Tips to Earn Reward in the First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah

The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah is fast approaching and Muslims all over the world are getting ready to engage in various acts of Ibadah to earn rewards in the days that are considered to be the most blessed days in the Islamic Calendar. Whilst some of us will be spending these days at home, some have been blessed with an invite to Hajj to perform the holy pilgrimage in Mecca.

The Prophet SAW said, “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than in these (10) days.” (Abu Dawud)

One of the greatest blessings of the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah is the opportunity to have all our sins forgiven. For those of us who will remain at home, there are several ways that we can plan to maximize the rewards we earn in this period bi’ ithnillah and earn the favour of our Lord.

Here are 6 short tips on how you can plan to reap the full benefits of the 1^st 10 days of Dhul Hijjah:

1.Plan Ahead: It may seem like the obvious thing to do but most times we get caught up in our daily routine that we find ourselves in Dhul Hijjah and struggle to increase our acts of ibadah because we have not created time in our busy schedules to accommodate it. Now is the time to go through your calendar and decide how much time you would like to spend doing the various acts of ibadah and ensure you block out those times in your calendar so you don’t fill them up over the next couple of days.

2.Plan to fast the first nine days: It is sunnah to fast during this period because fasting is one of the best deeds. Allah SWT says “All the deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except fasting, which is for me."

3.Plan for the day of Arafat: If you are unable to fast all 9 days plan to fast on the day of Arafat.The day of Arafat is the 9^th day of Dhul Hijjah  so you should also plan to make a lot of dhikr and lots of du'a. You can keep it simple and stick to the Tahleel (La ilaha il-lal-laah), Takbeer (Allahu Akbar), Tahmeed (Alhamdulillah) and Tasbeeh (Subhanallah) and also make taubah and seek Allah’s forgiveness.

 The Prophet SAW said, “Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah, he will have a reward. And that reward will be multiplied by ten.”(At -Tirmidhi)

5.Plan to increase your dhikr: This is one of the simplest yet powerful ways of earning reward during this time. We can do this as we go about our daily routine and also set time aside to be fully present in our dhikr. We can also make more effort after each salat to recite Subhanallah (33times), Alhamdulillah (33times), Allahu Akbar (34times) and by Eid we would have done atleast 4,500 times.

6.Plan to Give Charity: The Prophet SAW said, “The believers shade on the day of judgement will be their charity.” (At Tirmidhi). We are encouraged to give generously all year round but especially in these 10 days to earn great reward from Allah SWT. 

Lastly, the Prophet SAW said

"Give each other gifts, and it will increase your love for one another" - Sahih Muslim

What better time of the year to share gifts amongst your family than during these days when blessings are multiplied. 

May Allah preserve us and allow us to witness these blessed days in worship and total submission to him. Ameen