RAMADAN (80 pages, Hajj AMINA ‘ADIL, 1/4)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6040
RAMADÂN
THE THREE HOLY MONTHS OF RAJAB, SHA‘BÂN, RAMADÂN ON FASTING, PRAYER AND OTHER MATTERS
COMPILED BY AMINA ‘ADIL
Copyright © 2016
Printing: Alföldi Printing House, Hungary.
table of contents
PART I
THE THREE HOLY MONTHS
OF RAJAB, SHA‘BÂN, RAMAD. ÂN
Love of Allah l and His Prophet k 7
Rajab 9
The Night of Mi‘rāj, the Prophet’s Ascent to the Heavens 11
Sha’bān 13
Ramadān 18
About the Tarāwîk Prayer 27
The Holy Night of Power, Laylat al-Qadr 32
The Story of Samsun 33
About I‘tikāf 41
When Ramadān is About to End 42
About Zakāt al-Fitr 43
The Six Days of Shawwāl 47
PART II
ON FASTING, PRAYER AND OTHER MATTERS
About Prayer 53
The twelve Farā’id of Prayer 60
About Wudû’ (ritual ablution) 64
On Ghusl (ritual bathing) 66
The Postures of Prayer 67
Four Points to Observe 69
About Zalawāt, Prayers of Praise On the Holy Prophet 71
The Excellence of the Nation of Mukammad k 73
Special Prayers and Recitals During the Holy Months 74
Love of Allah and His Prophet
Whoever loves Allah will remember Him often, and Allah will remember the one who loves Him with Grace and Mercy. He will lead him into Para-
dise in the company of His prophets and saints, and will grant him the vision of His Divine Majesty.
Whoever loves the Holy Prophet k often recites prayers of praise upon him. This will turn into a blessing for him, it will
become as a tree laden with fruit. He will become deserving of the Holy Prophet’s intercession and enter into Paradise in his company.
According to the Holy Prophet’s eminent companion Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, the Holy Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – once said: “Whoever loves my sunna (usage, example), he loves me as well; and whoever loves me will be together with me in Paradise.”
Ibn ‘Abbâs – may Allah be pleased with him – relates that the Holy Prophet said: “Whoever upholds one act of my sunna at the time when my nation will be in decline, will receive the
reward of one hundred martyrs.” His companions then asked him: “O Prophet of Allah, what is the reward of a martyr?” The Holy Prophet answered: “A person who gave his life for Allah (i. e. a martyr), will become the intercessor for four hun- dred others who are deserving of hellfire. At the end of time, when my nation has been corrupted, Allah will grant hundred- fold reward to anyone adhering to my sunna.” The companions then asked: “And what will be the reward for also perform- ing the farâ’id (obligatory actions) in that time?” The Holy Prophet replied: “The reward for this will be immeasurably great by human standards, and Allah Almighty alone knows how He will reward such a person.”
Rajab
The month of Rajab is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar year and is termed shahru llâh, the month of Allah l. Whoever fasts three days during
this month, will drink from that river of Paradise, which ac-
cording to the description of our Holy Prophet is “whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, and cooler than snow.”
Another tradition relates that whoever fasts one day during Rajab will become free of sins as a newborn child; whoever fasts two days, his father and mother will be forgiven their sins; whoever fasts three days will be spared three great ca- lamities: the punishment of the grave, leaving this life without faith, and the darkness of the grave. If one fasts for four days during Rajab, he will be made safe from the wretched Dajjāl (Antichrist). There are great rewards for fasting any day in Rajab. One who fasts six days during this month is rewarded as if he had been with the Holy Prophet at the Battle of Badr. The seven gates of Hell are closed for one who has fasted seven days of Rajab, and the eight gates of Paradise are opened for the one who has fasted eight days.
In the month of Rajab Allah l gives seventyfold reward for every act of worship. If one reads one juz’ of Qur’ān (the
thirtieth part), he will be rewarded as if he had read seventy juz’. For every rak‘a of prayer, he will be rewarded as if for seventy raka‘ât. For every repetition of the Holy Name, he will be rewarded as if for seventy repetitions. It is recommend- ed to recite istaghfiru llâh seventy thousand times in the course
of this month, for Rajab is a month of mercy and forgiveness. It is also commendable to pray thirty sets of two raka‘ât in honour of this month, whenever the time is convenient, for example after the sun has risen, at the time of ishrâq. In these raka‘ât, after the Fâtiªa, one recites Qul yâ ayyuhâ l-kâfirûn and Qul hûwa llâhu aªad thrice.
If one has fasted the entire month of Rajab, a heavenly angel calls out to him: “O servant of the Lord! The eight gates of Paradise are open to you, enter through whichever you wish!” There are some very pious people who fast the entire three months, from the beginning of the month of Rajab to the end of Ramadān. It is also said that hellfire will not be permitted to touch anyone who repeats every day lâ ilâha illâ llâh a thou- sand times, and lâ ilâha illâ llâh, Muªammadu r-rasûlu llâh one hundred times until the end of Ramadān, 100,000 repetitions in all. It is possible to dedicate this recitation to another per- son who will then be granted safety from the fires of Hell.
The name of the month Rajab is written with the Arabic letters “râ’ ”, “jîm” and “bâ’ ”. “Râ’ ” stands for “raªma”, mer- cy, compassion, “jîm” stands for “jurm”, offense, sin, and “bâ’ ” stands for “birr”, Allah’s Grace and Mercy. The Lord speaks: “My servant’s sin stands between My Mercy and My Grace.” It is enveloped by His Grace and Mercy and thus forgiven. This is the meaning of the month of Rajab.
The Night of Mi‘rāj, the Prophet’s Ascent to the Heavens
This is the night before the twenty-seventh day of Rajab. It was in this night that the Holy Prophet k was led into Paradise on the heavenly steed, the Burāq.
