Dhul Hijjah

Overview

Dhul Hijjah is the twelfth and final month of the Islamic Hijri calendar and one of the four sacred months. The name literally means the Master of the Pilgrimage, as the month contains the days of Hajj — one of the five pillars of Islam — and the second canonical festival of Eid al-Adha. The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are known as the Ten Best Days, in which the Prophet ﷺ taught that no good deed is dearer to Allah than worship.

Notable Observances

The eighth of Dhul Hijjah is the Day of Tarwiyah when pilgrims travel from Mecca to Mina. The ninth is the Day of Arafah — the most blessed day of the Islamic year — when over two million pilgrims gather on the Plain of Arafah for an afternoon of unbroken supplication. The tenth is Eid al-Adha, marked by the ritual sacrifice (Qurbani) of livestock and the distribution of meat to family and the poor. Dhul Hijjah closes the Hijri year and prepares the cycle to begin again with Muharram.