Glorify What Allāh ﷻ Glorifies

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ

(Qur’ān 22:32)

“Wa man yu’azzim sha’ā’ira Allāhi fa innahā min taqwa l-qulūb”

“And whoever honors the symbols of Allah – indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.” Sadaqa Llāhu l-‘Aẓīm.

A person who shows reverence to the things that Allāh ﷻ has honored and exalted is a pious person and becomes one of Allāh’s ﷻ beloved servants. What are the things that Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla has honored? First and foremost, our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam and his ﷺ companions, whom He ﷻ has exalted most in the universe; after that, there are blessed days, blessed places, and deeds to be performed.

All of these are things to be honored and revered. These times have their own specific acts of worship, recommended (mustahabb) and sunnah deeds. Performing these as much as possible is of great benefit to every Muslim, every person.

In a ḥadīth, our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said about these days: “A person who fasts from the first to the tenth of Muḥarram will attain the highest ranks of Firdaus Al-Ala in Paradise.” Therefore, honoring these days is to our benefit. Shukr to Allāh ﷻ, in our country today there are many who honor and know about these days.

But elsewhere, this situation is viewed somewhat differently. They confuse people by asking, “Are you from another sect, or what?” However, reviving the Sunnah, following the Sunnah, and adhering to the path shown by our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam are the highest acts of worship a person can perform. A person should do these things as much as they can. May Allāh ﷻ forgive those who cannot.

But elsewhere, they twist these matters in different directions. If you do this, people look at you strangely, saying, “Is this person a Shiite, or what? Why are they doing such things?” Whereas, fulfilling the Sunnah of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is a command from Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. Following it is the most important thing to become a beloved servant of Allāh ﷻ.

Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says in Qur’ān ‘Aẓīmu sh-Sha’n: ‘قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ’, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you.’ (Qur’ān 03:31). “If you love Allāh ﷻ, then follow me, and Allāh ﷻ will love you.” If you do not obey him ﷺ, if you do not do what he ﷺ does, and if you act according to your own mind, then Allāh ﷻ will make you one of His ﷻ servants whom He ﷻ does not love; may Allāh ﷻ protect us. Then, no matter how much you worship, no matter what you do, it will be of no benefit.

Therefore, shukr to Allāh ﷻ, our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said about the Day of ‘Ashūra that: we mustn’t fast for one day; the Jews fast for only one day. Therefore, in opposition to them, you can fast nine and ten, or ten and eleven, or nine, ten and eleven. Whoever wishes can fast all of them. There is a four-rak’ah prayer to be performed on the tenth day. It is better to perform it before Asr prayer because when Maghrib enters, the eleventh day begins and the day of ‘Ashūra is over.

You can perform the four rak’ahs from the morning until Asr, reciting eleven Surah Ikhlas in each rak’ah, and then make your du’ā’s. Also, for that day, our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam also recommended taking a full ablution (ghusl). This way, one will regain health and spend the whole year in good health. This is very important, as there are many known and unknown illnesses in this time, may Allāh ﷻ protect us.

Therefore, having ghusl on that day should be done with the intention of spending the whole year in good health. People should do it with that intention so that they may find health and well-being; thus, we are fulfilling the blessed words of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. After that, they should give charity, buy provisions for their homes, and treat their families well and with kindness.

If they can, they should also apply kohl to their eyes. It doesn’t have to be black kohl; other good things can also be done. These are the good deeds to be done on this day. And of course, fasting is also important; fasting on the ninth and tenth, or the tenth and eleventh days is an important recommendation of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam.

Our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said, “If I live to see next year, I will do it.” Indeed, in the early years of Islām, fasting was observed in the month of Muḥarram, not Ramaḍān; it was later changed to Ramaḍān. Therefore, spending that blessed day in worship and prayer is certainly to our benefit.

May Allāh ﷻ bless those days and nights. May we, in shā’a Llāh, as much as we can, glorify what Allāh ﷻ has glorified, and may this be granted to us, in shā’a Llāh. Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

•⁠ ⁠Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

23 June 2026/ 8 Muharram 1448

Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul

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