Al Aziz Institute

In The name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful

What is Takbeer e Tashreek?

Allah SWT says in glorious Quran:
وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَعْدُودَاتٍ
And remember Allah during the appointed days. (Surah al-Baqarah, verse 203)

From the day of the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, up until the ‘Asr Prayer on the thirteenth day, are days in which the takbeers should be recited:

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد

Meaning: “Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, there is no god but Allah. And Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest and to Allah belongs all praise.”

Note that it is Wajib (mandatory) for every adult Muslim male and female to recite this Takbeer after every fardh (obligatory) Salah performed with Jamaat or individually. Men should recite this audibly while the women should recite this in low pitch.

However, in addition, it is a sunnah of the companions of the noble Prophet to recite this takbeer at all times, authentic hadith testifies that companions of the noble Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) used to constantly recite this takbeer where ever they went or whatever they did from start of Dhul Hijjah.

It is also strongly recommended by scholars to regularly and profusely send salat wa salam on the noble Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) during these first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.

اللهم صلّ على محمد عدد ما ذكره الذاكرون وعدد ما غفل عنه الغافلون ( Allahumma salli aala Muhammadin a’dada ma zakarahuz zakerun wa a’dada ma gafela anhu al gafelun

In the name of Allah, the most gracious and the most compassionate.

What should you recite and do in the First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah ?

Allah SWT says in glorious Quran: والفجر(١) وليال عشر(٢)

(By the Fajr, And the ten nights.) (89:1-2)

Ibn ‘Abbas (RA) said that these ten nights mentioned in the Quran refer to the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.
The Noble Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him) said:

قال النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم-: (ما مِن أيَّامٍ أَعظَمَ عِندَ اللهِ، ولا أَحَبَّ إلَيهِ مِنَ العملِ فيهِنَّ مِن هذِه الأَيَّامِ العَشرِ؛ فأَكثِرُوا فيهِنَّ مِنَ التَّهليلِ، والتَّكبيرِ، والتَّحميدِ

(‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of Tahlil ("La ilaha ill-Allah"), Takbir ("Allahu Akbar”) and Tahmid ("Al-Hamdu Lillah"). (Masnad Ahmad, Hadith no: 6154, Al Tahawi, Sharhe Mushkil Al Athar, hadith no: 2971, Shuab Al Iman, Iman Baihaqi, Hadith no: 3758).

1) Tahlil, Takbir and Tahmid,: As the above Hadith illustrates that the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are blessed days when Muslims, who are not performing Hajj, should follow certain Sunnahs to attain the blessings from Allah SWT. Doing constant Zikr is highly reccommended during these days.

Tahlil: لا اله الا الله La Ilaha Illa Allah

Takbir: الله اكبر Allāhu Akbar

Tahmid: الحمد لله Al Hamdu Lillah

2) Fasting on day of Arafah: Those who fast on the 9th of Zulhijjah, also known as the day of Arafah, may get the rewards of having their sins forgiven.

وَسُئِلَ عن صَوْمِ يَومِ عَرَفَةَ، فَقالَ: يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ المَاضِيَةَ وَالْبَاقِيَةَ
The noble Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “It (fasting on the Day of Arafah) expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year (i.e. those sins will be forgiven)” (Sahih Muslim Hadith No: 1162, Sunan Tirmizi Hadith no: 749).

3) Dua for the 9th-13th of Dhul Hijjah: It is wajib (compulsory) for every Muslim to recite Takbeer after each fardh (obligatory) salah from the 9th-13th Dhul Hijjah. Men are advised to recite this Dhul Hijjah dua audibly, whilst women should recite this silently. The full dua for the Takbeer is as follows:

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Laa ilaaha illallahu Wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Wa lillahil Hamd.

4) Repentance (Towba) to Almighty Allah SWT. Hajj is the ultimate act of worship we can perform as Muslims to seek forgiveness from Allah and expiate our sins, but most of us are lucky if we can go even once in our lifetime. That is why, Dhul-Hijjah is the perfect gift from Allah SWT, allowing us to sincerely repent and ardently seek forgiveness for our sins even if we are not on pilgrimage.

Repentance brings us closer to Allah and cleanses our souls. Allah says:
‘Seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him, [and] He will let you enjoy a good provision for a specified term and give every doer of favour his favour’. [The Noble Qur’an, 11:3].
So, recite, استغفر الله العظيم ( Astagfir Allah Al Aazim). (100 times a day)

Also recite: لا حول ولا قوه الا بالله العظيم (la hawla wala qowata illa Bi Allah Al Aaliul Aazim) (100 times a day).
(Meaning: There is no might nor power except with Allah).

May Alllah SWT forgive our sins and accept us among those whom He has blessed! Ameen!

In the Name of Allah, the most Merciful the most benevolent

The Love for Almighty Allah SWT

Allah SWT says in Quran:
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ
But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah. (Surah Baqara, verse 165)

The verse indicates that love is a constant longing with a wandering heart, or it is witnessing the glory and majesty of the beloved in everything seen or unseen, or the immersion of the heart to the will of the Almighty, or the fear of being distracted from the eternal servitude to Him by the establishment of earthly desire, or the embracing obedience and detesting (resisting) disobedience.

Abū Bakr Dulaf b. Jahdar Al- shibli (c.861–945 (AH 247–334)) a Sūfī mystic of Baghdād said: That the true lover is he who has no power over his heart other than his beloved, and he has no will other than His will. And Love means that you give up everything for the sake of the beloved (nothing remains in your heart except His remembrance).

Know that the servant’s love for his Lord is of two degrees, one: the general love, which every believer is not free of, and it is obligatory, and the other: the special love that is unique to the chosen ones, and it is the highest station, and the most desirable, for the rest of the stations of the righteousness: such as fear, hope, and trust, you see that the one who fears only fears for himself, and the hopeful only hopes for the benefit of himself, unlike love, which is for the sake of the beloved.

And know that the reason for loving God is knowing Him, so love becomes stronger according to knowledge, and weakens according to weakness of knowledge and there is no beauty like the beauty of God Almighty, in His great wisdom and wonderful works, and His beautiful, luminous attributes that please minds and delight hearts.

"حقيقة المحبة: قيامك مع محبوبك بخلع أوصافك". وهي "سقوط كل محبة من القلب إلا محبة الحبيب"، و"ميلك إلى الشيء بكلّيتك، ثم إيثارك له على نفسك وروحك ومالك، ثم موافقتك له سرًّا وجهرًا، ثم علمك بتقصيرك في حبه". وقال الجنيد: "كل محبة كانت لغرض إذا زال الغرض زالت تلك المحبة". ويقول القشيري إن المحبة وبإجماع الصوفية هي الموافقة، و"أشدّ الموافقات هي الموافقة بالقلب

"The Truth of Love: Being with your Beloved by Losing your Character". It is “the fall of every love from the heart except the love of the Beloved,” and “your longing to something in your entirety, then your preference for it over yourself, your soul, and your possessions, then your preoccupation of it secretly and openly, then your knowledge of your failure to love it.”
Al-Junayd said: "Every love was for a purpose, and if the purpose ceases to exist, then that love ceases to exist." Al-Qushayri says that love, according to the consensus of Sufism, is conformation, and "the strongest conformation is the conformity with the heart."

So, love, in its divine sense, is a state that a person finds in his heart that moves him to worship and finds pleasure in actions that bring him closer to his beloved, and that pushes him to strive to give up the qualities that his beloved does not love, and to free the heart from attachment of everything other than Almighty Allah. In the end, pure love for Almighty, not for the sake of obtaining a paradise or station. If a heart absolutely unties itself from every bit of string of earthly desire, that heart gradually becomes purer, which then witnesses the uninterrupted glory of his beloved One, and finds itself immersed in the majestic beauty of His magnificence, thus that heart annihilates itself of all attributes while remaining present in the Glory of Allah.

In The Name of Allah The Most Merciful the Most Benevolent

The wisdom behind conveying Salam to one another:

لا تَدْخُلُونَ الجَنَّةَ حتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا، ولا تُؤْمِنُوا حتَّى تَحابُّوا، أوَلا أدُلُّكُمْ علَى شيءٍ إذا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحابَبْتُمْ؟ أفْشُوا السَّلامَ بيْنَكُمْ

Abu Huraira narrated: The noblest Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessing be upon him) said: You shall not enter Paradise so long as you do not wholeheartedly believe in the fundamentals of faith, and you will not believe as long as you do not love one another. Should I not direct you to a thing which, if you do, will foster love amongst you: greet one another by conveying salam or by saying ‘As-salamu alaikum’.

