The Importance and Significance of First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah-Eid-ul-Adha Prayers at London Central Mosque

 The Importance and Significance of the

First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah

 

Dr Mozammel Haque

Every year Allah Subhanahu wa Taala has given hundreds and thousands of rewards or the door of blessings and rewards open for HIS slaves and worshippers – especially on two occasions – the last ten days of Ramadan along with the blessed Night of Power (Lailatul Qadr) immediately followed by a happy day for the worshippers – Eid-ul-Fitr. Similarly, instead of last ten days, this time the first ten days of the month of Dhul Hijjah is the blessed days – full of blessings and rewards from Allah Subhanahu wa Taala along with Arafah Day (9th of Dhul Hijjah) followed by a happy day – Eid-ul-Adha.

 

First day of Dhul-Hijjah

Thursday, 30 June 2022

Saudi Arabia has announced Dhul-Hijjah starts today, Thursday, the 30^th of June 2022 following  the sighting of  the crescent moon on Wednesday evening. Saudi Arabia announced that the five-day Eid-ul-Adha celebration will begin on 9 July, 2022. This will be the 10^th day of Dhul Hijjah, the 12^th month of the Islamic Hijri calender.

 

Arafat Day on Friday, 8^th of July 2022

Dhul-Hijjah, the 12^th month of this year 1443 Hijri begins today, Thursday, 30 June 2022. Hajj will start on the 7^th day of Dhul-Hijjah, corresponding to 6^th of July and end on the 11^th day of Dhul-Hijjah, corresponding to 10^th of July. Arafat Day falls on the 9^th day of Dhul-Hijjah, corresponding to 8^th of July, 2022. Eid-ul-Adha will begin inshaAllah on Saturday, the 9^th of July 2022.

Now this first ten days of the month of Dhul Hijjah is very important and significant. Those who have gone for Hajj they will be in Makkah, Mina, Arafah and Muzdalifah. But those who are not in Makkah and other holy sites for them these days are very important days too. The earlier Muslims used to take this opportunity to make themselves better.

Importance of First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah

About the importance of the First ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him said: “There are no days on which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days; meaning the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. (Bukhari).

And there is another Hadith about the fasting on the Arafat Day wherein Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him said: “Fasting on the Day of Arafat expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year.” (Muslim)

Eid Mubarak to all of you and your families and everyone.

Kullu Aam wa Antum bil Khair.

Thursday, 30 June 2022 is the First day of Dhul-Hijjah 1443H. So the Day of Arafah will be on Friday, the 8th of July 2022 the 9^th day of Dhul Hijjah the Arafah day and Eid al-Adha will be Insha’Allah on Saturday the 9^th of July 2022 corresponding to 10 Dhul-Hijjah 1443H after the day of Arafah. I wish everyone a blessed life full of happiness, peace and prosperity.

Eid-ul-Adha in the United Kingdom

Islamic Cultural Centre & The London Central Mosque Trust has announced that the Eid-ul-Adha will be held on Saturday, the 9^th of July, 2022.

Islamic Cultural Centre & The London Central Mosque Trusts has announced the timetable of Eid-ul-Adha prayers 10the Dhul-Hijjah 1443 Hijri corresponding to 9th July 2022.

 

Preparations for Hajj 2022 in Full Swing

Preparations for Hajj 2022 in Full Swing

Dr Mozammel Haque

 

Saudi Arabia’s efforts to organize Hajj 2022 and improve the services offered to Hajjis every year is really praiseworthy

Saudi Arabia has permitted up to 1 million people to join the Hajj this year, inviting pilgrims from foreign countries for the first time in two years, after COVID-19 restrictions saw the annual pilgrimage limited to residents of the Kingdom.

Full immunization is required. Full COVID-19 vaccination still required for Hajj, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said. Those not fully immunized would be denied a Hajj permit.The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that full immunization with one of the approved COVID19- vaccines is still required for those planning to perform Hajj this year.

