Today is your day
And the Qur'ānic secret most people miss about these ten days - #216
Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm,
Assalāmu ʿAlaykum!
Today is the Day of Arafah.
The Prophet ﷺ said it is the greatest day of the year. He said the best duʿāʾ is the duʿāʾ of ‘Arafah. He said fasting on this day expiates the sins of two full years.
If you are not on Hajj, you can still access this day.
You open your hands. You ask.
But before we get to what to ask for, there is something about this day and these ten days that most people have never been told.
Allāh Swore an Oath on These Days
Open Sūrah al-Fajr.
The first two āyāt:
وَالْفَجْرِ وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ
“By the dawn — and by the ten nights.”
Allāh is swearing an oath.
In the Qur’ān, when Allāh swears by something, He is elevating it. He is saying: this thing is so significant that My own name is placed behind it as a witness.
Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhuma), Ibn Zubayr, Mujāhid, and Ibn Kathīr all said the same thing: these ten nights are the first ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah. Others say it’s the ten days of Ramadān.
And then a few āyāt later, the surah names them further:
وَالشَّفْعِ وَالْوَتْرِ
“And the even - and the odd.”
Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhuma) said the Odd is the Day of Arafah — the 9th. The Even is ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā — the 10th.
So the Day of Arafah — today — is specifically named inside an oath.
Allāh swore by today.
The Most Important Āyah About These Days
Now open Sūrah al-Ḥajj, āyah 28.
وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْلُومَاتٍ
“And they may mention the name of Allāh on the appointed days.”
The ayyām ma’lūmāt — the known, appointed days — are, according to the majority of scholars, the first ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah.
The command of these days, in the Qur’ān itself, is dhikr.
Remember Allāh.
Not a particular ritual. Not something exclusive to those at Makkah.
Remember Allāh.
If you are not at ʿArafāt today — if you woke up this morning in Manchester or Toronto or Karachi — this āyah is still addressed to you. The ayyām ma’lūmāt belong to every Muslim on earth.
And amongst the greatest dhikr is the Qur’ān.
The Angle Nobody Mentions
Here is the thing that stopped me when I discovered it.
On the Day of Arafah — on the 9th of Dhul Ḥijjah — during the Farewell Pilgrimage of the Prophet ﷺ, Allāh revealed this āyah:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
“Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and I am pleased with Islam as your religion.”
— Sūrah al-Māʾidah, 5:3
When ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhu) heard this āyah, he wept.
Someone asked him why.
He said: “Nothing comes after perfection except decline.”
But look at what was declared perfect on this day.
The religion.
The Book.
The Qur’ān — whose final revelations came down to complete the message Allāh had been sending for twenty-three years.
It was on the Day of Arafah that Allāh said: the Qur’ān is finished. The favour is complete. I am pleased.
Today is the anniversary of the day Allāh declared His Book complete.
What This Means for Your Hifz Duʿāʾ
There is no day on the Islamic calendar more fitting to ask Allāh for the Qur’ān than today.
Not because the mathematics works out.
Because of what the day itself witnessed.
The Qur’ān was declared complete on Arafah. The greatest duʿāʾ of the year is on Arafah. The day Allāh explicitly swore by is Arafah.
If you want to ask for Hifz — ask today.
If you want to ask for the Qur’ān to stay in your chest — ask today.
If you want to ask for a child who carries the Qur’ān — ask today.
If you have forgotten and want to return — ask today.
If you feel unworthy — ask today anyway. The Prophet ﷺ said the best duʿāʾ of Arafah is:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“There is no god but Allāh alone, with no partner. To Him belongs the dominion, to Him belongs all praise, and He has power over all things.”
Say it. Then ask.
Ask for the Qur’ān. In whatever words feel true to you. Ask with the weight of knowing what this day witnessed.
A Hifz Framework From These Ten Days
The Qur’ān gives us four instructions embedded across the āyāt of these ten days. One of the things I do when looking at the Qur’ān is that I love to derive frameworks and processes from it. These verses likewise, formed one:
1. Mark the days (al-Fajr 89:1-2)
Allāh swears by specific time. He does not swear by vague intentions or general effort. He swears by defined moments. The lesson for Hifz: mark your days. A session without a time is an intention, not a commitment. The ten days teach us that time set aside with intention becomes sacred.
2. Make dhikr in the appointed times (al-Ḥajj 22:28)
The command is not to memorise perfectly. It is to mention Allāh’s name in the appointed times. In Hifz terms: show up to your session, open the muṣḥaf, and recite — even when you feel unprepared. The presence is the act of worship. The imperfect recitation is still dhikr.
3. Take your provisions — taqwā is the best of them (al-Baqarah 2:197)
This āyah was revealed about Ḥajj, but its principle runs through all serious undertaking. The pilgrims were told: prepare, bring what you need — but know that the greatest provision is not your schedule or your method. It is taqwā. Mindfulness and nearness of Allāh. Hifz built without it becomes a memorisation project. Hifz built with it becomes true worship.
