Pilgrims at Home

Pilgrims at Home

Pilgrims at Home is an annual competition set up to facilitate the coming together of teams and individuals from around the world in order to take advantage of the blessed first ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah. We all hope to be invited soon to go on ḥajj. In the meantime, we are pilgrims to our Lord while we stay at home.

This joint effort aims to help us inspire and communicate with each other, to encourage healthy competition, and kindle the spirit of sisterhood on our pilgrimage. Pilgrims at Home is a ‘‘Ibādah Olympics’ of sorts, aimed at strengthening our ‘ibādah muscles at a time when they may otherwise be gradually weakening after the departure of Ramaḍān and the burst of spiritual strength and uplifting it brought.

The scoresheets provided are to help the teams worldwide collect their scores, compete with each other, and to help individual team members to monitor and strive to increase their personal ‘ibādah in order to reap the benefits of this auspicious month. Each individual should send her scores to her team leader on a daily basis. At the end of the ten days, the scores will be tallied and the winning group announced!

The First Ten Days of Dhul Ḥijjah:

During the first ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah, Allāh pours His mercy upon the whole of creation. This mercy is all too clear to those who are invited as ‘Guests of the Merciful’ to perform the ḥajj. As they set their first gaze upon the Ka’bah and the blackness of the kiswah penetrates their souls, as they wipe beads of sweat from their foreheads while they recreate Ḥajar’s (as) path between Ṣafā and Marwah, and as exhaustion and complete surrender follow the physical struggle and yearning for a fresh change of clothes, the mercy is almost tangible. For the Muslims who are not performing ḥajj, it takes more effort to take advantage of the many blessings Allāh has promised and to honor these days in which deeds are multiplied numerous times.

Ibn ‘Abbās reported that the Prophet (s) said: “There are no days during which righteous action is as pleasing to Allāh than these days (the first ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah).” He was asked, “O Messenger of Allāh, not even jihād in the cause of Allāh?” He (s), replied: “Not even jihād in the cause of Allāh, except in the case that one goes forth with his life and his property and returns with nothing.” [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāri]

عن ابن عباس، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: (ما العمل في أيام العشر أفضل من العمل في هذه). قالوا: ولا الجهاد؟ قال: (ولا الجهاد، إلا رجل خرج يخاطر بنفسه وماله، فلم يرجع بشيء). 

[صحيح البخاري]

Abu Ḥurayrah (ra) narrates that the Prophet (s) said: “There are no days that the worship of Allāh is as beloved to Him as the ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah. Fasting in each of these days is equivalent to fasting for a year. Standing in prayer in each of these nights is equivalent to standing in prayer on the night of power (Laylat al-Qadr).” [Sunan at-Tirmidhi]

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: (ما من أيام أحب إلى الله أن يتعبد له فيها من عشر ذي الحجة يعدل صيام كل يوم منها بصيام سنة وقيام كل ليلة منها بقيام ليلة القدر).

 [سنن الترمذي]

Ibn ‘Abbās (ra) narrates that the Prophet (s) said: “There are no days which are greater in the sight of Allāh, nor are there days in which good deeds are more beloved to Allāh than the first ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah. Therefore, engage in abundant taṣbīḥ, taḥmīd, taḥlīl and takbīr.” [Bazzār]

عن ابن عباس أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: (ما من أيام أعظم عند الله ولا أحب إليه العمل فيهن من أيام العشر، فأكثروا فيهن من التسبيح والتحميد والتكبير والتهليل.) 

[بزار]

Ibn ‘Umar (ra) narrates that the Prophet (s) said: “When the evening of ‘Arafah arrives, nobody with a mustard seed’s weight of faith in their heart is left, but they are forgiven.” The Prophet’s (s) companions asked “O Messenger of God, is this restricted only to people on ‘Arafah?” He said, “No, it is for all Muslims.” [at-Tabarāni]

عن ابن عمر عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: (إذا كان عشية عرفة لم يبق أحد في قلبه مثقال حبة من خردل من الإيمان إلا غفر له، قيل: يا رسول الله أهل عرفة خاصة؟ قال: بل للمسلمين عامة). 

[الطبراني]

Abu Qutādah (ra) narrates that the Prophet (s) said: “Fasting on the day of ‘Arafah is regarded by Allāh as an expiation of the sins of the year before it and the year after it.” [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim] (This is in reference to those Muslims not at ‘Arafah.)

عن أبي قتادة عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: (صِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَىَ اللهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهُ وَالسَّنَةَ الَّتِي بَعْدَهُ).

 [صحيح مسلم]

‘Imran ibn al-Ḥusayn (ra) narrates that the Prophet (s) said: “O Fāṭimah, rise to your sacrifice and witness it, for at the first drop of its blood, every sin you have committed will be forgiven, and say: My prayers and my pillars of worship and my life and my death are for Allāh, Lord of the worlds, for Whom there is no partner, and this was commanded to me, and I am of the Muslims.” [al-Ḥākim]

عن عمران بن حصين أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: (يا فاطمة، قومي إلى أضحيتك، فاشهديها، فإنه يغفر لك عند أول قطرة تقطر من دمها كل ذنب عملتيه، وقولي: إن صلاتي ونسكي ومحياي ومماتي لله رب العالمين، لا شريك له، وبذلك أمرت، وأنا من المسلمين).

 [الحاكم]

‘For each [religious following] is a [prayer] direction toward which it faces. So race to [all that is] good. Wherever you may be, Allāh will bring you forth [for judgment] all together. Indeed, Allāh is over all things competent.’ [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 148]

وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا فَاسْتَبِقُواْ الْخَيْرَاتِ أَيْنَ مَا تَكُونُواْ يَأْتِ بِكُمُ اللّهُ جَمِيعاً إِنَّ اللّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

{148} [سورة البقرة]

‘Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure. On adorned couches, observing. You will recognize in their faces the radiance of pleasure. They will be given to drink [pure] wine [which was] sealed. The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete.’ [Sūrat al-Muṭaffifīn: 22-26]

إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ {22} عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ {23} تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيمِ {24} يُسْقَوْنَ مِن رَّحِيقٍ مَّخْتُومٍ {25} خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ وَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَوَفِي ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ

 {26} [سورة المطففين]

‘Had Allāh willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allāh is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.’ [Sūrat al-Māʾidah: 48]

وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَـكِن لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُم فَاسْتَبِقُوا الخَيْرَاتِ إِلَى الله مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعاً فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

{48} [سورة المائدة]

‘And the forerunners, the forerunners. Those are the ones brought near [to Allāh]. In the Gardens of Pleasure. A [large] company of the former peoples. And a few of the later peoples.’ [Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah: 10-14]

وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ {10} أُوْلَئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ {11} فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ {12} ثُلَّةٌ مِّنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ {13} وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنَ الْآخِرِينَ

{14} [سورة الواقعة]

Thus, in order to garner the spirit of these blessed days, and to maintain the momentum to perform as many good deeds as we can, the Pilgrims at Home program was launched.

***Register as a group of 5, or as an individual to be placed in a group here