It was during this night that the five daily prayers were made obligatory for the Muslims, as well as the fast of Ramadān and the giving of zakât. The Holy Prophet was shown and given all this during his visit to the sixth heaven. Therefore it is a very holy night for us. In this night the gates of Paradise are opened and every prayer is granted by the unending Mercy and Compassion of our Lord Almighty.
There is one ªadîth in which it is recommended to pray twenty raka‘ât in this night. In the first rak‘a one prays “Qul hû ” after the Fâtiªa. After this prayer one is to recite “Allâhumma salli ‘alâ Muªammadin wa ‘alâ âli Muªammadin wa sallim” one hundred times, and one hundred times “Istagh- firu llâh ”. Then one performs a sajda, prostration, asking Allah to grant all one’s wishes and desires in this world and the next. For the honour of this holy night, in which the Prophet stood before the Throne of the Almighty, all prayers will be granted. If one is not granted what one has asked for in this life, one will receive a thousand times more in the life to come …
In the city of al-Quds (Jerusalem) there once lived a particular- ly pious and God-fearing woman. Whenever the month of Ra- jab dawned, she would exchange her ordinary dress for an old and worn gown. She would perform all her praying and fasting
during these days wearing this old gown. Upon her deathbed she spoke to her son and said, “My son, make sure that they bury me in my Rajab dress.” After she had passed away, her son felt embarrassed before their relatives and neighbours to bury his mother in this old and worn gown, being that she had been a lady of some wealth and means. So instead he wrapped her in a shroud of fine linen.
In the night after she had been laid in her grave, she ap- peared to him in a dream, saying to him, “My son, why have you not respected my last wish?” Her son awoke from the dream in great fright, grabbed the old gown, and went out to the graveyard. He found the freshly dug grave, but he failed to find his mother within it. Thereupon he fell down on the ground and wept, and he wept so long until he fell senseless. In that state he heard an unearthly voice that said to him: “Do you not know that We do not abandon him who showed re- spect for Our holy month of Rajab, who duly honoured it by fasting and praying? Do you not know that We leave him not unattended in his grave? We have raised your mother up and brought her into Paradise!”
The son heard this voice and heeded the words it spoke to him. He went home and was comforted, even though he had not found his mother in her grave.
Sha‘bān
This is the eighth month of the Islamic year.
Whoever prays twelve raka‘ât in the first night of this month, reciting “Qul hû ” five times after the Fâtiªa,
will be granted the rewards of twelve thousand martyrs for his prayer, and his sins will not be recorded for forty days. Should he die during these forty days, he will be rewarded as if he had died a martyr. The recommended hour for this prayer is between the prayer times of Maghrib and ‘Ishā’.
The Holy Prophet k said: “Whoever wishes to follow me and to reach my rank and rewards, should fast three days dur-
ing Sha‘bān.” The Holy Prophet used to fast especially during the month of Sha‘bān. He was asked why he preferred to fast in this month, and he replied: “This month is neglected by most people. Everyone knows that Rajab is the month of Al- lah and tries to fast as much as possible during Rajab. Come Sha‘bān, and many people think, ‘Soon it will be the holy month of Ramadān when we will be fasting continuously,’ and so the fast of Sha‘bān is not much observed. But Sha‘bān is the month when the Book of Fate is written and when the good and bad events of the coming year are decreed. That is why I fast, so that my Lord when He comes to write my destiny will find me fasting.”
This rewriting of the Books of Fate occurs in the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān, two weeks before the beginning of Ramadān. This is a tremendously holy night. The Angel of Death is not permitted to seize the souls of men between Maghrib and
‘Ishā’ of this night. During this night everyone’s destiny for the coming year will be decided, whether he is to live or to die, whether he is to marry and have children, whether he will find wealth or poverty. Therefore fasting on the day preceding and on the day following this holy night is highly recommended.
It is customary to pray one hundred raka‘ât in the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān. After the Fâtiªa one recites “Qul hû ” ten times in every rak‘a, or else one may pray ten raka‘ât, recit- ing one hundred “Qul hû ” after the Fâtiªa. But it seems to be preferable to pray one hundred raka‘ât. After every set of two raka‘ât, one gives taslîm (as-salâmu ‘alaykum wa raªmatu llâh).
The fifteenth night of Sha‘bān is also called laylat al-barâ’a, and it is one of the five nights of the year in which the numb heart is quickened and restored to life once more. To spend a holy night in wakefulness and prayer fills the heart with new life. The life of the heart is faith, and unbelief is its death. Even if faith seems to have vanished from the whole world, it lives on in the hearts of men and can be revived at any moment. Therefore it is of greatest benefit for us to enliven these holy nights through our prayers as best we can.
The Islamic year has five such nights: the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān, laylat al-barâ’a; the twenty-seventh night of Ra- madān, laylat al-qadr; the nights before both of the ‘Îd-cele- brations, and [every] Thursday night. Whoever is particularly mindful of his prayers during these nights, his faith will be revived in his heart, and it will be infused with fresh strength.
However, the Holy Prophet k also recommended not to fast after the fifteenth of Sha‘bān up until the beginning of
Ramadān, excepting those who have made it their custom to fast every Monday and Thursday during the months of Rajab and Sha‘bān. It is makrûh, undesirable, to fast after the fifteenth of Sha‘bān, because people ought to gather their strength for
the obligatory fast of Ramadān. But for those used to fasting on these days there is no objection.
Once, on the thirteenth of Sha‘bān, the angel Jibrîl appeared to the Holy Prophet and said to him, “O Prophet of Allah! Pray and make supplication for your nation that Allah Almighty might preserve them from Hell!” The Holy Prophet did as the angel commanded him to do, remaining wakeful throughout the night and praying incessantly for his nation (umma). When the sun had risen, the angel came to him and said, “O Prophet of Allah, I bring you good tidings: Allah Almighty has forgiven one third of your nation.” The Holy Prophet asked, “What of the remaining two thirds?” The angel replied: “I can say noth- ing about them.”