Almost 300,000 applied in Saudi e-draw for Hajj, according to Saudi Ministry. A total of 297,444 applications have been registered in the electronic draw for citizens and residents inside the Kingdom for the 2022 Hajj season, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said recently. According to the Ministry, 62 per cent of the applicants are men and 38 percent women.

 Saudi Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Abdulfattah Mashat said that the electronic system sets several conditions in the selection process. Applicants should not be older than 65 and must be completely immunized according to the status in the Tawakkalna app.

Saudi authorities unveil operational plan for Hajj

Saudi Arabia’s General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques on Sunday, 19 June 2022 launched its operational plan for this year’s Hajj season The presidency confirmed its readiness to receive 1 million pilgrims, saying that it has mobilized 10,000 male and female employees and workers to serve the worshippers.

Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, the  president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, launched the plan in the presence of the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, and the Director of the General Directorate of Public Security, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Bassami. Imam Sheikh Dr. Al-Sudais said that all topics, services and programs were being followed up minute by minute to ensure the highest quality, through a set of indicators supervised by the presidency around the clock

The President Sheikh Al-Sudais said that the presidency had launched smart applications and electronic platforms that would facilitate and enrich visitors’ experiences, revealing that the number of beneficiaries of this digital service had reached more than 160 million.

Entry Gate: Sheikh Al-Sudais also said that the presidency has allocated King Abdulaziz Gate, King Fahd Gate, and Bab Al-Salam Gate for the entry of pilgrims and visitors, adding that the presidency has allocated a total of 144 gates for the entry of worshippers to the Grand Mosque.

Zamzam water bottles As regards Zamzam water, the Presidency is working on distributing 3 million Zamzam water bottles in day in the Grand Mosque, and 1 million Zamzam water bottles in the holy sites.

Electric vehicles: President Sheikh Al-Sudais said that 2,000 electric vehicles had been provided to serve the elderly and people with disabilities, in addition to providing 500 engineering staff, and that the sermon of Arafa would be translated into 10 different languages.

Other services

New Luggage Transport Services: Saudia is offering a new luggage service for its Hajj customers traveling on international flights, collecting luggage from their hotel or other accommodation in Makkah and Madinah 24 hours before their departure, and and delivering it to the correct airport baggage center before they arrive. It allows passengers to travel easily without worrying about carrying around their luggage after their pilgrimage. The airline is also issuing Hajj pilgrims’ boarding passes and luggage tags to eliminate hold-ups during chack-in.

The regulations concern items not allowed in carry-on luggage, including Zamzam water, bags with loose or long straps, irregular shaped or damaged boxes, and ensuring that luggage is in good condition for travel by being organized and packed with caution.

Saudi Hajj Teams can speak 13 languages: The General Directorate of Passports’ field teams for this year’s Hajj can communicate with pilgrims in 13 languages, including English, Spanish, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Portuguese, and Bangladeshi. The field teams have been deployed at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport and Madinah’s Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport.

4.8 million meals per day: Catering Companies provide 4.8 million meals per day during Hajj. A Muslim pilgrim receives food on the plains of Arafat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage outside the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia (REUTERS).

Some 195 catering companies and kitchen owners approved by Makkah’s municipality are expected to provide around 4.8 million meals per day to pilgrims during the Hajj season this year.

Hajj - A Lifetime Spiritual Journey

 

Hajj: A Lifetime Spiritual Journey

Dr. Mozammel Haque

 ISLAM IS A PRACTICAL RELIGION which lays down a complete code of life. It makes various provisions for creating peace and harmony in the lives of mankind as well as in the universe. Peace and harmony can be achieved only when there is solidarity and universal brotherhood among human beings. Islam preaches this concept and puts it into practice through the unique annual assemblage of the pilgrims during Hajj.

