The Prophet ﷺ said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah ﷻ than these 10 days.” [Bukhari]
Subhan Allah! This is the great virtue of the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, the best days of the year.
Hearing this Hadith, it’s natural to be keen to make the absolute most of these blessed days. So how can you gain maximum benefit if you can’t spend a lot of time in worship due to your household responsibilities, studies, or work?
Here’s a list of some important A’maal (deeds) you can practice even if you’ve got a lot going on, insha Allah.
- Pray in congregation or at the earliest possible time.
- Repent and refrain from every sin.
- Guard your gaze and tongue.
- Avoid trimming your hair and nails until sacrifice.
- Keep as many fasts as possible.
- Recite the Tahleel, Takbeer, and Tahmeed frequently.
- Send abundant Salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ.
- Read the Quran al-Kareem daily.
- Pray special Nawafil and make heartfelt Dua.
- Give in charity with sincerity.
- Display beautiful Akhlaq (character) toward everyone.
1. Pray in congregation or at the earliest possible time.
Men should strive to pray all 5 prayers in the Majid in congregation. Women should try to pray at the earliest time when the time of prayer begins.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Salah (prayer) in congregation is twenty-seven times more rewarding than a Salah performed individually.” [Bukhari]
2. Repent and refrain from every sin.
Begin these days with sincere Taubah (repentance) and stay away from sins.
There are 3 conditions for the acceptance of your Taubah:
- to give up the sin immediately.
- to regret having committed the sin.
- to resolve never to do the sin again.
Additionally, if the sin pertains to someone else’s right, then you have to compensate for the harm you caused.
So especially in the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, avoid all types of sins so you can gain the true Nur (light) and benefit from your good deeds.
3. Guard your gaze and tongue.
Be cautious about protecting your gaze and tongue in particular.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “The adultery of the eyes is looking (at that which is not allowed).” [Bukhari]
Lowering your gaze from the Haram starts with making a commitment and breaking it down into small steps. Begin with deleting all non-Mahrams from your social media. Say Bismillah and do it.
Then practice looking down when you’re out and about, unless you really need to raise your gaze. You’ll know where and when exactly you’re more likely to let your gaze wander. Avoid those situations for the sake of Allah ﷻ.
4. Avoid trimming your hair and nails.
It is Mustahabb to avoid clipping your nails or trimming your hair after seeing the moon of Dhul Hijjah until Qurbani (sacrifice).
The Prophet ﷺ said: “When you see the new moon of Dhul Hijjah, and one of you desires that he offer a sacrifice, then let him keep (i.e. not cut) his hair and nails.” [Muslim]
5. Keep as many fasts as possible.
Fast as many days in this ‘Ashra as possible, but especially on 9th Dhul Hijjah, the day of Arafah.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Fasting the Day of Arafah will be credited with Allah ﷻ by forgiving one’s sins of the previous year and the following year.” [Muslim]
6. Recite the Tahleel, Takbeer, and Tahmeed frequently.
Recite Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Laa Ilaha Illallah, Wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Walillahil Hamd while going about your daily activities.
اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Laa Ilaha Illallah, Wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Walillahil Hamd.
Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest. There is no deity (no god) besides Allah and Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest and to Allah all praises belong.
Also recite Subhan Allah, Walhumdulillah, Walaa Ilaha Illallah, Wallahu Akbar frequently.
Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “There are no days greater in the sight of Allah ﷻ and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these 10 days, so during this time recite a great deal of Tahleel (لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ), Takbeer (اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ) and Tahmeed (ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ).” [Ahmad]
Hadhrat Ibrahim (as) informed Rasulullah ﷺ on the occasion of Mi’raaj that Jannah is a barren land and the plants of Jannah are, “Subhan Allah”, “Alhumdulillah”, “Allahu Akbar”.
7. Send abundant Salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him tenfold and will erase from him ten misdeeds and raise him ten degrees in status.” [Sunan Nasai]
8. Read the Quran al-Kareem daily.
Take out at least 10-15 minutes daily to read the Quran al-Kareem.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Read the Quran, for verily it will come on the Day of Judgment as an intercessor for its companions.” [Muslim]
9. Pray special Nawafil and make heartfelt Dua.
Pray 2 Nafl extra after praying Maghrib Salah with the intention of Awwabeen.
The benefits of praying Salat ul-Awwabin include all of one’s sins being forgiven even if they are as much as the foam of the sea, and if one prays six cycles, it would be equal to the reward of twelve years of worship. [Tabarani, Tirmidhi]
You can also strive to pray 2-4 Nafl with the intention of Tahajjud after Isha Salah, before Witr, to get the reward for Tahajjud. If possible, wake up later in the night for Tahajjud and pray additional Nawafil.
Abu Hurairah (ra) reports that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.” [Muslim]
Read Tasbeehat of Fatimah (ra), Durood, Istighfar, and make Dua before sleeping every night.
10. Give in charity with sincerity.
Give charity as much as is within your means.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “The believer’s shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity.” [Tirimidhi]
11. Display beautiful Akhlaq (character) toward everyone.
Above all, try your best to ensure that no one is harmed even the slightest bit by your words and actions. Remember: Earning Allah’s pleasure while hurting His slaves is impossible.
Abdullah ibn Umar (ra) reported: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ circling the Ka’bah and saying, “How pure you are and how pure is your fragrance! How great you are and how great is your sanctity! By the one in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the sanctity of the believer is greater to Allah than your sanctity, in his wealth, his life, and to assume nothing of him but good.” [Sunan Ibn Majah]
May Allah ﷻ allow us to make the most of every moment of these 10 blessed days of Dhul Hijjah and beyond. Ameen!
↓ PIN FOR LATER ↓