That following night, the fourteenth night of Sha‘bān, the angel came again to the Holy Prophet and urged him to again pray for his nation that Allah Almighty might preserve them from the fires of Hell. The Holy Prophet again spent all night praying and supplicating on behalf of his nation. In the morn- ing the angel appeared to him and informed him that Allah Almighty in His endless Grace had granted his prayers and re- leased another third of the Prophet’s nation. The Holy Proph- et then asked, “And what of the last third?” “I can say nothing about that,” replied the angel.
But the third night, the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān, the an- gel again came to the Holy Prophet and said, “O Mukammad, this is the night of the fifteenth of Sha‘bān, a holy night of incomparable mercy. In this night Allah Almighty sends down many times the amount of mercy onto the people on the earth,
– look up and behold the heavens!”
The Holy Prophet lifted his head and gazed at the sky and he was shown the celestial gates opened wide, all eight gates
of Paradise! Each gate was guarded by an angel, and each angel cried out: “O our brother Jibrîl, what is this special night?” “This is the night of mercy and forgiveness,” he replied, speaking to the Holy Prophet, “so spend this night in prayer and beseech your Lord for forgiveness, and exhort your nation to pray as well.”
Then the Holy Prophet heard the angel of the first heaven as he chanted: “Happy is he who repents during this night ...” And he heard the angel of the second heaven as he chanted: “Happy is he who spends this night in prayer ...” He heard the angel of the third heaven chanting: “Happy is he who performs rukû‘ in this night ...” and he heard the angel of the fourth heaven singing: “Happy is he who makes sajda during this night ...” The angel of the fifth heaven he heard saying: “Happy is he who praises his Lord in this night ...” The angel of the sixth heaven he heard saying: “Happy is he who per- forms good deeds during this night ...” Thus he heard the an- gels of all the heavens praise the blessedness of this holy night. The Holy Prophet asked the angel Jibrîl how long the bless- ings of this night would last, and Jibrîl answered, “Up until
the crack of dawn ...”
For this reason we should try to spend as much time as we can in worship during this night, for barâ’a means forgiveness, acquittal.
One night ‘Â’isha, may Allāh be pleased with her, the Holy Prophet’s wife, awoke and found the Prophet not at her side. She rose to look for him, but he was not to be found in any of the other wives’ homes. She then called at the house of his daughter Fā†ima and asked for him. He was not there either. Together they set out to look for him, but could find him no- where. Finally ‘Alî, may Allāh bless his face, his son-in-law
said, “I know where to find him,” and he led them to the place, which is nowadays called Jannat al-Baqî‘, a graveyard. The Holy Prophet used to go there frequently when he was alive. There they found him, squatting in a corner. They perceived his light, which rose up to heaven like a pillar.
They approached him and Fā†ima called out, “Father, fa- ther ...”, but he did not respond. As they drew closer, they found him prostrating himself on the ground in sajda, tears streaming from his eyes. They fell down beside him and also began to weep. Finally they asked him, “O Prophet of Allah, what have you seen? Is it a revelation? Or have you received tidings of a great calamity? Is the Wrath of Allah upon us, or the enemy before the gates?” “No,” replied the Holy Prophet, “it is neither a revelation, nor the enemy, nor the Wrath of Allah. But you must know that tonight is the night of barâ’a, the night of Pardon and Acquittal and all prayers and supplica- tions are heard and accepted during this night. I pray to Allah to make my nation safe from the fires of Hell. Come and help me pray for this ...” So they all prayed together during this night, ‘Alî, Fā†ima, Óasan and Óusayn and ‘Â’isha remained in prayer together until the break of dawn.
How should we, who we are barely able to pray for our- selves, be deserving of the prayers of these pure and sacred souls? May Allah forgive us and reward them with a thousand- fold of blessings, and send mercy and guidance to the wayward nation of Mukammad k.
Ramadān
“The month of Ramadân wherein the Qur’ân was sent down as guidance for mankind and as clear proof of guidance
and a standard of discernment.” (2:185)
The Holy Prophet k said about this great and solemn month: “Mercy is its beginning, forgiveness is the middle and its end is salvation from the fires of Hell.”
When the Holy Prophet ascended the minbar
on a Friday to give the khu†ba of the Jum‘a prayer, he set his foot upon the first step. As his other foot
touched the second step, he audibly said “Âmîn”. He set his foot upon the third step and again was heard to say “Âmîn”, and when he stood upon the third step, he repeated this word, “Âmîn”. After he had delivered the khu†ba, and the Jum‘a prayer was over and the assembly had dispersed, the Proph-
et’s companion ‘Umar d rose and asked him; “O Messenger of Allah, as you were ascending the steps of the minbar, we heard
you say ‘Âmîn’ three times; what was the meaning of this?” For everyone knew that every action of the Holy Prophet was full of meaning. The Holy Prophet replied, “When I set my foot upon the first step, the angel Jibrîl æ appeared to me with my Lord’s command. He greeted me and told me, ‘If someone mentions your name and does not add his wishes for peace and blessings upon you (as-salâtu wa s-salâm), he shall be brought low.’ Thereupon I said ‘Âmîn’ the first time. When I stood
upon the second step, the angel had already flown up to the seventh heaven and back, and had brought a new command from the Lord of the Worlds. He said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, if a person does not satisfy his parents’ demands and does not make them happy, he shall be brought low.’ This also I af- firmed, saying ‘Âmîn’.
– This is a most important point: even if one’s parents are not Muslims, one must try to satisfy them. Their son is not obliged to bring them to their church, but he must pick them up and if needs be carry them home on his back. He need not serve them the wine they wish to drink, but he must take the glass from their hand if they demand this service of him. Par- ents have the right to demand these services of their children. – “Then,” continued the Holy Prophet, when I had ascended the third step, the angel appeared once more and said: ‘If a man reaches the month of Ramadān but does not manage to at- tain mercy in it, then he is done for,’ to which I replied ‘Âmîn’
for the third time.”
