Khutbah - Dhul Hijjah A Gift from Allah
By Yasir Fahmy | 2026-01-13T16:48:55.813158+00:00 | Topic: Allah
Khutbah - Dhul Hijjah: A Gift from Allah
By Shaykh Yasir Fahmy
Opening
"Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings."
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Khutbat al-Hajah (Opening Khutbah)
Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask for His help and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whosoever He misguides, you will not find for him a rightful guardian. And we bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, and no partner for Him.
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to elevate our condition, to have mercy upon this ummah, to relieve this ummah of its pains and its hardships. Ya Rabb al-alameen, Allahumma ameen.
Main Khutbah
The Pursuit of Goodness
Brothers and sisters, in life, generally speaking, we all have a very simple pursuit. We all seek goodness. We all desire every single day what compels us in our lives and that is an idea of a good life. And that is not a blameworthy pursuit. It is very acceptable, very understanding that all of us desire goodness.
And very often what goodness means is that we're just happy. Things are easy. We're not fearful. We're not stressed out. We're not full of grief and anxiety. And that subhanallah is what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would ask Allah jalla wa ala for.
When he would say:
(Sahih al-Bukhari 4522)
"O Allah, grant us goodness in this life and grant us goodness in the afterlife and save us from the hellfire."
So there is no doubt that the pursuit of a good life, a happy life, is a prophetic pursuit.
The Fatal Miscalculation
But the problem that many of us face is that we make a very basic miscalculation of what goodness or happiness actually is. We tend to believe or assume that for things to be good or for me to be happy I just need this basic amount of money in my bank account. If I can just have a couple of hundred dollars or a couple of thousand dollars or a couple of million dollars then things are going to be good.
You know, Sheikh, I don't want too much. I just want a basic space to live. If I just have a studio apartment, I'll be happy. And then there are those in the community who say you know, if I just have my ten bedroom mansion somewhere in the Burbs, I'll be happy. Things will be good.
We very often attach goodness or happiness to an idea of success in the material realm that I'm recognized amongst my peers that I have attained a certain station or a particular title of doctor or lawyer or engineer. And that if I just attain these things if I just have these things, things will be good. Life will be happy. And this is the basic fatal flaw and miscalculation that so many of us make in our lives that deprive us of a good life.
True Tranquility Through Dhikr
Because as we said goodness and having a good life is simply being able to be happy, settled, tranquil and not full of anxiety and fear and worry, etc. And so for us as Muslims who have a very particular prophetic conception of God we have a very particular idea through our Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم of what God is in our lives and what genuine goodness entails.
And what Allah tells us resoundingly in the Qur'an in a very distinct proclamation that all of us have heard but should work tirelessly to internalize and that is:
"That verily it is only in the remembrance of Allah will the heart ever find its goodness. It is only in the remembrance of Allah that the heart will ever find its tranquility. Verily it is only in the remembrance of Allah that the heart will be rid of fear, anxiety, stress and worry."
Allah's Gifts of Opportunity
And brothers and sisters this is the elemental challenge that we all face is that will we overcome ourselves to tap in to that divine salvation and that divine deliverance and that divine wellness and actually beget the beauties and the bounties and the mercies that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has in store for us.
This is the elemental challenge. And what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does, because He's so generous and He's so kind and He's so merciful and He knows that we forget. He knows that we fall short, that we fall prey to ourselves.
He gives us moments of elevation and increase and opportunities for that deliverance whether we like it or not. One of those opportunities that we just experienced a number of weeks ago was the month of Ramadan. We all left the month of Ramadan and in particular on the day of Eid we all felt a very distinct sense of happiness and joy and wellness.
And as we remarked back then, the entire reason why we all collectively, communally felt that wellness is because we had committed ourselves an entire month simply in the business of dhikrullah, the remembrance of Allah. Connecting ourselves to Allah in every fashion and in every form through khidmah, through service, through prayer, through fasting, through remembrance, etc. But because we were able to taste a semblance of that, all of us collectively felt good on the day of Eid.
The First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah
But what happens? Although the opportunities are open and the doors of goodness are always open, we forget, we become neglectful. But because Allah is generous and because Allah is kind and because He is full of mercy, because He is Al-Ghafoor, Al-Wadud, Al-Rahman, Al-Rahim, Al-Karim, because He's all of these beautiful qualities, He sends us multiple opportunities in the year to be on the fast track to the good life.
See, we always talk about this idea of being on the fast track to goodness, to increase. Allah gives us these opportunities just like Ramadan, to be on the fast track towards goodness and towards wellness. And one of these sets of days, one of these seasons if you will, is about to enter in the span of less than two weeks. And those are the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah.
