Seize the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah
“Make the best use of these days and nights.”
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are among Allah’s greatest opportunities for mercy, so believers should seize them through prayer, remembrance, fasting, night worship, Quran, and properly performed sacrifice.
The khutbah in 5 steps
- Defines nafahat as divinely blessed periods of mercy and repentance.
- Identifies the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah as exceptionally virtuous, highlighting Arafah, Nahr, and Qar.
- Urges increased dhikr, takbir, timely congregational prayers, mosque attendance, and teaching children prayer.
- Recommends sacrifice, fasting, especially Arafah, night worship, Quran recitation, and avoiding hair and nail cutting when sacrificing.
- Explains post-Fajr remembrance, sacrifice conditions and timing, then closes with supplication for Muslims and Gaza.
In the khateeb's words
“Not to miss this opportunity. Not to miss these breezes of Allah's mercy. Make the best use of these days and nights.”
“Do not turn off your lights. Don't sleep during nights. If you want to sleep. Sleep little. But spend most of the part of the night. In worship. In Ibadah. In Qiyam.”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb told us that we are now in the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, which he called the best days of the whole year. He said Allah swears by these ten nights in the Qur'an, and that good deeds done in these days are more beloved to Allah than at any other time, even more than in Ramadan. He called these days 'divine breezes' of mercy and asked us not to waste them. He reminded us to pray every prayer on time and to remember Allah a lot by saying SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar. He also asked us to read Qur'an, pray at night, and fast the Day of Arafah, which wipes away two years of sins. He spoke about the Eid sacrifice: the Prophet never missed it, those who plan to sacrifice should not cut their hair or nails until it is done, and the animal must be healthy and slaughtered only after the Eid prayer.
- If these ten days are like a breeze of Allah's mercy blowing past us, what is one good deed you want to catch each day?
- Which dhikr phrase could you say on the way to school or practice: Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulillah, or SubhanAllah?
- Would you like to try fasting on the Day of Arafah, or help get ready for the Eid sacrifice? What part sounds most meaningful to you?
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