Embracing Spiritual Renewal: Allah's Gift Of Fresh Starts

Opening

We begin in the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most compassionate, our Lord, our Creator, our Sustainer, our Nourisher. And we bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is his servant and messenger. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whomsoever Allah misguides, none can guide him. So we seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the accursed, and from the evils of our own souls.

The Human Longing for Renewal

One of the very beautiful things that Allah has put into our natural fitrah as human beings — Allah has inherently placed this as a quality or characteristic of every human being — is the fact that as human beings we look for times of renewal. We look for times of doing something again, or to renew anything that may apply to us. We love to look for that time of renewal.

Now I'm not talking about subscriptions and things like that — of course, we don't like that, and the bill that we get on our credit card that we never thought about. I'm not talking about that renewal. I'm talking about any sense of renewal in our actual life.

And some examples of that — the quickest example that comes to mind is that of New Year's. It's not something that's specific to Muslims, but it's something that's inherently, across all human beings. When New Year's comes around, everyone starts to give or talk about resolutions. What I'm going to do to be a better person next year. So whether it's losing weight, or gaining achievement, or doing something that I'm looking forward to doing, this sense of renewal is something that, as human beings, we love to see.

And of course, the commercialization of this happens also. So gyms know that at the time of the New Year, people will make intentions to lose weight. And so sales go on for memberships and renewals and all of this. Why? Because they know that it's inherently built in within every human being that we love to do things anew. We love to get a second chance.

And it's not just with New Year's, and it's not just in this society or this culture, but in any culture. If we think about students — college students, or even grade school students — when we think of a semester ending, or a new semester starting, students look forward to that new semester starting. And it's a time of renewing our intentions. They think, you know what, I didn't do as well as I wanted to last semester, but this semester I'm gonna study hard. This semester I'm gonna do well. Why? Because it's a new chance, it's a fresh start.

Also, when seasons change — when the winter ends and the spring starts — not only in our culture but in other cultures as well, we have spring cleaning. A person will go through their house and just throw away all the clutter that's accumulated over the winter, in the yard physically, in the house as well. Anything that looks like clutter will go and we will spring clean. Why? We want a new start.

So this is something that's inherently built in within us as human beings — that we love that new chance. We love that fresh chance to start anew.

Allah Places Moments of Renewal in the Deen

And Allah, of course, as our Creator, is well aware of this inherent love that we have within us to start anew. And so in the deen, we'll find it as well — that Allah places certain days, and certain times, and certain events throughout the year, that for us as Muslims, it's a chance for renewal, a spiritual renewal. So whether you look at the month of Ramadan, a yearly chance to freshen ourselves spiritually, to make tawbah — or even on a weekly basis, this Jumu'ah Salah, a time to renew, and a time to think of what my intentions are for the next week.

Last week wasn't the best week. I may have missed salawat in the masjid. I may have not recited any Qur'an. I may have committed major sins, but you know what? Allah has given me this Friday. As the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentions — Friday to Friday, it's a means of forgiveness. كفارة لما بينهما — from one Friday to the next Friday, it's a kaffarah, a means of expiation of our sins that happened between the two Fridays. So even our Fridays are a chance for renewal, a chance to do good.

The Hadith: Seize the Breezes of Allah's Mercy

And so as Muslims, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم actually even teaches us that in these chances of renewal, we must take advantage of these chances. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentions in a hadith reported by Imam al-Tabarani:

(Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat lil-Tabarani, Hadith 3832)

"Do good throughout your lives — افعلوا الخير دهركم — generally, we should always try to do good. But وتعرضوا لنفحات رحمة الله — present yourselves, be open to the opportunities that Allah will send your way."

نفحات من رحمة الله literally translates to: the breezes of the mercy of Allah. And we know that breezes or wind — it's not something that's happening all the time. In fact, on a hot summer day, a person will seek out these opportunities where there's a cold breeze. And if a cold breeze comes their way, everyone enjoys it. You might be outside sweltering in hot weather, and all of a sudden a cold breeze comes by. That cold breeze everyone enjoys. In fact, sometimes we'll even stand up and open our buttons and enjoy that cold breeze that comes to us.