These brothers and sisters are amongst those miraculous and beautiful days that if we're able to attain a sense of commitment to God and remembrance of God in those days, I ensure you, will bring about a whole host of beauty and goodness and wellness in the person's life.
The Magnificence of These Days in the Quran
These days are so magnificent that Allah swears by them in the Qur'an. Where Allah says:
"By the Fajr, and by the ten nights."
And the overwhelming majority of the Mufassirun, of those who have explained the Qur'an say that those 10 nights are referring to the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah. That they are so significant and important that Allah swears by them. Think about it in your day-to-day life if there's something important someone says to you, Wallahi, this is the case. You immediately become transfixed and aware and awake. So too Allah when He wants to awaken the heart of the believer, He swears so that we become attentive and aware.
So the significance of these days, Allah swears by them. Allah says:
"And they remember Allah in those known and numbered days."
These days that Allah speaks about in Surah Al-Hajj are referring to the days of Dhul-Hijjah.
The Prophet's Testimony
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says:
(Sunan Ibn Majah 1727)
"The best days of the dunya, of the entire world, and the dunya is also a reference of time. The best days of the dunya are the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah."
These are the words of our beloved messenger Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Now of course people may ask, well, aren't the last 10 nights of Ramadan the best days and nights of the year? What the scholars have reconciled is that the last 10 nights of Ramadan are the best nights of the year. But the first 10 days, the daytime of Dhul-Hijjah, those are the best days categorically of the year.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says:
(Musnad Ahmad 1968)
"That there are no deeds that are more beloved and more righteous in the sight of God than the righteous deed in those days."
Why These Days Are So Significant
And the reason is truly so remarkably beautiful. And this is noted by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, the great hadith interpreter in his book, Fathul Bari, where he says the reason why Ayyam Dhul Hijjah are so significant because of the fact that in them:
"Gathering, gathered in those 10 days are all of the types of worship that the human being can do on this earth."
But this is the only time in the life of the believer, the only time in the year where you can fulfill theoretically all of the types of worship that Allah Jalla wa'Ala has decreed. And this sounds simple and subtle, but it truly is profound.
Because for you and I, the entirety of our existence, the true meaningfulness of our existence solely lies in the extent to which we commit ourselves to the creator of the heavens and the earth. The creator of the soul that we have within us. The creator of this heart where we find wellness and happiness and goodness.
And when Allah tells us in the Qur'an:
"I have created you solely that you worship Me."
And when there are days in the year where you can fulfill every avenue of worship, then those days become remarkably significant days.
The Complete Worship Available in These Days
That in the days of Dhul Hijjah, I'm able to fulfill the ibadah of salah. Which yes, I can do it all across the year. But in that time they can be coupled with hajj. Salah which is this essential connection that you and I have to Allah. The one that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was gifted in the mi'raj. When he was... The one obligation that he received directly from Allah without an intermediary was prayer.
That ibadah is to be fulfilled in those nights. And Sa'id ibn Jubair, he would spend all of the nights of Dhul Hijjah in salah. And he would say:
"Don't turn off your lamps. Don't turn off your light. Keep yourself in prayer with Allah."
The testimony of faith:
These are days of tahleel. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says:
(Musnad Ahmad 6154)
"Say in abundance in these days the Tahleel."
You're also fasting. You're gathering not just hajj and prayer and the testimony of faith, but you're also fasting. You're fulfilling that ibadah that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says that every single reward, every single act of worship has a prescribed reward except siyam. Allah says:
(Sahih al-Bukhari 1904)
"Fasting is mine and I am the one who rewards it."
And that the person who fasts one day:
(Sahih al-Bukhari 2840)
"Allah Jalla wa Ala puts between him or her and Jahannam 70 years."
Internal and External Worship
But for us ibadah is not limited to simply the external manifestations of worship. Because Ibn Hajar says:
"All of the types of worship."
And if you recall from the hadith of Jibreel Alayhi Salaam, the entirety of our submission to God is not just realized in external worship, but also in internal submission.
And so in the days of Dhul Hijjah, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says:
(Musnad Ahmad 6154)
"Because these are the best days and the most beloved days to Allah, increase in them from Tahleel, Takbir and Tahmid."
Because these are days where iman, belief in Allah, must become fortified. Where I spend time simply in the process of eliminating all of the distractions from my life except Allah Jalla wa Ala.
Because at the very essence of saying, of declaring (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ) it is me making very clear, that nothing will be a distraction for me except Allah. Not that Allah is a distraction, but I will eliminate everything. And I will single out Allah as the only true object of my concern.
