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The Month Of Ramadan - By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
The Month Of Ramadan
By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Dear Muslims:
We
should welcome the month of Ramadan with repentance and true determination to
reap its benefits and fully utilise its precious time. The Messenger of Allah
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "He who observes the qiyam of the
month of Ramadan with sincere faith and hope for the reward of Allah will have
his past sins forgiven." [Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Also, Allah
(SWT) says, "And the servants of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who
walk on the earth with humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say
(Peace); Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrating and
standing." [Qur'an 25:63-64].
Thus,
waking up in the night to pray qiyam al-layl, i.e. performing prayer in the
middle of the night, was a regular act of the Prophet (PBUH) and his
Companions. 'Aisha (RAA) said, "Do not abandon qiyam al-layl, for the
Messenger of Allah (RAA) never left it. If he was not well or he felt heavy, he
prayed sitting." (Abu-Dawood).
Dear Muslims:
The
Prophet`s companions and Our pious predecessors were the best in reaping the
benefits of this blessed month. Umar Ibn al-Khattab (RAA), used to pray at
night what he wished, until it was in the middle of the night, when he would
awaken his family to pray; then he would say to them "prayer..
prayer", and would recite this verse of the Qur'an, "Enjoin prayer on
your people, and be constant therein. We ask you not to provide sustenance: We
provide it for you. But the fruit of the Hereafter is for righteousness."
[Qur'an 20:132].
Ibn
Umar used to recite, "Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the
night, prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the
Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord like one who does
not?" [Qur'an 39:9]. He said that was referring to Uthman Ibn Affan
(radiallaahu 'anhu).
Alqamah
Ibn Qays narrated, "I slept with Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (radiallaahu 'anhu)
one night. He woke up in the early part of the night and began to pray. He
recited with a recitation similar to that of the neighbourhood imam with a
medium regular pace. Those around him could hear him and he continued until
what remained of the night's darkness was equal to the time between the adhan
(call) for maghrib prayer and the end of the maghrib prayer time, i.e. a short
time before daybreak. He then performed witr prayer.
Furthermore,
Al-Sa'ib Ibn Zayd narrated in a hadith that the reciter would recite (the
Qur'an) with hundreds of verses such that we supported ourselves with staves due
to the lengthiness of the prayer and did not leave until the time of fajr (dawn
prayer).
However,
during the month of Ramadan, one has to complete the taraweeh prayer with the
imam in order to be reckoned as one of those who stood (the night) in prayer.
The Prophet (SAWS) said, "Whoever stays with his imam until he completes
the prayer, will have the night written for him as one who performed Qiyam
Al-Layl, i.e. one who stood the night in prayer." (Tirmizi).
Dear Muslims:
Ramadan
has a special relationship with the Qur'an, of course: "The month of
Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was sent down, a guidance for mankind,
clear proofs for the guidance, the Criterion; so whoever amongst you witnesses
this month, let him fast it." (Surah al-Baqarah 2:185).
Further,
Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated from her father (SAWS), who
told her that Jibril would rehearse the Qur’an with him (in Ramadan) once every
year, and he did so twice in the year of his death. (Bukhari 6/485).
Dear Muslims:
The prophet (PBUH) said: “The best of you is he who learns the
Qur'an and teaches it." [al-Bukhari]. In another Hadith the prophet (PBUH)
explains the reward for learning or reading the Holy Qur'an: "Will not any
of you go to the masjid and learn or read two verses from the Book of Allah
`azza wa jall? (For) that is better for him than two she-camels, and three
(verses) are better for him than three (she-camels), and four (verses) are
better for him than four (she-camels). And the number (of verses read in total)
are better than the same number of camels." [Muslim]. Also, he (PBUH)
said: "There is no envy (acceptable) except in two (cases): a person whom
Allah has given the Qur'an and recites it throughout the night and throughout
the day. And a person whom Allah has given wealth, that he gives out throughout
the night and throghout the day." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Allah (SWT) even rewards us for every letter we recite from the
Holy Qur'an. It was reported that the prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever reads
a letter from the Book of Allah will receive a hasanah (good deed) from it
(i.e. his recitation), and the hasanah is multiplied by ten. I do not say that
Alif-Laam-Meem is (considered as) a letter, rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a
letter, and Meem is a letter." [At-Tirmidhi, Ad-Darimi].
