By Shaykh Rashid Khan
15 May 2026

﷽ 

It is from the generosity and boundless mercy of Allah that He has placed within the year certain seasons. These are times in which our deeds are multiplied, times in which we can make up for what we have missed, and times in which Allah opens for us doors of reward and mercy.

Allah has commanded us to pray, to fast, and to do good throughout our lives. The Prophet ﷺ taught us to worship Allah at all times, throughout the year and throughout our lives. But he ﷺ also taught us that there are certain winds of mercy that Allah sends. There are times in which the mercy of Allah is even more present. The believer is told to place himself in the way of those winds, to put himself in that season of blessing.

One of these great seasons is now approaching: the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Allah begins one of the surahs that many of us memorised from a young age by making an oath. He says:

When Allah makes an oath in the Qur’an, it is not like when we make an oath. We make an oath to prove our truthfulness, but Allah is the Truth. He is not in need of proving anything. Rather, the oaths of the Qur’an are a way of drawing our attention. Allah is putting a spotlight on what He is mentioning.

Many scholars said that “the dawn” refers to the dawn of the tenth day. But some scholars said it refers to the dawn of the first day of Dhu al-Hijjah, because from the very beginning of these ten days the blessings of Allah begin to pour down. We do not need to wait until the tenth day to benefit. We do not need to wait until the Day of ‘Arafah to start taking these days seriously. The season begins from day one.

Then Allah says “and by the ten nights.” The majority of the mufassireen said that this refers to the ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah. And when the scholars speak about the virtue of these days, they mention the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, narrated in Bukhari, where the Prophet ﷺ said:

There are no days in which righteous action is more beloved to Allah than these days.

This hadith has come with different wordings. The scholars of hadith mention that this may be because the Prophet ﷺ spoke about these ten days many times and described them with different words and virtues. He ﷺ said there are no days better, no days more beloved, no days in which worship is more preferred than these days.

The scholars took this general wording as it is, and they said that these are the best ten days of the entire year.

For many of us, the first question that comes to mind is: what about the last ten nights of Ramadan? Surely those must be better. But the scholars say that these are the best ten days of the year. And that brings us to a difficult question: why do we not care about these days the way we care about the last ten nights of Ramadan?

In Ramadan there is a communal momentum. Everyone is worshipping Allah. The masajid are full. Families are reminding one another. Even on social media, people are speaking about worship. There is a movement in society. But that movement is often missing in the ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Perhaps that is why these days are so valuable. People are often unaware of them. People neglect them. And worshipping Allah in times of neglect has a special meaning.

The Prophet ﷺ was asked why he fasted so much in Sha‘ban. Shaʿban comes between Rajab and Ramadan, and he ﷺ said that it is a month that people are unaware of and neglect. It is as though the Prophet ﷺ is saying: Allah has opened a hall of worship, and most people are not there, but I want Allah to see me there. I want to be worshipping Allah when others are unaware.

This is the philosophy of worshipping Allah in times of neglect. Why is night prayer so special? Because everyone else is asleep. People are in deep sleep, some are heedless, and some are in sin, but the believer chooses to stand before Allah.

The Sahabah understood this. They revived these ten days because they recognised their virtue. And the way they glorified these days was threefold: by the heart, by the tongue, and by their actions.

First, it begins in the heart. Allah says:

This is how taqwa is cultivated: by glorifying what Allah glorifies, respecting what Allah respects, and loving what Allah loves. If Allah gives a person that glorification in the heart, it will then come out on the tongue. Because when we love something, we cannot stop talking about it.

Then come the actions. The most important way of appreciating this season is by acting upon it. These are days of multiplication. Allah knows that we are weak. Allah says:

Allah knows that we fall short. He knows that we are not always able to worship Him the way we should. So He gives us these seasons of surge. If we missed out before, we can make it up now. If we were not able to do what we wanted in the last ten nights of Ramadan, here is another chance.

But the reverse is also true. If good deeds are multiplied in blessed times, then sins in these times also carry extra weight. To disobey Allah in a season He has honoured is a form of ingratitude. It is like being given a private time with someone important and then ignoring them while they are sitting in front of you. The closeness is a blessing, but it requires appreciation.

Allah also mentions the nights, not just the days. The nights of Dhu al-Hijjah are also blessed. It is as if Allah is reopening the door that many of us miss from Ramadan. The night is a time of intimate worship. There is no work, no school, no noise. It is just you and Allah. If you want to feel close to Allah, if you want a moment of clarity, try it at night. Try it in these ten nights.

And finally, we should not miss the wording of the hadith. The Prophet ﷺ said that righteous deeds in these days are more beloved to Allah. Worship is built on love. When someone we love loves something, we take care of it. If Allah tells us that something is beloved to Him, it should move us. Not just as a thought, but as a statement, and then as an action.

May Allah make us from those who take advantage of these coming ten days. May Allah make us from those who love what He loves, glorify what He glorifies, and respect what He respects. May Allah allow us to worship Him sincerely in these days and nights, and accept from us our prayers, our fasting, our dhikr, our charity, and our repentance.

Ameen.

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