The Muslim In Ramadaan
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Ramadan
Ramadan Explorer
Q: What should we say to the Muslims on the occasion of the beginning of
Ramadaan?.
A: Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'aan, a guidance for
mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and
wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the
month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Sawm (fasts)
that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which
one did not observe Sawm (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allaah
intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you.
(He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must
magnify Allaah [i.e. to say Takbeer (Allaahu Akbar: Allaah is the Most Great)]
for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him." [al-Baqarah 2:185],
{شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ
هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ
مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ
فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا
يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ
عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ},
Transliteration: Shahru Ramađāna Al-Ladhī 'Unzila Fīhi Al-Qur'ānu Hudáan
Lilnnāsi Wa Bayyinātin Mina Al-Hudá Wa Al-Furqāni Faman Shahida Minkumu
Ash-Shahra Falyaşumhu Wa Man Kāna Marīđāan 'Aw `Alá Safarin Fa`iddatun
Min 'Ayyāmin 'Ukhara Yurīdu Allāhu Bikumu Al-Yusra Wa Lā Yurīdu Bikumu Al-`Usra
Wa Litukmilū Al-`Iddata Wa Litukabbirū Allāha `Alá Mā Hadākum Wa
La`allakum Tashkurūna.
This blessed month is a great opportunity for goodness, barakah (blessing),
worship and obedience towards Allaah.
It is a great month, a noble season, a month in which hasanaat (rewards for
good deeds) are multiplied and in which committing sayi'aat (bad deeds) is
more serious than at other times. The gates of Paradise are opened and the
gates of Hell are shut, and the sinners' repentance to Allaah is accepted. It
is a month whose beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness and its end is
redemption from the Fire.
So give thanks to Him for the season of goodness and blessing that He has
bestowed upon you, and for the means of bounty and various kinds of great
blessings for which He has singled you out. Make the most of this blessed time
by filling it with acts of worship and forsaking haraam things, so that you
may attain a good life in this world and happiness after death.
For the sincere believer, every month is an occasion for worship and his whole
life is spent in obeying Allaah, but in the month of Ramadaan he has even more
motives to do good and his heart is even more focused on worship, and he turns
even more to his Lord. By His grace, our generous Lord bestows His bounty upon
the fasting believers and multiplies the reward for them on this blessed
occasion, so He gives abundantly and rewards generously for righteous deeds.
Time passes quickly:
Days pass so quickly, as
if they were mere moments. We welcomed Ramadaan, then we bade it farewell, and
only a short period of time passed and we are welcoming Ramadaan again. So we
should hasten to do good deeds in this month and strive to fill it with that
which Allaah is pleased with and with that which will help us on the Day when
we meet Him.
How can we prepare for Ramadaan?
We can prepare for Ramadaan by taking stock of ourselves and recognizing our
shortcomings in living up to the Shahaadatayn, or our shortcoming in
fulfilling our duties, or our shortcomings in not keeping away from the
desires and doubts that we may have fallen into...
We should set ourselves straight so that in Ramadaan we will have a higher
degree of faith. For faith increases and decreases. It increases through
obedience to Allaah and it decreases through disobedience and sin. The first
act of obedience that a person should achieve is that of being a true slave of
Allaah and believing that there is none that is rightfully worshipped except
Allaah, so he directs all kinds of worship to Allaah and does not associate
anyone else in worship with Him. Each of us should realize that whatever has
befallen him could not have missed him, and whatever missed him could not have
befallen him, and that everything happens by the will and decree of Allaah.
We should avoid everything that could undermine our commitment to the
Shahaadatayn. This means keeping away from bid'ah (innovations) and things
that have been introduced into the religion. We should also follow the
principle of al-walaa' wa'l-bara' (loyalty and friendship vs. disavowal and
enmity), by taking the believers as our friends and by regarding the kaafirs
and hypocrites as enemies, and we should rejoice when the Muslims gain a
victory over their enemies. We should follow the example of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions and adhere to the
Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the way
of the Rightly-Guided Khulafa' who came after him. We should love the Sunnah
and love those who adhere to it and defend it, in whatever country they are
and whatever colour or nationality they are.
After that we should take stock of ourselves and recognize our shortcomings in
doing acts of worship such as praying in congregation, remembering Allaah (dhikr),
paying attention to the rights of neighbours, relatives and the Muslims,
spreading the greeting of salaam, enjoining what is good and forbidding what
is evil, urging one another to follow the truth and be patient and steadfast
in doing so, being patient in avoiding evil actions and in doing good deeds,
and accepting the decree of Allaah with patience.
