WordPress has just released a new version of…WordPress. Heheh. It’s looks a lot …sleeker. If only they had added an extra theme or two (or 10?) maybe you’d see a more estatic me. Yes, you can tell by the frequency of the change in themes that I can get bored with the same look all too easily.
Moving on.
To my brothers and sisters in Islam, how have your first 6 days of Zulhijjah been? Productive? I’m assuming that quite a lot of you have received a bunch of e-mails on the virtues of the first 10 days of Zulhijjah, or at least aware of the virtues of these days. I’ll try not to be redundant so I’ll just mention a point or two (or 3?) on it, insya Allah.
The day of Arafat – 9th Zulhijjah. Only yesterday did I fully understood the sheer magnitude of greatness of this day, masya Allah. On this day, all sincere doa are accepted; all sincere ibadah are accepted; all sincere taubat are accepted..and you know what else? If we are to fast on this very day and just dedicate a whole chunck of the day just worshiping Allah and make doa, all the sins from the past 2 years and the 2 years ahead (EDIT: Last night, I was told that it’s 2 years, i.e a year before and a year ahead. I’m confused! Anybody care to verify???) are expiated. masya Allah. Allah is indeed the Most Merciful! The knowledge of this simply brought tears to my eyes. I can look back at my last 2 years and feel so much angusih and shame. If there was a list on the ‘Top 1 Billion Muslims of the Year’, I can confidently say that I would’ve never made it to the list. Not even a nomination. Astaghafiruka waatubuilaik. I seek forgiveness and repentence to You (Allah). It was just so easy to take life for granted, especially when you think that you’re already living THE life. When you think that you’ve already got all the things that you could wish for. Who was I kidding? Nothing is worthwhile (or even turns out well) when there’s little rememberance of God – if there was even any at all.
Ok. Emo aside; things that we can do now and also on the 9th (and maybe even for the rest of our lives?):
- Make lots of taubat.
- Wake up for Tahajjud
- Recite the Quran – and understand the meanings
- Fast – the first 10 days, the whole 10 days, on the 9th (especially on the 9th!).
- Do lots of takbir, tahlil, tahmid and tasbih
- Make lots of sadaqah – a penny or two; a helping hand; a smile?
- Do as many sunnat prayers – taubat, rawatib, tahajjud, hajat, etc (would love to talk about salat one day, insya Allah)
- 9th – Spend the time between Zohor – Maghrib worshipping Allah and making looooooong loooooooong doa.
- 9th – recite the Talbiyah
So let us not waste the remaining days of the first 10 days of Zulhijjah, and especially the day of Arafat when it comes, insya Allah. Aidladha will only have it’s worth if we’ve spent the prior days working for it. Get what I mean? Also, something that I believe is worth mentioning; the last 10 days of Ramadhan are better than any other night including the nights of Zulhijjah, but the first 1o days of Zulhijjah are better than the last 10 days of Ramadhan.
The Prophet SAW said: “There aren’t any days greater, nor any days in which deeds are done in them are more beloved to Allah, the Most High, than these 10 days (of Zulhijjah). They said: O Messenger of Allah, not even Jihad in the Path of Allah? He said: Not even Jihad in the Path of Allah, except if a man goes out (for Jihad) with his self and his wealth, then he doesn’t return with anything from that” (Bukhari, Abu Daud, and others)