“For the month of Ramadān is the month of Allah Al- mighty’s mercy and forgiveness, and whoever does not attain to mercy during this month is lost,” said the Holy Prophet k. The holy month of Ramadān is the month of mercy. From
the first hour of the first day of this month, three hundred thousand sinners are released from Hell every hour. Even if their sins were great, Allah Almighty forgives them for the honour of this holy month, and for the respect they held for those who fasted and for the services they may have performed for them. An unimaginably large number of sinners will have attained forgiveness by the time the Night of Power, laylat al-qadr, sets in. One who in this time has not been able to at-
tain mercy before Allah l and mankind, has truly forfeited much.
The Holy Prophet also said: “Whoever recites one hundred as-salâtu wa s-salâm on the Prophet on the day of Jum‘a (Fri- day), the Lord will give him a light on the Day of Judgment that will illuminate the whole gathering at the place of resur- rection. And whoever welcomes the holy month of Ramadān with a joyous heart and yearns for it to begin, his body will not be touched by the fires of Hell.”
In one ªadîth qudsî Allah Almighty says: “In the first night of Ramadān, the Exalted Lord speaks: ‘Whoever loves Us, We will love him too; whoever desires Us, We too will yearn for him; and whoever asks Us for forgiveness, him We shall for- give, for the honour of the month of Ramadān.’”
In Ramadān the “scribes” among the angels are commanded to record only the good deeds of those who are fasting. Their bad actions are not recorded and their sins are deleted from the record.
The Holy Prophet’s companion ‘Abbâs, may Allah be
pleased with him, relates that the Holy Prophet k once said: “If my nation only knew how great are the blessings of Ramadān, how many sins are forgiven and how much mercy is
dispensed during this month, they would wish that Ramadān would last the whole year long, and they would spend the en- tire month in worship and devotion.”
The Holy Prophet said, “Everyone desires Paradise, but Paradise desires four kinds of people: those who read Qur’ān (who recite it, or who are ªâfi|); those who feed the poor; those who fast during Ramadān and those who are able to keep their tongues from uttering bad words.”
“O Believers, prescribed is for you the Fast,
even as it was prescribed for those that were before you – haply you will be God-fearing.” (2:183)
Allah Almighty has made fasting obligatory on us, as He has done for those who went before us. Paradise yearns for those who keep the fast. Allah Almighty rewards the believer for every prayer and for every good deed, and the rewards He will give him are described repeatedly in many of the ªadîth. But Allah, the mighty and majestic, has not revealed the reward He will grant for fasting, for He says: “Fasting is Mine, and I am the One who grants its reward. The fasting servant ab- stains from the pleasures of eating and drinking for My sake. Fasting is as a shield, and whoever has fasted will know two pleasures: the pleasure of breaking the fast, and the pleasure of the encounter with his Lord. The smell coming from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk.” (Óadîth qudsî, from al-Bukhârî)
That is how much Allah, subªânahu wa ta‘âlâ values the
merits of the one who fasts. Even his sleep is recorded as an act of worship. In another ªadîth qudsî it is said:
“Every good deed that man performs he does it for himself, except for fasting: that is for Me, and I am He who rewards it.” Every prayer, every pious deed that a Muslim performs he does for himself, but fasting is one of Allah’s secrets. Fasting alone is an invisible form of devotion. Anybody can be ob- served performing his prayers, reading Qur’ān or going on a pilgrimage, but fasting is hidden, and only Allah knows about
it. And Allah alone l knows how great is its reward.
The Holy Prophet k said: “On the Day of Judgment a group of souls shall be given wings and they will land on the
wall surrounding Paradise. The gatekeepers of Paradise will ask them full of surprise, ‘Who are you?’ ‘We belong to the na- tion of Mukammad,’ they will reply. ‘Have you already been judged?’ the angels will ask. ‘No,’ the winged group of souls will answer. ‘Have you passed over the bridge of Zirā†?’ the
angels will ask them. ‘No,’ they will reply. ‘How have you earned this high rank?’ the gate-keeping angels enquire. ‘By our Lord’s command we used to practise a secret form of wor- ship (i. e., fasting), and so He has brought us here on secret byways ...’ ”
The Holy Prophet also said: “Allah Almighty has given me and my nation five things not given to any nation before mine. The first of these is the Gaze of Mercy, which Allah bestows upon them during the first night of Ramadān. Whomever this Gaze encompasses, he will not be touched by everlasting pun- ishment. The second is that Allah has commanded His angels to ask for forgiveness for the nation of Mukammad. The third is this: the [unpleasant] smell coming from the mouth of a fast- ing servant is more lovely to Him than musk or amber. The fourth gift is that Allah Almighty has spoken to His Paradise, ‘O Paradise, adorn yourself and make ready, for My fasting servant is approaching you.’ Fifth of all, He will grant pardon to every member of Mukammad’s nation for having spoken these words: Lâ ilâha illâ llâh, Muªammadu r-rasûlu llâh.’”
One day the Prophet Mûsā, peace be upon him, said to the Lord, “O my Lord and God, how You have favoured me with gifts and distinctions! You speak to me directly without any mediator – can there be a higher degree of proximity and fa- miliarity with You than this? Can You possibly have bestowed more honours than this on any human being?”
The Lord answered him and spoke, “O Mûsā, it is true, I speak to you without any mediation; but you must know that there are yet seventy thousand veils between you and Me. But at the end of time I shall send a prophet to a very weak na- tion. His name will be Mukammad, Óabîbullāh, the Beloved of Allah. I shall impose one month of fasting upon this nation.
Every evening when they break their fast, I shall send down upon them so much mercy and grace, o Mûsā, that only a sin- gle veil remains. This is the veil of death.
