SCENE: 

Professor Hums: <Clipping nails, doing wudhu, putting on Ihraam, praying 2 rakaahs Nafl>

Jester <observing carefully every step>: What are you even doing Professor? 

Professor Hums: Well, I am preparing to go on the journey of a lifetime.

Jester: Journey of a lifetime?

Professor Hums: I am going to follow in the footsteps of our forefathers.

Jester: Follow in the footsteps of our forefathers?

Professor Hums: It will be a most significant manifestation of Islamic faith and unity in the world

Jester: Most significant manifestation of Islamic faith and unity in the world?

Professor Hums: <irritated>: Is there an echo around here?!

Jester <quizzically looking around>: Is there an echo around here?

Professor Hums: My dear Jester! I am talking about going for Hajj! The pilgrimage to Makkah! The fifth pillar of Islam! The remarkable spiritual gathering of over two million Muslims from all over the world to the holy city. The following in the footsteps of our forefather Prophet Ibrahim (as), our foremother Hajar (as) and Prophet Muhammad (s).

Jester: Wow that sounds absolutely amazing! I think I’ll go too in a couple of months. My calendar will be open by then. 

Professor Hums: Oh Jester! <laughs> Hajj happens every year in the month of Dhul Hijjah. If you want to go for Hajj, you should make your niyyah, ask Allah (swt) for help and start planning for next year. 

Jester: Yes that's it! I will start packing for next year immediately!

Aunty Hiba: Assalamu Alaikum to all my wonderful friends from around the world! I’m so happy to see the good Professor Hums getting ready for Hajj! I hope he remembers us in his duas!

Hajj is an obligatory act of worship and the fifth pillar of Islam. It is a spiritual and physical journey like no other. Every single year during the month of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims from around the world go to Makkah to perform this amazing pilgrimage. Most years, 2 to 3 million people perform Hajj. They are young or old. They are rich or poor. They are every single color, every single race, every age from every single nation on this Earth. They come to Makkah by plane, by train, by ship, by bike, by foot. You see a stream of humanity walking to Makkah. You see some people carrying their parents on their backs. It’s just incredible. Hajj brings together and unites the Muslims from all over the world. It is a global manifestation of the greatness of Islam and the supremacy of La ilaha Illallah. There is nothing in the world like it. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all go for Hajj together?! 

May Allah bless us all with the means and opportunity to fulfill this obligatory act of worship and invite us to His house for Hajj! 

SCENE:

<King Hasan humming and bird watching>

Jester <sighing loudly>

King Hasan: What is it Jester? What makes you so melancholy? 

Jester: Professor Hums is on a journey of a lifetime, following in the footsteps of our forefathers and fulfilling the fifth pillar of Islam. And here I am. Sad about not doing anything important at all. <big sigh>

Aren’t you sad King? Don't you wish you were at Hajj?!

King Hasan: I would have loved to go for Hajj Jester. I pray that I will go soon, InshaAllah. But, how can I be sad, Jester? Don't you know what time of year it is? We are in the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah! They are the best ten days out of the whoooole year! 

Jester: Ten best days of the year? I thought that the ten best days were in Ramadan? <thinking> Yes I am pretty sure that I remember ten best something-something happening in Ramadan. And then we had Eid!

King Hasan: The last ten NIGHTS of Ramadan are indeed the ten best NIGHTS of the year. Remember we tried to stay up at night so that we could pray? Looking for Laylatul Qadr and all? But the ten best DAYS of the year are the FIRST ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Do you get it?

Jester: Of course, I get it! The last ten nights of Ramadan are the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. And the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the last ten nights of Ramadan. 

King Hasan: Errr no. Let's try this again. The last ten nights of Ramadan are the best ten nights of the year. And the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the best ten days of the year. Now do you get it?

Jester: I get it I get it! The last ten nights of Ramadan are the best ten nights of the year. And the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the best ten days of the year.

King Hasan: You got it Jester.

Jester: That’s so cool. 

King Hasan: And just like we had Eid ul Fitr after the last ten nights of Ramadan, we have Eid ul Adha after the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. To celebrate!  

“There aren't any days greater, nor any days in which deeds done in them are more beloved to Allah, the Most High, than these ten days of Dhul Hijjah.” - Prophet Muhammad (s)

SCENE:
Jester <looking bored>

King Hasan: What is it Jester? What makes you so melancholy? Haven’t we been through this already?

Jester: I know we are in the ten best days of the year...but what's the point if we aren’t going for Hajj? I am still bored with nothing to do. 

King Hasan: Nothing to do?! My dear Jester, we have so much to do! <slaps him on back>

Hiba: The king is right guys! Just because we aren’t going for Hajj, does not mean that we have nothing to do in the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, the best ten days of the year! 

When Allah (swt) tells us about special times during the day, the week or the year, we have to think about what makes these times special. And the answer is that these special times, like before Fajr every day, or like Jumaah every week, or like Ramadan every year, are special because during these special times all worship gets us extra rewards from Allah. Small acts of worship are given multiplied rewards! Allah is Al Kareem, The Most Generous!  There is a LOT to do in these 10 days.

