Allah says in the Noble Quran, “Celebrate the praises of God during the Appointed Days…” [Surah Baqara: 203] The Qur’anic exegetes explain that the phrase ‘appointed days’ is referring to the days of tashriq
The takbir al-tashriq is an invocation and it wajib (compulsory) to say once and Sunnah to say it 3 times, out loud for men, immediately after performing each obligatory (fard) prayer starting from the Fajr prayer on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah(in one’s resident country) up to the Asr prayer five days later (13th of Dhul Hijjah). This includes the Friday congregational prayer if it falls within these days.
Women should say the takbir in a soft voice.
The takbir is as follows:
‘Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. La ilaha illa Llah. Wa Llahu Akbar. Allah Akbar. Wa liLlahil-Hamd.’
‘Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. There is no God save Him. And Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. And to Allah belongs all praise.’
May Allah enable us to make the most of these blessed days. (Ameen)
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are blessed days. The Glorious Qur’an swears by these days: “By the Dawn, and the Ten Nights…”[Qur’an, 89.1-2]
Majority of the Qur’anic commentators agree that these verses refer to the first ten days and nights of Dhul Hijjah.
We find the merits of undertaking actions in these ten days from the sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is narrated by Sayyida Hafsa (Allah be pleased with her) that, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not leave four matters: Fasting [on the day of] `Ashura (f: 10th of Muharram), [during] the ten days [of Dhul Hijja], and three days of each month.” [Ahmad and Nasa’i].
It is also narrated by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that “there are no days in which good works are more beloved to Allah than these days – meaning the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.” The Companions asked, ‘Not even struggle (Jihad) in the way of Allah, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said (peace and blessings be upon him), “Not even jihad in the way of Allah, except for the one who goes forth with his person and wealth and does not return with any of it.” [Bukhari and others]
Fasting is particularly recommended for those who have not gone to perform Hajj.
It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Any slave of Allah who observes fast of a day in the cause of Allah, Allah would separate between him and the Fire a distance of seventy years on account of observing that day. (Agreed upon).
It is narrated that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Observing fasting on the Day of Arafat; I expect Allah to expiate the sins that were committed during the preceding year, and the sins that will be committed in the year after. (Muslim)
It is also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of Tahleel (”La ilaaha ill-Allah”), Takbeer and Tahmeed.” (Ahmad)
The 9th-13th Zul Hijjah have special significance; they are also known as days of days of tashriq.
Takbir al-Tashriq
Allah says in the Noble Quran, “Celebrate the praises of God during the Appointed Days…” [Surah Baqara: 203] The Qur’anic exegetes explain that the phrase ‘appointed days’ is referring to the days of tashriq
The takbir al-tashriq is an invocation and it wajib (compulsory) to say once and Sunnah to say it 3 times, out loud for men, immediately after performing each obligatory (fard) prayer starting from the Fajr prayer on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah(in one’s resident country) up to the Asr prayer five days later (13th of Dhul Hijjah). This includes the Friday congregational prayer if it falls within these days.
Women should say the takbir in a soft voice.
The takbir is as follows:
‘Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. La ilaha illa Llah. Wa Llahu Akbar. Allah Akbar. Wa liLlahil-Hamd.’
‘Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. There is no God save Him. And Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. And to Allah belongs all praise.’
These 10 days are therefore full of virtue and provide an enhanced opportunity to gain closeness to Allah.
May Allah enable us to make the most of these blessed days. (Ameen)
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is obligatory to visit the House of Allah, Kaba al- muazzama, in the sacred mosque of Masajid-i-Haram in Saudia Arabia, once in a lifetime provided a Muslim can physically and financially afford to undertake the journey. It is a spiritual journey of a lifetime. Millions of Muslims, men and women, old and young from the four corners of the earth, make the pilgrimage to Makkah every year. In carrying out this obligation, they have only on purpose in mind – to seek the pleasure of the Lord of the Heaven and the Earth, Allah.
The pilgrim proclaims: Here I am, O God, at Thy Command! Here I am at Thy Command! Thou art without associate; Here I am at Thy Command! Thine are praise and grace and dominion! Thou art without associate.
In respect of the obligation to perform Hajj, the Holy Qur’an states: “And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka`bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses … [3:97]
“The pilgrimage shall take place in the months appointed for it. And whoever undertakes the pilgrimage in those [months] shall, while on pilgrimage, abstain from lewd speech, from all wicked conduct, and from quarrelling; and whatever good you may do, God is aware of it. And make provision for yourselves – but, verily, the best of all provisions is God-consciousness: remain, then, conscious of Me, O you who are endowed with insight.” [2:197]
There are many ahadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which note the importance of performing Hajj. On such hadith notes:
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever performs Hajj (pilgrimage) and does not engage in marital relations (with his wife), nor commits sin, nor disputes unjustly (during Hajj), then he returns from Hajj as pure and free from sins as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
The following is a brief guide pertaining to the five days when the ritual of Hajj is performed.
8th Dhul-Hijja
On the eighth day of Dhul-Hijja, a pilgrim purifies himself by bathing and he or she then makes the intention to enter into a state of Ihram. A Muslim male is to put on his two white sheets of cloth, Ihram, and proclaim “Labbayka”: “Here I am, oh Allah, here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here I am. Surely all praise, grace and dominion is yours, and you have no partners.” A pilgrim then goes to the outskirts of Makkah, known as Mina and there prays Dhuhr, Asr, Magrib, Isha and Fajr.