We should try to improve our Qur'anic recitation, our Messenger
(PBUH) says: "He who is skillful in reciting the Qur'an is with the
unveiled, honorable, and pious. And he who stutters when reading the Qur'an,
(and its recitation) is difficult upon him, will receive two rewards."
[Al-Bukhari]
Moreover,
we should also, in this blessed month, try to memorize the holy Qur'an or at
least some of it. The prophet (PBUH) says: "Verily he who has nothing of
the Qur'an in his heart, is like a house (which has been) destroyed."
[At-Tirmidhi]. And: “Maintain learning the Qur'an, by heart for verily it is
greater in escaping from the chests of men than camels from their reins."
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
About
the situation of the Salaf (the early Muslims) during Ramadan, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said: "... Some of
the Salaf would complete reciting the whole Qur’an during the night prayer of
Ramadan every 3 days; others every 7 days, e.g. Qataadah, others in 10 days,
e.g. Abu Rajaa' al-Atardi. The Salaf would recite Qur’an in Ramadan in Prayer
as well as outside it. Al-Aswad would finish the Qur’an every 2 nights in
Ramadan; Ibrahim an-Nakh'I would do likewise in the last 10 nights specifically
and every 3 nights during the rest of the month.
Qataadah
would regularly finish the Qur’an in 7 days, but in 3 days during Ramadan, when
he would study the Qur’an especially, and every night during its last 10 days.
Al-Zuhri would say when Ramadan began, 'It is recitation of the Qur’an and
feeding of people.'
Dear Brothers And Sisters In Islam:
The
Prophet (SAWS), said, “The best of deeds is that of keeping your believing
brother happy, or that of paying off a debt of his, or that of feeding him.”
(Ad-daylami).
In Another Hadith he
(PBUH) said: “The most beloved of people to Allah are those who are of most
benefit [to others]. The most of beloved actions to Allah is when you make
another Muslim happy, removing a hardship that has befallen him, paying off a
debt of his or rid him of hunger. It is more beloved to me indeed that I walk
with my Muslim brother to see to a need of his than performing i’tikaf
(secluding oneself) in a Masjid for a month” (At-Tabaranee/Al-kabeer).
The
Salaf were frugal with their own iftar meals but generous hosts towards others.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, for example, would prefer to eat his iftar meal with the
poor. Whenever he broke his fast at home, he never ate his fill, so that if a
needy person visited, ‘Abdullah could give him his iftar meal. Thus he would
end up virtually “fasting” that whole night too! He used to give away sweets in
charity saying, ‘I am aware of Allah’s saying; “You shall not attain piety
until you spend out of that which is beloved to you” [Al ‘Imran: 92] and Allah
knows that I love sweets.’
Once
when Al-Imam Ahmad had prepared some bread for iftar, a needy person called on
him. Without hesitating he gave away all his bread, and went hungry. Ibn-ul
Mubarak used to prepare sweets for his brothers, despite the fact that he was
fasting.
Al-Imam
Ash-Shafi’ee, once said, “It is beloved to me to see one increasing his acts of
generosity during the month of Ramadan, following the example of Allah’s
Messenger, and for one’s own good. There are many who become over-occupied with
fasting and Prayers, forgetting the other benefits of the month of Ramadan
[i.e. forgetting about the benefits and rewards for being generous towards
others]”.
May
Allah (SWT) help us all to reap the benefitd of this blessed month, forgive and
bless us all (Ameen).