“There is no deed better in the sight of Allah than a good deed done in the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.” - Prophet Muhammad (s)

Aunty Hiba: Let's talk about some of the good deeds we can and should do on the ten days of Dhul Hijjah. 

The first of course is Hajj, like Professor Hums is doing.

The second best thing to do, if you are not going for Hajj, is to fast as many days as possible of the first 9 days of Dhul Hijjah. Especially the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, which is the Day of Arafah! 

Let me tell you a little about that day and that place!

Do you guys know that the Day of Arafah is the MOST important day in Hajj and Dhul Hijjah? The Prophet (s) is reported to have said: 

“When the day of Arafa comes, Allah descends to the heavens and prides the angels on His servants. He says: ‘Look at my servants; they came to Me from every valley. Be witness that I have forgiven them.” And the Prophet said: Never is shaitan more humiliated, more miserable than on the Day of Arafat.”

On the Day of Arafat, our beautiful and beloved Prophet Muhammad (s) also gave the farewell khutba...his last sermon. In this sermon he told us so many awesome things about being good, about being kind to women and children, about us all being equal no matter what color our skin is. And Allah (swt) said, on this day, that our deen Islam was complete!

Yes, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, the day of Arafat is very important indeed. Will you try fasting on the Day of Arafat? 

“Fasting the Day of Arafah will be credited with Allah by forgiving one's sins of the previous year and the following year.” - Prophet Muhammad (s)

SCENE: 

Jester: Waaaait a minute! How come we only have to fast nine days of Dhul Hijjah, if the first TEN days are so blessed? 

King Hasan: Because the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah is Eid! And we never fast on Eid. It's a day of gratitude and celebration. And we get to eat in order to be grateful and to celebrate! 

Jester: Ooooh I intend to be gratefully eating some steak on Eid!

Aunty Hiba: The third good thing we can do in these days are the takbeeraat. 

“There aren't any days greater, nor any days in which deeds done in them are more beloved to Allah, the Most High, than these ten days (of Zul-Hijjah). So, increase in them the saying of Tahleel (La Ilaaha illa Allah), and Takbeer (Allah Akbar) and Tahmeed (al-Hamdu li-llah).” - Prophet Muhammad (s)

Aunty Hiba: We should all memorize all these words. Let's learn the takbeeraat with Dr. Fatima.

SCENE:

Dr. Fatima: Assalamu Alaikum everyone! Happy Days of Dhul Hijjah to you all! The Tabieen, who are the generation after the companions of the Prophet (s), used to recite takbeer, tahleel, tahmeed during the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. I am going to recite it for you once and then we can all try it together. Let's go! 

Allahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Laa Ilaaha illallah 

Wallahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Wa lillahi lhamd.

Shall we do it together? 

You start off with: Allahu Akbar ...two times. 

Then you say: Laa ilaha illaAllah. 

Then it's: Wallahu Akbar Allahu Akbar. 

And finally we say: wa lillahil Hamd. 

And what it means is this:

Allah is Great

Allah is Great

There is no God but Allah

And Allah is Great

Allah is Great

And all praise belongs to Allah.

Now let's recite it together three times!!

Allahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Laa Ilaaha illallah 

Wallahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Wa lillahi lhamd.

Allahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Laa Ilaaha illallah 

Wallahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Wa lillahi lhamd.

Allahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Laa Ilaaha illallah 

Wallahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Wa lillahi lhamd.

Aunty Hiba: JazaakiAllahu Khair Doc. That was lovely. I hope we all remember to say these words many many times in the ten days of Dhul Hijjah. And if we say them out loud and it reminds our family and friends to say them too, then may Allah give us double reward for it!

When Prophet Muhammad (s) met Prophet Ibrahim (a) in heaven, Prophet Ibrahim (a) sent salam to us and reminded us that remembrance of Allah is the seeds of the trees we plant in Jannah. 

Aunty Hiba: What else can we do on these special days? We can ask Allah for forgiveness and repent of our sins. We can do plenty of voluntary (nafl) righteous deeds of worship like prayer, charity, jihaad, reading the Qur'an, commanding what is good and forbidding what is evil.

And then we have the last of the ten days of Dhul Hijjah. This is the day of Eid! 

SCENE:
Jester: <runs in to blow trumpet>

Aunty Hiba: Guys, celebrating Eid is also an act of worship! And that’s why no matter what is happening in our lives or in the world, we celebrate Eid as a gift from Allah. On Eid day, we should try our best to take showers, dress up in our best clothes, go for Eid salah and listen to the Eid Khutbah. Our families will sacrifice an animal following the sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim (a) and we should distribute the meat to family, neighbors and those in need. We will spend the day happily with our families and friends, eating delicious food, playing fun games and enjoying ourselves. 

King Hasan: We’ll be grateful to Allah for all His blessings and share those blessings with the poor to help them celebrate Eid as well.

Professor Hums: We’ll remember to keep all the oppressed people around the world in our duas and say our Takbeeraat throughout the day..

Aunty Hiba: Will you join us? May Allah reward us for celebrating Eid as He has commanded!

Jester: Eiiiiiid Mubaraaaaak! <blows trumpet> 

SCENE 

Everyone:

Allahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Laa Ilaaha illallah 

Wallahu Akbar, 

Allahu Akbar 

Wa lillahi lhamd