The first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah are some of the most blessed days in the year. Allah takes an oath by them in the Qur’an which shows their importance:

“By the dawn and by the ten nights … ” Surah Al Fajr, Verse 1-2

The scholars have mentioned that the ten nights mentioned in this verse refers to the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.

So how can we make the most out of these days? Here are five things we can do to maximise our rewards:

1. Remember Allah

Not a day should go past without remembering Allah. But we should increase our rememberance in these days. We should glorify Allah by reciting Takbeer (Allahu Akbar), Tasbeeh (SubhanAllah), Tahleel (La ilaha Illallah) and Tahmeed (Alhamdulillah).

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“He who says, ‘Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi’ (Glory and praise be to Allah) one hundred times a day, his sins will be obliterated even if they are equal to the extent of the foam of the sea.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

2. Repent

In addition to remembering Allah, we should constantly ask Allah for forgiveness. We should constantly recite Istighfar (Astaghfirullah) throughout the day. We should also take some time out to make Tawbah and ask Allah to forgive all our sins and mistakes. The Hujjaj will be standing on the day of Arafah begging Allah for forgiveness, we can do the same from home.

The way Hujjaj try their best to change their lives for the better after returning from Hajj, We should also make resolutions to change for the better.

3. Fast

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would fast on the first nine days of Dhul Hijjah. We should try to emulate him in doing so but if we are unable to, we should try to fast on Mondays and Thursdays which are also a established Sunnah. At the very least, we should fast on the day of ‘Arafah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Fasting on the day of ‘Arafah is an expiation (of sins) for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it. (Reported by Ibn Majah)

Of course, fasting on these days is not compulsory but we should take advantage of these days as all of us are certainly in need of extra rewards.

4. Learn

We may not be performing Hajj by let us learn about the many aspects of Hajj and the stories behind them. Let us learn about, and take lessons from Ibrahim’s steadfastness (peace be upon him) when his people rejected him, his willingness to sacrifice his beloved son and Hajar’s faith and trust in Allah.

5. Give Charity

Charity is emphasized greatly in Islam and there are huge rewards to be gained for giving for the sake of Allah. The way we increase our giving in the last ten days of Ramadan, we should try to do the same on the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah by giving to different causes around the world.

One, often overlooked cause is Islamic education in the UK. One such organisation who are making provisions for quality Islamic education in the UK are Ebrahim College who provide a contextualised education which when combined with traditional sacred knowledge, can provide answers and guidance to the coming generations.

You can find out about Ebrahim College’s needs here.

[button url=”https://ebrahimcollege.org.uk/donate-now/” class=”” bg=”” hover_bg=”” size=”0px” color=”” radius=”0px” width=”0px” height=”0px” target=”_self”] You can donate securely here. [/button]

By: Rafiq ibn Jubair