RAMADAN (80 pages, Hajj AMINA ‘ADIL, 3/4)
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rophet
k, saying, “O Prophet of Allah, I am instructed to take the souls of the believers of your nation in the way I only take the
souls of the prophets, just as one might draw a hair out of a lump of butter.”
Another time when the Holy Prophet was weeping for his nation, the angel Jibrîl æ approached him and said, “O Prophet of Allah, the Lord promises to give your nation all that he has given to the prophets of the past, excepting the rank of prophethood. Other than this rank, He wishes to bestow upon them Grace and Favour in the same measure that He has bestowed it upon them. For He has said: ‘Peace be upon Nûk in the worlds!’ and He gave him prophethood along with His greetings of peace, and He saved him from the flood. And He has said: ‘Peace be upon Mûsā and Hārûn!’ as He gave them greetings of peace and made them victorious over Pharaoh and safe from his machinations. Then He said: ‘Peace be upon Ibrāhîm!’ and He gave Ibrāhîm His peace and gave him safety in Nimrod’s fire and saved him from destruc-
tion. Now He has sent me, Jibrîl (who is also called “rûª”, the spirit), in this holy Night of Power to bring peace to your nation, and to whomever He sends His Peace, He also sends His Mercy. So deliver to them these glad tidings! Allah has spoken: ‘O My Beloved, do not be saddened for your nation, for I shall give them high rank and dignity when they have left this world.’”
Such are the immeasurable blessings of the holy month of Ramadān.
The Holy Prophet is alleged to have said, “Whoever repeats the shahâda thrice during the holy Night of Power, Allah Al- mighty shall reward him with three gifts: all his sins of the past are forgiven; He will be firmly established in his faith; and He will continue to guide him along the path of the right- eous.”
About I‘tikāf
isha p, the wife of the Holy Prophet k re- ported: “If a person performs i‘tikâf [seclusion, retreat] in the mosque during the last ten days
of Ramadān with sincere and pure intention, Allah Almighty will forgive him all his sins.”
‘Â’isha p also reported: “The Holy Prophet used to re- treat into the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadān for
his i‘tikâf, until the year of his death. And he also instructed his wives to withdraw into their homes and not to go out.”
Even if only a single person in a town or village performs i‘tikâf, it is sufficient for all the inhabitants of that place [sun- nat al-kifâya]. The exercise of i‘tikâf means to completely with- draw from all worldly activity, not speaking to anybody and leaving the mosque only to perform the necessary ablutions. One’s time is spent fasting and praying, reading Qur’ān, recit- ing dhikr and tasbîª, and one emerges only for the ‘Îd prayer. It goes without saying that during these days one is exempted from all worldly occupation and work. Other people take over the task of preparing the food for those in i‘tikâf and of looking after them in general.
I‘tikâf is also permitted to women and it is recommended for them. It is praiseworthy for a woman to make the time to perform i‘tikâf even if only for a single day during the last third of Ramadān. If she cannot manage even that because of her obligations toward her household and family, then even one hour will suffice. For instance, she can retire to pray after
finishing the saªûr-meal and make the intention before Allah to perform an i‘tikâf. Then she may pray whatever she likes, tahajjud, tasbîª, dhikr etc., and her intention will be accepted and she will be preserved from the fires of Hell.
When Ramadān is About to End
he Holy Prophet is reported to have said: “In the last night of Ramadān all the heavenly hosts assemble and begin to weep for the disaster about to befall the na-
tion of Mukammad.” His companions asked him, “What is this disaster, O Prophet of Allah?” “The disaster,” continued the Holy Prophet, “is that the month of Ramadān is drawing to a close, and with it all the blessings it bestows upon mankind.”
Heaven and earth weep for the passing of Ramadān, whereas it is we who should be weeping, but we are enveloped in veils of heedlessness and we know nothing. During Ramadān all prayers are heard, and every sadaqa given, every type of prayer or supplication made is awarded a multiple of the awards usu- ally granted. Sins are forgiven and sinners are granted respite from their chastisement. One who dies during Ramadān will be transported to Paradise directly, without having to endure the punishment of the grave. Praised be Allah Almighty who has granted us this holy month!
About Zakāt al-Fitr
t is incumbent on every Muslim to give zakât al-fitr even if he was not able to fast during Ramadān. It is an obligatory donation, and it consists of a certain measure
of wheat or raisins or similar goods, or the equivalent in cur- rency. This fitra must be given before the ‘Îd prayer, and can be given any time after the fifteenth of the month of Ramadān. The exact amount is determined every year and is announced in the mosques. If a child is born before the ‘Îd prayer, fitra needs to be paid for this child as well. The money or donation is given to a poor person of one’s acquaintance or to the Imam who has ways of distributing the contribution.
This fitra is similar to the sajda al-sahw, the prostration of forgetfulness, which is to be performed when one has commit- ted an error in one’s prayer or forgotten to perform one of its parts. As this sajda completes one’s prayer, so this fitra per- fects the fasting of Ramadān. It makes up for all the mistakes and breaches of the fast we might have committed: one unlaw- ful glance, a mistaken word or a bad thought. Fasting has two wings, one of them is our fasting, the other is the fitra. If we neglect to give the fitra, our fast remains suspended in mid-air and cannot rise aloft to the Divine Presence. When we have given our fitra, we provide our fasting with its second wing and it then reaches to the Throne of the Almighty.