So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gives this very example when he talks about these chances that Allah sends. He uses the word نفحات رحمة الله — the breezes of the rahmah of Allah. Allah sends these breezes, these winds of His mercy from time to time. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: present yourself. When this opportunity comes your way, don't think of it as nothing. Don't deem it insignificant. Make sure you don't disregard it, but give it its due respect and its due honor.

So when the month of Ramadan comes around, naturally we think about it. Our families prepare for it. We hear khutab about it. We talk about the schedule change and taraweeh and all of these things. So naturally there's a ceremonial nature around the month of Ramadan, and that's one of the major winds of mercy from Allah. But throughout the year, Allah in His divine wisdom has placed other times and opportunities and breezes of His rahmah throughout the year as well.

The First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah

And in fact, we are in one of those very breezes of the rahmah of Allah right now. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in many ahadith mentions the importance of the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. And we are in those first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.

Now remember the advice of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — present yourself for these opportunities that Allah will give you. Just like when a student finishes their semester and they think about the next semester and that opportunity, that chance to renew, that chance to do better. You know, for huffadh, when the month of Ramadan ends, they think about when that next Ramadan comes — you know what, I'm gonna read all year and I'm gonna do better in taraweeh next year. When the season changes and we think about the next season approaching and how we're going to do better.

Even in sports, when a season ends, the team automatically starts talking about and planning for next year. What we're gonna do next year, how are we going to do better than we did this year. Even if it was the team that won the finals and won the championship, they will think about what they need to do to make sure when the next season comes around, they're gonna be on top of their game.

So in the same way, when Allah gives us these chances, we can't sit back. Just imagine a sports team thinks to themselves, you know what, we've won the championship, don't worry about next year. And they sat back and were relaxed and comfortable with what they accomplished. It would never happen. A city would never let that happen. The fans would never let that happen. The players would never let that happen.

So as human beings, as Muslims — the month of Ramadan has passed. That next rahmah, that next breeze of mercy from Allah, is upon us. And that's the first ten days of the month of Dhul Hijjah.

The Hadith on the Virtue of These Ten Days

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 969)

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned that these are the ten days in which no other days — besides these ten days — are good deeds more beloved to Allah than in these ten days. In these ten days, any good deeds are more beloved to Allah than in any other day out of the year.

Are These Ten Days More Virtuous Than the Last Ten Days of Ramadan?

And scholars actually debate — academically debate — which days are more precious, more virtuous in the sight of Allah. Are they the last ten days of Ramadan, or these first ten days of Dhul Hijjah? I'm not just speaking a hadith here and a hadith there about the virtues of the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. No — there are so many ahadith and virtues about these first ten days that scholars sit and debate: which ten days are more virtuous? The ten of Ramadan or the ten of Dhul Hijjah?

And then they categorize it differently and say: well, if we're talking about the actual days — the 24-hour day portion — then the days that are more virtuous are these ten days that we are in now. The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are more virtuous than the last ten days of the month of Ramadan. The nights — when you categorize into nights — then yes, the last ten nights of Ramadan are more virtuous. So to reconcile between which ten days are more virtuous, the scholars say: the ten days of Dhul Hijjah are more virtuous, the ten nights of Ramadan are more virtuous. That's how virtuous the days that we are in are.

Why These Days Lack the Ceremonious Feel of Ramadan

Now unfortunately, it's just the way that it is — it's not as ceremonious as Ramadan. Ramadan comes with fasting and taraweeh and communities and cooking and feasting and all of that. So there's a ceremonial nature of Ramadan that kind of pushes all of us. Whether we're thinking about it or not, we're forced to think about it because everyone in the house, the community, our social circle — everyone's fasting and everyone's in the masjid in the last ten nights and everyone's praying taraweeh. So we just have to. We're kind of urged to do so.

But these ten days, for whatever reason — it may be Allah's divine mercy, it may be His divine thinking and planning — these ten days don't have that ceremonious nature. Everyone's not fasting and everyone's not attending the masjid like they do in Ramadan. So it lacks that ceremonious nature.

