The First Ten of the Twelfth Month

 All praises and adorations are to Almighty Allah who created variations between times and moments by making some more beneficial than others. Dhul Hijja is the 12th month of the hijrah calendar. It is one of the holiest period of the Islamic year. It is a period that brings a lot of rewards to whoever takes advantage of being alive during this period.

Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 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." (Reported by al-Bukhari, 2/457).

Virtues of the first ten of Dhul Hijjah

Performing hajj or not, it is one of the best periods to amass rewards and blessings from Allah. It is important to improve/better our obligatory acts during this period and also engage more in righteous deeds than other months. Deeds such as charity, kindness to kiths and kins, forbidding evil, enjoining good acts are greatly encouraged. 

Allah swore an oath by the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah as seen in the Quran below:

“By the dawn and by the 10 nights (i.e. the first 10 days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah)…” [Qur’an 89: 1-2]. This emphasises the relevance of this month.

Recommended acts during these period

• Performance of hajj and Umrah

This is one of the best deeds that can be observed during this period for persons who have the means. 

• Fasting

Fasting in the first nine this month is greatly encouraged particularly on the 9th day which also doubles as the day of Arafah. It has been reported that fasting on this day expiates the sins of two years, that of the past year and the coming year (Sahih Muslim).

• Engaging in Dhikr

The Prophet (SAW) said:

"There are no days that are greater before Allah or in which good deeds are more beloved to Him, than these ten days, so recite a great deal of tahleel, takbeer  and tahmeed during them.” (Ahmad).

Tahmeed: Al-hamdu Lillah (All praises be to God)

Tahleel: Laa ilaha ill-Allah (There is no god but Allah)

Tasbeeh: Subhaan-Allah (Glory be to God)

Others include;

• Increasing in good deeds
• Sincere repentance
• Attending the Eid

Things to avoid during these period

Whoever intends to kill a ram as parts of the etiquettes of Eid must refrain from trimming/cutting his/her hair or nails during these period until afterwards. This is as a simulation of the state of Ihram for persons performing hajj who are also forbidden from doing such.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 

"When you see the new moon of Dhul-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, then he should stop cutting his hair and nails until he has offered his sacrifice."

If an individual does any of the above deliberately, it is recommended that he seeks Allah's forgiveness but he does not have to kill another ram for expiation of sin. 

If a person has cut his/her hair during these first ten days before deciding on making sacrifice, then he refrains from cutting anymore from the moment he makes that decision.

Also, during the state Ihram, it is permitted to cut the hair if it may cause harm to an individual.

Takaballahu Minna Wa Minkum.

References

Virtues of the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah. Retrieved from:/www.gulftimes.com

Dhul-Hijjah, the best 10 days. Retrieved from www.Islamic_relief.org.uk

Mufulihat Ibagbe