The best deeds are in Dhul-Hijjah
“There are no days which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah.”
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, crowned by the Day of Arafah, are the most blessed days of the year, and those of us not on Hajj must seize them through fasting, dhikr, supplication, sacrifice, and mending relationships.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Opening praises and greeting; announcement that we are in the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah
- Allah swore by these ten nights in Surah al-Fajr; Bukhari hadith on righteous deeds being most beloved in these days
- The Day of Arafah (Tuesday) as the day Allah perfected the religion and frees more people from the Fire than any other day
- How to participate from home: fast on Tuesday, with the Sahih Muslim promise of expiation for the past and coming year
- Make the fast a real day of worship: suhoor, dhikr, put the phone away, make du'a starting with parents and the ummah, best supplication is La ilaha illa Allah
- Eid al-Adha and the story of Ibrahim and Ismail: sacrifice is about piety and submission, not meat or blood; sacrifice your own bad habits
- Mend family relationships, give extra charity in these multiplied days, do not fast on Eid day
- Closing du'a and practical masjid announcements (security, potluck, exits)
In the khateeb's words
“There are no days which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah.”
“It expiates the sins from your past year and the coming year.”
“But it is not the meat or the blood that reaches Allah.”
“We all have a bad habit that we should think about kicking to the curb.”
For the dinner table
Today the imam reminded us that we are living in the most blessed days of the entire year, the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, which Allah swore by in the Quran. The crown of these days is the Day of Arafah, expected Tuesday, when Allah frees more people from the Fire than on any other day. Since none of us are at Hajj this year, Allah gave us a way to share in the blessing: fasting that one day wipes away the minor sins of the past year and the coming year. But the imam said not to treat it like a regular day, wake up for suhoor, put the phone away, make lots of du'a starting with forgiveness for our parents and the whole ummah, and keep remembering Allah. He also reminded us that Eid al-Adha celebrates the complete submission of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail, and that what reaches Allah is not the meat of the sacrifice but our piety, so each of us should sacrifice a bad habit that keeps us from Allah. Finally, he encouraged us to use these days to mend broken relationships, give extra charity since deeds are multiplied, and send that text or make that call to someone we have lost touch with.
- If one day of fasting can erase two years of small mistakes, what do you think makes that one day so special to Allah?
- What is one habit you would be willing to 'kick to the curb' as your own sacrifice this Eid?
More on Hajj, Umrah & Eid
SNMC · Nepean, ON · Jun 25, 2026Hajj teaches us to defeat the ego“The best of the few people who are in conflict is the one who initiates the salam.”
OPPC · Orland Park, IL · Jun 3, 2026The journey back to Allah starts at home
Perhaps the real test of Umrah comes after we come home.31:13Worcester Islamic Center · Worcester, MA · Sep 5, 2026What Ihram teaches after Umrah