VIRTUOUS DEEDS DURING ZIL HIJJAH 

By E ISLAM TEAM

• Importance of First 10 Days of Zil Hijjah
• The Takbeeraat of Tashreeq
• Fasting on the day of Arafah(9 Zil Hijjah)
• Qurbani / Udhiyya  

IMPORTANCE OF FIRST TEN DAYS OF ZUL-HIJJAH 

 The first ten days of Zul Hijjah are among the most magnificent days in Islamic calendar. The Messenger of Allah, Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.”(Bukhari)

 Almighty Allah Ta’ala says, (By the dawn; by the ten nights) (Quran-Al-Fajr 89: 1-2). Ibn `Abbas, ibn az-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations are of the opinion that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Kathir said: “This is the correct opinion.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 8/413)

 The Messenger of Allah, Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, has said, “One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to the worship of “Lailatul-Qadr”.(Tirmizi)

 Every Muslim should avail oneself of this wonderful opportunity by performing as much Ibadah (acts of worship) as he or she can during this period.

 THE TAKBEERAAT OF TASHREEQ 

It is Wajib (incumbent) for every adult Muslim male to recite the Takbeeraat of Tashreeq after every Fardh Salaat-performed with Jamaat or individually from the Fajr of the 9th of Zul-Hijjah to the Asr of the 13th of Zul Hijjah. The Takbeeraat should be recited once only.

The words of the Takbeeraat of Tashreeq are as follows:

 اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

 Transliteration: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar laa ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar. Allahu Akbar walillaahil hamd. 

Translation: “Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no deity besides Allah and Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest and all praises belong to Him Alone.”

NB. Men should recite this Takbeer audibly whilst females should do so softly.  

 FASTING ON THE DAY OF ARAFAH (9 ZIL HIJJAH) 

It was reported from Abu Qutaadah that the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him) was asked about fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah[9 Zil Hijjah]. He said, “It atones for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.” (Hadith-Narrated by Muslim)

 QURBANI / UDHIYYA 

Hazrat Zaid bin Arqam (R.A.) reports that the Companions of Rasulullah (Sallalaho alihe wassallam) asked him:

” Oh Prophet of Allah (pbuh), what is this sacrifice?” He said: “It is the way of your forefather Ibrahim(AS) .” They asked:“What (reward) is for us therein?” He replied: “There is a reward for every hair (i.e. the reward for meat and useful parts of the animal’s body will be very lofty in merit, but there will also be a great reward for the parts which are useless and thrown away such as the hair).” They asked: “For the wool, Ya Rasulullah?” He replied: “There is one reward for every strand of wool.” (Hadith:Ahmed, Ibn Majah) 

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The aim of sacrifice, like all other fundamentals of Islam, is to imbibe piety and self-righteousness. It also promotes the spirit of sacrifice for a right cause. To explain its purpose, ALLAH says in the Quran. “It is not their meat, nor their blood, that reaches ALLAH, It is their piety that reaches ALLAH” (22:37)

Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) said: “On the 10th of Zil-Hijjah, there is no better act in the view of ALLAH than shedding the blood (of slaughtered animals). And verily sacrifice earns the approval of ALLAH even before the drop of blood (of the slaughtered animal) falls on the ground. Hence you should offer it in good spirit. For every hair of the sacrificial animal, there is a blessing.”

Intention

It is commendable that one who intends to offer a sacrifice should refrain from having a hair cut, a shave, and pruning of nails, from the 1st of Zil-Hijjah (upto the time he has performed the sacrifice).

Method of Sacrifice

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, “There is a reward for doing good to all living creatures.” Let us make this sacrifice an occasion to earn ALLAH’S reward and to avoid the punishment of those who mistreat animals

The Time of Udhiyyah (Qurbani)

Udhiyyah can only be performed during the three days of Eid, namely the 10th, 11th and 12th of Dhul Hijjah, which coincides with the 26th, 27th and 28th of October this year (2012). It is only in these days that slaughtering of an animal is recognised as an act of worship. No Udhiyyah can be performed in any other day of the year.

Although Udhiyyah is permissible on each of the three aforementioned days, it is preferable to perform it on the first day i.e. the 10th of Dhul Hijjah.

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Visiting and honouring a guest

• Ibn ‘Awn radhiyallahu anhu reported, “They used to say, “Do not honour your guest in a way which will be burdensome for him.”

• Abu Hurayrah radhiyallahu anhu reported that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, “When a man visits his brothers, Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam tells him, “You have been good and your evening will be good and you can take your place in Jannah.”

• Umm ad-Darda’ radhiyallahu anhu said, “Salman radhiyallahu anhu came from al-Mada’in (Ctesiphon) to Syria to visit us on foot wearing a shirt (kisaa’) and trousers.” Shawdhab radhiyallahu anhu said, “Salman radhiyallahu anhu was seen wearing a shirt with all his hair shaved off and his large ears showing. He was told, “You have made yourself ugly.” He replied, “The real good is the good of the Next World.”

• Anas ibn Malik radhiyallahu anhu reported that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam visited one of the houses of the Ansar and ate some food with them. When he left, he asked for a place in the house and some water was sprinkled on a carpet for him. He prayed on it and made supplication for them.

• ‘Abdullah radhiyallahu anhu, the servant of Asma’ radhiyallahu anha said, “Asma’ sent me a black wool shirt which had a brocade border a span wide on its sleeves. She said, “This is the shirt of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. He used to wear it for delegations and on Jumu’ah.”

• ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radhiyallahu anhu said, “Umar radhiyallahu anhu found a silk robe and brought it to Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. and said, “Buy this and wear it on Jumu’ah and when delegations come to you.” Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam replied, “Only someone who has no portion in the Next World wears this.” Then the Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam was brought some robes and sent one robe to ‘Umar, one to Usama, and one to ‘Ali radhiyallahu anhum. ‘Umar radhiyallahu anhu said, “Messenger of Allah! You have sent this to me when I heard you say what you said about it.” Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, “You can sell it or take care of your needs with it.”

• Abu Hurayrah radhiyallahu anhu reported that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, “A man visited a brother of his in a village, so Allah put an angel in wait for him on the road. He asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To a brother of mine in this village.” He said, “Is he responsible for some blessing you have?” He said, “No, I love him for Allah.” He said, “I am a messenger of Allah to you. Allah loves you as you love him.”

• Abu Dharr radhiyallahu anhu said, “I asked, “Messenger of Allah, what if a man loves a people but cannot join them?” He replied, “Abu Dharr, you are with the one you love.” I said, “I love Allah and His Messenger.” He said, “Abu Dharr, you are with the one you love.”

• Anas radhiyallahu anhu reported that a man asked Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, “Prophet of Allah, when will the Final Hour come?” He said, “Have you not made preparation for it?” He replied, “I am not prepared for a terrible event, but I love Allah and His Messenger.” He said, “A man is with the one he loves.”

• Anas radhiyallahu anhu remarked, “I never saw the Muslims rejoice, except for the day that they became Muslim, more than they rejoiced on that day.”

(The above mentioned narrations are quoted from Adabul Mufrad – Bukhari)

The place of Muhammad in the hearts of Muslims is a special one. Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the link between the Divine Instruction and a every Muslim.

Insults, caricatures and defamation of his character do not diminish the Divine honour bestowed upon him. Muhammad remains the Messenger of God and God’s Majesty is Absolute.

It is an article of faith for Muslims to believe and revere the Divine prophets and messengers, whose spectrum include Abraham, Moses and Jesus, (peace be upon them). A Muslim’s regard for them is that of utmost respect.

Time and again, Muslims are being told that they have to learn and understand how freedom of expression works in the West. Apparently, such an understanding seems to imply accepting the notions that profane and desecrate the bases and symbols of their belief and identity.

Ideas of ‘clash of civilizations’ have been advanced whenever Muslims have rejected assertions of unbounded freedom of expression. Yet, it is well-known that such freedom has never been absolute even in the countries of the ‘enlightened’ sphere that claim to be its champions.

A number of Western countries have statutes on their books that criminalise “hate speech.” Perceived tendencies and pronouncements considered anti-Semitic have cost dearly the careers of academics, politicians and public figures, on both sides of the Atlantic.

There are laws throughout Europe that criminalises anyone that “trivializes” or “plays down” Nazi crimes. Anyone who “disparages the memory of a deceased person” may serve a jail term of up to 2 years, under a law of 1985 as amended in 1992 in the German criminal code.

In 2002, Denis Leroy, a French cartoonist, lost his appeal against conviction by seeking protection under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights for free-speech. A regional court had earlier convicted him for complicity in “condoning terrorism” through a drawing.

The European Court of Human Rights upheld Leroy’s conviction on the basis that, even though it was low-circulated, his ‘cartoon had provoked a certain public reaction, capable of stirring up violence and demonstrating a plausible impact on public order…’

It should be logical to believe that conventions that seek to protect public order as interpreted by the European court in Leroy’s case should be applicable to instances of insults to beliefs of a faith community such as Muslims.

For now, however, the protection of freedom of expression that disregards sensitivities of Muslims now estimated to be at least 1.6 billion-strong, hypocritical to notions and values of mutual understanding, peaceful co-existence and respect.

Islam acknowledges the role of freedom of expression in order to promote common good. For example, Muslims are commanded to stand for justice and challenging oppression in all its manifestations.

For a Muslim, it becomes not just a right but duty for a believer to stand up to authority in order to bring about a just order where dignity and honour are upheld for all.

A Prophetic tradition goes: “Every Muslim is the brother of a Muslim, he should neither harm him, nor should he leave him alone when others treat him unjustly…” It is from such teachings that Muslims shall never standby at any time of libel and disparaging of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

For this reason, in the defence of honour and dignity of the Prophet and regardless of the divisive ploy of labels such as ‘conservative’, ‘moderate’ or ‘extremist’, any insult to the prophet(s) will always evoke similar emotions from all Muslims.

Circulation of material that provokes Muslims is contemptuous and represents continued and orchestrated attempts to marginalise Islam and Muslims, negating the values of mutual understanding and respect.

The sustained lampooning of the personality of Muhammad (SAW) serves to re-enforce stereotypes created by anti-Islam forces and they are nothing short of provocation.

Einstein defined insanity as ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’ If it is not insanity, it would appear that those who are dedicating themselves to provoking are on a project of testing how over the years Muslims have become tolerant to and accepting sacrilege and insults.

Just as anti-Semitism has been criminalised in many countries around the world, manifestations of Islamophobia, as a negative reaction to Islam and Muslims should also be criminalised.

Islamophobic discourse masquerading as freedom of speech is a threat to inter-faith harmony and therefore a threat to peace, the world over. It should be treated accordingly, without triumphalism and subjugation.

A number of leaders from Muslim countries taking to the podium at the recently concluded United Nations General Assembly have called for a legal instrument that would curtail freedom of expression that insults and in many ways, is inspired by hate for Islam and Muslims. Such an instrument is crucial and long overdue.

The dignity of an individual and by extension, a community, is not contingent on freedom of expression. Rather, every human being that subscribes to notions of decency and fair-dealing should accordingly enjoy freedom from insult.