The First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah and Jihad in Allah’s Cause – by Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al-Muqrin

The First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah and Jihad in Allah's Cause The Martyred Commander Abu Hajer, Abdul-Azeez Al-Muqrin (may Allah accept him)

All praise be to Allah the Lord of all that exists. May peace and blessings be upon the best of Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions. To proceed: During these days, the Muslims are witnessing a great season of good works in which they can seek nearness to their Lord. Indeed they are the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, those special days about which the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said:

ٍ ‫ﻣﺎ ﻣﻦ‬ ‫أﻳﺎم اﻟﻌﻤﻞ اﻟﺼﺎﱀ ﻓﻴﻬﻦ أﺣﺐ إﱃ اﷲ ﻣﻦ ﻫﺬﻩ اﻷﻳﺎم ﻳﻌﲏ أﻳﺎم اﻟﻌﺸﺮ‬ “There are no days in which good works are more beloved to Allah than these days, meaning these ten.” (Bukhari and Muslim by way of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him) Congratulations to those who use them to compete in good works, seeking to draw near to Allah through acts of obedience. Woe be to those who those who are deficient or turn away! How many days come and go while they remain in a state of negligence, preoccupied in the fields of the lusts of this worldly life?

The advice which I address to myself and my Muslim brethren is that they build their afterlife in these days, that they keep the future in their mind, and that they increase in various acts of worship, from prayer, fasting, charity, words of remembrance – especially the takbeer and raising ones voice when saying it in gathering places, offering a sacrificial animal, and other works which enlighten the Muslim's heart and raise his ranks.

It has been authentically reported of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, that he said in a Qudsi Hadeeth, [that Allah said:]

‫ ﻓﺈذا أﺣﺒﺒﺘﻪ ﻛﻨﺖ‬،‫ وﻻ ﻳﺰال ﻋﺒﺪي ﻳﺘﻘﺮب إﱄ ﺑﺎﻟﻨﻮاﻓﻞ ﺣﱴ أﺣﺒﻪ‬،‫إﱄ ﻋﺒﺪي ﺑﺸﻲء أﺣﺐ إﱄ ﳑﺎ اﻓﱰﺿﺘﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬ ّ ‫وﻣﺎ ﺗﻘﺮب‬ ‫ وﻟﺌﻦ‬،‫ وﻟﺌﻦ ﺳﺄﻟﲏ ﻷﻋﻄﻴﻨﻪ‬،‫ ورﺟﻠﻪ اﻟﱵ ﳝﺸﻲ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ‬،‫ وﻳﺪﻩ اﻟﱵ ﻳﺒﻄﺶ ﺎ‬،‫ وﺑﺼﺮﻩ اﻟﺬي ﻳﺒﺼﺮ ﺑﻪ‬،‫ﲰﻌﻪ اﻟﺬي ﻳﺴﻤﻊ ﺑﻪ‬ ‫اﺳﺘﻌﺎذﱐ ﻷﻋﻴﺬﻧﻪ‬ “My slave does not draw near to me through any means greater than what I have make obligatory upon him, and my slave continues to draw near to me through voluntary works until I come to love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he

hears, his vision through which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his leg upon which he walks. If he were to ask me, I would grant him, and if he were to seek refuge in Me, I would grant him refuge.”

What leads these good works which commence in these ten days is the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah (Hajj) – that magnificent deed which revolved around the implementation of Tawheed in people's soul, ridding it from all worldly attachments, and its liberation from the tarnish of idolatry (shirk) and innovation (bid'ah).

‫ ﻻ ﺷﺮﻳﻚ ﻟﻚ‬،‫ إن اﳊﻤﺪ واﻟﻨﻌﻤﺔ ﻟﻚ واﳌﻠﻚ‬،‫ ﻟﺒﻴﻚ ﻻ ﺷﺮﻳﻚ ﻟﻚ ﻟﺒﻴﻚ‬،‫ﻟﺒﻴﻚ اﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﻟﺒﻴﻚ‬ “At your service, O Allah! At your service! At your service, you have no partner! At your service! Indeed all praise, blessings are Yours, as well as all Dominion! You have no partner!”

However, the pinnacle of Islam is Jihad in Allah's Cause, and that type of Jihad which is an individual obligation is the most obligatory of obligations after the fulfillment of Tawheed.

It was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is the best deed?”

He responded, “Having Iman in Allah.”

It was asked, “Then what?”

He responded, “Jihad in Allah's Cause.”

It was asked, “Then what?”