One day the Holy Prophet’s companion ‘Uthmān d came to him and said, “O Prophet of Allah! I have forgotten to give
the fitra before the prayer of the ‘Îd. When I emerged from
the prayer and suddenly remembered, I freed a slave and in addition I gave a thousand gold pieces as sadaqa. O Prophet of Allah, will Allah accept my donation?” The Holy Prophet answered, “O ‘Uthmān, even if you had given a hundred times the amount in the way of Allah, had you freed a hundred thou- sand male and a hundred thousand female slaves, and donated a whole world of silver and gold, nothing could match the val- ue of the fitra given before the prayer of the ‘Îd, for the zakât al-fitr is a sacred duty (fard ).”
When the Muslims return to their homes after the ‘Îd prayer, the Lord says to His angels, “O My angels, when a labourer has done his duty, he must be recompensed for his labours. My servants have obediently fasted for a full month. The time is now come for Me to reward them.” Thereupon the angels answer, “O our Exalted Lord God, have You not already granted them immeasurable treasures of mercy and blessings during the month of Ramadān? What compensation might they be lacking?” Allah Almighty then says to them, “My angels, the blessings I granted them for every single day of fasting were only a gift of honour, not their reward. By My Divine Majesty and Glory, I shall reward them with what ‘no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has ever conceived of’.” (Óadîth qudsî)
‘Â’isha p, the wife of the Holy Prophet relates that the
Holy Prophet once said: “On the Day of Judgment all the
people will be resurrected and all will be hungry and thirsty except for the prophets and their households, and the Mus- lims who have fasted during the months of Rajab, Sha‘bān and Ramadān; they will suffer neither hunger nor thirst.”
The Holy Prophet said, “On the Day of Judgment the fast- ing of Ramadān and the recital of the Qur’ān will make inter- cession for the Muslims. Ramadān will say: ‘O Allah, Your
servant abstained from food and drink and his desires during all the days of my duration, so give him to me now!’ And the Qur’ān will say: ‘O Lord, this servant of Yours refrained from sleep during the nights in order to read me, so give him to me now!’ Allah the All-Compassionate will accept their interces- sion and admit this servant to the realm of eternal bliss.”
When the Day of Judgment has come, the Lord will give shape to the month of Ramadān, just as all forms of devotion will assume a shape. Ramadān will be given a shape so lovely that all who behold it will be rendered speechless by wonder. Ramadān will pass among the rows of resurrected souls until he has come before the Throne of Splendour before which he will prostrate himself in adoration. Allah, the Lord of Judg- ment, shall then address him, saying, “O Ramadān, state your wishes, for I shall grant them.” Ramadān then speaks up and says, “O Allah, O my Lord, I wish that You might give me all those who have fasted during my days and who have honoured me in the sincerity of their hearts.” The Lord then will say to him, “Go to the field of ‘Arafāt; there you will find all those who have fasted and who treasured you for your true worth. Go there and bring them all before Me!”
Ramadān will then proceed to the field of ‘Arafāt and look for all those who had fasted during the days of his month, and he will bring them into the Divine Presence. “O Ramadān,” says the Lord, “are these the one who truly knew your real worth?” – To truly know the worth of Ramadān means that one does not take food in the presence of one who is hungry; that one is heedful of all improper and inadmissible things; that one guards one’s eye against all that is forbidden and withholds one’s hand from all that is unlawful. Whoever re- frains from these things from fear of God, they have realised the true worth of Ramadān. The Lord Allah speaks of them
when He now asks Ramadān, “O Ramadān, what shall I grant My servants?”
Ramadān then answers and says, “O my Lord! Robe them in the raiments of paradise and set upon their heads the Crown of Eminence.” Allah l will grant His servants all of this, and will also allow them to intercede for seventy people deserv- ing of Hellfire. He weds them to seventy thousand Huris and
lets them ride along the Bridge of Zirā† on a burâq (a heavenly winged steed) faster than a bolt of lightning.
Then the Lord asks Ramadān, “What else do you wish Me to grant these servants?” “O Allah,” answers Ramadān, I would ask that they might be neighbours to the blessed Prophet in the loftiest Paradise. O Allah, this is all I can think of wishing for them, but Your Kindness and compassionate Grace are immeasurable. So give to them as befits Your Divine Majesty and Splendour!”
Allah, may He be glorified, then rewards them from His in- finite stores of treasure and presents to each of His servants a thousand castles in Paradise made of ruby and emerald, and a thousand cities with a thousand splendid mansions in each, wherein they will abide in a state of unending bliss.
The Six Days of Shawwāl
he month of Ramadân is followed by the month of Shawwāl. There are tremendous rewards for those who fast an additional six days during Shawwāl.
The Holy Prophet said, “When Ramadān has ended, the nafs of man rejoices; the reins are slackened, it is once more permissible to eat and drink during the day, and also to enjoy sexual congress. To resume fasting at this moment is tanta- mount to waging a holy war ( jihâd) .”
This struggle with the nafs is much greater and much more difficult than during the month of Ramadān when fasting is an obligatory duty for all Muslims. That is why the elective fast of Shawwāl and the voluntary tightening of the reins will be rewarded so highly – and Allah alone knows how much reward it carries.
The reason for fasting six days in Shawwāl is given in the Holy Qur’ān where it is stated:
It is He that created the heavens and the earth in six days, then seated Himself upon the Throne ... (57:4)
The creation of the worlds occurred in the six days of the month of Shawwāl, the heavens and the earth were created during the first week of Shawwāl. The Holy Prophet spoke, “Whoever fasts the six days of Shawwāl will be rewarded with the number of things the Almighty has created in these six days.”
The Holy Prophet also said, “Whoever fasts the thirty days of Ramadān, his fast is worth three hundred days of fasting. If he fasts the additional six days of Shawwāl, his fast will amount to 360 days, that is to say, as if he had fasted the en- tire year. For fasting is forbidden on five days of the year: on the ‘Îd of Ramadān, and on the four days of the ‘Îd of the Óajj, ‘Îd al-Adªâ.”
