Honor Dhul-Hijjah with extra worship
“Ask yourselves, did I do something extra?”
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are mighty 'days of Allah,' and believers honor them by deliberately adding extra worship, dhikr, salah, charity, Quran, and fasting Arafah, beyond their normal routine.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Opening salutations and praise of Allah for the gift of iman
- Quranic framing: 'Remind them of the days of Allah', days Allah holds special
- Hadith principle: righteous deeds in these days carry extra merit, so do more than your routine
- Why these days surpass others: Hajj makes every act of worship available in this window
- Action item 1: individually add something extra to your daily routine
- Action item 2: with family, do loud audible dhikr and read/listen to the life of Ibrahim (AS)
- Fasting Tuesday, the day of Arafah, earns forgiveness of two years of sins
- Closing supplications and salawat
In the khateeb's words
“Ask yourselves, did I do something extra? I read a page of Quran in normal days, that could be two pages.”
“I need you to sit down with your children and with your families, and tell them to do dhikr audibly, loudly.”
“If you fast on the day of Tuesday, you get your sins forgiven for two days.”
“Be a smart believer. Be a believer who uses their time wisely.”
For the dinner table
Today's khutbah was about the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, which the Quran calls 'the days of Allah', days that carry special weight with Him. Imam Abdulahad reminded us that the way we honor these days is simple: whatever we normally do, add a little extra, whether that's an extra page of Quran, two more rak'at, daily charity, or one more act of kindness. He explained that these days are unique because every act of worship, including Hajj, is available in them, and Allah left it open for each of us to choose how to show our eagerness for His pleasure. He gave our family two homework items: to say the takbir and dhikr out loud together so the kids learn it, and to read or listen to the story of Prophet Ibrahim this weekend. Finally, he reminded us that Tuesday is the day of Arafah, and fasting it, even for those of us not at Hajj, wipes away two years of sins, a sign of how vast Allah's mercy is.
- If you had to add just one small extra good deed for these ten days, what would you pick?
- Why do you think saying Allahu Akbar out loud together as a family might feel different than saying it quietly alone?
- Fasting one day erases two years of mistakes, what does that tell you about how Allah treats us?
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