The Spirit of Takbir and Tahmid
So when I single out Allah, then I magnify Allah in my life:
So when I single out Allah, then I say, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. So that Allah is truly great and magnificent in my life. That Allah is greater than any material thing. Allah is greater than myself. Allah is greater than any type of health, any type of wealth, any type of entity, any type of power or semblance of power in this world. That Allah is the absolute greatest.
And so if you remember from Ramadan, when Allah spoke about Ramadan in the Quran, and He mentioned the purposes of Ramadan, what did He say?
"After telling us about all of the bounties of Ramadan, He says, so that you may say Allahu Akbar every single day. So that you don't forget where your wellness comes from, where your true salvation comes from, and that is from Allah. And so Allahu Akbar."
And then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says:
"So that you glorify and praise Allah."
What did Allah say in the verse in Surah Al-Baqarah about Ramadan?
"So that you may say Allahu Akbar, and so that you may be thankful."
Here Prophet is guiding us and telling us, so that you may make takbir, make an abundance takbir, but also say Alhamdulillah. You praise and glorify Allah.
And what is the distinction between Alhamd and Shukr? Shukr is where you are thankful for what Allah Jalla wa'Ala has given you. Allah gave us Islam, Allah gave us the Qur'an, Allah gave us Ramadan, Allah gave us family, Allah gave us community, Allah gave us a masjid, Allah gave us... So we say (شُكْرًا) We thank you Ya Allah.
Alhamd, on the other hand, is where you thank and you praise Allah, and you glorify Him just because He is Allah. No strings attached. It's not because Allah gave me that I make thanks or I praise Him, but rather I praise Him and I thank Him just because He is Allah.
And that is essentially this spirit that governs the days of Dhul Hijjah, because it's a complete manifestation of all worship. And so because I am in awe of the fact that I have a God who is my creator, my sustainer, the giver of everything. And I know He is magnificent and He is great. And He is the only one who is due worship.
So I say:
The Dhikr of the Companions
And the more you say it, the more you feel that genuine state or sense of ease. Because you know that the state of the believer is one of hamd. And that's why Abu Hurairah and Ibn Umar in the days of Dhul Hijjah, they would walk around in the marketplace, in every space, in the masjid, what is known as dhikr al-mutlaq.
They would make unrestricted remembrance. And so everywhere they were, they would be saying:
And they would be in a constant state of magnifying this dhikr on their tongues so that it settles firmly in their hearts. Because as we've noted multiple times, that for me to attain these true theological states and spiritual states, they have to be mentioned regularly on my tongue. Because the tongue acts as a mirror to the heart. Whatever the tongue is uttering, then that becomes the utterance of the heart. And whatever then the heart is uttering, that becomes the utterance of the heart.
The Perfection of Character (Ihsan)
So there has to be a concerted effort to realize Ubudiyyah through theological fortification. But the last part of our true servitude is not just in the external submission or the internal submission, what is known as the Islam or the Iman, but lastly the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says الإحْسان. And that is the holistic beautification of the self.
Where in the ten days of Dhul Hijjah, I have to begin to prepare myself from now that I will pursue every avenue to beautify my internal and my external state for the sake of Allah (جل وعلا). That I will rid my heart of all of the vices that I have become committed to. I will rid my heart of envy and anger and hatred and covetousness.
I will rid my heart of those things because I don't want to be in those magnificently beautiful days with a heart that is full of envy or anger or hatred. And I will work tirelessly to perfect my character because I know that الدّينُ الْمُعَامَلَةُ this religion is how you interact with people and deal with people.
And all of us collectively, myself included, we fall short in our interactions with people in giving people what they need, what they deserve, that we don't help sufficiently, that we fall short very often. And so I will ensure that I will prepare myself to perfect my character in those days and how I am there for the service of others, for the care of my community members or my society, for those who are poor and needy or in grief or who need help or support or who they need a heart that is full of happiness and love.
Conclusion and Call to Action
And so this brothers and sisters is the reason why these days are so magnificent because every single element of being in communion with God can be found in these days. And so we begin by saying, Allahu Akbar.
And we are, ya Allah, we are in awe of your magnificence. And we wait, we await with haste that moment to be in those 10 days of Dhul Hijjah because we know how your beloved messenger Muhammad (صلی الله عليه وسلم) cared for those days and yearned for those days. We know that he worshipped and he fasted and he prayed in the night and he fasted in the day and he would be in dhikr and he would be in khidmah and he would be searching for any righteous deeds to do.