The Holy Prophet k spoke: “The human body possesses three-hundred parts. When death is approaching, Allah Al-
mighty gives to each of these parts a particular kind of pain, and not one will be the same as the other. Were Allah to bur- den one part of the body with the entire agony of death, all of creation would perish on account of this. But Allah l has distributed the pangs of death separately among all the parts
of the body.
If somebody has fasted Ramadān and the following six days of Shawwāl, Allah will reward him in this manner: as a sip of cool water is refreshing on a scorching hot summer’s day, so death will be for the one who has fasted the six days of Shaw- wāl, as a drink of cool water on a hot summer’s day.”
The Holy Prophet said: “Allah has created an angel with a fourfold face. Between one aspect and another there lies a distance of a thousand years. With one of his faces the angel prostrates in sajda up until the Last Day, while he intones with his lips: ‘Praise be to Thee, O Lord, how great is Thy Beauty!’ The second face of this angel is turned towards Hell, and with it he says: ‘Woe to those who enter therein!’ The third face faces Paradise and its lips say: ‘Great joy for those who enter within!’ The fourth face is fixed on the Throne of the Almighty and it says: ‘O Lord, Thou alone art deserving
of Praise! Do not punish those of the nation of Mukammad k
who have spent the month of Ramadān fasting!’”
There are three levels of fasting: the level of the ordinary people, that of those destined for a special calling, and the lev- el of the chosen ones among those of an especial calling.
Of what does the fasting of ordinary folk consist? It consists of abstaining from food and drink and sexual pleasures until the sun has set.
The fast of those destined for a special calling consists in their exercising watchfulness over all parts of their body, tak- ing care that neither eye nor ear perceive anything unlawful, and that their tongue utters no harmful or untrue word, and their hand does not reach for anything not permitted to them, and their foot not lead them to prohibited places.
But the chosen ones among those of special calling also im- pose a fast upon their hearts: they carry nothing in their hearts but Allah, no worldly thought disturbs their devotions, and even more than that: neither this world nor the prospect of the next can turn their attention from gazing at the Divine Omnipresence.
This level however is reserved for the prophets and saints. Of them it is said that they will each be intercessors for seven- ty thousand people on the Day of Judgment.
On the Day of Judgment all souls will be resurrected and will stand for fifty thousand years before the Lord of the Worlds, and they will suffer great hunger and thirst. Then those will be known who fasted during Ramadān in this life, for by the Command of Allah l food and drink will be brought to them
from Paradise, and they will not suffer any discomfort. A voice
will then be heard, calling:
“Eat and drink with wholesome appetite,
for that you did long ago, in days gone by!”(69:24)
Only Almighty Allah knows of the rewards He holds in store for those who used to fast. We pray all the days of our life that He might bestow a portion of His gifts upon us and admit us among those gathered in the realms of bliss.
May He in His Mercy grant us forgiveness! Âmîn.
PART II
ON FASTING, PRAYER AND OTHER MATTERS
About Prayer
Truly those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, who observe the prayer and give zakât,
they will have their reward with their Lord.
On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (2:277)
he Prophet’s companion ‘Umar d relates: “One day a Bedouin came to the Holy Prophet and asked him, ‘O Prophet of Allah, I profess the shahâda (Lâ
ilâha illâ llâh, Muªammadu r-rasûlu llâh), I pray five times a day, I fast during Ramadān, I pay my zakât, and I even rise in the night to perform my prayers. Should I die now, will I be counted among those about whom it is written:
And whoso obeys Allah and His Messenger,
they will be with those upon whom Allah has bestowed His Grace from among the prophets, the truthful,
the martyrs and the righteous ... (4:69)’
The Holy Prophet pressed his blessed fingers together and held up his hands, saying, ‘Verily, if you have not committed anything against your parents or any other servant of Allah, you shall be among these.’”
The Holy Prophet has said: “Whoever prays the five dai- ly prayers in congregation will be forgiven five things. First of all, he will not suffer poverty in this world; secondly, he will suffer no punishment in his grave; thirdly, on the Day of Judgment, Allah will place his book [of reckoning] in his right hand; fourthly, he will pass across the Bridge of Zirā† with the speed of lightning; and fifthly, Allah will admit him into Para- dise without trial or punishment.”
He k has also said: “A man’s prayer in congregation in the mosque is more excellent than forty years of praying separate-
ly by himself.”
And he k has also said: “The congregational prayer will re- ceive twenty-seven times the reward of the prayer performed individually.”
The Holy Prophet said: “On the Day of Gathering the Lord will cause the mosques to appear as ships with billowing white sails smelling of musk and saffron. Their minarets are the masts, and they are made of green topaz. The mu’adhdhin [who calls to prayer] will be their captain, and the community of worshippers will be the crew. These ships will pass the Bridge of Zirā† fully laden with lightning speed. The angels will ask, ‘Who is travelling on these ships? Are they sons of man or are they angels close to Allah?’ The entire gathering will gaze at these ships as they pass. ‘Are they prophets or messengers?’ the angels will ask. Then a voice will be heard explaining, ‘No, they are neither prophets nor messengers, nor are they celestial angels; they are those from the nation of Mukammad who consistently performed their prayers in congregation in the mosques.’”
The Holy Prophet also said: “My nation will be gathered on the Day of Judgment. One group among them will step forth with faces as radiant as the stars. The angels will ask them,
‘Who are you?’ and they will answer, ‘We are of those who when they heard the adhân being called left everything and rushed to take ablutions and make ready for prayer.’ Then a second group will step forth whose faces shine like the moon when it is full. ‘What were your works?’ the angels will ask them. They will reply, ‘We performed our ablutions and made ready for prayer even before the adhân was sounded.’ Finally a third group steps forward and their faces glow with the bright- ness of the sun. ‘And how did you act?’ the angels ask them. ‘We used to sit in the mosque in anticipation of the prayer, when the adhân was called,’ will be their answer.”
