By Shaykh Anisul Haque
30 May 2025

﷽ 

With the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah now upon us, we’re once again in one of the most sacred periods of the Islamic calendar. These are days that the Prophet ﷺ described as the best days to do good deeds. Better than any other time in the year, even better than fighting in the path of Allah, unless someone gave everything and returned with nothing.

But what makes these days so special isn’t just their reward, it’s what they represent. They are part of what some scholars call the seasons of returning, periods in the year that Allah has placed out of His mercy so we can come back to Him, realign ourselves, and wipe the slate clean.

Ramadan is one such season. The last ten nights of Ramadan. The day of Jumu‘ah. And now, these first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. They are opportunities, invitations even, to reset, to return to Allah not just with our tongues, but with our hearts, habits, and intentions.

Allah reminds us in the Qur’an:

Part of that honour is that He doesn’t leave us to drift. He sends us reminders. He gifts us moments where the doors of mercy are wide open, and He lets us walk through them, no matter how far we’ve strayed.

Allah even swore by these days in the Qur’an:

Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) explained that these ten nights are the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Allah is swearing by them because of how significant they are. These aren’t ordinary days. They are sacred, and they’re meant to wake us up.

At the heart of these ten days is the Day of ‘Arafah.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

There is no day on which Allah frees more people from Hellfire than the Day of ‘Arafah…

[Sahih Muslim]

And the beauty of this isn’t limited to those on the plains of ‘Arafāt. Of course, standing there is a tremendous honour, and whoever performs Hajj properly returns free of sin like the day they were born. But what about the rest of us? Those who aren’t there this year?

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (d. 795 AH) had a powerful way of looking at it. He wrote:

Whoever missed standing at ‘Arafāt this year, let them stand before Allah with the recognition they’ve attained of Him… Whoever couldn’t slaughter in Mina, let them slaughter their desires here – for that is the ultimate goal.

In other words: don’t think you’ve missed out. You’re not excluded. The door is still open. The question is: will we walk through it?

Fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah is one way to do that. The Prophet ﷺ said:

It expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year.

Two years of sins for a single day of fasting. That’s not a small thing. That’s a massive opportunity. And yet, many of us let the day pass like any other.

We’ve got to ask ourselves: what are we doing with the chances Allah is giving us?

This is a season of returning. That means turning away from things that we know are pulling us down. It means making sincere du‘a. It means filling our days with dhikr, with Qur’an, with fasting and prayer and charity. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. Just consistent. Just sincere.

And then there’s Eid. A day of joy, yes. A day of celebration, absolutely. But lately, we’ve seen it twisted into something else. Loud music, reckless behaviour, hired cars, disobedience in public, all on a day that’s supposed to reflect our gratitude to Allah.

It doesn’t add up.

How do we go from fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah, wiping out years of sins, to celebrating Eid with actions that earn us more sin? What kind of trade is that?

Hasan al-Basri (d. 110 AH ) once said:

O son of Adam, sell your worldly life for your Hereafter and you will gain both. But do not sell your Hereafter for this world, for then you will lose both.

This is what’s at stake. We can’t keep treating times that are blessed by Allah like social events. We can enjoy them, but we have to stay conscious of who we are and what we’re supposed to be doing.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

By the One in whose hand is my soul, if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who do sin – and then seek His forgiveness – and He would forgive them.

[Sahih Muslim]

That’s how much Allah wants to forgive us. He created us knowing we’d make mistakes. What He asks is that we keep turning back.

This week, especially on the Day of ‘Arafah, I urge you to do that. Turn back. Fast. Make du‘a. Reflect. Encourage your family. Talk to your kids. Choose better habits. Celebrate Eid without compromising your deen.

Because we might not get another Dhul Hijjah. We might not see another Arafah.

May Allah let us witness the Day of ‘Arafah, may He accept our fasting and du‘a, and may He make this season one of sincere return for us, our families, and the entire Ummah.

Ameen.

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