So there are two ways we can look at this.

Number one: this is Allah's divine planning. And for an earnest worshipper, it's something that gives them more excitement that no one else knows about these ten days. Like, for example, it's Black Friday and everyone's lining up for ten TVs that are on sale — 75% off. And now this one person who really wants that TV has to battle and compete with thousands of other people. They're gonna line up, put out camps and tents and try to make sure they're the first person in that store. Why? Because there's only ten TVs that are 75% off. Chances are they're not getting it.

Now that same person a few months later finds the same deal. It's one of those hidden deals that you find on a website. He just walks into that store and all of a sudden it's on clearance — it's the same deal. He'll be more happy that this opportunity has come and no one else knows about it. All the thousands of people that were fighting for this TV just a few months ago on Black Friday don't know that this TV is exactly 75% off again. And out of joy and excitement, he might buy more than one — maybe two or three. Out of excitement that no one else knew about these TVs.

So that excitement for the earnest worshipper — it may be Allah's plan that Allah only gives the importance of these ten days to those earnest worshippers who actually want it. They actually want Allah's mercy. They're begging and they're looking and they're searching for Allah's mercy. And maybe that's why Allah has made these ten days less ceremonious in nature than the last ten days of Ramadan.

The second aspect — and this is more of our responsibility — is that possibly it's less ceremonious because we as Muslims haven't taken the responsibility to make it more ceremonious. Maybe it's our fault that we haven't talked to our children about it. Maybe we don't know about it. Maybe we haven't created that ceremonious feel that we do around Ramadan. And this is something that's in our hands.

I'm saying this from experience. Growing up in a city like this, where there are masajid every five minutes and hifz programs and thousands of people praying and halal restaurants and Muslims everywhere you go — sometimes what happens is you can go through a complete season or a holiday and not even notice it. You can go through, say, Easter or Memorial Day weekend or July 4th. If you're living in a bubble where you're praying salah in the masjid, your kids go to Islamic school, your social circle is all Muslims — it may be possible that you went through something like Easter without even knowing that it's Easter. Why? Because you're not in an environment where it's being celebrated.

In the same way, if a person is not creating that environment, then it's possible that we go through these ten days and not even feel it. So it's our responsibility to teach this to our children. Make an effort to maybe attend the masjid. Do a little extra. Fast. Give sadaqah.

Ibn Hajar's Reasoning: All Major Ibadat Come Together

And Ibn Hajar رحمه الله, the great commentator of Bukhari, mentions his opinion on why these ten days are greater than the last ten days of Ramadan. He said: because it's in these ten days that all of the major ibadat of Allah — all of the major ways of worshipping Allah — take place. And what he's specifically mentioning is that only in these days does hajj take place. So you'll find salah taking place. If a person wants to give their zakat at this time, they can. If they want to do anything optional — tahajjud, qiyam, i'tikaf, whatever it is — it can happen in these days.

The one thing that can never be done throughout the remainder of the year, except on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of Dhul Hijjah, is hajj. So maybe it's because all of the major ibadat through which we can worship Allah are all happening at the same time — never throughout the rest of the year are they all happening simultaneously, because hajj can only be done on the 8th, 9th, and 10th through to the 13th. So Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani says: my opinion on why these ten days are more virtuous than even the last ten days of Ramadan is because all of the different ibadat are taking place, whereas this time is never found throughout any of the other times of the year.

What We Should Do in These Ten Days

So what do we do in these ten days? Quickly:

First — any good deeds, any good deeds, are more beloved to Allah in these ten days than in any other ten days. Take advantage.

Second — avoid sin. A lot of times some scholars — and it's mentioned in their biographies — would specifically focus more on avoiding sins in these days. Why? Because yes, the reward is great for doing good deeds, but if you're committing sin when it's more virtuous to do good deeds, then it shows a level of disregard to Allah. Allah is saying you're getting more reward if you do X, Y, and Z, and you're here committing sins — that's showing disregard to Allah's extra reward for doing good deeds. So doing good deeds is great, yes, but some scholars would focus more on avoiding sin in these ten days. If we can't pray all night and fast all day and do all of those good things, the least we can do is avoid sin. Be particular about avoiding sins in these ten days.