The Holy Prophet said, “Whenever a person stands for prayer and intones the takbîr [Allāhu akbar], Allah Almighty commands His angels, saying, ‘O My angels, remove the sins of this servant, for his sins are like a polluted garment, and it is not proper that My servant should approach Me in an unclean robe.’ Thus the servant prays to his Lord in a state of purity and freed from sin, as if he had only just been born of his mother. When he has completed his prayer, the angels ask the Almighty Lord, ‘O Lord, shall we now return his sins to him?’ The Lord Almighty replies, ‘O My angels, by My Splendour and Praiseworthiness, it befits Me not that I should return to My servant the burden of his sins once I have taken it from him. Behold, I have forgiven him.’”
Therefore the Holy Prophet also said to his companions, “If someone lives by a stream, and he washes in it five times a day, does there remain any impurity upon him?” The companions, may Allāh be pleased with them, answered, ‘No, Rasûlullāh, no impurity will remain.” Then the Holy Prophet said, “This
is the parable of prayer: in His Divine Mercy, Allah l cleanses His servant of all minor sins, so that he emerges entirely pure
from his prayer.”
The Holy Prophet also relates that Allah Almighty created His angel Jibrîl æ in the perfection of beauty, which is why he is referred to as “the peacock among the angels”. The Al- mighty gave him six hundred pairs of wings, their span rang- ing from the East to the West. It is said that once, when he brought the revelation to the Holy Prophet, he stretched his wings between heaven and earth; the space between them, however, was just a little too short, so that the very tips of his tremendous wings remained slightly bent.
One day the angel Jibrîl æ saw himself in a mirror, and be- holding his mirror image, he cried out in wonderment, “O my Lord God! Have You created any creature more perfect than me?” The Lord answered and spoke, “Truly, My archangel Jibrîl, I have given no creature greater beauty than I have be- stowed upon you.” Then Jibrîl fell down prostrating himself before the Lord and he remained in this sajda for twenty thou- sand years. – For the raka‘ât and the postures of prayer of the holy angels are not as ours, and they are able to remain in one position for thousands upon thousands of years. –
When the great angel Jibrîl æ rose from his two raka‘ât of gratitude after forty thousand years, he heard the voice of his Lord, as it said to him, “O My angel Jibrîl, by My awesome Majesty and absolute Splendour, no prayer in all My Creation has ever pleased Me more than yours; but by My Might and Glory, I say unto you: at the end of times a prophet will arise on earth whose name shall be Mukammad. His nation will be a weak people; they will barely perform their obligatory devo- tions, they will be faulty and forgetful, with scarce attention and mindfulness, overcome by sin. But by My Omnipotence, I swear to you that their imperfect devotions will in My View be more pleasurable and acceptable than the raka‘ât of forty thousand years that you have offered Me.”
The archangel Jibrîl æ was amazed at this and asked Al- lah, the Lord, “O Lord, what reward have You promised them for this prayer that pleases You so?” Allah Almighty replied, “For that I will give them Paradise, which is called jannat al- ma’wâ, the Garden of Sojourn.” “O my Lord, permit me to view this Paradise.” The Lord gave him permission and the angel opened up all his six hundred pairs of wings at once and flew towards this paradise garden. Each time that he opened one pair of his wings, he covered a distance of three thousand years, and when he closed one pair of wings he was propelled that selfsame distance. Thus he continued his flight for no less than three hundred years. Then his strength waned and he dropped down below one of the trees of Paradise. He pros- trated himself and cried out, “O my Lord, Your servant is so weak, and Your Almightiness is limitless. Tell me though, am I getting closer to the Paradise that You have promised those of Your servants who pray to You five times a day? Have I covered half the distance, or a third, or at least one quarter of the way?”
Then the Almighty Lord spoke to him and said, “O My an- gel, even were I to give you twice the number of wings with which to fly, and twice the strength for your journey, and were you to fly double the distance that you have flown, you would not even reach a tenth of that which I have ordained for My servants for only two of their raka‘ât. All the way you have come so far is but a small alcove of this paradise garden, which I have appointed for My servants. For all your strength, O Jibrîl, you cannot even reach one tenth of what I will give them for their two raka‘ât. Even if I were to give them all the eight gardens of paradise, I would still feel to be owing them.” Thus our prayers are of such high value in the View of the
Almighty, praised be He in all eternity.
The Holy Prophet also said: “Allah spoke to me and said, ‘Whoever obeys Me in three things is My true Friend, and whoever opposes Me in three things, he is truly My enemy.’” “And what are these things, O Messenger of Allah?’” asked the companions. “The first of these is prayer, the second is the fasting of Ramadān, and the third is the cleansing of all (ritu- al) impurities,” answered the Holy Prophet. “These three things are goods entrusted to Allah’s servant by his Lord. If he faithfully attends to them, His Lord will grace him with His Friendship.” (That is to say, He will raise him to the rank of one of His saints). (Óadîth qudsî)
The eminent companion Mu‘âdh ibn Jabal d heard
from the companion Jābir d who remembered the Holy Prophet as having said: “When the Holy Prophet visited the Heavens during the night of his mi‘râj (ascension), he beheld
the angels performing the various postures of prayer and the different manners of devotion. Since the day of their creation, the angels of the first heaven were engaged in incessant rep- etition of the Holy Name of the Lord (dhikru llâh), and they were in the position of qiyâm (standing). The angels in the sec- ond heaven had assumed the position of rukû‘ since the day of their creation. On the day of Judgment these angels will say, ‘O Lord, we were
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6042
rophet
k, saying, “O Prophet of Allah, I am instructed to take the souls of the believers of your nation in the way I only take the
souls of the prophets, just as one might draw a hair out of a lump of butter.”
