The Best Days Ever!
So you are not going to Hajj this year and you are stuck in your country like the rest of us, but want to be forgiven like the people that went for hajj? No need to dispair, the best 10 days of the entire year will soon be upon us and there are certain things a person can do to make the most of this blessed time, even if he or she cant go for hajj.
Ibn ‘Abbas reports that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these days [meaning the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah].”The companions asked, “O Messenger of Allaah, not even jihad in the way of Allaah?” He said, “Not even jihad, except for the man who puts his life and wealth in danger [for Allaah’s sake] and returns with neither of them.”
From amongst the good things a person can do, as mentioned by Haafidh Ibn Rajab in his book al-Lataa-if al-Ma’aarif are:
Fasting during the day of ‘Arafah [if your not doing hajj] as has been reported in the saheeh of Imaam Muslim ‘Fasting the day of ‘Arafah wipes away the sins of the past and coming year’Protecting your limbs from sin on that day [day of ‘Arafah] it has been reported in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal that the Prophet said‘This day whoever safeguards his hearing and sight and tongue will be forgiven’Increasing in saying the Kalimatu-at-Tawheed [i.e laa ilaaha illalAllah] with sincerity and truth. Because it is the essence of the religion of Islaam which Allah completed on the day of ‘Arafah.
Similarly there has been an on-going dispute between scholars, and that is regarding the question, are the ten first days of Dhul-Hijjah more superior then the ten last nights of Ramadan? And the best opinion regarding this is that, yes the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are infact better then the last ten nights of Ramadan [except laylatul Qadr]. So as Muslims we should try our best to increase in good deeds, whatever they may be during these blessed ten days, to reap the maximum benefit and reward.
Hajj and Istighfaar
Shaykh Abdu-Razzaq bin Abdul-Muhsin al-‘Abbaad writes concerning the hajj in his book Min Madrasatu-l-Hajj
It is often that Allah commands for istighfaar, especially at the end of acts of obedience and upon completion of worship.
Allah the Most High says:
ثُمَّ أَفِيضُواْ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ النَّاسُ وَاسْتَغْفِرُواْ اللّهَ إِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
and surge onward together with the multitude of all the other people who surge onward, and ask God to forgive you your sins: for, verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
And the surge mentioned in the verse here is in reference to the return towards Mina where the Hujjaj stay during the days of hajj. And Allah ordered them to do istighfaar so that it patches up any mistakes or short comings that might have occured.
Similarly it was from the practise of the Prophet to end his good deeds with istighfaar. It is authentically narrated in Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet used to say upon finishing salah, astaghfirullah three times. Even at the end of the night prayers he used to end it with istighfaar.
Allah the Most High said:
وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالأَسْحَارِ
and [those who] pray for forgiveness in the early morning.
And he used to conclude his sittings with istighfaar as has been authentically reported by Aboo Dawuud on the authority of Abee Burzah al-Aslamee that whenever the Prophet wanted to end a sitting he used to say:
SubhaanakAllahuma wa Bihamdika ash-Hadu an laa ilaaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atuubu ilayk
The Prophet even ended his life with Istighfaar as has been narrated by Imaam Bukhaaree in his saheeh on the authority of ‘Aishah. During his last days in this world whilst being in the care of his beloved wife ‘Aishah she heared him repeating.
Allahuma ighfirlee warhamnee wa alhiqnee bi rafeeqil ‘ala
O Allah forgive me and have mercy upon me and make me join the company of the noble ones!
So you are not going to Hajj this year and you are stuck in your country like the rest of us, but want to be forgiven like the people that went for hajj? No need to dispair, the best 10 days of the entire year will soon be upon us and there are certain things a person can do to make the most of this blessed time, even if he or she cant go for hajj.
Ibn ‘Abbas reports that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these days [meaning the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah].”The companions asked, “O Messenger of Allaah, not even jihad in the way of Allaah?” He said, “Not even jihad, except for the man who puts his life and wealth in danger [for Allaah’s sake] and returns with neither of them.”
From amongst the good things a person can do, as mentioned by Haafidh Ibn Rajab in his book al-Lataa-if al-Ma’aarif are:
Fasting during the day of ‘Arafah [if your not doing hajj] as has been reported in the saheeh of Imaam Muslim ‘Fasting the day of ‘Arafah wipes away the sins of the past and coming year’Protecting your limbs from sin on that day [day of ‘Arafah] it has been reported in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal that the Prophet said‘This day whoever safeguards his hearing and sight and tongue will be forgiven’Increasing in saying the Kalimatu-at-Tawheed [i.e laa ilaaha illalAllah] with sincerity and truth. Because it is the essence of the religion of Islaam which Allah completed on the day of ‘Arafah.
Similarly there has been an on-going dispute between scholars, and that is regarding the question, are the ten first days of Dhul-Hijjah more superior then the ten last nights of Ramadan? And the best opinion regarding this is that, yes the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are infact better then the last ten nights of Ramadan [except laylatul Qadr]. So as Muslims we should try our best to increase in good deeds, whatever they may be during these blessed ten days, to reap the maximum benefit and reward.
Hajj and Istighfaar
Shaykh Abdu-Razzaq bin Abdul-Muhsin al-‘Abbaad writes concerning the hajj in his book Min Madrasatu-l-Hajj
It is often that Allah commands for istighfaar, especially at the end of acts of obedience and upon completion of worship.
Allah the Most High says:
ثُمَّ أَفِيضُواْ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ النَّاسُ وَاسْتَغْفِرُواْ اللّهَ إِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
and surge onward together with the multitude of all the other people who surge onward, and ask God to forgive you your sins: for, verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
And the surge mentioned in the verse here is in reference to the return towards Mina where the Hujjaj stay during the days of hajj. And Allah ordered them to do istighfaar so that it patches up any mistakes or short comings that might have occured.
Similarly it was from the practise of the Prophet to end his good deeds with istighfaar. It is authentically narrated in Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet used to say upon finishing salah, astaghfirullah three times. Even at the end of the night prayers he used to end it with istighfaar.
Allah the Most High said:
وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالأَسْحَارِ
and [those who] pray for forgiveness in the early morning.
And he used to conclude his sittings with istighfaar as has been authentically reported by Aboo Dawuud on the authority of Abee Burzah al-Aslamee that whenever the Prophet wanted to end a sitting he used to say:
SubhaanakAllahuma wa Bihamdika ash-Hadu an laa ilaaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atuubu ilayk
The Prophet even ended his life with Istighfaar as has been narrated by Imaam Bukhaaree in his saheeh on the authority of ‘Aishah. During his last days in this world whilst being in the care of his beloved wife ‘Aishah she heared him repeating.
Allahuma ighfirlee warhamnee wa alhiqnee bi rafeeqil ‘ala
O Allah forgive me and have mercy upon me and make me join the company of the noble ones!
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