Muslim Comics

Allah made some days, some places and some people better than others. For instance Allah made the prophets and messengers better than others. 

Allah made some places better than others. Such as Mesjid al Nabawi and Mesjid al Haraam. A prayer in the Prophet’s mosque is 1,000x better than a prayer done anywhere else. A prayer done in Mesjid al-Haraam is 100,000x better than a prayer done anywhere else.

And Allah made some days better than others. For instance the day of Ashura, which is the 10th of Muharram. It’s the day that Allah freed Musa AS and his people from Firawn. Laylatul qadr as we all know is better than 1,000 months which is approximately 83 years. And right now we are at the start of Dhul Hijjah which has the 10 best days of the entire year. Found in Bukhari, the Prophet PBUH said:

“There are no days during which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days,” meaning these 10 days of Dhul Hijjah. The people asked, “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?” He said, “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing.”

These 10 days are better than all other days of the year, including the last 10 days of Ramadan. But the last 10 nights of Ramadan are better because of Laylatul Qadr.

In this article I want to remind us of some of the virtues of these 10 days, and what actions we should take within them.

Within the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah is a momentous day and that is the day of Arafah. The day of Arafah is the day Allah perfected our religion and Allah completed his favor upon us.

In both Bukhari and Muslim it was reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Jewish man said to him, “O Amir al-Mu’minin, there is a verse in your Book which you recite; if it had come to us Jews, we would have taken that day as an ‘Eid (festival).” ‘Umar said, “Which verse?” The Jew said: 

The Table Spread (5:3) 

ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًۭا ٣

{This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.} [al-Maidah 5:3 – interpretation of the meaning]. 

‘Umar RA said, “We know on which day and in which place that was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It was when he was standing in ‘Arafah on a Friday.”

This is a great blessing from Allah. Other religions do not have this. Other people who were sent Prophets changed their religion, distorted its teachings, and lost their scriptures. Some religions went from teaching worshiping only one God, to worshiping 3 gods or more. Some religions went from having laws and regulations, like no alcohol, no eating of pig, no fornication, no homosexuality to not only allowing these things but making them good and preferred. Some religions went from believing in the day of judgment, in paradise and in hell, to believing there’s only this existence.

We are blessed that Islam is complete. Meaning there’s no additions that can be added. No changes can be made. A person can’t come later and claim to be a prophet or claim to receive revelation. No our religion is perfected and completed. You cannot add to perfection. We should always recognize that and give thanks to Allah for that, especially in these upcoming 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.

Another virtue of Dhul Hijjah is that Allah swore by the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah and the day of Arafah in the Quran.

وَٱلْفَجْرِ ١

By the dawn,

وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍۢ ٢

and the ten nights,

وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ ٣

and the even and the odd,

According to the scholars of Islam these 10 nights refer to the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah and the even and odd refer to Eidul Adha and Arafah.

As we know, Allah doesn’t swear by a thing except that it has great importance. These 10 days are, as the Prophet PBUH said, the best days of the year. They are the days of the hajj pilgrimage. An act which expiates all the sins before it. An act which guarantees one paradise.

Found in Bukhari, the Prophet SAWS said: `Umra is an expiation for the sins committed (between it and the previous one). And the reward of Hajj Mabrur (the one accepted by Allah) is nothing except Paradise.”

Although most of us will not make it for Hajj this year, that doesn’t make these days any less important. Just like how we plan for Ramadan and the last 10 nights of Ramadan we should plan just as much for the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.

One thing we can do is aim to fast the first 9 days of Dhul Hijjah. Not the 10th as the 10th is Eid. If we cannot fast the first 9 days then aim to fast some of them, and make sure you fast on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, the day of Arafah.

Found in Muslim, the Prophet SAWS said regarding fasting on the day of Arafah: “It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.”

So that’s two years of sins wiped from our records. This is of course for those who fast correctly. Fasting isn’t just from food and drink, but from bad language and sin. So aim to fast to please Allah alone, be conscious while fasting, stay away from major sins and insha Allah this will remove 2 full years of sin for you.

We should increase in our dua and seek forgiveness during these 10 days of dhul Hijjah. Like we said these are the best 10 days of the year. You have an increased chance of Allah accepting your dua. Especially if you’re fasting, staying away from sins, and trying your best to please Allah. 

Seeking forgiveness is one of the best things you can do, because none of us are perfect. If we are held accountable for every sin we do, then we would all be doomed. We need Allah’s forgiveness and mercy to have a chance to enter paradise. Even the Prophet SAWS would seek Allah’s forgiveness more than 70 or a 100 times a day. You and I probably cannot remember to do that everyday. We’ll do it once or twice and then life will get in the way, to make us forget. But during these 10 days of Dhul Hijjah and especially during the 9th, we should strive to ask for Allah’s forgiveness. Listen to this hadith.

In Sahih Muslim it was narrated from ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of ‘Arafah. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?’”

May Allah allow us to see these special days and may He accept our forgiveness.

I want us to approach these 10 days with a sense of urgency. When we’re in the marketplace and there’s a limited time offer for something we’ve been wanting we don’t think twice. We act right away, because we don’t want to miss it. This is dunyah. That thing we desperately want will be forgotten after a few weeks or months.

Doing good deeds within these 10 days and outside of these 10 days is much greater than anything this dunyah has to offer. Listen to this hadith.

The Prophet was in the marketplace and passed by the carcass of a one-eared goat and he reached out to take its ear. The Prophet said, “Which one of you would like this for a dirham?” They said, “Who among us would want it while it is worth nothing? What would we do with it?” The Prophet said three times, “Would you like to have it?” They said no each time and said, “No, by Allah, if it were alive it would be defective as it only has one ear. How so if it were dead?” The Prophet said, “By Allah, the worldly life is less important to Allah than this is to you.”

Let’s not let the dunyah prevent us from working towards the akhira. Don’t let our desires, our competing in children and wealth prevent us from remembering Allah, from fasting, from thikr and from sadaqah.

Help us to make more Islamic material for our ummah. Check out our Muslim children’s books! Jazaka Allahu khayran!