Another time when the Holy Prophet was weeping for his nation, the angel Jibrîl æ approached him and said, “O Prophet of Allah, the Lord promises to give your nation all that he has given to the prophets of the past, excepting the rank of prophethood. Other than this rank, He wishes to bestow upon them Grace and Favour in the same measure that He has bestowed it upon them. For He has said: ‘Peace be upon Nûk in the worlds!’ and He gave him prophethood along with His greetings of peace, and He saved him from the flood. And He has said: ‘Peace be upon Mûsā and Hārûn!’ as He gave them greetings of peace and made them victorious over Pharaoh and safe from his machinations. Then He said: ‘Peace be upon Ibrāhîm!’ and He gave Ibrāhîm His peace and gave him safety in Nimrod’s fire and saved him from destruc-
tion. Now He has sent me, Jibrîl (who is also called “rûª”, the spirit), in this holy Night of Power to bring peace to your nation, and to whomever He sends His Peace, He also sends His Mercy. So deliver to them these glad tidings! Allah has spoken: ‘O My Beloved, do not be saddened for your nation, for I shall give them high rank and dignity when they have left this world.’”
Such are the immeasurable blessings of the holy month of Ramadān.
The Holy Prophet is alleged to have said, “Whoever repeats the shahâda thrice during the holy Night of Power, Allah Al- mighty shall reward him with three gifts: all his sins of the past are forgiven; He will be firmly established in his faith; and He will continue to guide him along the path of the right- eous.”
About I‘tikāf
isha p, the wife of the Holy Prophet k re- ported: “If a person performs i‘tikâf [seclusion, retreat] in the mosque during the last ten days
of Ramadān with sincere and pure intention, Allah Almighty will forgive him all his sins.”
‘Â’isha p also reported: “The Holy Prophet used to re- treat into the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadān for
his i‘tikâf, until the year of his death. And he also instructed his wives to withdraw into their homes and not to go out.”
Even if only a single person in a town or village performs i‘tikâf, it is sufficient for all the inhabitants of that place [sun- nat al-kifâya]. The exercise of i‘tikâf means to completely with- draw from all worldly activity, not speaking to anybody and leaving the mosque only to perform the necessary ablutions. One’s time is spent fasting and praying, reading Qur’ān, recit- ing dhikr and tasbîª, and one emerges only for the ‘Îd prayer. It goes without saying that during these days one is exempted from all worldly occupation and work. Other people take over the task of preparing the food for those in i‘tikâf and of looking after them in general.
I‘tikâf is also permitted to women and it is recommended for them. It is praiseworthy for a woman to make the time to perform i‘tikâf even if only for a single day during the last third of Ramadān. If she cannot manage even that because of her obligations toward her household and family, then even one hour will suffice. For instance, she can retire to pray after
finishing the saªûr-meal and make the intention before Allah to perform an i‘tikâf. Then she may pray whatever she likes, tahajjud, tasbîª, dhikr etc., and her intention will be accepted and she will be preserved from the fires of Hell.
When Ramadān is About to End
he Holy Prophet is reported to have said: “In the last night of Ramadān all the heavenly hosts assemble and begin to weep for the disaster about to befall the na-
tion of Mukammad.” His companions asked him, “What is this disaster, O Prophet of Allah?” “The disaster,” continued the Holy Prophet, “is that the month of Ramadān is drawing to a close, and with it all the blessings it bestows upon mankind.”
Heaven and earth weep for the passing of Ramadān, whereas it is we who should be weeping, but we are enveloped in veils of heedlessness and we know nothing. During Ramadān all prayers are heard, and every sadaqa given, every type of prayer or supplication made is awarded a multiple of the awards usu- ally granted. Sins are forgiven and sinners are granted respite from their chastisement. One who dies during Ramadān will be transported to Paradise directly, without having to endure the punishment of the grave. Praised be Allah Almighty who has granted us this holy month!
About Zakāt al-Fitr
t is incumbent on every Muslim to give zakât al-fitr even if he was not able to fast during Ramadān. It is an obligatory donation, and it consists of a certain measure
of wheat or raisins or similar goods, or the equivalent in cur- rency. This fitra must be given before the ‘Îd prayer, and can be given any time after the fifteenth of the month of Ramadān. The exact amount is determined every year and is announced in the mosques. If a child is born before the ‘Îd prayer, fitra needs to be paid for this child as well. The money or donation is given to a poor person of one’s acquaintance or to the Imam who has ways of distributing the contribution.
This fitra is similar to the sajda al-sahw, the prostration of forgetfulness, which is to be performed when one has commit- ted an error in one’s prayer or forgotten to perform one of its parts. As this sajda completes one’s prayer, so this fitra per- fects the fasting of Ramadān. It makes up for all the mistakes and breaches of the fast we might have committed: one unlaw- ful glance, a mistaken word or a bad thought. Fasting has two wings, one of them is our fasting, the other is the fitra. If we neglect to give the fitra, our fast remains suspended in mid-air and cannot rise aloft to the Divine Presence. When we have given our fitra, we provide our fasting with its second wing and it then reaches to the Throne of the Almighty.
One day the Holy Prophet’s companion ‘Uthmān d came to him and said, “O Prophet of Allah! I have forgotten to give
the fitra before the prayer of the ‘Îd. When I emerged from
the prayer and suddenly remembered, I freed a slave and in addition I gave a thousand gold pieces as sadaqa. O Prophet of Allah, will Allah accept my donation?” The Holy Prophet answered, “O ‘Uthmān, even if you had given a hundred times the amount in the way of Allah, had you freed a hundred thou- sand male and a hundred thousand female slaves, and donated a whole world of silver and gold, nothing could match the val- ue of the fitra given before the prayer of the ‘Îd, for the zakât al-fitr is a sacred duty (fard ).”
