Seek Allah's mercy in Dhul-Hijjah
“We are going through the best days of the whole year.”
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, especially the Day of Arafah, are uniquely blessed opportunities to seek Allah's mercy through fasting, obligatory worship, dua, dhikr, gratitude, and re-centering life on Allah.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Introduces the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah as the year's best days through Surah al-Fajr and hadith.
- Explains the special virtues of Arafah, including forgiveness and freedom from Hellfire.
- Calls listeners to fast Arafah and increase dua, tahlil, obligatory worship, and takbir.
- Defines ilah as life's ultimate purpose and warns against making personal desires one's ilah.
- Uses the story of a five-hundred-year worshipper to teach dependence on Allah's mercy and gratitude.
- Concludes with solidarity practices for pilgrims and prayers for suffering Muslims worldwide.
In the khateeb's words
“fasting on this one day is huge bonus from Allah yukaffiru sanat al madiyata wal qabila it will washes out your sins of previous and coming year”
“the goal of your life is ilah the objective of your life is ilah make sure it is Allah”
“make sure your Fard the obligatory stuff is intact first then add to it Nawafil as much as you want”
For the dinner table
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are among the most blessed days of the year, and the Day of Arafah is especially honored. The khateeb encouraged us to fast on Arafah, protect the five obligatory prayers, make extra dua and dhikr, and repeat the takbir. He reminded us that ilah means the one around whom our life revolves, so our deepest purpose should be Allah rather than our desires. The story of a worshipper who relied on his deeds taught that Allah's mercy and blessings are greater than anything we can earn. We can also show solidarity with pilgrims by avoiding cutting our hair and nails, while praying for people suffering around the world.
- What is one good deed you would like to do during these special days?
- What does it mean for Allah to be the center of your life?
- How can our family show gratitude for blessings we often overlook?
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