Seize the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah
“Our job is to give the message then we leave it to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for guidance.”
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah should be seized through repentance, reconciliation, prayer, fasting, remembrance, Qur'an, charity, and dua, with sincere private devotion and a steadfast heart.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Calls listeners to examine private conduct and repent from hidden sins and heart diseases.
- Urges forgiving and reconnecting with estranged relatives or acquaintances before the best ten days.
- Encourages gentle, wise advice to those neglecting prayer, hijab, or halal conduct, while leaving guidance to Allah.
- Recommends repairing salah through slower prayer, congregation, the first takbir, sunnah prayers, and qiyam.
- Presents fasting, especially Arafah, frequent dhikr, daily Qur'an, and distributed charity as deeds for the ten days.
- Closes with constant dua, especially on Arafah, asking for steadfast hearts, family protection, healing, mercy, and acceptance.
In the khateeb's words
“but in secret is the real me is the real you the way you treat your parents when nobody's seeing”
“what that person have done to you for my salat and siyam and quran and hajj will be on hold because I don't talk to a guy”
“our job is to give the message then we leave it to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for guidance”
“say subhanallah 100 times it is better for you or it's equivalent to freeing 100 slaves from the descendants of Ismail”
For the dinner table
These first ten days are a special chance to come closer to Allah through sincere worship and better character. The khateeb reminds us that who we are in private matters, so we should repent from hidden sins and heal grudges by sending salam and forgiving where we can. He encourages us to improve our salah, pray at night, fast as much as possible, especially on Arafah, and keep our tongues busy with dhikr. We can also read Qur'an daily, give charity throughout the ten days, and make abundant dua. Above all, we ask Allah to keep our hearts and our families steadfast and to accept our deeds.
- What is one small act of worship we can do together during these ten days?
- Who could we greet or forgive to help repair a relationship?
- What would make our Arafah dua meaningful and personal?
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