Then we should take stock of ourselves and our sins and our following whims
and desires. We should stop ourselves from persisting in that, whether the sin
is great or small, whether it is a sin of the eye, by looking at that which
Allaah has forbidden; or by listening to music; or by walking to things of
which Allaah does not approve; or by using one's hands to srike in a manner
with which Allaah is not pleased; or by consuming things that Allaah has
forbidden such as riba (usury) and bribes, or any other means of consuming
people's wealth unlawfully.
We should never forget that Allaah stretches forth His hand during the day to
accept the repentance of those who sinned at night, and He stretches forth His
hand at night to accept the repentance of those who sinned during the day.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And
march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for
Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqoon (the
pious).
Those who spend (in Allaah's Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who
repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allaah loves Al-Muhsinoon (the
good‑doers).
And those who, when they have committed Faahishah (illegal sexual intercourse)
or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allaah and ask forgiveness for their
sins; - and none can forgive sins but Allaah - and do not persist in what
(wrong) they have done, while they know.
For such, the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers
flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent
is this reward for the doers (who do righteous deeds according to Allaah's
Orders)" [Aal 'Imraan 3:133-136].
{وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا
السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ; الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي
السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ
ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ; وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ
ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن
يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ
يَعْلَمُونَ ; أُولَٰئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ
تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ
الْعَامِلِينَ},
Transliteration: Wa Sāri`ū 'Ilá
Maghfiratin Min Rabbikum Wa Jannatin `Arđuhā As-Samāwātu Wa Al-'Arđu 'U`iddat
Lilmuttaqīna, Al-Ladhīna Yunfiqūna Fī As-Sarrā'i Wa Ađ-Đarrā'i Wa Al-Kāžimīna
Al-Ghayža Wa Al-`Āfīna `Ani An-Nāsi Wa Allāhu Yuĥibbu Al-Muĥsinīna, Wa Al-Ladhīna
'Idhā Fa`alū Fāĥishatan 'Aw Žalamū 'Anfusahum Dhakarū Allāha Fāstaghfarū
Lidhunūbihim Wa Man Yaghfiru Adh-Dhunūba 'Illā Allāhu Wa Lam Yuşirrū `Alá
Mā Fa`alū Wa Hum Ya`lamūna, 'Ūlā'ika Jazā'uuhum Maghfiratun Min Rabbihim Wa
Jannātun Tajrī Min Taĥtihā Al-'Anhāru Khālidīna Fīhā Wa Ni`ma 'Ajru Al-`Āmilīna.
"Say: "O 'Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by
committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily,
Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful" [al-Zumar
39:53],
{قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا
عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ
يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ},
Transliteration: Qul Yā `Ibādī Al-Ladhīna 'Asrafū `Alá
'Anfusihim Lā Taqnaţū Min Raĥmati Allāhi 'Inna Allāha Yaghfiru Adh-Dhunūba
Jamī`āan 'Innahu Huwa Al-Ghafūru Ar-Raĥīmu.
"And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allaah's
forgiveness, he will find Allaah Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful" [al-Nisa'
4:110],
{وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ
نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ يَجِدِ اللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا},
Transliteration: Wa Man Ya`mal Sū'āan 'Aw Yažlim Nafsahu
Thumma Yastaghfiri Allāha Yajidi Allāha Ghafūrāan Raĥīmāan.
By taking stock, repenting and seeking forgiveness, this is how we should
welcome Ramadaan. "The smart man is the one who takes stock of himself and
strives to do that which will benefit him after death, and the helpless one is
the one who follows his own whims and desires and engages in wishful thinking,
(assuming that Allaah will forgive him regardless of what he does and that he
does not need to strive to good deeds)."
The month of Ramadaan is the month of great gains and profits. The smart
trader is the one who makes the most of special occasions to increase his
profits. So make the most of this month by doing lots of acts of worship,
praying a great deal, reading Qur'aan, forgiving people, being kind to others
and giving charity to the poor.
In the month of Ramadaan the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of
Hell are shut. The devils are put in chains and a caller cries out each night,
O seeker of good, proceed, O seeker of evil, desist.
So, O slaves of Allaah, be among the people of good, following the path of
your righteous forebears who were guided by the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so that we may end Ramadaan with our
sins forgiven and our righteous deeds accepted.
We should note that the month of Ramadaan is the best of months.
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
"Another of example of that -
i.e., of the differentiation between the things that Allaah has created - is
the fact that the month of Ramadaan is superior to all other months, and the
last ten nights are superior to the other nights." (Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/56).
