1 Dhul Hijjah
Friday 7 May 2027
The ten days begin at sunset on Thursday 6 May.
First 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, the best days of the year
Dhul Hijjah 1448 is expected to begin at sunset on Thursday 6 May 2027. The ten days run to Eid al-Adha on Sunday 16 May. Here is what to do, with a checklist and the takbir.
The ten days begin in
--Days
--Hours
--Minutes
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Counting to 6 pm your time on Thursday 6 May 2027. Dhul Hijjah begins at Maghrib.
9 Dhul Hijjah
Saturday 15 May 2027
The Day of Arafah. The takbir of tashriq starts at Fajr.
10 Dhul Hijjah
Sunday 16 May 2027
Eid al-Adha and the first day of qurbani.
Your ten days checklist
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Guide
The ten days of Dhul Hijjah, and the takbir of tashriq
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the best days of the year for good deeds. In 2027 they are expected from Friday 7 May 2027 (beginning at sunset the evening before) to Eid al-Adha on Sunday 16 May 2027. The Prophet ﷺ said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The Companions asked, not even jihad? He said: "Not even jihad, except a man who goes out with his life and wealth and comes back with nothing."1
وَٱلْفَجْرِ وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍۢ
Wal-Fajr Wa layaalin 'ashr
"By the dawn And [by] ten nights"
Quran 89:1-2, translation by Sahih International. Ibn Abbas and many early scholars explained the ten nights as the first ten of Dhul Hijjah.
لِّيَشْهَدُوا۟ مَنَٰفِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ فِىٓ أَيَّامٍۢ مَّعْلُومَٰتٍ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ ۖ فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا۟ ٱلْبَآئِسَ ٱلْفَقِيرَ
Li yashhadoo manaafi'a lahum wa yazkurus mal laahi feee ayyaamimma'loomaatin 'alaa maa razaqahum mim baheematil an'aami fakuloo minhaa wa at'imul baaa'isal faqeer
"That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor."
Quran 22:28, translation by Sahih International. Ibn Abbas explained the "known days" as the ten days (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Idayn).
The best deeds in these days
- Dhikr: a report in Musnad Ahmad from Ibn Umar says: "So say much tahlil, takbir and tahmid in them." The Companions Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah would go out to the market saying the takbir, and people would say it after them.2
- Fasting: one of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ said he fasted the nine days of Dhul Hijjah.3 Aishah said she never saw him fasting the ten days;4 scholars reconcile the two by saying he fasted them at times and left them at times. The 10th, Eid, is never fasted.
- The Day of Arafah: fasting it expiates two years. See the Day of Arafah.
- Qurbani on Eid and the two days after it. See the Qurbani guide and calculator.
Hair and nails for the one who will sacrifice
Hanafi position
It is mustahabb for the one who will give qurbani not to cut their hair or nails from the moment Dhul Hijjah begins until their animal is sacrificed. It is not a sin to cut them.5
Other madhhabs
- Hanbali
- Cutting them in this period is forbidden for the one who will sacrifice.
- Shafi'i, Maliki
- Cutting them is makruh (disliked).
The takbir of tashriq
اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ، وَاللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلّٰهِ الْحَمْدُ
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, wa lillāhil-ḥamd
"Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise."
The wording narrated from Ibn Masud (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah), used in the Hanafi school.
Hanafi position
Saying this takbir once, aloud, straight after every fard prayer is wajib, from Fajr on the Day of Arafah (Saturday 15 May) to Asr on 13 Dhul Hijjah (Wednesday 19 May): 23 prayers in all. It applies to men and women, residents and travellers, whether praying alone or in congregation. Women say it quietly. This is the view of Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, on which the fatwa is given; Abu Hanifa himself limited it to the eight prayers up to Asr on the 10th, for those praying in congregation in a town. Say it straight after the salam, before speaking or leaving the place.6
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A sunnah, after every prayer including voluntary ones, from Fajr on Arafah to Asr on the 13th for those not on Hajj. The takbir is preferred three times at the start: Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar.
- Maliki
- A sunnah after the fard prayers, from Dhuhr on the 10th to Fajr on the 13th, 15 prayers, beginning with Allahu akbar three times.
- Hanbali
- A sunnah after fard prayers prayed in congregation, from Fajr on Arafah to Asr on the 13th, in the same wording as the Hanafi school.
The general takbir
Apart from the takbir after prayers, it is good to say the takbir often throughout the ten days, at home, at work and on the way, and aloud on the way to the Eid al-Adha prayer.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 969; Sunan Abi Dawud 2438 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 757 for the fuller wording.
- Musnad Ahmad, from Ibn Umar; Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Idayn, chapter on the virtue of deeds in the days of tashriq (mualliq report).
- Sunan Abi Dawud 2437, graded sahih by al-Albani.
- Sahih Muslim 1176.
- Sahih Muslim 1977, from Umm Salamah.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Bab Salat al-Idayn, on takbir al-tashriq; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know
When are the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah 2027?
From Friday 7 May 2027 (beginning at sunset on Thursday 6 May) to Eid al-Adha on Sunday 16 May 2027, by the Umm al-Qura calendar. Local sighting may move them a day later.
Is it sunnah to fast all 9 days of Dhul Hijjah?
It is recommended. Abu Dawud 2437 reports that the Prophet ﷺ fasted the nine days, and the Day of Arafah is the most stressed. Fast as many as you can; the 10th is Eid and is not fasted.
When do I start the takbir of tashriq?
In the Hanafi school, from Fajr on the Day of Arafah, Saturday 15 May 2027, to Asr on Wednesday 19 May 2027: once after each of the 23 fard prayers.
Do women say the takbir of tashriq?
Yes. In the Hanafi fatwa position it is wajib on women too, said quietly after each fard prayer.
Can I cut my nails in the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah?
If you will give qurbani, it is recommended in the Hanafi school not to cut hair or nails until your animal is sacrificed. It is not a sin. In the Hanbali school it is forbidden.