 The institution of Hajj in Islam is quite extraordinary and unparalleled. It is only Islam that has made the annual assemblage at one place, Makkah, an obligation for the capable Muslims from all corners of the world. In other words, it may be called the World Muslim Congress. This assembly has many distinctive features which no other gathering has and no other religion stipulates. The concept of unity and brotherhood is embedded in Islam in such a way that one is truly amazed to see millions of Muslims dressed in two white sheets of cloth gathered at one particular place, i.e. in Arafat during a fixed time on certain fixed days in the year. All human and man-made barriers and distinctions are demolished during that assembly.

We shall here deal with the aspects of unity and universal brotherhood which, besides others, are quintessential among the concepts of Hajj. First, let us take universal brotherhood. This universal brotherhood emanates from the following basic concepts and is demonstrated in a most authentic and brilliant manner here on this occasion:

Adam is the first man from whom all human beings have sprung up;

Abraham is the father of monotheistic religion;

Acceptance of all prophets as prophets of God;

Belief in all revealed books of Allah.

Thus, this acceptance of Abraham as the patriarch of the concept of Tawheed and recognition of the continuity of Prophethood from Prophet Adam to the Last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and having faith in all revealed books keeps up a chain of faith known as Islam throughout the world. This binds the whole humankind into a bond of brotherhood whose genealogical father is Adam and the spiritual father Abraham. Thus Muslims believe in the continuation of the human race on earth. There are no conflicts and controversies in the monotheistic religion decreed by God. All Muslims (those who consciously and willingly surrender to the Will of the Creator) belong to this Ummah and therefore constitute a fraternity of faith. This is one way the Hajj conveys the message of universal brotherhood.

 This aspect of universal brotherhood can also be noticed during Hajj when Muslims come from remote corners of the world and congregate in Makkah in the vicinity of the House of God, i.e. Baitullah. Though they might have come from the east or west, north or south, and all differences in colour, language, race and nationality notwithstanding, they find their oneness on the basis of their faith in One God, One Qiblah, One Book and One Prophet.

 The practical training for this universal brotherhood starts from the local or neighbourhood level with the five times daily prayers in the mosque, which gets enlarged with the Friday prayers once a week. The circle is again made substantially larger during the Eid prayer, and it becomes internationalised transforming into a global gathering once in a lifetime. So the concept and training in universal brotherhood, which reaches its peak, starts from the very childhood at the local level.

 As regards unity, Islam, first of all, removed all man-made bonds and barriers bringing all human beings into one global family tracing their genealogical origin to common parents and biological chemistry to one element, i.e. clay. Almighty God has laid down in the Holy Qur’an, “O Mankind, We have created you from a male and a female.” (49: 13) This establishment of absolute equality on the basis of their ancestral origin and biological composition removes all artificial differences between man and man.

 The enforcement of the concept of Muslim brotherhood is the greatest social ideal of Islam. Islam places emphasis on unity and unifies mankind on the basis of one God, one Book - the Qur’an, one Qibla - the Ka’aba and one leader - the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Noble Prophet’s mission was to establish unity and peace throughout the world. The Islamic concept of unity transcends all other forms of unity based on territory, geographical boundary, linguistic and ethnic affinity. He united Muslims on the basis of faith, which is the Oneness of God, Islam.

On this vital concept was based the Prophet’s sermon in his last pilgrimage, which shows that Islam cannot be completely practiced until this ideal is achieved. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) unified and cemented the Muslim Ummah under the banner of La ilaha illallah Muhammadur-Rasoolullah by establishing the first-ever Islamic state in Madina, which later on took the shape of a grand Caliphate. Under the Caliphate the Muslim Ummah was unified and integrated. Thus the first concept of universal and worldwide unity was demonstrated by Prophet Muhammad more than fourteen hundred years ago having been guided and inspired by God for establishing unity and peace in the world.

