Extend personal benefit to public benefit
The call to Hajj
In Surat al-Hajj, Allah Almighty says:
وَأَذِّن فِی ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلۡحَجِّ یَأۡتُوكَ رِجَالࣰا وَعَلَىٰ كُلِّ ضَامِرࣲ یَأۡتِینَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِیق
And announce the pilgrimage to mankind—they will come to you on foot and on every lean mount; they will come from every distant pathway,
لِّيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْلُومَاتٍ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّن بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ ۖ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْبَائِسَ الْفَقِيرَ
That they may witness the benefits for themselves and celebrate the name of God during the specified days, for providing them with the animal livestock. So eat from it and feed the unfortunate poor. (Al-Ḥajj, Ayah 27-28)
The significance of Hajj
We are now in Dhul-Hijjah, the sacred month of Hajj. Hajj was prescribed to the Ummah in the final years of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life, one of the last obligations, in approximately the 8th or 9th year in Madinah, after migration. All prophets and messengers performed Hajj. In this ayah, Allah was addressing Ibrahim (peace be upon him), calling upon humanity to respond to Allah’s command and fulfill this obligation. Hajj is unique in that it is required only once in a believer’s lifetime.
Allah highlights both the worldly and Hereafter benefits of this obligation. This is why He says, “That they may witness the benefits for themselves.” These benefits take two dimensions: 1. The akhirah benefit Performing Hajj in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) repeatedly reminded the people: “Take your rituals from me.” Given the large gathering of approximately 120,000 pilgrims, not all could hear him at once, so he repeated this instruction in different locations to ensure that his teachings were understood. By fulfilling this obligation, believers earn eternal rewards. 2. The worldly benefit Hajj involves sacrifice and sharing with the poor, emphasising community care.
“There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord.” [2:198]
Ibn Kathir committed on the verse:
“They used to refrain from trading during the seasons of Hajj, so Allah lifted the blame from them in this regard and permitted them to engage in commerce and seek livelihood during Hajj.”
The virtues of Dhul-Hijjah
Allah explained the importance of righteous actions during these days through the hadith:
خرج البخاري من حديث ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: “ما من أيام العمل الصالح فيها أحب إلى الله من هذه الأيام” يعني أيام العشر
Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“There are no greater days during which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days (i.e., the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah).” (Bukhari)
وفي مسند الإمام أحمد عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:
“ما من أيام أعظم ولا أحب إليه العمل فيهن عند الله من هذه الأيام العشر، فأكثروا فيهن من التهليل والتكبير والتحميد”
Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“There are no greater and more beloved days during which righteous deeds are more pleasing to Allah than these ten days (i.e., the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah), so increase in them your Tahleel (la ilaha illallah), Takbeer (Allahu Akbar), and Tahmeed (Alhamdulillah).” (Musnad Ahmad)
The importance of action
Islam is an Ummah of activism, of action, not passivity. The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged us to be active in both inward and outward forms of worship. The hadith mentions righteous deeds العمل الصالح What is the righteous deed? It can be divided into inward and outward, personal and transitive:
1. Inward Action The intention behind an action determines its reward. To intend an action for the sake of Allah is necessary for any righteous deed, whether it is fasting, salah, or charity.
2. Outward Action A deed is only accepted when it aligns with the prophetic practice; otherwise, it does not qualify as a righteous act. Actions can be personal (benefiting oneself, such as Salah, fasting, and Quran recitation) or transitive (benefiting others, extending the good beyond oneself). Personal deeds include believing in Allah, being sincere, salah and fasting, avoiding sins, and having good character, although righteousness/uprightness (salah) and sticking to the way of Allah and His Prophet, i.e. (istiqamah), are in themselves transitive actions when done purely for the sake if Allah, as they encourage others and provide a good role model, provided the person mixes with people who can benefit in that way. We must remember to extend and magnify our righteous deeds so they reach their full potential. If an action can be performed better, why not improve it? Investment in the akhirah is like multiplying profits without risk. With Allah, there is no loss. The most important deeds are not those limited to personal benefit, but those that positively impact others. Personal deeds include believing in Allah, being sincere, salah and fasting, avoiding sins, and having good character. Whereas transitive righteousness is beneficial to others. This is righteousness that extends its benefit to others, where a person becomes a means of good for others through teaching, reform, help, or support.
Sharing and sacrifice
Allah emphasises both personal and communal benefits in the ayah:
So eat from it and feed the unfortunate poor. (Al-Ḥajj, Ayah 28)
Islam is about ethaar (altruism)—feeling the pain of others and acting upon it. The third pillar of Islam, Zakat, is built on the principle of sharing with those in need.
قال رسول الله ﷺ: «خَيْرُ الناسِ أنفعُهم للناسِ» — رواه الطبراني في “المعجم الأوسط”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.” (al-Ṭabarānī in al-Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ)
Maximising the reward
Take advantage of these ten blessed days—the best days of the year—and improve your actions to maximize your reward.
The definition of good deeds (العمل الصالح),
According to scholars like Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and An-Nawawi, is one that fulfills two conditions for acceptance: 1. Sincerity (الإخلاص) The deed must be performed solely for the sake of Allah, free from worldly motives. 2. Conformity to the Sunnah (موافقة السنة) The deed must be in accordance with the teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Good deeds are those done with pure intention to please Allah and in accordance with prophetic guidance. Imam al-Bukhari said: “Chapter: Faith consists of speech and action; it increases and decreases.”
Imam al-Shafi‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“There was consensus among the Companions, the Followers (Tābi‘īn), and those after them whom we encountered, that faith (īmān) is: speech, action, and intention. None of the three is sufficient without the others.”
Al-Shafi‘i, Kitāb al-Umm
This was explained by Ibn Ḥajar in Fatḥ al-Bari: The view of the Salaf (pious predecessors), which is the view of the majority of scholars, is that faith consists of speech and action, and that it increases with obedience and decreases with sin. “Speech” includes speech of the heart (belief) and speech of the tongue (testimony of faith). “Action” includes actions of the heart (like intention, fear, and hope) and actions of the limbs (like bowing, prostration, striving in Allah’s cause, etc.).
The three components of imaan:
1. Speech: speech of the heart (belief) and of the tongue (testimony).
2. Action: action of the heart (like fear and hope) and limbs (like prayer).
3. Intention: the heart’s purpose and direction toward Allah. None of the three suffices without the others. Belief alone is not enough without speech; speech is not enough without action; and action is not valid without intention.
May Allah accept our efforts in these blessed days and grant us success in both this world and the Hereafter.
Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 30th May 2025
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