The Significance of Dhul Hijjah - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Khutbah al-Ula — Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَصَفِيُّهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَخَلِيلُهُ أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ كَافَّةً بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا فَبَلَّغَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَأَدَّى الْأَمَانَةَ وَنَصَحَ الْأُمَّةَ وَتَرَكَنَا عَلَى الْمَحَجَّةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ لَيْلُهَا كَنَهَارِهَا لَا يَزِيغُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا هَالِكٌ فَصَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنِ اهْتَدَى بِهَدْيِهِ وَاسْتَنَّ بِسُنَّتِهِ وَدَعَا بِدَعْوَتِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

The Virtue of Blessed Times and Places

The salah that you pray today has more virtue and more fadl than the salah you were praying last week. Why? Why is this one better? Because it's happening in a time that is better. Just like when you are in Masjid al-Aqsa, or you are in the Haram, or you are in the Prophet's mosque, your salah is better according to Allah.

It has more virtue, more fadl. The same goes for different times. Just like in Ramadan, when you read the Quran and you do dhikr, it has more fadl, more virtue.

The same applies here. And just like in Ramadan, just like when you go to Hajj and you are at the Haram — you act differently, you think differently, you do more ibadah, you are in tune, you are aware — the same thing should be happening right now. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, spoke about this month of Dhul Hijjah, which is a sacred month.

The whole month is sacred. And in this month Hajj happens, and in this month it has the ten best days. They are so special, in fact, that Allah swears by them in the Quran.

Allah Swears by the Ten Nights

Where Allah says — Allah swears by the Fajr, the dawn, and by the ten nights. The scholars said these ten nights are referring to the ten days of Dhul Hijjah.

Allah also speaks about them in the Quran when He was speaking about Hajj. Allah said:

Let them attend and witness those things that are beneficial for them. Of course Hajj is beneficial for you. The forgiveness of Allah is beneficial for you. Your sins being wiped away so that you come back like the day you were born is beneficial for you. There are many other manafi' — and also that they may mention Allah and do dhikr of Allah in those specific appointed days. Of course, referring to the days of Dhul Hijjah.

The Prophet's Hadith on the Ten Days

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 969; Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 2438)

There are no days in the year where righteous actions — prayer, dhikr, fasting, whatever it is — are more beloved and better than these ten days. The Sahabah asked the Prophet a question — they said, "What about one who is willing to give his life for Allah? To lose that which is the most precious to him for Allah?" The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said even that — these days are more virtuous. That's how special these days are.

That's how special today is. And specifically today — right now it is Jumu'ah:

يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ — the best day of the week. And you are in Dhul Hijjah. Today, you should be doing more ibadah, more Quran, more dhikr, more istighfar than you were doing any other day. You are in a day that is blessed, in a month that is sacred, and in the best days of the year, Dhul Hijjah. And this is why it's really important that we are in tune and aware of this.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, made one exception — he said, except for one person who went out and gave his life and his wealth for Allah and didn't come back with any. Meaning that is the person that you are in competition with when you are just doing ibadah in these ten days.

Why Allah Gifted Us These Ten Days

This is why, Ikhwani fillah, I urge you to read more Quran, to give more sadaqah, to do any ibadah that comes to you. This is what you are meant to be doing in Dhul Hijjah, especially the days leading up to Yawm al-Eid.

There is a beautiful statement that was said by the scholar Ibn Rajab. He was talking about why Allah gave us these ten days, and he said:

Allah knew that the believers have a yearning to visit His sacred house. All of us here, we want to go to the Ka'bah. We want to make Hajj. We want to be doing Tawaf. We see it on TV, we have this urge — "I wish I could go." Well, at least that's how it should be. But then, the Qadr of Allah — we know not everyone will be able to go.

And as a replacement, as another way to attain the favour of Allah, Allah gifted us these ten days. Allahu Akbar. So you can't go to Hajj? That's fine. You can still benefit from the ten days of Dhul Hijjah.

All Major Acts of Worship Converge in These Ten Days

Brothers and sisters in Allah, when the Prophet said righteous actions are amplified and multiplied in these days, some of the scholars said what makes these ten days special is the fact that all the major acts of worship occur within them — and that is unique to these ten days alone.

Because we fast — such as fasting on the Day of Arafah — and it is encouraged for us to fast the other days as well. Hajj is happening, so there is Hajj and fasting. Tawheed is being established. The Hujjaj are making their talbiyah. And of course we are making the adhkar. People are giving charity. People are praying. All of the major acts of ibadah are happening — which makes this time an even more special occasion.

So, brothers and sisters in Allah, keep that in mind. Let your days reflect how important these ten days are. Let your family know. Let your children know. Let your habits change. Let your schedule change. Treat this as we treat Ramadan.

Khutbah al-Thaniyah — Second Sermon

Alhamdulillah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

My brothers and sisters in Allah, there are certain acts of ibadah that are highly encouraged for you to do. I urge you all and encourage you all to do them.

1. Increase Your Dhikr

Number one is to do a lot of dhikr. A lot of dhikr. Allah says:

So that Allah's name is mentioned. Say your tahleel. The Prophet mentioned in a hadith that you should say لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, you should say سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ, you should say اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ. The amount of dhikr that you do must increase — especially the takbir: Allahu Akbar.