When the Muslims return to their homes after the ‘Îd prayer, the Lord says to His angels, “O My angels, when a labourer has done his duty, he must be recompensed for his labours. My servants have obediently fasted for a full month. The time is now come for Me to reward them.” Thereupon the angels answer, “O our Exalted Lord God, have You not already granted them immeasurable treasures of mercy and blessings during the month of Ramadān? What compensation might they be lacking?” Allah Almighty then says to them, “My angels, the blessings I granted them for every single day of fasting were only a gift of honour, not their reward. By My Divine Majesty and Glory, I shall reward them with what ‘no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has ever conceived of’.” (Óadîth qudsî)
‘Â’isha p, the wife of the Holy Prophet relates that the
Holy Prophet once said: “On the Day of Judgment all the
people will be resurrected and all will be hungry and thirsty except for the prophets and their households, and the Mus- lims who have fasted during the months of Rajab, Sha‘bān and Ramadān; they will suffer neither hunger nor thirst.”
The Holy Prophet said, “On the Day of Judgment the fast- ing of Ramadān and the recital of the Qur’ān will make inter- cession for the Muslims. Ramadān will say: ‘O Allah, Your
servant abstained from food and drink and his desires during all the days of my duration, so give him to me now!’ And the Qur’ān will say: ‘O Lord, this servant of Yours refrained from sleep during the nights in order to read me, so give him to me now!’ Allah the All-Compassionate will accept their interces- sion and admit this servant to the realm of eternal bliss.”
When the Day of Judgment has come, the Lord will give shape to the month of Ramadān, just as all forms of devotion will assume a shape. Ramadān will be given a shape so lovely that all who behold it will be rendered speechless by wonder. Ramadān will pass among the rows of resurrected souls until he has come before the Throne of Splendour before which he will prostrate himself in adoration. Allah, the Lord of Judg- ment, shall then address him, saying, “O Ramadān, state your wishes, for I shall grant them.” Ramadān then speaks up and says, “O Allah, O my Lord, I wish that You might give me all those who have fasted during my days and who have honoured me in the sincerity of their hearts.” The Lord then will say to him, “Go to the field of ‘Arafāt; there you will find all those who have fasted and who treasured you for your true worth. Go there and bring them all before Me!”
Ramadān will then proceed to the field of ‘Arafāt and look for all those who had fasted during the days of his month, and he will bring them into the Divine Presence. “O Ramadān,” says the Lord, “are these the one who truly knew your real worth?” – To truly know the worth of Ramadān means that one does not take food in the presence of one who is hungry; that one is heedful of all improper and inadmissible things; that one guards one’s eye against all that is forbidden and withholds one’s hand from all that is unlawful. Whoever re- frains from these things from fear of God, they have realised the true worth of Ramadān. The Lord Allah speaks of them
when He now asks Ramadān, “O Ramadān, what shall I grant My servants?”
Ramadān then answers and says, “O my Lord! Robe them in the raiments of paradise and set upon their heads the Crown of Eminence.” Allah l will grant His servants all of this, and will also allow them to intercede for seventy people deserv- ing of Hellfire. He weds them to seventy thousand Huris and
lets them ride along the Bridge of Zirā† on a burâq (a heavenly winged steed) faster than a bolt of lightning.
Then the Lord asks Ramadān, “What else do you wish Me to grant these servants?” “O Allah,” answers Ramadān, I would ask that they might be neighbours to the blessed Prophet in the loftiest Paradise. O Allah, this is all I can think of wishing for them, but Your Kindness and compassionate Grace are immeasurable. So give to them as befits Your Divine Majesty and Splendour!”
Allah, may He be glorified, then rewards them from His in- finite stores of treasure and presents to each of His servants a thousand castles in Paradise made of ruby and emerald, and a thousand cities with a thousand splendid mansions in each, wherein they will abide in a state of unending bliss.
The Six Days of Shawwāl
he month of Ramadân is followed by the month of Shawwāl. There are tremendous rewards for those who fast an additional six days during Shawwāl.
The Holy Prophet said, “When Ramadān has ended, the nafs of man rejoices; the reins are slackened, it is once more permissible to eat and drink during the day, and also to enjoy sexual congress. To resume fasting at this moment is tanta- mount to waging a holy war ( jihâd) .”
This struggle with the nafs is much greater and much more difficult than during the month of Ramadān when fasting is an obligatory duty for all Muslims. That is why the elective fast of Shawwāl and the voluntary tightening of the reins will be rewarded so highly – and Allah alone knows how much reward it carries.
The reason for fasting six days in Shawwāl is given in the Holy Qur’ān where it is stated:
It is He that created the heavens and the earth in six days, then seated Himself upon the Throne ... (57:4)
The creation of the worlds occurred in the six days of the month of Shawwāl, the heavens and the earth were created during the first week of Shawwāl. The Holy Prophet spoke, “Whoever fasts the six days of Shawwāl will be rewarded with the number of things the Almighty has created in these six days.”
The Holy Prophet also said, “Whoever fasts the thirty days of Ramadān, his fast is worth three hundred days of fasting. If he fasts the additional six days of Shawwāl, his fast will amount to 360 days, that is to say, as if he had fasted the en- tire year. For fasting is forbidden on five days of the year: on the ‘Îd of Ramadān, and on the four days of the ‘Îd of the Óajj, ‘Îd al-Adªâ.”