Were it possible to behold the Almighty Lord of the Worlds and Paradise in this life, this would be granted to the one who fasts the holy month of Ramadān and who recites the Throne- verse (Âyat al-
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6040
RAMADÂN
THE THREE HOLY MONTHS OF RAJAB, SHA‘BÂN, RAMADÂN ON FASTING, PRAYER AND OTHER MATTERS
COMPILED BY AMINA ‘ADIL
Copyright © 2016
Printing: Alföldi Printing House, Hungary.
table of contents
PART I
THE THREE HOLY MONTHS
OF RAJAB, SHA‘BÂN, RAMAD. ÂN
Love of Allah l and His Prophet k 7
Rajab 9
The Night of Mi‘rāj, the Prophet’s Ascent to the Heavens 11
Sha’bān 13
Ramadān 18
About the Tarāwîk Prayer 27
The Holy Night of Power, Laylat al-Qadr 32
The Story of Samsun 33
About I‘tikāf 41
When Ramadān is About to End 42
About Zakāt al-Fitr 43
The Six Days of Shawwāl 47
PART II
ON FASTING, PRAYER AND OTHER MATTERS
About Prayer 53
The twelve Farā’id of Prayer 60
About Wudû’ (ritual ablution) 64
On Ghusl (ritual bathing) 66
The Postures of Prayer 67
Four Points to Observe 69
About Zalawāt, Prayers of Praise On the Holy Prophet 71
The Excellence of the Nation of Mukammad k 73
Special Prayers and Recitals During the Holy Months 74
Love of Allah and His Prophet
Whoever loves Allah will remember Him often, and Allah will remember the one who loves Him with Grace and Mercy. He will lead him into Para-
dise in the company of His prophets and saints, and will grant him the vision of His Divine Majesty.
Whoever loves the Holy Prophet k often recites prayers of praise upon him. This will turn into a blessing for him, it will
become as a tree laden with fruit. He will become deserving of the Holy Prophet’s intercession and enter into Paradise in his company.
According to the Holy Prophet’s eminent companion Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, the Holy Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – once said: “Whoever loves my sunna (usage, example), he loves me as well; and whoever loves me will be together with me in Paradise.”
Ibn ‘Abbâs – may Allah be pleased with him – relates that the Holy Prophet said: “Whoever upholds one act of my sunna at the time when my nation will be in decline, will receive the
reward of one hundred martyrs.” His companions then asked him: “O Prophet of Allah, what is the reward of a martyr?” The Holy Prophet answered: “A person who gave his life for Allah (i. e. a martyr), will become the intercessor for four hun- dred others who are deserving of hellfire. At the end of time, when my nation has been corrupted, Allah will grant hundred- fold reward to anyone adhering to my sunna.” The companions then asked: “And what will be the reward for also perform- ing the farâ’id (obligatory actions) in that time?” The Holy Prophet replied: “The reward for this will be immeasurably great by human standards, and Allah Almighty alone knows how He will reward such a person.”
Rajab
The month of Rajab is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar year and is termed shahru llâh, the month of Allah l. Whoever fasts three days during
this month, will drink from that river of Paradise, which ac-
cording to the description of our Holy Prophet is “whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, and cooler than snow.”
Another tradition relates that whoever fasts one day during Rajab will become free of sins as a newborn child; whoever fasts two days, his father and mother will be forgiven their sins; whoever fasts three days will be spared three great ca- lamities: the punishment of the grave, leaving this life without faith, and the darkness of the grave. If one fasts for four days during Rajab, he will be made safe from the wretched Dajjāl (Antichrist). There are great rewards for fasting any day in Rajab. One who fasts six days during this month is rewarded as if he had been with the Holy Prophet at the Battle of Badr. The seven gates of Hell are closed for one who has fasted seven days of Rajab, and the eight gates of Paradise are opened for the one who has fasted eight days.
In the month of Rajab Allah l gives seventyfold reward for every act of worship. If one reads one juz’ of Qur’ān (the
thirtieth part), he will be rewarded as if he had read seventy juz’. For every rak‘a of prayer, he will be rewarded as if for seventy raka‘ât. For every repetition of the Holy Name, he will be rewarded as if for seventy repetitions. It is recommend- ed to recite istaghfiru llâh seventy thousand times in the course
of this month, for Rajab is a month of mercy and forgiveness. It is also commendable to pray thirty sets of two raka‘ât in honour of this month, whenever the time is convenient, for example after the sun has risen, at the time of ishrâq. In these raka‘ât, after the Fâtiªa, one recites Qul yâ ayyuhâ l-kâfirûn and Qul hûwa llâhu aªad thrice.
If one has fasted the entire month of Rajab, a heavenly angel calls out to him: “O servant of the Lord! The eight gates of Paradise are open to you, enter through whichever you wish!” There are some very pious people who fast the entire three months, from the beginning of the month of Rajab to the end of Ramadān. It is also said that hellfire will not be permitted to touch anyone who repeats every day lâ ilâha illâ llâh a thou- sand times, and lâ ilâha illâ llâh, Muªammadu r-rasûlu llâh one hundred times until the end of Ramadān, 100,000 repetitions in all. It is possible to dedicate this recitation to another per- son who will then be granted safety from the fires of Hell.
The name of the month Rajab is written with the Arabic letters “râ’ ”, “jîm” and “bâ’ ”. “Râ’ ” stands for “raªma”, mer- cy, compassion, “jîm” stands for “jurm”, offense, sin, and “bâ’ ” stands for “birr”, Allah’s Grace and Mercy. The Lord speaks: “My servant’s sin stands between My Mercy and My Grace.” It is enveloped by His Grace and Mercy and thus forgiven. This is the meaning of the month of Rajab.
The Night of Mi‘rāj, the Prophet’s Ascent to the Heavens
This is the night before the twenty-seventh day of Rajab. It was in this night that the Holy Prophet k was led into Paradise on the heavenly steed, the Burāq.