Ya Allah, we ask you to make us of those who seek out that type of opportunity for worship.
Two Pieces of Homework
And so brothers and sisters, today I have two things that I request, two pieces of homework, if you will, that I want you to do so that you are ready, so that we are collectively ready for the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.
Number one: Attawbah, attawbah, attawbah.
If you recall last week when we spoke about the patience of Ayub, that the reason why Ayub was able to cultivate the patience that he had which led him through all of the trials and difficulties was his tawbah:
When we spoke about Ayub (عليه السلام) the reason why he was such a righteous person and he was a person of patience was because of the fact that he was an awwab. And so as we prepare, an awwab means someone who returns to Allah.
So as we prepare ourselves and we begin to cultivate a sense of awe of these 10 days, we have to enter into the state of being a tawwab, someone who returns to Allah in repentance, begging Him to forgive us for all of our shortcomings and all of our neglectfulness.
Number two: An-Niyyah as-Sadiqah (Pure Intention)
And coupled with tawbah, so that our heart is pure, is an niyyah. Is a pure, an niyyah sadiqah. A pure and sincere and truthful intention that, Ya Allah, I intend to be a righteous servant in those days.
That from today, You say to Allah, I intend to make hajj. Even if You cannot go, even if You cannot physically make it, even if You don't have the wealth, You intend for it so that You can receive the rewards.
You intend that You will pray. You intend that You will fast. You intend that You will pay Your sadaqah. You intend that You will make Your testimony of faith. You intend that You will be in a state of takbir. You intend that You will be in a state of ridding Your heart of all of its vices. You intend and You intend that You will be in a state of tahmid. Intend from now.
Because when we do that, when we show Allah our commitment, He will then facilitate for us those opportunities.
Allah says in the Qur'an that those who struggle in our way, we will guide them to our path.
See, the intention is not just simply something I utter with my tongue. I intend to be good in the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah. Moving on. No, no. Intention is a struggle. Intention is work. It's ilaj. It's a type of treatment that you have to give the intention.
So it is a form of struggle. So I'm struggling today every single day until the Dhul Hijjah comes to ensure that my intention is ready and pure to serve Allah Jalla wa Ala, knowing that He will guide me. Because I showed Him that I care.
A Gift from Allah
Just like anyone in our life, when we want something from them, we have to show them that we care. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is far more generous and kind than any of us. And He gives us even when we don't care.
And by the way, Dhul Hijjah, the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, they are a gift from Allah. And this gift is being given to many of us who actually don't care or who are not aware. But we ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala that just as He put us through Ramadan, and we were able to experience Laylatul Qadr, and we were able to experience Eidul Fitr, which was a day of tremendous joy for all of us.
We ask Allah to make us of those who will experience the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah. And that we will experience Yawmu Arafah. Because Yawmu Arafah is a day of forgiveness. It's a day of Itq min an-Naar.
الْحَيُّ عَرَفَةُ as the Prophet says, that if Hajj is anything, it is Arafah.
And at the end of those 10 days, what do we have? Eidul Adha. And so just as we had the last 10 nights of Ramadan, and they culminated into Eidul Fitr, we have the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, and they will culminate into Eidul Adha.
May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala give us the capacity to appreciate what Allah Jalla Wa Ala has gifted us in the form of scripture and guidance. And our beloved messenger Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, may we take advantage of the days of Dhul Hijjah just as we took advantage of the last 10 nights of Ramadan.
May we be excited for the days of Dhul Hijjah just as we were excited for the days and nights of Ramadan.
Closing
Brothers and sisters, in closing, in the beginning of the khutbah we spoke about this simple miscalculation that many of us make to attain a good life. This good life where it is a semblance of just happiness, wellness, freedom from anxiety, freedom from fear, freedom from stress.
And this is a genuinely beautiful pursuit that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would make dua for:
So brothers and sisters, I hope and pray that we realize that true and genuine goodness and wellness and happiness will only come when we reorient ourselves to the basic equation of this dunya and that is:
That only in the remembrance of Allah and being with Allah will this heart ever find its tranquility and ease.
So I ask Allah (جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ) to make us of those who understand this simple equation and who will stop making these miscalculations. May Allah rid from our hearts the love of material things. May Allah not make it that we think that happiness comes in the form of health, wealth or anything else but that we know with certitude, with certainty that happiness and wellness only comes when we are with Allah.
May Allah make that so resoundingly clear in our hearts, in our minds, in our souls. May Allah forgive our sins and our shortcomings.
May He always bless us with the guidance of the Qur'an in the way of our beloved Messenger Muhammad:
"and remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do."
"Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded."