By Sultaan ibn Fahd At-Tubayshi

Fourth, the remembrance of Allah in them: The righteous predecessors, may Allah have mercy on them, used to intensify their remembrance of Allah during these ten days:

1. Mujaahid narrated that Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with them, used to go out to the marketplace during the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah reciting Takbeer, and the people would recite Takbeer along with them. They went to the market only for that purpose. [Akhbaar Makkah for Al-Faakihi]

2. Thaabit Al-Bunaani said: "People used to raise their voices with Takbeer during the ten days until Al-Hajjaaj prevented them. Until this day, people in Makkah raise their voices with Takbeer in the markets in the ten (days)." [Akhbaar Makkah for Al-Faakihi]

3. It is narrated on the authority of Mujaahid that he disliked reciting Quran during Tawaaf in the ten days, and recommended reciting Tasbeeh, Tahleel, and Takbeer in Tawaaf. Also, he saw nothing wrong with it (Quran recitation in Tawaaf) before or after the ten days. [Akhbaar Makkah for Al-Faakihi]

4. Miskeen ibn Dinaar said: "When Mujaahid heard a man reciting Takbeer in the ten days, he said: 'Will he not raise his voice? I heard them (the Companions of the Prophet ) and one of them would raise his voice with Takbeer in the mosque and the people in the mosque would be shaken with it, and then his Takbeer would spread out of the mosque until it reached Al-Abtah (a valley near Makkah) and the people of Al-Abtah would be shaken with it, and the source of this single Takbeer was but one man.'" [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah]

Fifth, Glorifying them:

The righteous predecessors glorified these ten days, so they were keen not to commit any sin during them, to the extent that they would not mention a weak or doubted Hadeeth during them:

1. Al-Bartha‘i, in the compilation of his questions to Abu Zur‘ah Ar-Raazi, said: “I asked Abu Zur‘ah about the Hadeeth of Ibn Abi Haalah, describing the Prophet and this was during the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah. He refused to recite the Hadeeth to me, and said, ‘I am afraid that a part of it may not be authentic.’ When I urged him, he said, ‘Wait until the ten days pass, as I hate to narrate the like of this in the ten days.’ He meant the Hadeeth of Abu Ghassaan on the authority of Jamee‘ ibn ‘Umar.

2. Ibn Abi Haatim said that he heard his father say, “I came to Yahya ibn Ma‘een during the ten days of Thul-Hijjah, with a written record of the Hadeeth narrators. I used to ask him lightly, but when I did it frequently, he said: ‘Do you have it written?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He took it and he looked at it and said, ‘You do this with me for days, and you have it written down!’ He refused to answer me and said, ‘If you ask about something you have memorized, I would answer you, but if you are asking to write it down, I dislike that (meaning criticism of Hadeeth narrators.’”

Some of them even left narrating and teaching their students during the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah. Al-Athram said: “We went to Abu ‘Abdullaah (meaning Ahmad ibn Hanbal) during the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah, so he said that Abu ‘Uwaanah said: ‘When we used to go to Sa‘eed Al-Jurayri during the ten days of Thul-Hijjah, he used to say: ‘These are days of doing righteous deeds; people have needs for which they should supplicate Allah, and the son of Aadam gets bored easily by nature (meaning do not distract people from doing righteous deeds in these days).’’’’

The righteous predecessors diversified their worship:

The righteous predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them, used to diversify the acts of worship in the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah, so that these days would be filled with various acts of worship:

1. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab said, “There is nothing wrong with making up for the missed days of fasting in Ramadan in the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah.” [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah]

2. Al-Hasan Al-Basri disliked to observe voluntary fasting while one had to make up for the missed fasting of Ramadan, with the exception of the ten days (of Thul-Hijjah). [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah]

3. Sadaqah ibn Yasaar said: “I heard Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, say: ‘Performing ‘Umrah in the first ten days of Thul Hijjah is dearer to me than that in the last ten days (of Ramadan).’ I informed Naafi‘ about it and he said: ‘Yes, ‘Umrah with sacrificing Hady or with fasting is dearer to him than ‘Umrah without them.’” [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah]

4. ‘Abdullaah ibn Abi Mulaykah said: “‘Abdullaah ibn Az-Zubayr , may Allah Be Pleased with them, in all of the ten days of Thul-Hijjah, used to pray Thuhr, put the pulpit in place and sit on it until ‘Asr to teach the people the rituals of Hajj.” [Akhbaar Makkah for Al-Faakihi]

5. Abu Ma‘in said: “I saw Jaabir ibn Zayd and Abu Al-‘Aaliyah performing ‘Umrah in the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah.” [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah]

6. Al-Haafith Ibn ‘Asaakir used to observe I‘tikaaf in the month of Ramadan and in the first ten days of Thul-Hijjah. [Tathkirat Al-Huffaath]

I ask Allah by His Generosity to help us do good deeds and leave the evils, during these ten days in particular, and during the rest of the year in general, as was the case with the righteous predecessors, and to help us take full advantage of them, for He is able to do that, and Allah knows best. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.