It was during this night that the five daily prayers were made obligatory for the Muslims, as well as the fast of Ramadān and the giving of zakât. The Holy Prophet was shown and given all this during his visit to the sixth heaven. Therefore it is a very holy night for us. In this night the gates of Paradise are opened and every prayer is granted by the unending Mercy and Compassion of our Lord Almighty.
There is one ªadîth in which it is recommended to pray twenty raka‘ât in this night. In the first rak‘a one prays “Qul hû ” after the Fâtiªa. After this prayer one is to recite “Allâhumma salli ‘alâ Muªammadin wa ‘alâ âli Muªammadin wa sallim” one hundred times, and one hundred times “Istagh- firu llâh ”. Then one performs a sajda, prostration, asking Allah to grant all one’s wishes and desires in this world and the next. For the honour of this holy night, in which the Prophet stood before the Throne of the Almighty, all prayers will be granted. If one is not granted what one has asked for in this life, one will receive a thousand times more in the life to come …
In the city of al-Quds (Jerusalem) there once lived a particular- ly pious and God-fearing woman. Whenever the month of Ra- jab dawned, she would exchange her ordinary dress for an old and worn gown. She would perform all her praying and fasting
during these days wearing this old gown. Upon her deathbed she spoke to her son and said, “My son, make sure that they bury me in my Rajab dress.” After she had passed away, her son felt embarrassed before their relatives and neighbours to bury his mother in this old and worn gown, being that she had been a lady of some wealth and means. So instead he wrapped her in a shroud of fine linen.
In the night after she had been laid in her grave, she ap- peared to him in a dream, saying to him, “My son, why have you not respected my last wish?” Her son awoke from the dream in great fright, grabbed the old gown, and went out to the graveyard. He found the freshly dug grave, but he failed to find his mother within it. Thereupon he fell down on the ground and wept, and he wept so long until he fell senseless. In that state he heard an unearthly voice that said to him: “Do you not know that We do not abandon him who showed re- spect for Our holy month of Rajab, who duly honoured it by fasting and praying? Do you not know that We leave him not unattended in his grave? We have raised your mother up and brought her into Paradise!”
The son heard this voice and heeded the words it spoke to him. He went home and was comforted, even though he had not found his mother in her grave.
Sha‘bān
This is the eighth month of the Islamic year.
Whoever prays twelve raka‘ât in the first night of this month, reciting “Qul hû ” five times after the Fâtiªa,
will be granted the rewards of twelve thousand martyrs for his prayer, and his sins will not be recorded for forty days. Should he die during these forty days, he will be rewarded as if he had died a martyr. The recommended hour for this prayer is between the prayer times of Maghrib and ‘Ishā’.
The Holy Prophet k said: “Whoever wishes to follow me and to reach my rank and rewards, should fast three days dur-
ing Sha‘bān.” The Holy Prophet used to fast especially during the month of Sha‘bān. He was asked why he preferred to fast in this month, and he replied: “This month is neglected by most people. Everyone knows that Rajab is the month of Al- lah and tries to fast as much as possible during Rajab. Come Sha‘bān, and many people think, ‘Soon it will be the holy month of Ramadān when we will be fasting continuously,’ and so the fast of Sha‘bān is not much observed. But Sha‘bān is the month when the Book of Fate is written and when the good and bad events of the coming year are decreed. That is why I fast, so that my Lord when He comes to write my destiny will find me fasting.”
This rewriting of the Books of Fate occurs in the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān, two weeks before the beginning of Ramadān. This is a tremendously holy night. The Angel of Death is not permitted to seize the souls of men between Maghrib and
‘Ishā’ of this night. During this night everyone’s destiny for the coming year will be decided, whether he is to live or to die, whether he is to marry and have children, whether he will find wealth or poverty. Therefore fasting on the day preceding and on the day following this holy night is highly recommended.
It is customary to pray one hundred raka‘ât in the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān. After the Fâtiªa one recites “Qul hû ” ten times in every rak‘a, or else one may pray ten raka‘ât, recit- ing one hundred “Qul hû ” after the Fâtiªa. But it seems to be preferable to pray one hundred raka‘ât. After every set of two raka‘ât, one gives taslîm (as-salâmu ‘alaykum wa raªmatu llâh).
The fifteenth night of Sha‘bān is also called laylat al-barâ’a, and it is one of the five nights of the year in which the numb heart is quickened and restored to life once more. To spend a holy night in wakefulness and prayer fills the heart with new life. The life of the heart is faith, and unbelief is its death. Even if faith seems to have vanished from the whole world, it lives on in the hearts of men and can be revived at any moment. Therefore it is of greatest benefit for us to enliven these holy nights through our prayers as best we can.
The Islamic year has five such nights: the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān, laylat al-barâ’a; the twenty-seventh night of Ra- madān, laylat al-qadr; the nights before both of the ‘Îd-cele- brations, and [every] Thursday night. Whoever is particularly mindful of his prayers during these nights, his faith will be revived in his heart, and it will be infused with fresh strength.
However, the Holy Prophet k also recommended not to fast after the fifteenth of Sha‘bān up until the beginning of
Ramadān, excepting those who have made it their custom to fast every Monday and Thursday during the months of Rajab and Sha‘bān. It is makrûh, undesirable, to fast after the fifteenth of Sha‘bān, because people ought to gather their strength for
the obligatory fast of Ramadān. But for those used to fasting on these days there is no objection.
Once, on the thirteenth of Sha‘bān, the angel Jibrîl appeared to the Holy Prophet and said to him, “O Prophet of Allah! Pray and make supplication for your nation that Allah Almighty might preserve them from Hell!” The Holy Prophet did as the angel commanded him to do, remaining wakeful throughout the night and praying incessantly for his nation (umma). When the sun had risen, the angel came to him and said, “O Prophet of Allah, I bring you good tidings: Allah Almighty has forgiven one third of your nation.” The Holy Prophet asked, “What of the remaining two thirds?” The angel replied: “I can say noth- ing about them.”
