The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are the most virtuous days of the year, in which Allah (swt) has blessed his Ummah with opportunities to multiply their rewards through His infinite mercy. These days are so sacred that Allah swears an oath by them:By the dawn; by the ten nights [The Noble Quran, 89:1-2].
And Allah also reminds us: Remember Allah during the appointed days. [The Noble Quran, 2:203]
Therefore, we should increase our acts of worship during this sacred time. The Prophet (saw) said, There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than in these (ten) days. [Abu Dawud]
Here are nine Sunnah actions you should follow to seek Allahs forgiveness and maximise your reward during the best ten days of the year:
Dhikr
Lets begin with a simple yet effective action – increasing your dhikr. In Makkah, the Talbiyah will be on every pilgrims tongue throughout the day and night; those at home have also been commanded to praise Allah constantly in these ten days.
The Eid takbeer is an example of dhikr that ticks all three of these boxes – tahleel, takbeer and tahmeed.
You can also make dhikr after your five daily prayers – SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times.
Reciting SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi (Glory be to Allah and praise Him) one hundred times a day will wipe away sins – no matter how burdensome they are.
These simple measures will ensure you are remembering Allah throughout the day and benefitting from the blessings of Dhul-Hijjah.
Fast the first nine days
It is Sunnah to fast on the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, because fasting is one of the best of deeds. In a hadith Qudsi, Allah says, All the deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except fasting, which is for Me and I shall reward for it. [Bukhari]
If you are unable to fast for the whole nine days, try to fast on just the Day of Arafah, the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah. Just as Laylat al-Qadr is the most blessed night of the year, Arafah is the most blessed day of the year. The Prophet (saw) said, There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than on the day of Arafah. (Muslim)
Like Laylat al-Qadr, we should spend this day seeking forgiveness and availing ourselves of Allahs incredible mercy. On this day, non-pilgrims have the opportunity to extinguish the sins of two years by fasting! The Prophet (saw) said, ′It (fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah) expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year’. [Muslim]
Recite Qur’an
Reciting the Qur’an is one of the best acts of worship we can perform to draw closer to Allah and seek his pleasure. The Prophet (saw) said, Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah, he will have a reward. And that reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that Alif, Laam, Meem is a letter, rather I am saying that Alif is a letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter. [Tirmidhi]
SubhanAllah, imagine the rewards you will earn from reading each letter during these blessed days when Allah has promised to multiply your reward!
Remember loved ones
Many of us will try to perform a Hajj specifically for a loved one that has passed away or make dua for loved ones during our own Hajj so that Allah will forgive them and have mercy on them on the Day of Judgement.
If you are unable to perform a Hajj for a loved one you can still honour them by giving Sadaqah Jariyah in their name on these blessed days. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: Sadaqah Jariyah, knowledge from which benefit is gained, or a righteous child who prays for him. [Muslim]
Our beloved Prophet (saw) told us that giving water is the best form of Sadaqah. By building a well in the name of your loved one you will be gifting a source of life to a whole community and increasing your loved ones record of good deeds for the Day of Judgement.
Pray Tahajjud
Its been one month since the last ten nights of Ramadan, and many of us are missing the spiritual high of seeking out Laylat al-Qadr through our nightly worship. But did you know that praying at night for the first ten nights of Dhul-Hijjah is equivalent to praying on Laylat al-Qadr?
Give Sadaqah
Many of us maximise our Sadaqah during the last ten nights of Ramadan, but the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are just as valuable and present the perfect opportunity to earn extra rewards for simple good deeds!
Hasan al-Basri (rh) said, Going to fulfil the need of your brother is better for you than performing Hajj after Hajj.
Source: Islamic hand
