The Blessed Days of Dhul-Hijjah

The Great month of Dhul-Hijjah is upon us, thousands and thousands of fortunate Muslims have embarked on the great journey of Hajj.

For those of us that are not going for Hajj, these first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah also hold great value.  Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days” (i.e the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah). (Bukhari)

These first 10 days are a great chance for a Believer to turn to his lord and gain his pleasures.  Allah has taken an oath of the first ten nights of this great month.

وَالْفَجْرِ. وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ

I swear by the dawn, and by ten nights (89:2)

Our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) has said “There is no better time to perform worship of Allah than on the (first) ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. A Day’s fast in it, equals the fast of a year, and a night’s worship in it, equals the worship of Laylatul Qadr”. (Tirmizi, Ibn Majah)

There are a few acts that we should all try to do in these ten days:

Fast as many days as we can in these blessed days. The Messenger of Allah used to fast the Day of Ashoorah, the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, and three days out of every month”. (Ahmad, Nasaa’i)

The observance of the fast of the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah is an atonement of the past and coming year.

Takbir: To say the Takbir from the Fajr of the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah to the Asr of the 13th Dhul-Hijjah, (23 Salaat).

   الله أكبر , الله أكبر, لا إله إلا الله الله أكبر  , الله أكبر ولله الحمد 

 (“Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, laa ilaaha illallallahu, Allahu akbar, wa Lillaahil-hamd”)

Doing more good deeds in general , because good deeds are beloved to 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 (Salaah), 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.


Sacrificing an animal is such a great deed that will take a person closer to Allah and will attain great reward. Regarding this great act of worship, Allah says in the Glorious Qur’an:

لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنكُمْ

‘It is neither the meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him.’ (22:37)

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.

Dua: A person should increase in the amount of Dua that he makes. Thousands and thousands of Muslims have embarked on the great journey of Hajj and Allahs mercy is in full flow. We should try supplicating to Allah as much as we possibly can.


There is a lot to be gained throughout these ten days. They are great opportunities to turn to Allah and make a firm resolution that we are going to live our lives in accordance to the Shari`ah and the Sunnah of our Beloved Prophet peace be upon him.