3 Benefits Of Fasting Dzulhijjah, Know The Schedule, Procedures, And Intentions

Illustration of fasting dzulhijjah (Unsplash/Abdullah Arif)

YOGYAKARTA – Fasting Dzulhijjah is a sunnah fasting that is carried out ten days before Eid al-Adha and starting from the 1st of Dzulhijjah 1443 H. The time of implementation is tomorrow, Thursday, June 30, 2022. Another series of sunnah fasting before Eid al-Adha, is the Tarwiyah and Arafah fasting. Fasting is carried out from sunrise to sunset by preventing various things that break the fast, such as other fasts. The following is a complete explanation of the Dulhijjah Fast as reported by various reliable sources, starting from the virtues, procedures, and intentions.

The Importance of Fasting Dzulhijjah

Fasting the sunnah in the month of Dzulhijjah has several advantages over other months. Although every fast has its own virtue, here are the three virtues of fasting in the month of Asyhur al-hurum or the glorified month.

1. Rewards are multiplied

Multiple rewards are obtained when fasting Dzulhijjah. According to the words of Rasulullah SAW in the hadith of HR At-Tarmidhi, a day of fasting Dzulhijjah will get a reward equivalent to fasting a year.

The Prophet SAW said:

ا أَيَّامٍ لَى اللّٰهِ لَهُ ا ذِي الْحِجَّةِ لُ امُ لِّ ا امِ وَقِيَامُ لِّ لَيْلَةٍ ا امِ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ

Meaning: "There are no days that Allah prefers to worship other than the first ten days of the month of Dzulhijjah, one day of fasting in it is equivalent to one year of fasting, one night of praying at night is equivalent to praying on the night of Lailatul Qadar." (HR At-Tarmidhi)

2. Sins are blotted out

Fasting in the month of Dzulhijjah, including Fasting Arafah, is an expiation of sins for two years. This virtue is written in the hadith of HR Muslim which reads as follows:

امُ لَى اللهِ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي لَهُ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي امُ عَاشُوْرَاءَ لَى اللهِ السَّنَةَ الَّتِيْ لَهُ

Meaning: "Fasting Arafah (9 Dzulhijjah) can erase the sins of a year ago and a year to come. Fasting Ashura (10 Muharram) will wash away the sins of a year ago." (HR Muslim)

3. The day of being freed from the torment of hell

The third virtue of the day of Arafah, when fasting on a glorified day, Allah will free His servants from the torment of hell. The words of the Prophet Muhammad in the hadith of HR Muslim:

ا اللَّهُ ا النَّارِ لَيَدْنُو اهِى الْمَلاَئِكَةَ لُ: مَا ادَ لاَءِ؟

Meaning: "There is no day on which Allah frees slaves from hell more than the Day of Arafah, and indeed He drew near and boasted to the angels in front of them and said: 'What do they want?'" (Muslim)

If you want to perform a sunnah fast in the month of Dzulhijjah, here are the intentions and procedures.

Illustration of fasting dzulhijjah (Unsplash/Rauf Alvi)

Intentions and procedures for fasting the month of Dzulhijjah

Before fasting, one should say the intention sincerely and make a firm heart to stay away from things that break the fast. The intention of fasting can be said from sunset to sunrise. Here are three intentions of fasting in the month of Dzulhijjah that you can recite before starting to fast.

1. Intention to fast on 1-7 Dzulhijjah

شَهْرِ الْحِجَّةِ لِلّٰهِ الَى

Nawaitu shauma syahri dzil hijjah sunnatan lillâhi ta'âlâ

Meaning: "I intend to fast the sunnah of the month of Dzulhijjah because of Allah ta'ala."

2. Intention to fast on the 8th of Dzulhijjah or Fasting Tarwiyyah

تَرْوِيَةَ لِلّٰهِ الَى

Nawaitu shauma tarwiyata sunnatan lillâhi ta'âlâ

Meaning: "I intend to fast the sunnah of Tarwiyah because of Allah ta'ala."

3. Intention to fast on the 9th of Dzulhijjah or Fasting Arafah

تَرْوِيَةَ لِلّٰهِ الَى

Nawaitu shauma arafata sunnatan lillâhi ta'âlâ

Meaning: "I intend to fast the Sunnah of Arafah because of Allah ta'ala."

That's complete information about fasting Dzulhijjah that you can do to get the three virtues of fasting on a glorified day.