(Source: Sahih Muslim, Book- Iman, Chapter: Clarifying that no one will enter paradise but the believers, ( باب بَيَانِ أَنَّهُ لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ إِلاَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ) Hadith No: 54)

In this hadith, the noblest Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, categorically illustrates that only the believers will enter Paradise, and that love among believers is part of the perfection of faith. He says: “You will not enter Paradise until you believe.” Then, the noblest Prophet (Peace be upon him) continued saying that faith of a Muslim does not achieve completion until a Muslim unconditionally loves another one for the pleasure of Allah (الحب لله), then the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, suggests the most preferred way a Muslim can show love to another Muslim and act upon it by simply conveying Salam or by saying ‘ As - salamu Alaikum (peace be upon you).

So, a Muslim cannot pass by another Muslim - a stranger or a relative - but he greets him with peace; God Almighty made the disclosure of peace a reason for love and love a reason for the perfection of faith. Because spreading peace is a reason for love and friendship, and it is the virtue that facilitates intimacy between Muslims, which leads to the perfection of the religion and the exaltation of the word of Islam.

Abdullah bin Masood, may God be pleased with him, narrated: The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: (Salam) Peace is one of the names of God, God placed it on earth, so spread it among you, for if a man greets people (coveys Salam) and they respond to him, he has a higher degree of virtue over them.
( Al Adab Al Mufrid, Imam Bukhari, Hadith no: 1039, Imam Bazzar, Hadith no: 1771)

We all should spread peace and love so that we can achieve perfection in our faith. No matter who the person is, we must greet with As-salamu Alaikum.

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Benevolent

Hadith narrated by Hudhaifah Bin al -Yaman about the sickness in human heart.

عن حذيفة رضي الله عنه قال : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ( إِنَّ مَا أَتَخَوَّفُ عَلَيْكُمْ رَجُلٌ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ حَتَّى إِذَا رُئِيَتْ بَهْجَتُهُ عَلَيْهِ ، وَكَانَ رِدْئًا لِلْإِسْلَامِ ، غَيَّرَهُ إِلَى مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ، فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهُ وَنَبَذَهُ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ ، وَسَعَى عَلَى جَارِهِ بِالسَّيْفِ ، وَرَمَاهُ بِالشِّرْكِ ) ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ، أَيُّهُمَا أَوْلَى بِالشِّرْكِ، الْمَرْمِيُّ أَمِ الرَّامِي؟ قَالَ: ( بَلِ الرَّامِي

Hudhaifah Bin Al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Noble Messenger of Allah SWT (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Certainly, what I fear for you is a man who recites the Qur’an until its light (beauty) appears on him (the brightness from the light of Quran would be noticed on him) and he acts in the promotion (interest) of Islam. (This continues) until this man changes his attitude to what Allah wills. He then unmasks himself by removing the cloak (support) of Islam and throws this cloak behind his back. Then he starts wielding his sword against neighbor, accusing him of shirk (polytheism)."
Hudhaifah (R) said, I asked: "O Prophet, which of these two men deserves more to be described as a polytheist? The accused or the accuser?" He replied: "The accuser."

(Sahih Ibn Habban, Hadith no: 81, Al Bazzar, Hadith no: 2793, Al Tarikh Al Kabir, Imam Bukhari, Hadith no: 2907)

This Hadith illustrates that the noblest Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) feared most for his Ummah is about a man who would read the Qur’an so much that the people would notice its light, beauty, and good influence appearing on him. He would act to support and promote Islam, or he would propagate the message of Islam among the people, until he changes his state and throws away the avatar of Islamic faith. He would unmask himself by abandoning the core message and fundamentals of faith. He would then wield his sword against his neighbor and accuse his neighbor of being a mushrik or polytheist.

As the narrator continued in Hadith, then the noblest Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: which of the two will be deserving of such a description: the man who killed his neighbor and accused him of polytheism, or the murdered neighbor? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) replied that the one who deserves this description is the man who killed his neighbor and accused him of polytheism.
Through this illustration, the noblest Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him) predicted the de-generation of a Muslim man, who would become a source of disorder, unrest, and disturbance to all, and he will wreck a havoc leading to the disintegration of Ummah. This Hadith also suggests that the man in fact wears the cloak or veil of Islam, while all along harboring the nifaq (hypocrisy) in his heart.
The holy Quran unequivocally declares about hypocrites in Surah Baqara, verse 10:
في قلوبهم مرض فزادهم الله مرضا
(In their hearts is a disease (of doubt and hypocrisy) and Allah has increased their disease).
May Allah SWT protect us from the diseases of heart! Ameen.