Dhul Hijjah 2023: The Sacred Month of Hajj and Its Profound Rewards

Dhul Hijjah 2023 is just around the corner , the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. The word “DHUL-HIJJAH” in Arabic means "THE MONTH OF PILGRIMAGE". It holds immense importance for Muslims worldwide. This sacred month is marked by numerous acts of worship, culminating in the pilgrimage of Hajj. Dhul Hijjah offers a unique opportunity for believers to strengthen their faith, seek forgiveness, and engage in acts of devotion. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of Dhul Hijjah, delve into its virtues, and accompany our discussion with authentic Sahih Hadiths to provide a deeper understanding.

DHUL HIJJAH 2023 : ITS VIRTUES AND BENEFITS

Dhul Hijjah is a month brimming with blessings and virtues. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized the significance of this month through his words and actions. In a Sahih Hadith, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ( صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) said, "There are no days more beloved to Allah that He be worshipped in them than the ten days of Dhul - Hijjah, fasting every day of them is the equivalent of fasting a year, and standing every night of them (in prayer) is the equivalent of standing on the Night of Qadr." (Tirmidhi 758) Thus, the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah hold immense value, offering believers a unique opportunity to engage in acts of worship and earn countless rewards.

THE PILGRIMAGE OF HAJJ:

The pinnacle of Dhul Hijjah is the annual pilgrimage of Hajj. As one of the five pillars of Islam, Hajj holds great significance in the lives of Muslims. It is a journey to the holy city of Mecca, where believers gather to perform specific rituals over a span of five to six days. “Take your rites of Hajj from me, for I may not meet you after this year of mine.” As a result, it was named the Farewell Hajj (Hajjatul-Wadaa) and, during it, the following verse was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ‎)

‎•لۡيَوۡمَ اَكۡمَلۡتُ لَـكُمۡ دِيۡنَكُمۡ وَاَ تۡمَمۡتُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعۡمَتِىۡ وَرَضِيۡتُ لَـكُمُ الۡاِسۡلَامَ دِيۡنًا ؕ•

“This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [Al-Maa’idah 5:3].

DHUL HIJJAH 2023: ACTS OF WORSHIP AND ITS BENEFIT

Besides Hajj, Dhul Hijjah offers various acts of worship that Muslims can engage in to earn immense rewards. These acts include fasting, offering voluntary prayers, reciting the Quran, giving charity, and engaging in the remembrance of Allah. The Prophet (صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) said, "There is no deed that is better in the sight of Allah or more greatly rewarded than a good deed done in the (first) ten days of Dhul Hijjah." (Tirmidhi 758) so recite a great deal of tahleel, takbeer and tahmeed during them.":

Tahmeed: Alhamdulillah (All praises be to Allah)

Tahleel: La ilaha il Allah (There is no god but Allah)

Tasbeeh: Subhaan-Allah (Glory be to Allah)

Such Hadiths highlight the immense value of engaging in acts of worship during this sacred month. It has been reported by Muslim, in his Saheeh collection, from Aa’ishah ‎ (رضي الله عنها) that the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ‎) said,

‎مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْتِقَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ عَبْدًا مِنْ النَّارِ مِنْ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ وَإِنَّهُ لَيَدْنُو ثُمَّ يُبَاهِي بِهِمْ الْمَلَائِكَةَ فَيَقُولُ مَا أَرَادَ هَؤُلَاءِ

“There is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire than the Day of ‘Arafah. He indeed draws near and He then speaks of them proudly before the angels saying, ‘What do these people want?'”

THE OFFERING OF SACRIFICE:

Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, is celebrated on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah. It commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son, Ismail (Ishmael), as an act of obedience to Allah. Muslims worldwide offer sacrifices by slaughtering livestock and distributing the meat to the needy. The Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ‎) said, "The best day with Allah is the Day of Sacrifice (10th of Dhul Hijjah)." (Ahmad) This Hadith illustrates the special significance of this day and the immense rewards associated with acts of sacrifice and charity.

It is an act of ibaadah to Allah عزوجل and you are rewarded for it. Allah عزوجل says: ‎

فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنْحَرْ

“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and SACRIFICE (TO HIM ONLY)” [al-Kawthar 108:2]

SEEKING FORGIVENESS AND REPENTANCE IN DHUL HIJJAH:

Dhul Hijjah is a time for believers to reflect on their actions, seek forgiveness from Allah, and strive to improve their character. The Prophet (صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) said, "There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of Arafah" - the ninth day of Dhul Hijjah. (Muslim) Muslims are encouraged to engage in supplication, seek forgiveness, and perform acts of kindness and charity during this auspicious time. These Hadiths remind us of the profound opportunity for redemption and purification during Dhul Hijjah.

