THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF DHUL-HIJJAH: A CALL TO THE HEART_ BY TIMEHIN SAHEED OLUROTIMI

This is the fourth among the first ten days of Dhul-Ḥijjah - Day 4 of the days that lead to the final rites of Hajj. It is important to assert that these days are not ordinary days. They are wrapped in divine fragrance. They engender moments in which heaven opens its doors wider, and mercy flows more abundantly. The days the weary soul is invited back to its Lord.

For a spiritual wayfarer, these days occupy a sacred and luminous station in Islamic spirituality. In exoteric Islam, they are days of worship, sacrifice, charity, reflections, remembrance, and pilgrimage, while in esoteric Islam, they are days of inward ascent - a spiritual journey from the distractions of the ego toward intimacy with the Divine, an odyssey in the moral and psychological wilderness that leads to the shore of union with the Beloved.

These days are not merely days to observe on a calendar; they are days to awaken. Days to return from the noise of the world to the silence of the heart. Days to remember who we truly are beyond ambition, pride, distraction, and endless worldly pursuits.

The world exhausts us. We chase success, possessions, applause, and fleeting pleasures, yet the heart remains restless. Dhul-Ḥijjah comes like divine rain upon a dry land, whispering gently to the believer:

“Come back to Allah before your heart becomes too heavy to return.”

These ten days are not only about rituals; they are about transformation - ethical, mental, and spiritual. When pilgrims travel toward Makkah, the pious heart sees more than movement across deserts, seas, countries, and cities. It sees the soul journeying toward its origin.

Every rite of Hajj is a mirror held before the human heart. The Ihram is a mirror of a pact between our hearts and our Creator. As pilgrims in Makkah put off worldly clothes to donne the Ihram we, at home, should also, in our mental spaces, remove the garment of ego and donne the garment of submission. When the pilgrim removes luxurious clothing and wears simple white garments, it is as though Allah is saying: 

" Remove the garb of ego and arrogance, vain thoughts and self- illusion, and enter into the garment of Divine unity where your journey initially began." 

Before Allah, kings and peasants are not different from one another. The real Ihram is not merely worn upon the body - it is worn upon the soul: the garb of humility thus replaces the cloak of pride; the garment of sincerity replaces the raiment of hypocrisy, and the ornaments of surrender replace the trinkets of rebellion.

As the pilgrim makes the Tawaf and circumambulates the Kaʿbah endlessly, our hearts, at home, are told that they were not created to revolve around wealth, status, fame, or desires. They were created to revolve around Allah alone. Unfortunately, many hearts today perform Tawaf around worldly idols: careers, social approval, material possessions, and endless distractions

Dhul-Ḥijjah therefore comes at this time to restore the heart to its true purpose and its rightful abode. Thus, as the pilgrim disembarks from Tawaf and begins the Saʿy: The passionate shuttle between Safa and Marwah, the vision of Hajar running desperately in search of water for her child is reenacted, and the believer is reminded of the connection between struggle and success.

We all run searching for peace, searching for meaning, searching for healing, searching for love.

And often, after exhausting ourselves, we discover that the "Zamzam" we seek was always near. The heart is thus inspired to realise that sometimes Allah allows the soul to struggle so that it may finally learn dependence upon Him alone.

As the pilgrim finally stands at the sacred plain of 'Arafah, we are reminded that wherever we are, we stand in the Divine Presence. It is the rehearsal before the Great Standing on the Day of Judgment. ʿArafah is the day when masks fall: the mask of pride, the mask of self-righteousness, and the mask of worldly power. The reality of existence dawns on all - millions of souls, assembled at a place...at the same time...chanting the same litany declaring:

" _At Your service, O Allah, at Your service, we have responded to Your call"_ 

When Prophet Ibrahim prepared to sacrifice his beloved son, and when Prophet Ismail submitted with serenity, humanity witnessed one of the greatest lessons of faith ever known. The lesson was never about blood.

It was about surrender.

The knife was not only placed upon Ismail - it was placed upon our attachment to all other than Allah; upon our ego, selfish desire, and anything loved more than Allah. The greatest idol is not always made of stone. Sometimes the idol sits quietly within the heart.

What, then, must we sacrifice to unite with Allah?” Perhaps it is pride, anger, greed, or an old sin secretly and passionately loved; or perhaps hatred of a people, or an obsession with worldly validation. The real sacrifice is the sacrifice of whatever keeps the soul distant from Allah.

What then must we do in these remaining blessed days? Let's all return to Allah with sincere repentance (Tawbah).

This is the fourth day, don't continue carrying mountains of spiritual darkness - the darkness of worldliness, and nonchalance. Return to Allah. Cry if you can. Whisper your regrets to Him. Seek forgiveness with honesty.

Allah loves one who returns, even after countless mistakes. No heart is too stained for divine mercy.

Secondly, fill your tongue with Dhikr. Repeat often:

Allāhu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Laa ilaaha illa Allāh, wallaahu Akbar Allahu Akbar, wa lillaahil hamd

Or chant: 

Subḥānallāh wa ' l ḥamdulillāh wa laa ilaaha illaa llaahu wa llaahu Akbar

But do not let the tongue remember Allah while the heart remains absent. True dhikr is when Allah becomes greater in your heart than your fears, needs, desires, anxieties, and worldly obsessions.

Observe fasting, especially on the Day of ʿArafah. It disciplines the ego and softens the heart. A hungry stomach often awakens the sleeping soul. And remember that the Day of ʿArafah is a river of mercy. Do not allow it to pass like an ordinary day. Increase in ritual salah nawafil, and recite the Qur’an. Read the Qur’an reflectively. Speak to Allah in the quietness of the night. The sweetness of nearness to Allah is tasted by hearts that learn to sit alone with Him.

Above all, show mercy to people. Be charitable. 

Feed the hungry. Call your parents and relatives. Forgive people. Help quietly and give charity secretly. Spirituality without compassion is an illusion.

These ten days may be among the last ten days of your life. None of us knows. Many people who witnessed Dhul-Ḥijjah last year are now beneath the earth, carrying only their deeds before Allah. So do not let these sacred days pass in heedlessness. Pray deeply. Love sincerely. Repent abundantly. Remember Allah constantly. Perhaps one sincere tear in these days may extinguish years of spiritual darkness. Perhaps one moment of sincerity may change your destiny forever. Perhaps this Dhul-Ḥijjah is Allah’s invitation for your soul to finally come home.

May Allah's Mercy abide with you. 

© Timehin Saheed Olurotimi

- Nigeria