The Holy Prophet k spoke: “The human body possesses three-hundred parts. When death is approaching, Allah Al-
mighty gives to each of these parts a particular kind of pain, and not one will be the same as the other. Were Allah to bur- den one part of the body with the entire agony of death, all of creation would perish on account of this. But Allah l has distributed the pangs of death separately among all the parts
of the body.
If somebody has fasted Ramadān and the following six days of Shawwāl, Allah will reward him in this manner: as a sip of cool water is refreshing on a scorching hot summer’s day, so death will be for the one who has fasted the six days of Shaw- wāl, as a drink of cool water on a hot summer’s day.”
The Holy Prophet said: “Allah has created an angel with a fourfold face. Between one aspect and another there lies a distance of a thousand years. With one of his faces the angel prostrates in sajda up until the Last Day, while he intones with his lips: ‘Praise be to Thee, O Lord, how great is Thy Beauty!’ The second face of this angel is turned towards Hell, and with it he says: ‘Woe to those who enter therein!’ The third face faces Paradise and its lips say: ‘Great joy for those who enter within!’ The fourth face is fixed on the Throne of the Almighty and it says: ‘O Lord, Thou alone art deserving
of Praise! Do not punish those of the nation of Mukammad k
who have spent the month of Ramadān fasting!’”
There are three levels of fasting: the level of the ordinary people, that of those destined for a special calling, and the lev- el of the chosen ones among those of an especial calling.
Of what does the fasting of ordinary folk consist? It consists of abstaining from food and drink and sexual pleasures until the sun has set.
The fast of those destined for a special calling consists in their exercising watchfulness over all parts of their body, tak- ing care that neither eye nor ear perceive anything unlawful, and that their tongue utters no harmful or untrue word, and their hand does not reach for anything not permitted to them, and their foot not lead them to prohibited places.
But the chosen ones among those of special calling also im- pose a fast upon their hearts: they carry nothing in their hearts but Allah, no worldly thought disturbs their devotions, and even more than that: neither this world nor the prospect of the next can turn their attention from gazing at the Divine Omnipresence.
This level however is reserved for the prophets and saints. Of them it is said that they will each be intercessors for seven- ty thousand people on the Day of Judgment.
On the Day of Judgment all souls will be resurrected and will stand for fifty thousand years before the Lord of the Worlds, and they will suffer great hunger and thirst. Then those will be known who fasted during Ramadān in this life, for by the Command of Allah l food and drink will be brought to them
from Paradise, and they will not suffer any discomfort. A voice
will then be heard, calling:
“Eat and drink with wholesome appetite,
for that you did long ago, in days gone by!”(69:24)
Only Almighty Allah knows of the rewards He holds in store for those who used to fast. We pray all the days of our life that He might bestow a portion of His gifts upon us and admit us among those gathered in the realms of bliss.
May He in His Mercy grant us forgiveness! Âmîn.
PART II
ON FASTING, PRAYER AND OTHER MATTERS
About Prayer
Truly those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, who observe the prayer and give zakât,
they will have their reward with their Lord.
On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (2:277)
he Prophet’s companion ‘Umar d relates: “One day a Bedouin came to the Holy Prophet and asked him, ‘O Prophet of Allah, I profess the shahâda (Lâ
ilâha illâ llâh, Muªammadu r-rasûlu llâh), I pray five times a day, I fast during Ramadān, I pay my zakât, and I even rise in the night to perform my prayers. Should I die now, will I be counted among those about whom it is written:
And whoso obeys Allah and His Messenger,
they will be with those upon whom Allah has bestowed His Grace from among the prophets, the truthful,
the martyrs and the righteous ... (4:69)’
The Holy Prophet pressed his blessed fingers together and held up his hands, saying, ‘Verily, if you have not committed anything against your parents or any other servant of Allah, you shall be among these.’”
The Holy Prophet has said: “Whoever prays the five dai- ly prayers in congregation will be forgiven five things. First of all, he will not suffer poverty in this world; secondly, he will suffer no punishment in his grave; thirdly, on the Day of Judgment, Allah will place his book [of reckoning] in his right hand; fourthly, he will pass across the Bridge of Zirā† with the speed of lightning; and fifthly, Allah will admit him into Para- dise without trial or punishment.”
He k has also said: “A man’s prayer in congregation in the mosque is more excellent than forty years of praying separate-
ly by himself.”
And he k has also said: “The congregational prayer will re- ceive twenty-seven times the reward of the prayer performed individually.”
The Holy Prophet said: “On the Day of Gathering the Lord will cause the mosques to appear as ships with billowing white sails smelling of musk and saffron. Their minarets are the masts, and they are made of green topaz. The mu’adhdhin [who calls to prayer] will be their captain, and the community of worshippers will be the crew. These ships will pass the Bridge of Zirā† fully laden with lightning speed. The angels will ask, ‘Who is travelling on these ships? Are they sons of man or are they angels close to Allah?’ The entire gathering will gaze at these ships as they pass. ‘Are they prophets or messengers?’ the angels will ask. Then a voice will be heard explaining, ‘No, they are neither prophets nor messengers, nor are they celestial angels; they are those from the nation of Mukammad who consistently performed their prayers in congregation in the mosques.’”
The Holy Prophet also said: “My nation will be gathered on the Day of Judgment. One group among them will step forth with faces as radiant as the stars. The angels will ask them,
‘Who are you?’ and they will answer, ‘We are of those who when they heard the adhân being called left everything and rushed to take ablutions and make ready for prayer.’ Then a second group will step forth whose faces shine like the moon when it is full. ‘What were your works?’ the angels will ask them. They will reply, ‘We performed our ablutions and made ready for prayer even before the adhân was sounded.’ Finally a third group steps forward and their faces glow with the bright- ness of the sun. ‘And how did you act?’ the angels ask them. ‘We used to sit in the mosque in anticipation of the prayer, when the adhân was called,’ will be their answer.”