He responded, “A Hajj which Allah has accepted.”

Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah said, “There is nothing after Iman more obligatory than repelling the invading enemy which ruins both people's religion and livelihood.”

The Sahabah knew it to be the best of voluntary deeds as well, as they were astonished when they came to know that deeds in the first ten days [of Dhul-Hijjah] were better than Jihad in other months. This was something firmly engrained in them, but then the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam clarified, that good works other than Jihad in these ten days are better than all good works in other days, even Jihad in Allah's Cause.

Then the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam made an exception to one case of Jihad which nothing can match even if it occurred in other days, even those deeds in the first ten days.

Indeed it is the case when a person leaves his home for Jihad with his own money and does not return. He said:

‫إﻻ رﺟﻞ ﺧﺮج ﺑﻨﻔﺴﻪ وﻣﺎﻟﻪ ﰒ ﱂ ﻳﺮﺟﻊ ﻣﻦ ذﻟﻚ ﺑﺸﻲء‬ “...except for a person who left with his life and his wealth and did not return with either.”

From this, we can come to feel the significance of sacrifice in Jihad and the great reward in store for those who sold their souls [to Allah].

This is what we base our way on today and every day, to remind the Muslims across the world of the huge responsibility upon them of making this obligatory Jihad against the invading infidels from the Crusaders and the Jews.

O Muslims!

Remember the favor of Allah upon you that He has guided you to Iman and made things easy for you. Thank him for His Blessings and wage Jihad in His Cause.

‫ﻳﺎ أﻳﻬﺎ اﻟﺬﻳﻦ آﻣﻨﻮا اﺗﻘﻮا ﷲ واﺑﺘﻐﻮا إﻟﻴﻪ اﻟﻮﺳﻴﻠﺔ وﺟﺎﻫﺪوا ﰲ ﺳﺒﻴﻠﻪ ﻟﻌﻠﻜﻢ ﺗﻔﻠﺤﻮن‬ “O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.”

From the eases and blessings of Allah is that He has raised for His Ummah those who make Jihad in His Cause, to serve His religion. For tens of years they have been expending their blood cheaply in the Cause of Allah, selling their souls as a sacrifice for the religion of Allah, and in defense and aid of the weak and oppressed. Follow their march and catch up to them before its too late, before the soul says, “Woe be to me for my deficiencies in Allah's Cause!” and before victory is achieved and people regret their shortcomings. Don't trust each others words and suffice with mere talk when you have the ability to stand, for indeed you are in great need of reward.

‫إن اﷲ ﻟﻐﲏ ﻋﻦ اﻟﻌﺎﳌﲔ‬ “Allah is free from need of the worlds.”

Muslims!

Indeed your brothers in the Arabian Peninsula in specific have raised the flag of Jihad in His Cause. They have taken their path, following the Sunnah of their Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. They are looking to victory and long for martyrdom, and they linger between these two. They do not suffice with mere wishes, they do not live in an imaginary utopia, nor do they pluck the fruit before its time. Rather, they sincerely strive to fulfill the right of Allah with firm trust in His aid and support, firm belief in His Promise [of victory], having no concern for the numbers of the enemy and their military strength, and the desertion shown to them by their own people. Rather, this only increases them in Iman and belief, due to the authentic report of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam in which he described the traits of the party [from His Ummah] who will remain victorious upon the Truth, that:

‫ﻻ ﻳﻀﺮﻫﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺧﺬﳍﻢ وﻻ ﻣﻦ ﺧﺎﻟﻔﻬﻢ‬ “...they remain unharmed by those who desert them and those who oppose them.”

They fully understand the meaning of the blood of martyrs and the efforts of the sincere, and that they are not blown away by the wind no matter how much the duped believe so.

They fully understand that they will bear fruit, even if it be after a while, even if that be on the Day of Ressurection, solaced by the consolation Allah gave to His Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam:

‫وإﻣﺎ ﻧﺮﻳﻨﻚ ﺑﻌﺾ اﻟﺬي ﻧﻌﺪﻫﻢ أو ﻧﺘﻮﻓﻴﻨﻚ ﻓﺈﻟﻴﻨﺎ ﻣﺮﺟﻌﻬﻢ ﰒ اﷲ ﺷﻬﻴﺪ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻔﻌﻠﻮن‬ And whether We show you some of what We promise them, [O Muhammad], or We take you in death, to Us is their return; then, [either way], Allah is a witness concerning what they are doing

Sawt al-Jihad (The Voice of Jihad) Magazine Issue # 9 Dhul-Hijjah 1424