This month is superior to others in four things:
1 - In it there is the best night of the year, which is Laylat al-Qadr. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We have sent it (this Qur'aan) down in the Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree).
And what will make you know what the Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree) is?
The Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e.
worshipping Allaah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand
months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
Therein descend the angels and the Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allaah's
Permission with all Decrees,
(All that night), there is peace (and goodness from Allaah to His believing
slaves) until the appearance of dawn" [al-Qadar 97:1-5].
{إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ ; وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ
الْقَدْرِ ; لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ تَنَزَّلُ
الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ ; سَلَامٌ
هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ}
Transliteration: 'Innā 'Anzalnāhu Fī Laylati Al-Qadri, Wa Mā 'Adrāka Mā
Laylatu Al-Qadri, Laylatu Al-Qadri Khayrun Min 'Alfi Shahrin, Tanazzalu Al-Malā'ikatu
Wa Ar-Rūĥu Fīhā Bi'idhni Rabbihim Min Kulli 'Amrin, Salāmun Hiya Ĥattá
Maţla`i Al-Fajri.
So worship on this night is better than worshipping for a thousand months.
2 - In this month was revealed the best of Books to the best of the Prophets
(peace be upon them). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'aan, a
guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion
(between right and wrong)" [al-Baqarah 2:185]
{شَهْرُ
رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ
الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ},
Transliteration:
Shahru Ramađāna Al-Ladhī 'Unzila Fīhi Al-Qur'ānu Hudáan Lilnnāsi Wa
Bayyinātin Mina Al-Hudá Wa Al-Furqāni.
"We sent it (this Qur'aan) down on a blessed night [(i.e. the Night of Al‑Qadr)
in the month of Ramadan - the 9th month of the Islamic calendar]. Verily, We
are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in
Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship].
Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments.
As a Command (or this Qur'aan or the Decree of every matter) from Us. Verily,
We are ever sending (the Messengers)" [al-Dukhaan 44:3-5]
{إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا
مُنذِرِينَ ﴿٣﴾ فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ
﴿٤﴾ أَمْرًا مِّنْ عِندِنَا ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ}
Transliteration: 'Innā 'Anzalnāhu Fī Laylatin Mubārakatin 'Innā
Kunnā Mundhirīna, Fīhā Yufraqu Kullu 'Amrin Ĥakīmin, 'Amrāan Min `Indinā 'Innā
Kunnā Mursilīna.
It was narrated by Ahmad and by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabeer that
Waathilah ibn al-Asqa' (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: «The Scriptures of
Ibraaheem were sent down on the first of the month of Ramadaan. The Tawraat
was sent down on the sixth of Ramadaan. The Injeel was sent down on the
thirteenth of Ramadaan. The Zaboor was sent down on the eighteenth of Ramadaan,
and the Qur'aan was sent down on the twenty-fourth of Ramadaan» [Classed as
hasan by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1575].
2 - In this month the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are
shut, and the devils are chained up.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: «When
Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are
closed, and the devils are put in chains» [Agreed upon].
Al-Nasaa'i narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: «When Ramadaan comes, the gates of
mercy are opened and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are put in
chains» [Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 471].
Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah and Ibn Khuzaymah narrated in one report: «When the
first night of the month of Ramadaan comes, the devils and rebellious jinn are
chained up and the gates of Hell are closed, and not one gate of it is opened.
The gates of Paradise are opened and not one gate of it is closed. And a
caller cries out: 'O seeker of good, proceed; O seeker of evil, desist. And
Allaah has those whom He redeems from the Fire, and that happens every night»
[Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 759].
If it is asked, how come we see many evil actions and sins committed in
Ramadaan, for if the devils are chained up that would not happen?
The answer is that evil actions become less for those who observe the
conditions and etiquette of fasting;
or that the ones who are chained up are some of the devils - namely the
rebellious ones - not all of them;
or that what is meant is that evil is reduced in Ramadaan, which is a proven
fact. If evil happens at this time, it is still less than at other times. Even
if all of them (the devils) are chained up, that does not necessarily mean
that no evil or sin will happen, because there are other causes of that
besides the devils, such as evil souls, bad habits and the devils among
mankind. (Al-Fath, 4/145)
4 - There are many kinds of worship in Ramadaan, some of which are not done at
other times, such as fasting, praying qiyaam, feeding the poor, i'tikaaf,
sadaqah, and reading Qur'aan.
I ask Allaah, the Exalted, the Almighty, to help us all to do that and to help
us to fast and pray qiyaam, and to do acts of worship and to avoid doing evil.
Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.
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