On the Virtues of the First Ten Days of Dhu Al-Hijja and Haj

On the virtues of the first ten Days of Dhu al-Hijja and Haj First sermon Praise be to Allah, Who has prescribed Haj so for His servants to witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah, the All Knowing. I bear witness there is no deity except Allah, having no partners. I also certify that Muhammad is the Servant of Allah and His Apostle. Allah has preferred him over many others and selected him to be His Messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, his companions, and all those who will follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment. As to what follows, I call upon myself first and all of you to obey Allah, as He says, the meaning of which is, “And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O you of understanding.” (Al Baqara: 197) O Believers, Among the bounties Allah, the Most Exalted is He, upon His servants is giving them ample opportunities to perform good deeds for their good in the Hereafter. One of these blessed occasions is the coming month of Dhu al-Hijja, which encapsulates lots of qualities. In it fall some of the blessed days which Allah, may glory be to Him, has favoured over other days. They are the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijja. On their virtues, our Prophet Muhammed pbuh said, “there are no days in the sight of Allah better than the Ten Days of Dhu al-Hijja.” He also said, “there are no deeds purer in the sight of Allah nor greater in reward than good deeds done in the ten days [the last of which is Eid al Adha].” Early Tabiun (followers), for example, grasped fully the great merits of these days. One of them was Saeed Ibn Jubair, who used to exert in worship during this period of the year, and was unusually diligent in worship that no one else of his contemporaries could do. This is an invitation for Muslims to take advantage of these sacred days for increasing acts of worship, praying to Allah, fasting and giving charity. The virtues of these days come from the fact that Dhu al-Hijja is chosen by Allah over other months of the year for Muslims to perform Haj as He says, meaning, “Haj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made Haj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Haj” (Al Baqara: 197). Haj is the fifth pillar of Islam and an offering for Muslims to get closer to their Creator. It is also an act of worship involving limbs and senses, all in complete harmony to worship Allah, may Glory be to him. Pilgrimage is also a school of ethics that purify the self and train it to acquire such virtues as treating other people nicely and tolerating their mistakes.

1 During these holy days believers look forward to heading to Mecca in response to the call of the Prophet Ibrahim pbuh as mentioned in this verse, which means: “So make hearts among the people incline toward them.” (Ibrahim: 37), and to that of Allah, the Most Exalted, when He says, what means, “And proclaim to the people the Haj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass - That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days.” (Al Haj: 27-28). Ibn Abbas, may Allah protect him, reported that when the Prophet Ibrahim pbuh finished building Kaaba Allah, the Almighty, said to him: “And proclaim to people the Haj” Ibrahim pbuh said, “O lord will my voice reach [everyone]?” Allah ordered him saying, “Proclaim [Haj] and upon me [the duty] of notification.’ Thereupon, Ibrahim pbuh said, “O people, it is decreed upon you the Haj to Kaaba.” Ibn Abbas concluded by saying, “the Prophet Ibrahim pbuh was heard by whoever was between heaven and earth. Truly don’t you know that people from all corners of the world come to respond to the call” Dear Servants of Allah, Pilgrimage is a way to expiate sin and removes poverty. That is why our Guide Muhammad pbuh, for his part, urged Muslims to perform it. He said, “Perform Haj and Umra consecutively, for they remove poverty and sin as the bellows removes impurity from iron and gold and silver, and Haj Al-Mabrur brings no less a reward than Paradise.” So as soon as the pilgrim sets out on his journey to Mecca, he receives boundless blessings from Allah and will have his good deeds increased and his misdeeds erased. He will also see his status raised. Our Prophet Muhammad pbuh said, “every step the pilgrim’s camel makes, Allah will record a Hasana (good deed) for him, erases his misdeeds, or raise his station. And when the pilgrim touches or kisses the Black Stone, all of his previous sins should be wiped out.” He also said, “the Rukn and the Maqam (Station of Ibrahim) are two rubies from the rubies of Paradise. If Allah had not blotted out their light then they would have brightened that which is between the east and the west.” O blessed are those who head to the Holy Places with their hearts infatuated with Allah, the Almighty, the Ever Forgiving. Even more blessed are the most pious amongst them as they will be raised to highest status after they dispose of the burdens of their previous sins. About this, our Prophet Muhammad pbuh told Amr Ibn al As : “don't you know that…Hajj destroys whatever have been practiced prior to it?” For the same, He pbuh said, “whoever performs Haj to this House (Kaaba) and does not approach his wife for sexual relations nor commits sins (while performing Haj), he will come out as sinless as a newly born child. (Just delivered by his mother).” Therefore, anyone who duly performs Haj shall be honoured by Allah, the Most Exalted, and will emerge as pure as a white page for the remaining of his life.

