Living Dhul Hijjah

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Happy holy month of Dhul Hijjah! How exciting it is to start a new sacred month and have Eid coming up soon insha’Allah? Subhan’Allah, Allah (swt) really gave us many opportunities to become better Muslims and get closer to Him, so let’s see how you can make the most of this month. 

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What is Dhul Hijjah and why is it a sacred month? 

As you can probably tell by the name, Dhul Hijjah is the last month of the Islamic calendar during which Hajj, the 5th pillar of Islam, is observed. The Pilgrimage happens during the first 10 days (the 10th day being Eid al Adha), which is why they’re considered to be among the best days of the year along with the last 10 days of Ramadan. In fact, Prophet Muhammad (saws) said: “No good deeds are better than what is done in these first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.” (Al-Bukhari 969)

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What can you do to make the most of these first ten days? 

1. Reset: You might have lost some good habits you started implementing during Ramadan, well now is the time to add them back to your daily life! Make sure you note down the things you want to improve on and what are the steps/tips you can use to do that successfully: is it reading more Quran? Being more present and consistent with Salah? 

2. Fast: Fasting on the day of ‘Arafat (which is the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah) will not only erase the sins of the previous year, but also the coming year insha’Allah – just another example of Allah’s Mercy! 

3. Do lots of invocations and sadaqah: just like you would do during Ramadan, make sure you’re help charities as much as you can, do lots of dhikr and du’as throughout the day and earn as many good deeds as possible! 

May this month be filled with blessings and an opportunity for us to calm our hearts, Ameen!