Last 10 days of the holy month
ARAB NEWS
Published — Friday 10 July 2015
Each and every day of Ramadan is no less than a blessing. Muslims start preparing for Ramadan in advance so that they are able to make the most of it without losing a moment in adjusting to its routine.
Therefore, with the progression of each day of Ramadan, the spirit and enthusiasm of Muslims toward its observance to the best of efforts increases.
As Ramadan is divided into three Ashras (10 days), it is the third 10-day or Ashra that is valued greatly among Muslims. One of the major reasons why it is valued and revered is the fact that it is the last Ashra and with it Ramadan ends, so Muslim try making the most of it.
How to make most of the last 10 days
A Hadith reported regarding the last Ashra about the routine of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is as follows: “Allah’s Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last 10 nights to a greater extent than at any other time.” (Muslim)
Therefore, the last 10 days of Ramadan require greater devotion and dedication toward getting the most out of it. The lines below give some tips that can help effectively in this regard.
Itikaf
Itikaf is the renowned Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which is most popular among Muslims.
Itikaf refers to the last 10 days of Ramadan in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to live in seclusion and avoid worldly interaction till the last night when the moon of Shawal is sighted. Ayesha (may Allah bless her) narrates: “Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to perform Itikaf in the last 10 days of Ramadan until Allah the Mighty and Majestic took Him.” (Bukhari)
From this Hadith, it becomes clear that Itikaf was one of his consistent Sunnahs, which he used to perform on regular bases on every Ramadan and throughout his life.
Therefore, a Muslim should find encouragement from this fact and should pursue Itikaf. In another Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever makes Itikaf with me is to make Itikaf during the last 10 (nights).” (Bukhari)
Therefore, Itikaf is one of the major Sunnahs of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), therefore, every Muslim must try observing Itikaf whenever the chance is available.
Increase worship duration
The last 10 days are the ones that end with the end of the Ramadan and after that there is a whole year before it comes back again.
Thus, those Muslims who are aware of the transitory nature of this worldly life understand the value of the last days of Ramadan, hence, they increase the intensity as well as duration of their prayer so that they get the maximum out of the parting days.
Ayesha (may Allah bless her) narrates about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the following way: “With the start of the last 10 days of Ramadan, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to tighten His waist belt (i.e. work harder) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers.” (Bukhari)
From this Hadith it is clear that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to pray excessively during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
In addition to praying all night, he also made sure that his family members also stayed awake during the nights and indulged in prayer.
Therefore, a Muslim must not only limit him or herself with own prayers, rather he or she must also make sure that all the other family members are also a part of the prayer and they also make the most out of the last precious nights of Ramadan.
Recite Qur’an abundantly
In Ramadan, Muslims make special preparations to recite Qur’an. Some of the Muslims recite the whole Qur’an one time, while there are others who recite the whole Qur’an several times.
Each and every word of Qur’an brings great reward for a Muslim when recited in Qur’an.
Besides the conventional reading of Qur’an from the start till its end, a Muslim must also search for different Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in which he emphasized over different Surahs of Qur’an in terms of their greater reward. A Hadith in this regard is as follows: “Whoever recited Surah Zilzilah would get the reward of reciting half the Qur’an. Whoever recited Surah Al-Kafirun would get the reward as if reading a quarter of the Qur’an. Whoever recited Surah al Ikhlas would get a reward as if reading one third of the Qur’an.” (Tirmidhi)
Therefore, while reciting Qur’an a Muslim must consider different Hadith of Prophet (peace be upon him) that specifically refer to particular Surahs and try reading and reciting them more frequently to earn greater reward.
However, to be able to read and recite Qur’an, you must be able familiar with Arabic language.
Laylatul Qadr
In Qur’an, Allah says: “By the manifest Book (the Qur’an) that makes thing clear. We sent it (this Qur’an) down on a Blessed Night (i.e. the Night of Qadr)….” (44:2-4)
The blessed night refers to the Night of Qadr and it is one of the highly revered and cherished nights in the Islamic calendar. This night can be found in the odd nights in the last 10 days of Ramadan.
Therefore, every Muslim in addition to praying excessively in all the last 10 days, should worship, pray and supplicate more in the odd nights.
Prophet (peace be upon him) said in a Hadith: “Whoever stands (in Qiyaam) in Laylat Al-Qadr out of faith and expectation (of Allah’s reward), will have All of his previous sins forgiven.” (Bukhari)
Therefore, a Muslim must seek the Blessed night by praying excessively in the last 10 days of Ramadan.
In a nutshell, the last 10 days should be observed with more spirit and enthusiasm as with them the Ramadan ends and who knows whether someone will live another year to welcome this holy month again and collect all the riches and rewards that it comes with.
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Courtesy: quranreading.com
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Islam, Saudi Arabia