2 Dear pilgrims, Please strive hard so that your Haj will be accepted and your efforts blessed. You can do this by using wisely your time in remembering Allah, obeying Him, praying to Him and longing for whatever He can offer you. For that you have be to be patient, forgive people’s reactions and understand different temperaments as well as give assistance to whomever needs it. Jaber Ibn Abdullah, may Allah be satisfied with him, narrated that the Prophet Muhammad pbuh said, “and the only reward for an accepted Haj is Paradise.” He was asked: “what makes Haj accepted? He said, “providing food (to people) and spreading good word.” Truly Haj is an act of worship that educates Muslims on high morals, one that shapes his words and deeds in a nicely manner. With this in mind, we ask Allah’s favour to make Haj easy for everyone who intends to perform it. May Allah help us to obey him and those He has ordained upon us to obey pursuant to His instructions: “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.” (Annissaa: 59). May Allah bless you and me with the ability to implement the Holy Quran and the Sunna of His Messenger Muhammad pbuh. I say this and pray to Allah, the Almighty, to grant us forgiveness. Supplicate to Allah for forgiveness for He is the Most Forgiving and the Most Merciful. Second sermon Praise be to Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, having no associates. I also bear witness that our Master Muhammad is His servant and messenger, who was true to his promise. May the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions and all those who will follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment. Dear Muslims, Please obey Allah as you are ordered to do and observe his commands whether in secret or in public. Please know that amongst the ultimate goals of performing Haj is achieving obedience to Allah, the Almighty. Pilgrims need therefore to bring to mind the story of the Prophet Ibrahim pbuh when he accepted willingly to execute the order of his Creator. Allah, the Most exalted, says, the meaning of which is, “And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, "Submit", he said "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds." (Al Baqara: 130-131). You need also to recall the Prophet Ibrahim pbuh’s battle with Satan and therefore get over any whispers or the temptation to err. Along with this, you need to be alert not fall again in sins. And after you come back from Haj, you should stand fast to preserve your integrity and follow in the right path. Dear Muslims,

3 Allah has commanded you an order to which He and His angels are both committed, when He says, the meaning of which is, "Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect." (Al Ahzab: 56). The Prophet pbuh said, "for everyone who invokes a blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah." May the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon our Master Muhammad pbuh, his family and all his companions. May Allah be pleased with the Rightly Guided Caliphs and all those who will follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment. O Allah, we seek Your favour to let our hearts be full of Your gratitude and keep our tongue moist with Your remembrance. May Allah bless us with good provision, accepted work, well-being in mind and body and blessed living life and progeny. O Allah guide us to know what is good, make us benefit from what we have learnt, and increase our knowledge. O Allah, Give us piety and purify our souls. You are Master and the Lord of souls. O Sustainer, amend our intentions, grant that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes and make success be an ally to us. O Allah, give us rain and do not make us among the despondent. O Allah, relieve us, O Allah, relieve us, O Allah, relieve us. O Allah, we implore You at this instant not to let a sin unforgiven, a distress unrelieved, an illness unhealed or a handicapped without relief, a dead without mercy or a debt unsettled. Our Lord, give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire. May Allah grant our leader HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Deputy, HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, success and provide strength and assistance to his brothers, Their Highness The Rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. O Allah, forgive all of the Muslims, men and women, living and dead, and make blessings follow us and them. May Allah have mercy on Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Maktoum and all their brothers, the Late UAE Sheikhs. O Lord, forgive and show mercy, You are the Ever Merciful and there is no strength or power save with Allah, the High, the Great. We pray to Allah, the Most Gracious, to continue blessing the UAE and all Muslim countries with safety and security. O Servants of Allah, remember Allah and He will remember you. Be grateful for His benevolence He will increase His blessings to you. Allah, the Most High, says, meaning: "And establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do." (Al Ankaboot: 45).