The virtues of the ten days of Thul-Hijjah - I

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Praise be to Allaah Who has created time and has made some times better than others, some months and days and nights better than others, when rewards are multiplied many times, as a..
Praise be to Allaah Who has created time and has made some times better than others, some months and days and nights better than others, when rewards are multiplied many times, as a mercy towards His slaves. This encourages them to do more righteous deeds and makes them more eager to worship Him.
This season of worship brings many benefits, such as the opportunity to correct one's faults and make up for any shortcomings or anything that one might have missed. Each of these special occasions involves some kind of worship through which people may draw closer to Allaah, and some kind of blessing through which Allaah bestows His favor and mercy upon whomsoever He, Almighty, Wills.
The Muslim must understand the value of his life, increase his worship of Allaah and persist in doing good deeds until the moment of death. Allaah Almighty Says (what means): "And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (death)." [Quran 15: 99] The commentators said: "'The ‘certainty’ means death."
Among the special seasons of worship are the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah, which Allaah has preferred over all the other days of the year. Ibn 'Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allaah than these ten days." The people (the Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them) asked: "O Messenger of Allaah, not even Jihaad in the path of Allaah?" He, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "Not even Jihaad in the path of Allaah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing (lost both his property and life)." [Al-Bukhaari]
This text and others indicate that these ten days are better than all the other days of the year, with no exceptions, not even the last ten days of Ramadhaan. But the last ten nights of Ramadhaan are better, because they include the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree), which is better than a thousand months. Thus the various reports may be reconciled. [See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 5/412]
The virtue of these ten days:
The virtue of these ten days is based on many things:
1. Allaah Swears an oath by ten days of Thul-Hijjah, and swearing an oath by something is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Allaah Says (what means): "By the dawn and by the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Thul-Hijjah)…” [Quran 89: 1-2]
Ibn 'Abbaas, Ibn Az-Zubayr, Mujaahid and others of the earlier and later generations, may Allaah have mercy upon them, said that this refers to the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah. Ibn Katheer, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: "This is the correct opinion." [Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 8/413]