Imagine being told that if you work on a particular day, you will receive an entire year’s salary! No one will let such an opportunity pass by. Instead he will “Grab it with both hands”. Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “On no day is the worship of Allah Ta’ala more beloved than in the first ten days of Zul-Hijjah (excluding the month of Ramadhaan). The fasts of each of these days are equal to the fast of a whole year, and the worship of each of these nights is equal to the worship of laylatul qadr (the night of power).” (Sunan Tirmizi #758) Here we are afforded the good fortune of receiving an entire year’s fasting for each day that we will fast. To crown it all we are guaranteed the worship of laylatul qadr by night, whereas in Ramadaan we need to search for it. It is now for us to take advantage of this golden opportunity and earn the maximum benefit.
Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has taught us to increasingly recite tasbeeh (subhaanallah), tahleel (laa ilaaha illallah), tahmeed (alhamdulillah), takbeer (Allahuakbar) during the first ten days of Zul-Hijjah (Al Mu’jamul Kabeer – At Targheeb wat Tarheeb vol 2, pg. 198).