Many Muslims find community and consistency during Ramadan through the night prayers of Taraweeh and Qiyaam, as well as the communal or familial rhythms of beginning and breaking the fast. But only a few short months later, the most valuable days of the year come and go all too quickly.
We may find ourselves busy with school or work, spending much of the day meeting others’ needs. Without intentional planning and care, we may unintentionally fail to give these blessed days their full due.
Hadith 1: Nothing is Greater in Reward
Ibn Abbas reported: The Prophet ﷺ said,
“No deeds are more pure to Allah Almighty, nor greater in reward, than good deeds performed in the ten days of the month of sacrificing.”
Source: Sunan al-Dārimī 1774
Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Al-Albani
Each one of us is provided the opportunity to do good for the sake of Allah, no matter if it may be clear to the eyes of the rest of creation or not. It is in our tradition that actions are based upon their intentions, and the intention alone merits a reward, and the intention with the following action is multiplied accordingly.
We must not, and if we look into our lives, we will not find ourselves devoid of opportunity to do good during these 10 days. The circumstances of the mother of four will be wildly different than the student studying abroad living on their own - but the commonality that links all of us together during these 10 days is that we seek betterment of ourselves, acceptance from Allah, and the highest quality of action for His sake that we can do.
Allah swt says in Surat al-Mulk that we are judged on the quality of our deeds, not the quantity; we ought to pay dear attention to our sincerity and find ways that we can refine it even further and truly take steps to purify it.
Ask yourself:
- Can I protect my intention more deeply?
- Can I hide my good deed to preserve my sincerity?
- Can I endure slight discomfort for someone else’s benefit?
We must take some small moments before and after our salah to carefully consider and curate our days and schedules around simply being the version of ourselves that truly strives for Ihsan. It may not be something we can continue day in, day out, year round, but for these 10 days - any extra effort will be worth more than we can imagine, inshaAllah.
Hadith 2: There is No Better Time Than Now
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
“No good deeds can be done at a time better than these first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.”
It was asked, “Not even jihad in the way of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “Not even jihad in the way of Allah.”
Source: al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr 10307
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani
Now is the time.
Throughout our lives, we wrestle with tough decisions:
- Forgiving someone who hurt us deeply
- Walking away from wealth earned through impermissible means
- Choosing mercy when someone makes us uncomfortable
These are actions we often delay. But if one comes to mind as you read this—do it now. These are the days to make it happen. As the next hadith will show, even exhaustion in pursuit of good is worth it.
Hadith 3: A Time to Strive
Al-Qasim ibn Abi Ayyub reported:
When Sa’id ibn Jubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, reached the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, he would exert himself in worship so greatly that he nearly overwhelmed himself.
Source: Sunan al-Dārimī 1774
We, as human beings, are created weak and forgetful. We cannot perform any task, passively or actively, without the direct intervention and facilitation of Allah swt, who, by His mercy, allows us to continue through our lives in relatively “un-interrupted” flows. One day goes into the next, we retain our memories, we continue to breathe and our hearts continue to beat. But as constant as all of what we observe may seem, what is in fact the only constant we have is our sheer dependence on Allah SWT.
As weak as we are, and in as much need of Allah and His mercy as we are, these 10 days are the time to truly push ourselves to the limit. We all are judged according to our personal capabilities and potential: the one with autoimmune health challenges will not have the same exact performance as the professional athlete in a standard test: however both people can strive their hardest in the way of Allah and truly exert themselves seeking the pleasure of Allah.
In 10 short days, which will leave us sooner than we realize, we may put more into our personal ihsan than any other time, as the Companions did, and find that we are much more capable with the help of Allah than we previously believed.
These 10 days may allow you to give more than you thought possible:
- Donate more
- Eat less
- Be more generous with your time, energy, and presence
Try harder than you thought you could. Your sincerity and struggle are seen by Allah—and rewarded beyond your imagination.
Hadith 4: The Virtue of Arafah
Jabir reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
“No days are better to Allah than the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.”
A man asked, “Even better than time spent in jihad?”
The Prophet replied, “They are better than time spent in jihad. No day is better to Allah than the Day of Arafah...”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 3853
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Arna’ut
In modern day, with the spread of technology and content creation and consumption, a “review” culture has been cultivated where everyone’s opinion has weight, regardless of precedence or knowledge, and many consume and take these opinions as their own.
We seek “the best” in every category for our given budget or category. The best laundry machine under $500. The best book on organizational dynamics. The best way to invest my money for maximum returns. We seek “the best”, often not realizing that we are merely consuming the opinion of one who took the time to publish their opinion, not withholding that many of these opinions are influenced, anyway.
Why do we mention this? Because with this critical lens that we view and review each thing we engage with, our eyes, bodies, minds, and hearts ought to be turned to what the Prophet ﷺ and Allah SWT describe as the best - regardless of how others may “review” it. It is evident that the day of Arafah is the best day of the year, exclusively from the mouth of the Prophet ﷺ, through the mouths, minds, and hearts of the devoted who memorized, recorded, and brought to us directly, through a long lineage of people who love Allah and His Messenger sincerely.
The Prophet ﷺ is telling us directly “No day is better to Allah than the day of Arafah” (which is the English translation of his words). We must pay attention, put our preconceived notions and biases towards what “feels” important to us. Regardless of feeling - the best day of the year is not to be missed, and it is not to be neglected.
Let us find ourselves, on the best day of the year, with the best intentions, the best hopes of Allah, the best wishes for others, the best beliefs of others situations we don’t know of, with the best habits and thoughts of others, and the best level of ihsan, forgiveness, and sincerity that we can bring.
Whatever notions that we gravitate towards because of our culturally-normalized ideologies must be left at the doorstep when we step into these 10 days, and the final day, the day of Arafah, is where we truly strive to set ourselves apart from all the baggage we carry with us, that has built up over the years.
Let us strive, and let us remember - the best day of the entire year is nearing. Are we prepared for it?
Written by Cameron O'Neary
