Hajj & Umrah, - *The virtuesof the ten days of Thul-Hijjah- II

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Types of worship and deeds to be performed during the ten days:
One must understand that these days are a great blessing from Allaah to His slave, which is appreciated properly by the actively righteous. It is the Muslim's duty to appreciate this blessing and make the most of the opportunity, by devoting these ten days to paying more attention to striving hard in worship.
Among His blessings to His slaves, Allaah has given us many ways in which to perform righteous deeds and worship Him, so that the Muslim may be constantly active and consistent in his worship of his Lord.
Among the righteous deeds which the Muslim should strive to perform during the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah are:
1.The performance of Hajj and Umrah, which are the best of deeds that may be done. And what indicates their superiority are a number of narrations, one of which is the saying of the Prophet:"Performance of 'Umrah is an expiation of the sins committed between it and the previous 'Umrah, and the reward of the Hajj which is accepted by Allaah, Most High, is nothing but Paradise."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
2.Fasting: It is recommended to fast on the nine days and especially on the ninth day of Thul-Hijjah. There is no doubt that the act of fasting is one of the best deeds, and it is from what Allaah, Most High, has chosen for himself, as in the Sacred Hadeeth:"Fasting is for Me )Allaah(, and it is I who give reward for it.Verily, someone gives up his sexual passion, his food and his drink for my sake..."]Al-Bukhaari, Muslim, At-Tirmithi, An-Nasaa'i and Ibn Maajah[
Also, from Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudriwho said that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"No servant )of Allaah, Most High( fasts one day in the way of Allaah, except that Allaah, the Most High, removes his face from the fire because of it )the distance of traveling( seventy years."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
The Prophetsaid:"Fasting the Day of ‘Arafah will be credited with Allaah by forgiving one's sins of the previous year and the following year."]Muslim[
3.Uttering the mention of Allaah: It is recommended to utter Takbeer )"Allaahu akbar"(, Tahmeed )"Al-hamdu Lillaah"(, Tahleel )"La ilaaha illallaah"( and Tasbeeh )"Subhaanallaah"( during the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah in the Mosque, at home, on the street and every place where it is permitted to mention Allaah and mention His name out loud, as an act of worship and as a proclamation of the greatness of Allaah, Most High. He The Most High, Says )what means(:"...And mention the name of Allaah on known ]i.e., specific[ days..."]Quran 22: 28[
4.Performing more good deeds in general, because good deeds are beloved by Allaah and will bring a great reward from Him. Whoever is not able to go to Hajj should occupy himself at this blessed time by worshipping Allaah, praying, reading Quran, supplicating, giving charity, honoring his parents, upholding the ties of kinship, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and other good deeds and acts of worship.
5.Offering sacrifice. One of the good deeds that will bring a person closer to Allaah during these ten days is offering a sacrifice, by choosing a high-quality animal. It is the Sunnah of our father Ibraaheem- from when Allaah The Most High, redeemed his son by the great sacrifice )of an animal in his place(. The Prophetslaughtered )sacrificed( two horned rams, black and white in color, and heslaughtered them with his own hands, mentioned the name of Allaah )saying Bismillaah(, said Takbeer )Allaahu-Akbar(, and placed his foot on their sides )while slaughtering them(. ]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
6.Sincerely repenting. One of the most important things to do during these ten days is to repent sincerely to Allaah and to give up all kinds of disobedience and sin.
Repentance means coming back to Allaah and foregoing all the deeds, open and secret, that He dislikes, out of regret for what has passed, giving it up immediately and being determined never to return to it, and to adhere firmly to the Truth by doing what Allaah loves. The Prophetsaid:"Verily Allaah has a sense of 'Ghayrah' )honor, prestige and anger over violation(, and Allaah's sense of Ghayrah is provoked when a person does that which Allaah has made prohibited."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
7.It is incumbent for the Muslim )who is not making Hajj( to make every effort to perform the ‘Eed Prayer wherever it is performed, and to be present for the Khutbah )sermon( and benefit.
He must know the wisdom behind the legislation of this ‘Eed )celebration(. It is a day of thankfulness and performing deeds of righteousness. So, he must not make it a day of wildness, pride and vanity. He should not make it a time of disobedience and increase in forbidden things such as music, singing, uncontrolled amusement and the like - those things which could cause the cancellation of the good deeds done in these ten days )of Thul-Hijjah(.
There is much to be gained, so make the most of the opportunity afforded by these invaluable and irreplaceable ten days. Hasten to do good deeds, before death strikes, before one regrets his negligence and failure to act, before one is asked to return to life but only when prayers will never be answered, before death intervenes between the hopeful one and the things he hopes for, before one is trapped with his deeds in the grave.

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