9th Dhul-Hijja
When the sun rises on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijja, he goes to the plane of Arafah and there prays Dhuhr and Asr combined at the time of Dhuhr, making each one two units. This is really a day to be spend out in the open, and the ritual during this day is called wuquf, “standing” and glorifying Allah and seeking forgiveness from Allah. Amongst the many prayers (dua’), the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed thus: “There is no Deity but Allah alone. He has no partner. All dominion and praise are His and He is powerful over all things.”
At sunset he goes from Arafah to Muzdalifah and there prays Magrib and Isha combined, despite the fact that the time for Magrib would have started in Arafah. But because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) left Arafah at sunset and prayed Magrib and ‘Isha combined in Muzdalifah, a Muslim is to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Muslim should try to spend this night in the remembrance of Allah as much as possible.
10th Dhul-Hijja
The Fajr prayer is performed in Muzdalifah.
Near sunrise, a pilgrim goes from Muzdalifah to Mina. In Mina different duties await the hajji on the 10thof Dhul-Hijja. Upon reaching Mina, he does the following:
7 stones, pebbles, that would have been gathered in Muzdalifa the day before are thrown by each hajji at Jamrah Al-Aqaba which is the closest monument to Makkah. The Jamrahs are pillars that represent the power of Satan. At this place, Satan appeared before Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was on his way to sacrifice his son Prophet Isma’il (peace be upon him). While throwing these pebbles, the hajji says: “Allah is the Greatest,” and believes that he is overcoming his inner-self and throwing pebbles at his inner Satan. The chanting of “labbayka” comes to an end around this time.
He slaughters the sacrificial animal. Nowadays hajjis do not kill the animal themselves, but professional butchers do it and Saudi authorities take care of it.
He shaves or clips his hair; shaving is preferable and is the sunah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). A woman clips her hair the length of a finger-tip.
After having performed the above obligations, a hajji is allowed to come out of the state of Ihram. He can wear other clothing and do everything that was lawful before Ihram except engaging in marital relations. He goes to Makkah to perform Tawaf-i-Ziyarat and Sa’yi between the mounts of Safa and Marwah. With the completion of this Tawaf and Sa’yi, a pilgrim is allowed to do everything that was lawful before Ihram. After performing Tawaf and Sa’yi, he returns to Mina to spend the nights of the eleventh and twelfth days there.
11th -12th Dhul-Hijja
These two days Rami (stoning the satan pillars) is performed. He stones the three Jamrah in the afternoon of both the eleventh and twelfth days. He starts with the first Jamrah, which is furthest from Makkah, then the middle one, and lastly Jamrah Al-Aqaba. Each one should be stoned with seven consecutive pebbles accompanied by Takbeer (“”Allah is the Greatest,”). He stops after the first and middle Jamrah to make supplications to Allah. It is not permissible to stone before noon on these two days. However, due to the large crowd, stoning can be done after the Maghrib prayer till dawn.
If a hajji manages to perform stoning on the twelfth day, he can leave Mina before sunset. However, it is best to prolong his stay and spend the night of the thirteenth in Mina and stone that afternoon in the same manner as on the twelfth day.
When a hajji is ready to leave the city of Mecca, he should make Tawaf Al-Wadaa (the Tawaaf of Farewell), seven circuits around the Ka’bah.
This is a very short introduction to performing Hajj. For detailed information, please do consult either a Muslim scholar or a guidebook on Hajj.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is obligatory to visit the House of Allah, Kaba al- muazzama, in the sacred mosque of Masajid-i-Haram in Saudia Arabia, once in a lifetime provided a Muslim can physically and financially afford to undertake the journey. It is a spiritual journey of a lifetime. Millions of Muslims, men and women, old and young from the four corners of the earth, make the pilgrimage to Makkah every year. In carrying out this obligation, they have only on purpose in mind – to seek the pleasure of the Lord of the Heaven and the Earth, Allah.
There are many Muslims who are undertaking this journey from Leeds this year. Insha’Allah, a Jalsa is being held to prepare people for this life-time journey. A short-course will follow the Hajj presentation given at the monthly gathering.
As part of this monthly gathering (Jalsa), a presentation on Islam Finance will also be given. This presentation will be jointly delivered by Islamic Finance Education Council, Salaam Insurance, HSBC Amanah Finance, Islamic Bank of Britain, Ummah, Mihe, Abacus and others. This presentation will explain the difference between Islamic Finance and Conventional Finance. The experts will also explain the difference between conventional products and the alternative Shariah-compliant products in the marketplace. Q&A opportunity will be provided in the end.
As part of the Finance presentation, information about Islamic Wills and their significance shall be highlighted.
Eid-ul-Adha 2007 Lecture (Khutba) delivered at Leeds Makkah Mosque by Imam Hafiz Asim.
Eid-ul-Adha is a day to renew the Islamic spirit of sacrifice….not only offering sacrifice of animals but being prepared to sacrifice of one’s emotions and feelings for the sake of one’s peaceful religion of Islam.
The Qur’anic story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael, not only teaches us rights of Allah over Man but rights of parents over children and rights of children over their parents.
Administrator on November 4th, 2011