WHAT TO DO IN DHUL HIJJAH IN THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF DHUL HIJJAH:

Concerning the types of worship to be performed during these ten days, one must understand that these days are a great blessing from Allah to His slave, which is appreciated properly by the actively righteous. It is the Muslim’s duty to appreciate this blessing and make the most of the opportunity, by devoting these ten days to paying more attention to striving hard in worship. Among His blessings to His slaves, Allah has given us many ways in which to do good and worship Him, so that the Muslim may be constantly active and consistent in his worship of his Lord.

Among the good deeds which the Muslim should strive to do during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are:

1 Fasting

It is Sunnah to fast on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) urged us to do good deeds during this time, and fasting is one of the best of deeds. Allah has chosen fasting for Himself, as is stated in the hadith qudsi: "Allah عزوجل says: ‘All the deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except for fasting, which is for Me and I am the One Who will reward him for it.’" (Reported by al-Bukhari, 1805).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to fast on the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah. It was narrated from Hunaydah ibn Khalid from his wife, that one of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to fast on the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah and the day of ‘Ashura, and three days each month, the first Monday of the month and two Thursdays. Narrated by al-Nasai, 4/205 and by Abu Dawud; classed as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawud, 2/462.

2. Takbir.

3.Performing Hajj and ‘Umrah in Dhul Hijjah 2023:

4. Good deeds in Dhul Hijjah 2023 :

5.Sacrifice in Dhul Hijjah 2023: (Eid Al-Adha)

6. Sincere repentance

THINGS TO AVOID IN THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF DHUL HIJJAH IF ONE WANTS TO OFFER A SACRIFICE?

The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants to offer a sacrifice must stop cutting his hair and nails and removing anything from his skin, from the beginning of the ten days until after he has offered his sacrifice, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of Dhul-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, then he should stop cutting his hair and nails until he has offered his sacrifice." According to another report he said: "He should not remove (literally, touch) anything from his hair or skin." (reported by Muslim with four isnads, 13/146)

The Prophet’s instruction here makes one thing obligatory and his prohibition makes another haram, according to the soundest opinion, because these commands and prohibitions are unconditional and unavoidable. However, if a person does any of these things deliberately, he must seek Allah’s forgiveness but is not required to offer (an extra) sacrifice in expiation; his sacrifice will be acceptable. Whoever needs to remove some hair, nails, etc. because it is harming him, such as having a broken nail or a wound in a site where there is hair, should do so, and there is nothing wrong with that. The state of ihram is so important that it is permitted to cut one’s hair if leaving it will cause harm. There is nothing wrong with men or women washing their heads during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) only forbade cutting the hair, not washing it.

The wisdom behind this prohibition of the one who wants to offer a sacrifice from cutting his hair etc., is so that he may resemble those in ihram in some aspects of the rites performed, and so that he may draw closer to Allah by offering the sacrifice. So he leaves his hair and nails alone until the time when he has offered his sacrifice, in the hope that Allah will save him in his entirety from the Fire. And Allah knows best.

If a person has cut his hair or nails during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah because he was not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides later, during the ten days, to offer a sacrifice, then he must refrain from cutting his hair and nails from the moment he makes this decision.

Some women may delegate their brothers or sons to make the sacrifice on their behalf, then cut their hair during these ten days. This is not correct, because the ruling applies to the one who is offering the sacrifice, whether or not he (or she) delegates someone else to carry out the actual deed. The prohibition does not apply to the person delegated, only to the person who is making the sacrifice, as is indicated in the hadith. The person who is sacrificing on behalf of someone else, for whatever reason, does not have to adhere to this prohibition.

This prohibition appears to apply only to the one who is offering the sacrifice, not to his wife and children, unless any of them is offering a sacrifice in his or her own right, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to sacrifice "on behalf of the family of Muhammad," but there are no reports that say he forbade them to cut their hair or nails at that time.

If a person was planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides to go and perform Hajj, he should not cut his hair or nails if he wants to enter ihram, because the Sunnah is only to cut hair and nails when necessary. But if he is performing Tamattu’ [whereby he performs ‘Umrah, comes out of ihram and enters ihram a new for Hajj], he should trim his hair at the end of his ‘Umrah because this is part of the ritual.

The things that are described above as being prohibited for the person who is planning to offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadith quoted above; the person is not forbidden to wear perfume, have marital relations, wear sewn garments, etc.

Dhul Hijjah 2023, the sacred month of Hajj, holds immense rewards and blessings for Muslims throughout the year . By engaging in acts of worship, seeking forgiveness, and following the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ), believers can deepen their spiritual connection with Allah. Let us seize this opportunity during Dhul Hijjah to strengthen our faith, purify our souls, and strive for righteousness. May Allah bless us all during this auspicious month and accept our sincere efforts and worship.

May Allah's blessing light your way, strengthen your faith and bring joy to your heart as you praise and serve Him today, tomorrow and always.

ELANA MUSLIMAH