So do a lot of dhikr. And of course, the best dhikr is the recitation of the Quran, and also sending salawat upon the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. So do all of that. And if you were doing it before, increase it. If you weren't doing it before, do it now. This is something that you must do — increase the dhikr that you're doing for Allah.

2. Fasting, Especially on the Day of Arafah

Ikhwan fi Allah, another encouraged act of ibadah is fasting. The Prophet would fast in the nine days leading up to the Day of Eid. If you can't do that, at the very least plan to fast on the Day of Arafah. Fast on the Day of Arafah. And this is of great virtue. Allah promised us that our previous sins will be forgiven — the year that has passed and the year that is coming — for those that fast on the Day of Arafah.

3. The Udhiyah (Qurbani)

Similarly, Ikhwan fi Allah, you should — if you can — offer the udhiyah, or the qurbani as it is also called. This is a sunnatun muakkadah — a highly encouraged sunnah. In fact, some scholars said it is wajib for the one who is able, although that is a minority opinion. The majority of scholars say it is a highly encouraged sunnah, and we should do it.

And we know that the days of Hajj and Dhul Hijjah are, in part, a celebration of the great Prophet Ibrahim, alayhi salam. All of the Hajj acts are tied to him. It was Prophet Ibrahim who was willing to submit to Allah to the highest degree — he was willing to sacrifice his own son for Allah. You are all familiar with the story of Ismail, alayhi salam. We are being asked to sacrifice a sheep, or a ram, or a goat, or share in the sacrifice of cattle for Allah. And there is a great reward in it. It is the sunnah of the believers, and we should do it. And Allah blesses you and your family if you do it.

And if you can do it locally, this is better than sending it abroad. And there is something else a lot of people don't fully appreciate. Generally speaking, the udhiyah is an act of worship more than it is an act of sadaqah. It is an act of worship more than it is an act of charity.

In the past, there wasn't the ability to refrigerate. And a lot of times, when the people in Hajj would sacrifice — because everyone doing Hajj would sacrifice for Allah — that meat, they would not always be able to distribute it everywhere. And sometimes they would have to burn it because it was going to go stale and bad. And then the question arises: why slaughter if it was not going to be eaten? The eating of the meat — yes, of course, that is what you should do. But the act of worship is the slaughter itself.

The flesh and blood does not reach Allah — but the taqwa from you does. This is the act of worship. So for you to do the act of worship directly, or as close to it as possible — for you to eat from the meat that you have slaughtered for Allah and distributed among your family — this is closer to the sunnah.

That being said, this is not always possible. And if you can't do this, then of course you should send it internationally so that other people can have it as well. And I want to make this very clear: the sunnah, the way we should try to do it, is local qurbani. If you can't do local qurbani and you still want to do it, then you should send it to countries where you can. And also if you can't afford the local qurbani but you can afford one internationally, then that's another reason to do it that way. But don't get it wrong — it is more virtuous to do local qurbani. It is closer to the sunnah of the Prophet, and you should eat from the meat. This is what the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, did as well. So keep it in mind for the following years as well. Both are khair, but one is closer to the sunnah than the other. And if you can't do one, then definitely do the other.

Important Rules Regarding the Udhiyah

Also, if you're planning on doing the udhiyah, my brothers and sisters — remember, the moment you make the decision, if you made the decision before the ten days started, then the Prophet advised us and encouraged us that we should be in a state similar to that of the one in ihram. Now, we know the people in Hajj, when they are performing the acts of Hajj, are not allowed to cut their hair, are not allowed to cut their nails, are not allowed to put on perfume — there are certain restrictions. When you decide that you are going to do the udhiyah for Allah, the sacrifice for Allah, then there are certain limitations placed on you as well. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: let him not take from his nails or from his hair.

So if you're planning on doing the udhiyah, make sure that you are not cutting your hair or cutting your nails — you should have done that before making the intention. If you're deciding today, then before you make the intention, cut your nails and hair, because the moment you make the intention, you cannot do so until the sacrifice is done.

Finally, when should the sacrifice be done? It should be done after the Eid prayer. After the Eid prayer. If you go to your local slaughterhouses and make a deal with them to do it on your behalf, make sure that it is happening after the Eid prayer — not before. We have to follow the sunnah on this. It is all good that we have good intentions and want to do the ibadah, but you have to follow the sunnah. The sacrifice is done after the Eid prayer, not before.

Summary of the Udhiyah

To quickly summarize: if you're planning on doing the udhiyah, remember — one, the moment you make the intention, you do not take from your nails or your hair. Two, the udhiyah should be sacrificed after the Eid prayer. Three, if you can do local qurbani, this is closer to the sunnah — but there is nothing wrong with doing it internationally if that's what you can afford, or for any other valid reason.

Closing Du'a

We ask Allah to accept our ibadah from us. We ask Allah to give us the understanding to benefit from these blessed times. We ask Allah to forgive our sins and accept our righteous actions. We ask Allah to forgive and aid all the believers, wherever they may be.

As Allah has commanded you, He said:

Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send blessings upon him and his family.

O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You have sent blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.

O Allah, send blessings upon the four caliphs — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali — and upon the rest of the companions and followers, and upon those who followed them with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

O Allah, do not let our gathering disperse except with our sins forgiven, our efforts accepted with gratitude, and our righteous actions received. O Allah, make us love faith and adorn it in our hearts, and make us hate disbelief, disobedience and transgression, and make us of the righteous.

And our last supplication is: all praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And establish the prayer.