Dear Brothers and Sisters!
One of the most special and exceptional time periods in terms of reward is the upcoming month of Dhul-Hijjah. The month of Dhul-Hijjah, which will start from next Sunday, contains many blessings. The month of Dhul-Hijjah is considered to be one of the sacred months in Islam, in which it is specifically forbidden to do injustice. Even though it has not been done for the past two years due to the pandemic, it is the day of pilgrimage where millions of Muslims gather in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah to make the pilgrimage and perform prayers and worship that will lead to purification. In the month of Dhul-Hijjah is a special day that also contains the sacrifice. In the first ayahs of Surah Fajr, Allah (swt) swears by the first 10 nights of Dhul-Hijjah and drawing our attention to the importance of these nights and days, Our Prophet ﷺ also expressed in many hadiths how virtuous the worship performed during those days are. He encouraged us Muslims to take advantage of these numbered days and to pray.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Rasulullah (saw) said: “No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first ten days of Dhul Hijjah).” The Companions then asked: “Not even Jihad?”. In response to this, the Prophet ﷺ said “Not even Jihad, except that of a man who does it by putting himself and his property in danger (for Allah’s sake) and does not return with any of those things.”[1] One of the well-known Companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw), Anas ibn Malik, narrated the following: “Each day is equal to a thousand days [in virtue] and the day of ‘Arafah is equal to ten thousand days!”[2] Therefore, it is a necessity of our faith to evaluate the blessed days ahead.

Dear Jama’ah!

In order to be one of the winners in the coming days, it is necessary to follow the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Fasting on these blessed days will undoubtedly compensate for the sins we have committed in the past and raise our status. In addition, after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared that no deed is as virtuous as the deeds done on these days, we must praise Allah (swt) through dhikr by saying “Allâhu Akbar”, “Lâ ilâhaillallâh” “Alhamdulillah”.[3]

In addition to these, we should certainly not neglect our sacrificial [Qurban] duties. Therefore, our brothers who have not yet had the opportunity to donate their Qurban so far can do so through the Hasene organisation as soon as possible or via the Hasene website.

May Allah make us from those who strive for the best in this blessed month, and those who gain closeness to Allah (swt) with their sacrifices. Ameen.

Note on the Srebrenica Massacre:

Dear Jama’ah!

Sunday is also the anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre that took place in Bosnia on July 11, 1995. This massacre went down in history as the biggest genocide that took place in Europe after the Second World War. Srebrenica was declared a safe zone by the United Nations Security Council. Subsequently, the biggest massacre since the Second World War took place in the Potaçari camp in Srebrenica, which was protected by the Dutch Peacekeepers. According to the latest figures, 8,325 Bosnian Muslims were massacred in three days. Some were buried alive in mass graves. The whole world remained silent against this atrocity and lost its conscience that day. The United Nations has lost its credibility. In order for such grave events not to be repeated, we all, as people of morality, justice, compassion and conscience, have to be sensitive and organised, and develop a common attitude as an Ummah for these events.

[1] Dârimî, Savm, 52, H.No: 1814; Buhârî, Îdeyn, 11, H.No: 969
[2] Beyhakî, Şuabu’l-İman, 5/316, H.No: 3488
[3] Bkz. İbn-i Ebî Şeybe, Musannef, 3/250, H.No: 13919

Khutba-Dhul-Hijjah: The Period of Abundance