That following night, the fourteenth night of Sha‘bān, the angel came again to the Holy Prophet and urged him to again pray for his nation that Allah Almighty might preserve them from the fires of Hell. The Holy Prophet again spent all night praying and supplicating on behalf of his nation. In the morn- ing the angel appeared to him and informed him that Allah Almighty in His endless Grace had granted his prayers and re- leased another third of the Prophet’s nation. The Holy Proph- et then asked, “And what of the last third?” “I can say nothing about that,” replied the angel.
But the third night, the fifteenth night of Sha‘bān, the an- gel again came to the Holy Prophet and said, “O Mukammad, this is the night of the fifteenth of Sha‘bān, a holy night of incomparable mercy. In this night Allah Almighty sends down many times the amount of mercy onto the people on the earth,
– look up and behold the heavens!”
The Holy Prophet lifted his head and gazed at the sky and he was shown the celestial gates opened wide, all eight gates
of Paradise! Each gate was guarded by an angel, and each angel cried out: “O our brother Jibrîl, what is this special night?” “This is the night of mercy and forgiveness,” he replied, speaking to the Holy Prophet, “so spend this night in prayer and beseech your Lord for forgiveness, and exhort your nation to pray as well.”
Then the Holy Prophet heard the angel of the first heaven as he chanted: “Happy is he who repents during this night ...” And he heard the angel of the second heaven as he chanted: “Happy is he who spends this night in prayer ...” He heard the angel of the third heaven chanting: “Happy is he who performs rukû‘ in this night ...” and he heard the angel of the fourth heaven singing: “Happy is he who makes sajda during this night ...” The angel of the fifth heaven he heard saying: “Happy is he who praises his Lord in this night ...” The angel of the sixth heaven he heard saying: “Happy is he who per- forms good deeds during this night ...” Thus he heard the an- gels of all the heavens praise the blessedness of this holy night. The Holy Prophet asked the angel Jibrîl how long the bless- ings of this night would last, and Jibrîl answered, “Up until
the crack of dawn ...”
For this reason we should try to spend as much time as we can in worship during this night, for barâ’a means forgiveness, acquittal.
One night ‘Â’isha, may Allāh be pleased with her, the Holy Prophet’s wife, awoke and found the Prophet not at her side. She rose to look for him, but he was not to be found in any of the other wives’ homes. She then called at the house of his daughter Fā†ima and asked for him. He was not there either. Together they set out to look for him, but could find him no- where. Finally ‘Alî, may Allāh bless his face, his son-in-law
said, “I know where to find him,” and he led them to the place, which is nowadays called Jannat al-Baqî‘, a graveyard. The Holy Prophet used to go there frequently when he was alive. There they found him, squatting in a corner. They perceived his light, which rose up to heaven like a pillar.
They approached him and Fā†ima called out, “Father, fa- ther ...”, but he did not respond. As they drew closer, they found him prostrating himself on the ground in sajda, tears streaming from his eyes. They fell down beside him and also began to weep. Finally they asked him, “O Prophet of Allah, what have you seen? Is it a revelation? Or have you received tidings of a great calamity? Is the Wrath of Allah upon us, or the enemy before the gates?” “No,” replied the Holy Prophet, “it is neither a revelation, nor the enemy, nor the Wrath of Allah. But you must know that tonight is the night of barâ’a, the night of Pardon and Acquittal and all prayers and supplica- tions are heard and accepted during this night. I pray to Allah to make my nation safe from the fires of Hell. Come and help me pray for this ...” So they all prayed together during this night, ‘Alî, Fā†ima, Óasan and Óusayn and ‘Â’isha remained in prayer together until the break of dawn.
How should we, who we are barely able to pray for our- selves, be deserving of the prayers of these pure and sacred souls? May Allah forgive us and reward them with a thousand- fold of blessings, and send mercy and guidance to the wayward nation of Mukammad k.
Ramadān
“The month of Ramadân wherein the Qur’ân was sent down as guidance for mankind and as clear proof of guidance
and a standard of discernment.” (2:185)
The Holy Prophet k said about this great and solemn month: “Mercy is its beginning, forgiveness is the middle and its end is salvation from the fires of Hell.”
When the Holy Prophet ascended the minbar
on a Friday to give the khu†ba of the Jum‘a prayer, he set his foot upon the first step. As his other foot
touched the second step, he audibly said “Âmîn”. He set his foot upon the third step and again was heard to say “Âmîn”, and when he stood upon the third step, he repeated this word, “Âmîn”. After he had delivered the khu†ba, and the Jum‘a prayer was over and the assembly had dispersed, the Proph-
et’s companion ‘Umar d rose and asked him; “O Messenger of Allah, as you were ascending the steps of the minbar, we heard
you say ‘Âmîn’ three times; what was the meaning of this?” For everyone knew that every action of the Holy Prophet was full of meaning. The Holy Prophet replied, “When I set my foot upon the first step, the angel Jibrîl æ appeared to me with my Lord’s command. He greeted me and told me, ‘If someone mentions your name and does not add his wishes for peace and blessings upon you (as-salâtu wa s-salâm), he shall be brought low.’ Thereupon I said ‘Âmîn’ the first time. When I stood
upon the second step, the angel had already flown up to the seventh heaven and back, and had brought a new command from the Lord of the Worlds. He said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, if a person does not satisfy his parents’ demands and does not make them happy, he shall be brought low.’ This also I af- firmed, saying ‘Âmîn’.
– This is a most important point: even if one’s parents are not Muslims, one must try to satisfy them. Their son is not obliged to bring them to their church, but he must pick them up and if needs be carry them home on his back. He need not serve them the wine they wish to drink, but he must take the glass from their hand if they demand this service of him. Par- ents have the right to demand these services of their children. – “Then,” continued the Holy Prophet, when I had ascended the third step, the angel appeared once more and said: ‘If a man reaches the month of Ramadān but does not manage to at- tain mercy in it, then he is done for,’ to which I replied ‘Âmîn’
for the third time.”
