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Some Blessings of the First Ten Days of Thul-Hijjah
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 25-09-2014

 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

1- Doing good deeds on those days is better than doing them on other days: ‎‎‎‎‎it was narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas that the Prophet said:‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎“No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these days (meaning the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah).”Then some companions of the Prophet said, ”Not even Jihaad ?” He replied: “Not even Jihaad, except that of a man who puts himself and his property in danger (for the Sake of Allaah) and does not return with any of those things.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]‎‎‎‎.

2- It was reported that the Prophet(PBUH) used to observe fasting in those days: One of the Prophet`s wives said: “ The Messenger of Allah used to fast nine days of Thul-Hijja, the Day of Ashora`, and three days of every month-Mondays and Thursdays.”{Abu Dawood}.      

3- ‎‎‎‎Allah, The Almighty, Says (what means):‎‎‎‎‎ {‎By the dawn And [by] ten nights}  [Quran 89:1, 2] . The ten nights are the ten days of Thul-Hijjah‎‎‎‎. Allah, The Almighty, swore by these days and He only swears by whatever is exalted and lofty in stature. 

4- Allah, The Almighty, says: “ and celebrate the name of God, through the Days appointed, over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice).”{Al-Hajj/28}.The Days appointed are the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah as stated by scholars of Tafseer (exegesis).

5- The Prophet(PBUH) said that these days are the best days in life: Jabir(May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet(PBUH) said: “ The best days of this life are the ten days- the ten days of Thul-Hijja. The companions said: aren`t there days spent for Allah`s sake better than them ?he said: there aren`t, except for a man who goes out for Jihaad . “ {Albazzar& Al-Monziri}

6-‎These days have the Day of ‘Arafah, (the Day of major Hajj )which is the ninth day of Thul-Hijjah.‎ The virtues of this Day are great and innumerable. It was reported that the Prophet(PBUH) urged Muslims-non-pilgrims- to observe fasting on this great Day. He said: "Fasting the Day of Arafah atones the sins committed a year before  it and those which will be committed a year after it."{Muslim}.

7-‎These days have the Day of Nahr (sacrifice) which is the tenth day of Thul-Hijjah, the Day of Eid. This is the best day as stated in the following Hadeeth:‎ ‎‎‎‎"The best of days in the sight of Allah, The Almighty, is the Day of Nahr, then the Day of Qurr( the first day of Tashreeq)." [Ahmad, Abu Daawood: Saheeh chain of narrators]‎‎‎‎.

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Summarized Fatawaa

I vowed to give a specific charity if a certain matter came to pass — what is the ruling on giving that charity before the matter is realised?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Fulfilling a vow (nadhr) is obligatory, in accordance with the word of Allah the Almighty: "And let them fulfil their vows." [Al-Ḥajj/ 29] And the saying of our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him; and whoever vows to disobey Him, let him not disobey Him." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)
The Shāfiʿī scholars distinguished between a financial vow (nadhr mālī) and a bodily vow (nadhr badanī). They permitted the fulfilment of a financial vow to be brought forward — before the stipulated condition is met — but did not permit the same for a bodily vow, which may only be fulfilled after the condition has actually been realised.
Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is permissible to bring forward the fulfilment of a financial vow before the condition stipulated in it is met — such as saying: 'If I am healed, I vow to free a slave' or 'to give such-and-such in charity' — just as it is permissible to pay zakāh in advance. This is unlike a bodily vow, such as fasting." [Asnā al-Maṭālib, vol. 4/P.246]
Imām al-Bājūrī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Like expiation other than fasting, a financial vow — such as saying: 'If Allah heals my sick one, I vow to free a slave for the sake of Allah,' or 'If Allah heals my sick one, I vow to free a slave on the Friday following the recovery' — it is permissible to bring it forward before the recovery in the first case, and before the Friday following the recovery in the second case." [Ḥāshiyat al-Bājūrī ʿalā Sharḥ Ibn Qāsim, Vol.2/P.596] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What are the Sunnahs and etiquettes recommended for the person offering the Udhiyah?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
There are several Sunnahs (prophetic traditions) and etiquettes that are highly recommended for the person offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) to observe:
 
First:
It is a Sunnah for anyone intending to offer a sacrifice to refrain from cutting or removing any of their hair or nails once the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah begin. This is based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "When the ten days [of Dhul-Hijjah] begin and one of you intends to offer a sacrifice, let him not touch any of his hair or skin." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
However, if someone does happen to remove any hair or nails, they have not committed a sin, and their sacrifice remains perfectly valid.
 
Second:
The person offering the sacrifice should ideally slaughter the animal themselves. If they are unable to do so, they should at least witness its slaughter. This is drawn from what our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said to Lady Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her):
 
"Stand up and witness your sacrifice, for with its very first drop of blood, every sin you have committed will be forgiven." (Narrated by Al-Tabarani in his Mu'jam, Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, and Al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan)
 
Third:
Face the Qiblah (the direction of prayer) at the time of slaughtering, as the Qiblah is the most honorable of directions.
 
Fourth:
Pronounce the name of Allah (Tasmiyah) at the moment of slaughter by saying: "Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim" (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). Even if one forgets to say it, the meat remains lawful (Halal) to eat. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says:
 
"So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned." (Al-An'am: 118)
 
It is also recommended to send blessings upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and to follow it with the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar).
 
Fifth:
Supplicate for acceptance by saying: "Allahumma hadhihi minka wa ilayka, fa-taqabbal minni" (O Allah, this is a blessing from You and is offered back to You, so please accept it from me). This means: This sacrifice is a blessing that originated from You, and I am offering it to draw closer to You. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling on selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) described with specific attributes and authorizing an agent to slaughter them?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) that are described with specific attributes is permissible. This falls under the category of a salam sale (forward sale) if conducted using the terminology of salam, and under the category of a regular sale if not using the terminology of salam.
 
As for authorizing the seller to slaughter the sacrificial animal, the basic principle is that it is permissible, because the agent (wakil) stands in the place of the principal (muwakkil) in achieving his objective. This is a contract that the principal (the buyer) is entitled to perform himself, so authorizing another (the seller) to do so on his behalf is valid.
 
However, it is a condition for authorization to slaughter that the intention (niyyah) is present either at the time of slaughter or at the time of handing over the sacrificial animal to the agent. The basic principle is that the sacrificial animal must be specifically designated, as it is an act of worship. It is not required to designate it at the time of slaughter; rather, it is valid to do so before that.
 
It is permissible for the principal either to delegate the intention to the agent or to formulate it himself when authorizing the agent to slaughter. However, the sacrificial animal must be designated, even if at the time of slaughter, by the agent.
 
It is obligatory to designate the sacrificial animals so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own specific animal. Therefore, charitable organizations and companies must take this into consideration and establish a specific mechanism that ensures no mixing of sacrificial animals occurs, so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own designated animal. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What should one do if they see someone deliberately eating or drinking openly during Ramadan?

They must enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. If they fear harm from that person, they should disapprove of it in their heart but avoid sitting with them if possible. It is also preferable to seek the help of the authorities to prevent them from doing so.