4. The completion is from Allāh, not from you (al-Māʾidah 5:3)
The Qur’ān was completed on ‘Arafah. The declaration came from Allāh. This is the reminder every memoriser needs: you do your part, but the completion is a gift. You cannot force the Qur’ān into your chest through effort alone. You ask, you work, and you receive. The day of ‘Arafah is the proof that completion arrives in its appointed time, by the permission of the One who swore by these days.
And finally, ‘Eid Mubārak!
May Allāh accept from all who are at ʿArafāt today, and from all of us who raise our hands from wherever we stand.
And may He put the Qur’ān in our chests, keep it there, and raise us by it on the Day we meet Him.
Āmīn.
وَصَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَىٰ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ
— Qāri’ Mubashir
👉 13 Hifz Lessons from Hajj
P.S. Hifz Camp is coming. Join the waitlist.
📖 THE DIARY OF A HĀFIZ
I share these not to impress you, but to normalise the struggle. These are not ideal journeys. These are real ones. If you see yourself in them, that’s the point.
Here’s a roundup reporting the progress of our brothers and sisters this week:
🧕🏼 Aaliya — Year 2, Week 41
Background: 29 years old. After 2 years and 39 weeks of weekly updates, of sharing her progress, her struggles, and her steadiness, she completed her memorisation of the Qur’ān. She is now on the path to solidification.
“I continued with 3 para revision. I have been reciting 26th daily and it has become pretty strong Alhamdullilah. I need to work on my 7th juz since I had a lot of mistakes. I will continue after Eid break inshallah.
It is the day of Arafat so I plan to focus on dua today, for myself, my family, my community, and our ummah. May Allah swt free all the Muslim lands from oppression and injustice. Bless all the Muslims, wherever they are are, with love for you, love for Your beloved prophet, and love for Your blessed Words. May Allah swt make us steadfast and amongst those who understand and preserve His Words in our hearts. Ya Allah, teach us the Quran in a way that we never forget it throughout our whole life, we never forget it in the grave, and we never forget it in the akhirah. Ameen!
Early eid Mubarak everyone!”
🧕🏼 Umm Sulaym — Week 32
Background: 22 years old. Over two years on the journey. Memorised about 8 ajzā but without consistent revision. Now re-memorising previous portions while continuing forward. Currently on the 10th juz.
“Assalam’alaykum,
I didn’t memorize so much last week, I was doing some targeted revisions for some Surah and I found it hard to balance.
Currently on the third page page of Ash-Shu’arā”
🧕🏼 Aisha — Year 1, Week 28
Background: 37 years old, mother of six. Completed Hifz in madrasah, then forgot due to lack of revision and responsibilities. Has been re-memorising for one year. Now at 17 ajzā.
“Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,
This week I’m still at half mark of the 19th juz , haven’t been able to memorize more.
For recent revision I revised Al Noor, Al Furqan and As Shu’ara.
For past revision I only completed the 13th and half of 14th.
The next week might also be busy but I’ll try to as much as possible inshallah.”
👳🏼♂️ Muhammad — Year 3, Week 37
Background: 38 years old. Forgot half the Qur’ān he’d memorised and struggled to restart. Shared his diary and mission with us. The most consistent of the diaries despite continued struggles.
“I’m still struggling to get consistent and to recite.”
🧕🏼 Safa — Week 9
Background: 21 years old. Started at 18 with Juz ‘Amma by myself, building 10 ajzā before lack of revision set me back. Spent restrengthening every week for a year with a teacher, then pushed forward again. Now at 22 ajzā.
“No update received. Hoping we do next week.”
👉 If you have any questions, reply to this email and I’ll feature them in upcoming issues.
We’ve reached the limit I had in mind now of 5 per issue. If you want to share your diary — get in touch. I have another idea I’ll be testing.
Allāh grant us all success and ease on this path.
⭐ COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES
Things have been busier than usual on my end lately — alongside the academy and these newsletters, I’ve been working on a few things in the background.
I wasn’t well this week so many things have been delayed. I’ve also got family matters to attend to this week so it will be a busy one.
In other news:
The first is a revamp of findingmyhalf.com — more on that soon.
The second is a new dashboard for HTMTQ, where new tools and upgrades will live as they’re released. The Hifz Buddy Finder is already there — and more is coming.
Hifz Camp is also still on the way. Join the waitlist if you haven’t already.
💬 What’s your biggest struggle in Hifz right now?
Have a question? Reply to this email (or answer the question below) and let me know—I’ll try to feature your question in upcoming posts. 👇
Masha Allah. Very beautifully written. The perspective of asking duas you shared for our hifdh, is something that didnt clicked me. It was a jerk. Jazak Allah for sharing. Though I may be late, but did made duas for my hifdh journey.
May Allah SWT make us all hafidhs of quran.
I have a small doubt,
" When ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhu) heard this āyah, he wept. "
-- I am lil confused. Was it Umar (RA) or Abu Bakr As Siddeq (RA) ???