The Holy Prophet said, “Whenever a person stands for prayer and intones the takbîr [Allāhu akbar], Allah Almighty commands His angels, saying, ‘O My angels, remove the sins of this servant, for his sins are like a polluted garment, and it is not proper that My servant should approach Me in an unclean robe.’ Thus the servant prays to his Lord in a state of purity and freed from sin, as if he had only just been born of his mother. When he has completed his prayer, the angels ask the Almighty Lord, ‘O Lord, shall we now return his sins to him?’ The Lord Almighty replies, ‘O My angels, by My Splendour and Praiseworthiness, it befits Me not that I should return to My servant the burden of his sins once I have taken it from him. Behold, I have forgiven him.’”
Therefore the Holy Prophet also said to his companions, “If someone lives by a stream, and he washes in it five times a day, does there remain any impurity upon him?” The companions, may Allāh be pleased with them, answered, ‘No, Rasûlullāh, no impurity will remain.” Then the Holy Prophet said, “This
is the parable of prayer: in His Divine Mercy, Allah l cleanses His servant of all minor sins, so that he emerges entirely pure
from his prayer.”
The Holy Prophet also relates that Allah Almighty created His angel Jibrîl æ in the perfection of beauty, which is why he is referred to as “the peacock among the angels”. The Al- mighty gave him six hundred pairs of wings, their span rang- ing from the East to the West. It is said that once, when he brought the revelation to the Holy Prophet, he stretched his wings between heaven and earth; the space between them, however, was just a little too short, so that the very tips of his tremendous wings remained slightly bent.
One day the angel Jibrîl æ saw himself in a mirror, and be- holding his mirror image, he cried out in wonderment, “O my Lord God! Have You created any creature more perfect than me?” The Lord answered and spoke, “Truly, My archangel Jibrîl, I have given no creature greater beauty than I have be- stowed upon you.” Then Jibrîl fell down prostrating himself before the Lord and he remained in this sajda for twenty thou- sand years. – For the raka‘ât and the postures of prayer of the holy angels are not as ours, and they are able to remain in one position for thousands upon thousands of years. –
When the great angel Jibrîl æ rose from his two raka‘ât of gratitude after forty thousand years, he heard the voice of his Lord, as it said to him, “O My angel Jibrîl, by My awesome Majesty and absolute Splendour, no prayer in all My Creation has ever pleased Me more than yours; but by My Might and Glory, I say unto you: at the end of times a prophet will arise on earth whose name shall be Mukammad. His nation will be a weak people; they will barely perform their obligatory devo- tions, they will be faulty and forgetful, with scarce attention and mindfulness, overcome by sin. But by My Omnipotence, I swear to you that their imperfect devotions will in My View be more pleasurable and acceptable than the raka‘ât of forty thousand years that you have offered Me.”
The archangel Jibrîl æ was amazed at this and asked Al- lah, the Lord, “O Lord, what reward have You promised them for this prayer that pleases You so?” Allah Almighty replied, “For that I will give them Paradise, which is called jannat al- ma’wâ, the Garden of Sojourn.” “O my Lord, permit me to view this Paradise.” The Lord gave him permission and the angel opened up all his six hundred pairs of wings at once and flew towards this paradise garden. Each time that he opened one pair of his wings, he covered a distance of three thousand years, and when he closed one pair of wings he was propelled that selfsame distance. Thus he continued his flight for no less than three hundred years. Then his strength waned and he dropped down below one of the trees of Paradise. He pros- trated himself and cried out, “O my Lord, Your servant is so weak, and Your Almightiness is limitless. Tell me though, am I getting closer to the Paradise that You have promised those of Your servants who pray to You five times a day? Have I covered half the distance, or a third, or at least one quarter of the way?”
Then the Almighty Lord spoke to him and said, “O My an- gel, even were I to give you twice the number of wings with which to fly, and twice the strength for your journey, and were you to fly double the distance that you have flown, you would not even reach a tenth of that which I have ordained for My servants for only two of their raka‘ât. All the way you have come so far is but a small alcove of this paradise garden, which I have appointed for My servants. For all your strength, O Jibrîl, you cannot even reach one tenth of what I will give them for their two raka‘ât. Even if I were to give them all the eight gardens of paradise, I would still feel to be owing them.” Thus our prayers are of such high value in the View of the
Almighty, praised be He in all eternity.
The Holy Prophet also said: “Allah spoke to me and said, ‘Whoever obeys Me in three things is My true Friend, and whoever opposes Me in three things, he is truly My enemy.’” “And what are these things, O Messenger of Allah?’” asked the companions. “The first of these is prayer, the second is the fasting of Ramadān, and the third is the cleansing of all (ritu- al) impurities,” answered the Holy Prophet. “These three things are goods entrusted to Allah’s servant by his Lord. If he faithfully attends to them, His Lord will grace him with His Friendship.” (That is to say, He will raise him to the rank of one of His saints). (Óadîth qudsî)
The eminent companion Mu‘âdh ibn Jabal d heard
from the companion Jābir d who remembered the Holy Prophet as having said: “When the Holy Prophet visited the Heavens during the night of his mi‘râj (ascension), he beheld
the angels performing the various postures of prayer and the different manners of devotion. Since the day of their creation, the angels of the first heaven were engaged in incessant rep- etition of the Holy Name of the Lord (dhikru llâh), and they were in the position of qiyâm (standing). The angels in the sec- ond heaven had assumed the position of rukû‘ since the day of their creation. On the day of Judgment these angels will say, ‘O Lord, we were
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