Third — we know that the 9th is the Day of Arafah, a day of fasting. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned it forgives a year of sins.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1162)

Fourth — Eid will be on the 10th, and then we do qurbani — udhiyah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned that for doing the udhiyah, for every strand of hair on the animal that you sacrifice for the sake of Allah, there is hasanah — good deeds for every strand of hair.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1493; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3126)

The Mindset of a Believer

May Allah give us all tawfiq to understand the opportunity that we have. May Allah give us tawfiq to take advantage of these ten days. The mindset of a Muslim is that they're always ready to seize the opportunity. If somebody comes and asks you for help — financial help, physical help, they need your time or effort or money — you don't look at it as annoying. The mindset of a believer is: this is not annoying me; in fact, this is an opportunity for me to be forgiven. This is an opportunity. Allah sent this person to me to ask me for help. It's not annoying me, but it's giving me an avenue to gain Allah's nearness. The mindset of a believer is that we always look at everything as an opportunity to get closer to Allah.

May Allah give us all tawfiq.

Announcements

If we have space in front of you, please move forward. Do not leave gaps and make space for others. Please also pass the donation boxes from the left side of the masjid to the right and donate generously. We know that sadaqah wards off calamities and it's the virtuous ten days of Dhul Hijjah, so please be generous in donating to the masjid.

We will have an Arafah program on Friday, July 8th, next week, after Asr Salah, regarding the Day of Arafah. As mentioned, the 9th — the Day of Arafah — is a day of fasting that forgives sins. In another hadith, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned that the best du'a is made on the Day of Arafah. So we will have a program here on Friday, July 8th, after Asr Salah regarding Arafah. Everyone is invited to join inshallah.

Eid Salah will be Saturday, next week, Saturday, July 9th. Fajr Iqamah will be at 4:45 and the first Salah will be at 5:15. So Fajr Salah will be prayed at 4:45 and the first Eid Salah will be after the Fajr Salah at 5:15. The address will start at 5:15 and Eid prayer will be at 5:45, led by Mufti Azimuddin. The second Salah — the address will start at 10 a.m. and the Salah will be at 10:30 a.m., led by Mawlana Ahsan Sayyid.

Also, we have admissions open for the Tanweer Intensive Program for boys and girls. Classes will start August 15th. The Tanweer Intensive is a year-long Arabic and Islamic studies program which aims to lay the foundation for one's Islamic education. The positive ways in which Muslims contribute to society are endless. Every Muslim should strive to please Allah through the gifts and talents they have been given by Allah. Admissions are open. Please also register for our Arabic Essential Program, open to brothers and sisters ages 15 and up.

Also, there are brothers' jujitsu classes held here at Darussalam. The summer enrollment is now open. You can enroll at masjidds.org/JJ.

Darussalam Seminary programs open for admissions: 8th grade Tadrees Prep for girls is open for admission. Tadrees Integrated High School Program for boys admission is open. The Alimiyah and Tadrees Integrated High School — full Alimiyah with high school for boys and girls — is open for admission. Full Alimiyah Program for boys, Tanweer, and full-time Hifz: registration is closed but you can enroll for next year.

Weekly programs: Tuesday nights Tafsir after Maghrib will be continuing inshallah. Monday nights Bukhari at Darussalam is temporarily suspended this week. Saturday's team Fajr will be continued. Tomorrow after Fajr, Iqamah for Salah is at 4:45.

An announcement for Helping Hands: Helping Hand is distributing flyers outside for its global Udhiyah Qurbani Program. Please pick up a flyer from their team outside. Jazakumullah Khayran.

There is du'a maghfirah for brother Jameel Farooqi who passed away today. May Allah grant him forgiveness and make his grave a garden of Jannah. Ameen, Ya Rabbil Alameen.