153. Self Assessment Time

By Asma bint Shameem 

Shaikh Moosa Richardson said:

“This is Day 4 of Dhul-Hijjah, Day 4 of the 10 greatest days of the year. 

How am I doing? 

Have I fasted? 

Have I proclaimed Allaah's Greatness & Oneness in my house, at the market, & wherever I go? 

Am I reading more Qur’aan ? 

Giving in charity? 

*Or are these sacred days nothing special for me?”*

What a beautiful reminder from Shaikh Moosa!

And some very sobering questions to ask oneself...

*Are these sacred days nothing special....?*

*Or “different” or “out of the ordinary” for me...?*

Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said: 

“I encourage my brother Muslims to take advantage of this great opportunity by doing a lot of righteous actions during the ten days of Dhul-Ḥijjah, like reciting the Qur’aan, doing dhikr in its varying forms like saying Allaahu Akbar, Laa ilaaha illallaah, Alhamdulillah, Subhaan Allaah, and by giving charity and fasting, and striving to do all good deeds. 

*And it is strange that people are unaware of these ten days!*

You will find them trying hard in the last ten of Ramadhaan, but you will hardly find anyone who distinguishes between the ten days of Dhul-Ḥijjah and any other day. 

If a person does righteous deeds during these ten days he will have revived what the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam guided us to do.”

Subhaan Allaah!

Yet another beautiful reminder about the virtues of these first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, this time by Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen.

So come!

Let us all get up and dust ourselves off. 

Let us *revive* the Sunnah. 

Let us *renew* our resolve to do our *utmost best* in these first few days of Dhul Hijjah that are left. 

Let us *push* ourselves and *work hard* just like we worked hard in the last ten nights of Ramadhaan. 

Ibn al-Jawzi said:

"When the race horse knows that it is nearing the *end* of the track, it exerts all of its effort to win the race. Do not allow the race horse to be more clever than you. For verily, deeds are judged by their *conclusions*.”

And Ibn Taymiyyah said: 

"The lesson lies in perfection of the *conclusion* of a thing, not in the shortcomings of the beginning of it."

Remember...

The Udhiyah, the Takbeeraat, the dhikr, the ibaadaat, the Eid prayer....

these are all *Symbols Of Allaah*.

Don’t belittle them. 

And don’t be neglectful of them. 

‎وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ

“And whosoever *honors* the *Symbols of Allaah*, then it is truly from the *PIETY of the heart*.” (Surah al-Hajj:31)

*”then it is truly from the *PIETY of the heart...”*.

And Allaah knows best.