Jul 28 , 2020

LESSONS FROM DHUL HIJJAH AND QUIZ LINK

Assalam alai kum everyone,

( Alhamdulillah we are soon going to bid farewell to these blessed  Days. As I sat today to write the last blog marking the end of our Dhul Hijjah celebration at The Islamic kidstore , the topic in front  was Lessons from Dhul Hijjah. Yes like all of you,   I have also been reading a lot of content on doing good deeds this month and its benefits. But rarely did I hear about lessons derived from this month. Thinking to myself that I may just struggle to finish the blog  in a few lines,I began writing down.   However I soon realised that there was so much to reflect on and gain lessons  from , so much so that this blog space would be insufficient. Here is my attempt ( Aaliyah Khan ,Proprietor of The Islamic kidstore) to compile the best I can though I think this is just half job done, you can make your list too and share in comments so that others may benefit. Also, the link for Dhul Hijjah Quiz is at the bottom of the blog  page. Attempt it and win amazing prizes. This quiz link is valid only until 5th August 2020 ).

Alhamdulillah Hajj days shall begin from tomorrow. For all those who are at homes, we are all drawing close to the end of the last 10 days of Dhul Hijjah. Many of us are racing to do as many good deeds as possible these days. But as we finally wave goodbye to these blessed days. Lets reflect and derive lessons from them. Reflecting upon signs in the universe and Islamic teachings mentioned in the Quran and hadith is one of the great acts of worship enjoined and encouraged in the Qur’an.  This shall benefit us by strengthening our eemaan and helps model our own behavior.

• Reason for days with varied blessing:

There  are some days which have been given precedence over the others with a purpose to draw us closer to Allah SWT and to multiply our rewards. A true believer must take full advantage of these days.The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are no days on which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” [Bukhari]

 

• Relation between Rites of Hajj and life of our beloved Prophet Ibrahim:

1. Every year during Dhul Hijjah a lot of content is circulated around about Prophet Ibrahim A. S.  Most of the hajj rituals have its origin from him. He was the one who built the Kaabah where miliions of muslims visit for pilgrimage since thousands of years. Every minute ther is someone on this earth who is praying facing this blessed masjid.
2. Every time when we sip the holy water of Zamzam we are reminded of the story of his courageous wife, Hadrat Hajara R.A who ran seven times between Safa and Marwah. Though she had tawakkul in Allah ,she did all her efforts to search for water and she did not give up in one attempt. She continued seven times until she was exhausted. This reminds us that solely doing Duaas shall not work,but we need to put our efforts too. And also if our Duaas are not being answered or we are receiving failure in the way to Allah SWT, we should not give up and strive until we are exhausted. No doubt this action was so beloved to Allah SWT that this act is one of the important rites of Hajj and millions of Muslims perform it. As mentioned in the Quran ( 2: 158) Indeed, as-Safa and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.
3. Shaytan is our enemy but we can overpower him: Pelting of stones at Jamarat is an act which again has its origin from Prophet Ibrahim A.S . When he was on his way to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismail A.S ,then the Satan tried to whisper to him at 3 steps but Prophet Ibrahim A.S threw stones at him. As we throw these stones, we remind ourselves that we are ultimately stronger than Shaytan, alhamdulillah. Although he may tempt us, it is up to us to seek refuge in Allah (swt) from his evil and stand strong as with His help we can deafen our ears to Shaytan’s whispers.   

• More than just Sacrifice of animal: Every Muslim observes this ritual which again has origin from life of Prophet Ibrahim A.S. The 'Id al-Adha is commemorative of that unparalleled act of devotion of that noble soul. Abraham (peace be upon him), who, in obedience to the Command of his Lord, readily offered the life of his son Isma'il. In Islam, the act of sacrifice is the symbol of a Muslim's readiness to lay down his life and to sacrifice all his interests and desires in the cause of truth. The purpose of sacrifice is not fulfilled only by shedding the blood of an animal, but it is really fulfilled when a man submits himself completely to the command of Allah. This has been clearly laid down in Sura Hajj, verse 37; "Not their flesh, nor their blood reaches Allah, but it is the piety from you that reaches Him." This verse eloquently speaks of the fact that sacrifice in Islam is nothing else than a natural expression of homage and gratitude to the Creator.
• Unity and Brotherhood: Ever wondered the reason why do so many Muslims all over the world have to travel such long distances, spend so much money, and reach Kaabah. And that too at the same time. Yes the holy nature of the city and this month is a main reason and its obligation too ,  but there could be more to it. It provides us an opportunity to meet Muslims from all over the world. We know of their grievances, build relationships, empathy for each other. As mentioned in hadith The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”  
• Abolishes racism:

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” The Holy Qur’an 49:13

After seeing the beauty of diversity, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking your nation or tribe is superior to others. But then it is even more beautiful to see all of those same pilgrims dressed in the same white cloths, expressing the same “Labbayk” and walking around the same Ka’aba when the Hajj rituals begin. Any arrogance that was in your heart shatters like a pane of glass as you appreciate your similarity to the rest of creation.

• Being Consistent:

These are the days when we do many good deeds but we must try to be consistent with  the same even throughout the year. The Prophet of Allāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Upon you is that which you have the ability to do. Allāh will never become bored (and will thus continue to reward you) until you yourself become bored (with doing good deeds). Verily, the most beloved deeds to Allāh is that which is the most consistent even in small amounts.” [Al-Nasā’ī]

                                               This list is endless and limits of space ,my typing restraints and your ability to be patient in reading has compelled me to end this blog here. And I leave you with the most important lesson I derived from these days is SAMI'NA WAS AT- A'NA ( We hear, and we obey).This should be our motto for life .

 May Allah SWT grant us all the ability to strive in his way and also accept it . Indeed he is the All hearing and The All-knowing . Aameen ya Rabb.

THE LINK FOR DHUL HIJJAH QUIZ IS HERE. Kindly note that results shall be announced on our Instagram page or Whatsapp Group on 10 August 2020. ToCLAIM the prize kindly follow us 

1) For Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theislamickidstore/

2) For Whatsapp : https://chat.whatsapp.com/KEuzl96TNmQ1JpDEVAHP8X

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