Assalamualaikum my dear,

Can you believe, we are nearly halfway through 2024? Yes, I feel as completely shocked as you do too. I thought we were just finishing up 2022…how are we a few months away from 2025?

The past month or so has been really busy for me, and I could see myself slowly pushing aside the few ibadah goals I’d set for myself from Ramadan. I’d been racking my brain hard wondering how on earth shall I get back on track, when a dear friend texted me about joining her for a Dhul Hijjah challenge (more on that at the end of this letter!).

My first reaction was absolute shock - no way was it already Dhul Hijjah? Ramadan had just finished. But when I’d finally confirmed that yes, it was Dhul Hijjah, it hit me that maybe this was a gift. A gift from Al Wahaab (The Gift Giver), Al Lateef (The Subtle One), answering a prayer I was just about to pray for.

The gift of these 10 most blessed days - another chance to get back on track.

An opportunity easily missed

If you’re not going for Hajj, the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah seems to appear out of nowhere. For Ramadan, there’s reminders weeks before about gearing up and getting ourselves ready. But Dhul Hijjah comes right out of nowhere and sometimes you only realise the night before Arafah when everyone is checking the suhoor (pre dawn meal) times to fast.

It really is crazy how little we think of it when Prophet (s) has literally told us-

That means any good deeds we do in these 10 days weighs so much more on our scale of deeds - even more than even the days of Ramadan. Yes the nights of Ramadan are the most superior throughout this whole year, but when it comes to the days - its these days of Dhul Hijjah.

On top of that, in these 10 days, Allah has even given us the gift of Arafah — a day where Allah frees so many from the Hellfire. It’s a time where we can get our slates to be blank again.

It’s basically Allah giving us another time in the year to get back on track. If Ramadan is the Muslims new year’s resolution time, where we set our goals for the next year. Then these 10 days of Dhul Hijjah is our mid-year check in, to pull ourselves back up.

What should I do then?

There’s so much that can be done in these 10 days from fasting to reciting more Quran, etc. Yep, I know it’s day 1 already but there are 9 more days to go! We are just at the very beginning.

For myself, as I look at my schedule for the next 10 days, all I can see is how packed it is. There’s a lot happening. In some ways it’s not ideal as it would have been nice to have more free time to do more ibadah, but at the same time I see this as an opportunity to focus on other acts of worship too.

1. Being conscious of the tongue

Busy days means more interactions with people.

There are so many references in the Qur’an and Sunnah that remind us about the dangers of our tongues. To know that every single word we utter will be recorded in our book of deeds.

Honestly, it’s so easy to forget how heavy the words we say can be on our scale of deeds. A kind word to someone that makes them smile is written as an act of charity. While a harsh word that makes someone feel hurt can mean that your good deeds are transferred to them on the Day of Judgement.

And just like good deeds are more superior this month, bad deeds will hold more weight too. These 10 days are the perfect opportunity to become more mindful of what we say. While on one hand, be a person who makes people feel better. Vocalise the compliments more. If you admire a friend about something, let them know. Tell people around you that you love them. But just as importantly, be more cautious of the words that leave our mouth and begin getting into the habit of holding our tongues accountable.

2. Dhikr

Yes the days are packed. But that means more time for dhikr! In those moments like traveling to work, or waiting in the line for lunch, or even waiting for the kettle to boil! All those moments we feel the urge to open up our phones and scroll, are all precious moments for dhikr instead.

In these 10 days it’s sunnah to repeat the following dhikr as much as possible. So if there is 1 dhikr you want to pick to focus on for these 10 days, pick this!

But although quantity is good, I think these 10 days is a perfect time to concentrate in improving the quality of our dhikr. Instead of just mumbling Allahu Akbar while our minds are on our to-do lists, to actually contemplate on how Allah is the Greatest because of all the small miracles He’s blessed us with. This could mean just allocating a short time in the day, like the 10 minute wait in the lunch line to consciously be in a state of dhikr.

3. Slow down Salaah

We all know the importance of our five daily prayers. The fact that it is what distinguishes us from a non-believer. The fact that it will be the first act that we will be questioned on, on the day of judgement. The fact that if it is in a good state, then the rest of your questioning will be easy.

But since it is such a routine part of our lives, it is easy to just run through the motions as quickly as possible and jump onto our next task.

I want to use these ten days to just slow down the whole experience of salaah - from my wudhu, to getting dressed and standing on my prayer mat, to every action I perform. To be more present and aware in each moment. To really level up my khushu.

A way to do this is to give yourself more time for your salaah. We tend to shove it in between other tasks, giving it hardly a 10 minute slot, before we jump back into our obligations of this world. Instead, give it a half hour slot, and plan your other tasks around it. This means you won’t find yourself needing to rush, and you’ll find it easier to enter a state of khushu.

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There are so many other good deeds to pack these 10 days with. Fasting, recitation of the Quran, gaining Islamic knowledge, keeping ties with your family, etc. These 3 points are just a starting point for us!

My biggest recommendation, as a first step, is to take some time out today to look back at your own Ramadan/ 2022 goals and see where you have fallen short. Then use these 10 days as a way to get on back track!

May Allah make it easy for you and me to take full advantage of these days, and allow us to fast on the day of Arafah 🤍

That’s all from me today.

Until next week,

Thasneema 🌻

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