah. These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the whole of mankind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]

It is haraam for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations.
Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the kuffaar by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." 

Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-siraat al-mustaqeem mukhaalifat ashaab al-jaheem: "Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak."

Whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner, whether he does it out of politeness or to be friendly, or because he is too shy to refuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islaam, and because it makes the kuffaar feel proud of their religion.

Allaah is the One Whom we ask to make the Muslims feel proud of their religion, to help them adhere steadfastly to it, and to make them victorious over their enemies, for He is the Strong and Omnipotent.

Majmoo’ah Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen,( 3/369)
it is not permissible to give a kaafir a gift on the day of one of his festivals, because that is regarded as approving of or participating in the celebration of the false festival.  
If the gift is something that will help in celebrating the festival, such as food, candles, and the like, then it is even more haraam, and some of the scholars are of the view that this is kufr. 

With regard to accepting a gift from a kaafir on the day of his festival, there is nothing wrong with that, and that is not regarded as participating in it or approving of it, rather it should be accepted as an act of kindness, with the aim of softening his heart and calling him to Islam. Allaah has permitted kindness and fair treatment towards the kaafir who is not fighting the Muslims, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Verily, Allaah loves those who deal with equity” [al-Mumtahanah 60:8]
But kindness and fair treatment does not mean friendship and love, because it is not permitted to take a kaafir as a friend or love him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“You (O Muhammad) will not find any people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad), even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with Rooh (proofs, light and true guidance) from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein (forever). Allaah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the party of Allaah. Verily, it is the party of Allaah that will be the successful” [al-Mujaadilah 58:22] 

“O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists) as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth” [al-Mumtahanah 60:1]
“O you who believe! Take not as (your) Bitaanah (advisors, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends) those outside your religion (pagans, Jews, Christians, and hypocrites) since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses) if you understand” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:118]

“And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you, and you have no protectors other than Allaah, nor you would then be helped” [Hood 12:113]

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Awliyaa’ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Awliyaa’ of each other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa’), then surely, he is one of them. Verily, Allaah guides not those people who are the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)” [al-Maa’idah 5:51]

The Muslim should be proud of his religion and apply its rulings, and he should not give them up out of shyness or to impress anyone, for Allaah is more deserving of us feeling shy before Him.