“For the month of Ramadān is the month of Allah Al- mighty’s mercy and forgiveness, and whoever does not attain to mercy during this month is lost,” said the Holy Prophet k. The holy month of Ramadān is the month of mercy. From
the first hour of the first day of this month, three hundred thousand sinners are released from Hell every hour. Even if their sins were great, Allah Almighty forgives them for the honour of this holy month, and for the respect they held for those who fasted and for the services they may have performed for them. An unimaginably large number of sinners will have attained forgiveness by the time the Night of Power, laylat al-qadr, sets in. One who in this time has not been able to at-
tain mercy before Allah l and mankind, has truly forfeited much.
The Holy Prophet also said: “Whoever recites one hundred as-salâtu wa s-salâm on the Prophet on the day of Jum‘a (Fri- day), the Lord will give him a light on the Day of Judgment that will illuminate the whole gathering at the place of resur- rection. And whoever welcomes the holy month of Ramadān with a joyous heart and yearns for it to begin, his body will not be touched by the fires of Hell.”
In one ªadîth qudsî Allah Almighty says: “In the first night of Ramadān, the Exalted Lord speaks: ‘Whoever loves Us, We will love him too; whoever desires Us, We too will yearn for him; and whoever asks Us for forgiveness, him We shall for- give, for the honour of the month of Ramadān.’”
In Ramadān the “scribes” among the angels are commanded to record only the good deeds of those who are fasting. Their bad actions are not recorded and their sins are deleted from the record.
The Holy Prophet’s companion ‘Abbâs, may Allah be
pleased with him, relates that the Holy Prophet k once said: “If my nation only knew how great are the blessings of Ramadān, how many sins are forgiven and how much mercy is
dispensed during this month, they would wish that Ramadān would last the whole year long, and they would spend the en- tire month in worship and devotion.”
The Holy Prophet said, “Everyone desires Paradise, but Paradise desires four kinds of people: those who read Qur’ān (who recite it, or who are ªâfi|); those who feed the poor; those who fast during Ramadān and those who are able to keep their tongues from uttering bad words.”
“O Believers, prescribed is for you the Fast,
even as it was prescribed for those that were before you – haply you will be God-fearing.” (2:183)
Allah Almighty has made fasting obligatory on us, as He has done for those who went before us. Paradise yearns for those who keep the fast. Allah Almighty rewards the believer for every prayer and for every good deed, and the rewards He will give him are described repeatedly in many of the ªadîth. But Allah, the mighty and majestic, has not revealed the reward He will grant for fasting, for He says: “Fasting is Mine, and I am the One who grants its reward. The fasting servant ab- stains from the pleasures of eating and drinking for My sake. Fasting is as a shield, and whoever has fasted will know two pleasures: the pleasure of breaking the fast, and the pleasure of the encounter with his Lord. The smell coming from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk.” (Óadîth qudsî, from al-Bukhârî)
That is how much Allah, subªânahu wa ta‘âlâ values the
merits of the one who fasts. Even his sleep is recorded as an act of worship. In another ªadîth qudsî it is said:
“Every good deed that man performs he does it for himself, except for fasting: that is for Me, and I am He who rewards it.” Every prayer, every pious deed that a Muslim performs he does for himself, but fasting is one of Allah’s secrets. Fasting alone is an invisible form of devotion. Anybody can be ob- served performing his prayers, reading Qur’ān or going on a pilgrimage, but fasting is hidden, and only Allah knows about
it. And Allah alone l knows how great is its reward.
The Holy Prophet k said: “On the Day of Judgment a group of souls shall be given wings and they will land on the
wall surrounding Paradise. The gatekeepers of Paradise will ask them full of surprise, ‘Who are you?’ ‘We belong to the na- tion of Mukammad,’ they will reply. ‘Have you already been judged?’ the angels will ask. ‘No,’ the winged group of souls will answer. ‘Have you passed over the bridge of Zirā†?’ the
angels will ask them. ‘No,’ they will reply. ‘How have you earned this high rank?’ the gate-keeping angels enquire. ‘By our Lord’s command we used to practise a secret form of wor- ship (i. e., fasting), and so He has brought us here on secret byways ...’ ”
The Holy Prophet also said: “Allah Almighty has given me and my nation five things not given to any nation before mine. The first of these is the Gaze of Mercy, which Allah bestows upon them during the first night of Ramadān. Whomever this Gaze encompasses, he will not be touched by everlasting pun- ishment. The second is that Allah has commanded His angels to ask for forgiveness for the nation of Mukammad. The third is this: the [unpleasant] smell coming from the mouth of a fast- ing servant is more lovely to Him than musk or amber. The fourth gift is that Allah Almighty has spoken to His Paradise, ‘O Paradise, adorn yourself and make ready, for My fasting servant is approaching you.’ Fifth of all, He will grant pardon to every member of Mukammad’s nation for having spoken these words: Lâ ilâha illâ llâh, Muªammadu r-rasûlu llâh.’”
One day the Prophet Mûsā, peace be upon him, said to the Lord, “O my Lord and God, how You have favoured me with gifts and distinctions! You speak to me directly without any mediator – can there be a higher degree of proximity and fa- miliarity with You than this? Can You possibly have bestowed more honours than this on any human being?”
The Lord answered him and spoke, “O Mûsā, it is true, I speak to you without any mediation; but you must know that there are yet seventy thousand veils between you and Me. But at the end of time I shall send a prophet to a very weak na- tion. His name will be Mukammad, Óabîbullāh, the Beloved of Allah. I shall impose one month of fasting upon this nation.
Every evening when they break their fast, I shall send down upon them so much mercy and grace, o Mûsā, that only a sin- gle veil remains. This is the veil of death.
Were it possible to behold the Almighty Lord of the Worlds and Paradise in this life, this would be granted to the one who fasts the holy month of Ramadān and who recites the Throne- verse (Âyat al-
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