 Islam is essentially a community and group-oriented religion. So, the practical lesson in unity and equality first starts within the family, then in the neighbourhood, especially through the institution of five daily prayers in the mosque and still on a larger scale in the locality, during weekly Friday prayers, and then in much larger gatherings in the two Eid prayers and ultimately in the international or global gathering during Hajj. This very characteristic and feature of Islam demonstrates the universality of this religion and its heavenly origin which transcends all worldly barriers of race, colour, class and nationality.

 Pilgrimage is the best occasion to bind again the loose threads, tighten them on the basis of belief and in the presence of God and frustrate the nefarious machinations of the enemies of the Ummah’s unity.

 Another aspect of Hajj is making sacrifice in the way of God for the cause of Islam. As Islam itself is a religion of sacrifice, its different pillars also contain the same features and characteristics. It is a known fact that the Islamic or Hijra calendar starts with the month of Muharram and ends with the month of Hajj. The first month of the Islamic calendar, Muharram, is the month of sacrifice – a sacrifice made by the grandson of Muhammad, Hussain ibn Ali, who laid down his life at Kufa in the cause of Islam and its ideals. Similarly, the 12 months of the Hijra calendar, the month of Hajj, marks the remembrance of the sacrifice made by the Prophet Ibrahim for the sake of God and His Pleasure.

 The Patriarch, the first Prophet of monotheistic religion, Islam, the Prophet Ibrahim was ready to sacrifice his most loved one for the sake of God. He loved his only son, Ismail, more than anything else. God asked him to sacrifice Ismail. Ibrahim was going to sacrifice Ismail, in the way of God by His Order. The Holy Qur’an explains the story of Ibrahim and his son Ismail thus:

Then when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: “O my son; I see in vision that I offer you in sacrifice. Now say what is your view.” (The son) said: “O my father; do as you are commanded; you will find me, if God so wills, one practising patience and constancy.” So when they had both submitted their wills (to God), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to him, “O Ibrahim; you have already fulfilled the vision; thus indeed do We reward those who do right.” (37:102-105) The Qur’an says: “And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice.” (37:107)

The sacrifices made by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail for the love of God left an indelible imprint on the history of mankind. This sacrifice is still remembered and re-enacted during Hajj. Ibrahim left a glorious record of sacrifice to please God.

 In modern times, sacrifice is symbolised by an act of slaughtering a camel, cow or lamb for the sake of God during the days of Eid-al Adha, i.e. starting after the Eid prayer till the sunset on the third day of Eid. Sacrifice is a strongly recommended Sunnah of the Prophet and was introduced in the second year after Hijra. The purpose of sacrifice is to remind oneself of the great sacrifice of Ibrahim.

The sacrifice of life and wealth in the way of God is the zenith of a man’s belief. God says: “By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely) of that which you love; and whatever you give, of a truth God knows it well.” (Al-Qur’an 3:92) This means that when something, which has been held so dear, is sacrificed in the way of God one may hope to secure God’s Pleasure. The verse tells us that to attain righteousness one has to sacrifice things, but to attain it in perfection one has to sacrifice things, dearer to one.

 Every sacrifice and every effort is to be aimed at seeking God’s Pleasure. That God be pleased with us is the real capital of our lives and it is to win this pleasure that everything should be sacrificed. In the words of the Qur’an: “Surely my prayers and my sacrifice, my life and my death is for God alone, the Lord of the Universe.”

 In the modern age, the pilgrims, when they start their journey to Makkah for performing Hajj with only two white sheets on their bodies leaving behind their wives, children, kith and kin and their wealth and properties, they practically exemplify their act of sacrifice for the love of God.

 Hajj is the greatest training and practical demonstration of the spirit of sacrifice and the spirit of Jihad in the way of God. It shows that Islam does not end with giving some utopian ideals for the human life. It is not only a religion, it is the guidance for the whole mankind to shape their lives in this world and hereafter. That’s why God makes provision for the teaching and training of humankind in every quality through practical implementation.