Please take a time to listen this beautiful Makkah Khutbah.
Ramadan and its significance
How to observe it in its true spirit
Importance of self-reform and abstention from base desires
“O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.” (The Holy Quran, 2:183)Allah says: “And when My servants ask you (O Prophet) about Me, surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should hear My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.” (ibid., 2:186)
“And swallow not up your property among yourselves by false means, nor seek to gain access thereby to the authorities so that you may swallow up other people’s property wrongfully while you know.” (ibid., 2:188)
“He who does not give up uttering falsehood and acting according to it, God has no need of his giving up his food and drink.” (The Holy Prophet Muhammad)
Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, and explained it by saying: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:2-4.) Moses also fasted forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34:28).
Purpose of fasting in Islam
To develop and strengthen our powers of self-control, so that we can resist wrongful desires and bad habits, and therefore “guard against evil” (extract no. 1). In fasting, by refraining from the natural human urges to satisfy one’s appetite, we are exercising our ability of self-restraint, so that we can then apply it to our everyday life to bring about self-improvement.To attain nearness and closeness to God so that He becomes a reality in our lives. As we bear the rigours of fasting purely for the sake of following a Divine commandment, knowing and feeling that He can see all our actions however secret, it intensifies the consciousness of God in our hearts, resulting in a higher spiritual experience (see extract no. 2).
To learn to refrain from usurping other’s rights and belongings. In fasting we voluntarily give up even what is rightfully ours; how can then we think of taking what is not ours but belongs to someone else? (See extract no. 3)
Charity and generosity is especially urged during Ramadan. We learn to give, and not to take. The deprivation of fasting makes us sympathise with the suffering of others, and desirous of alleviating it; and it makes us remember the blessings of life which we normally take for granted.
Fasting in Islam does not just consist of refraining from eating and drinking, but from every kind of selfish desire and wrong-doing. The fast is not merely of the body, but essentially that of the spirit as well (see extract no. 4). The physical fast is a symbol and outward expression of the real, inner fast.
Fasting is a spiritual practice to be found in all religions (see extracts no. 1 and 5). The great Founders of various faiths (Buddha, Moses, Jesus, etc.) practised quite rigorous fasting as a preliminary to attaining their first experience of spiritual enlightenment and communion with God. This kind of communion is indicated in extract no. 2.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said:
“People are unaware of the true nature of fasting. The fact is that no country or realm can be described if one has not been there. Fasting is not just the state of remaining hungry and thirsty. Its nature and effect can only be discovered by experience. The human makeup is such that the less food is consumed the greater is the purification of the soul and the development of the powers of inner vision. God’s purpose is that you should reduce one kind of food (physical) and increase the other kind (spiritual). The person fasting must remember that the aim is not simply to remain hungry; he should be engrossed in the remembrance of God so as to attain severance from worldly desires. The object of fasting is that a person should abstain from the food which nourishes the body and obtain the other food which satisfies and brings solace to the soul. Those who truly fast for the sake of attaining to God, and not merely as a custom, should be absorbed in the praise and glorification of God, and in meditating upon His Unity.”Maulana Muhammad Ali said:
“The real purpose of fasting is to attain righteousness. A person who undergoes hunger and thirst, but does not behave righteously, has done nothing. If someone is told the aim and object of doing a certain duty, and he does that duty but does not attain the required aim and object, it is as if he has not done that duty.”The Maulana used very strongly to urge the members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya community to say the tahajjud prayers during the month of Ramadan:
“You have to rise early in any case to begin the fast; rise even earlier, by half an hour or an hour, and say tahajjud prayers.”
Quran on Ramadan (and Fasting, Taraweeh prayers)
(1) The month of ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, 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 Saum (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allah 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 Allah [i.e. to say Takbir (Allahu Akbar; Allah is the Most Great] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him.(Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #185)
(2) Verily, the Muslims (those who submit to Allah in Islam) men and women, the believers men and women (who believe in Islamic Monotheism), the men and the women who are obedient (to Allah), the men and women who are truthful (in their speech and deeds), the men and the women who are patient (in performing all the duties which Allah has ordered and in abstaining from all that Allah has forbidden), the men and the women who are humble (before their Lord - Allah), the men and the women who give Sadaqat (i.e. Zakat, and alms), the men and the women who observe Saum (fast) (the obligatory fasting during the month of ramadan, and the optional Nawafil fasting), the men and the women who guard their chastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).
(Al-Ahzab, Chapter #33, Verse #35)
(3) We sent it (this Qur'an) down on a blessed night [(i.e. night of Al-Qadr, Surah No. 97) 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].
(Ad-Dukhan, Chapter #44, Verse #3)
(1) O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious - See V.2: 2).
(Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #183)
(2) O you who believe! Kill not the game while you are in a state of Ihram [for Hajj or 'Umrah (pilgrimage)], and whosoever of you kills it intentionally, the penalty is an offering, brought to the Ka'bah, of an eatable animal (i.e. sheep, goat, cow) equivalent to the one he killed, as adjudged by two just men among you; or, for expiation, he should feed Masakin (poor persons), or its equivalent in Saum (fasting), that he may taste the heaviness (punishment) of his deed. Allah has forgiven what is past, but whosoever commits it again, Allah will take retribution from him. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Able of Retribution.
(Al-Maeda, Chapter #5, Verse #95)
(3) Verily, the Muslims (those who submit to Allah in Islam) men and women, the believers men and women (who believe in Islamic Monotheism), the men and the women who are obedient (to Allah), the men and women who are truthful (in their speech and deeds), the men and the women who are patient (in performing all the duties which Allah has ordered and in abstaining from all that Allah has forbidden), the men and the women who are humble (before their Lord - Allah), the men and the women who give Sadaqat (i.e. Zakat, and alms), the men and the women who observe Saum (fast) (the obligatory fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the optional Nawafil fasting), the men and the women who guard their chastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).
(Al-Ahzab, Chapter #33, Verse #35)
(4) It may be if he divorced you (all) that his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you - Muslims (who submit to Allah), believers, obedient (to Allah), turning to Allah in repentance, worshipping Allah sincerely, given to fasting or emigrants (for Allah's sake), previously married and virgins.
(At-Tahrim, Chapter #66, Verse #5)
(5) Verily, your Lord knows that you do stand (to pray at night) a little less than two thirds of the night, or half the night, or a third of the night, and also a party of those with you. And Allah measures the night and the day. He knows that you are unable to pray the whole night, so He has turned to you (in mercy). So, recite you of the Qur'an as much as may be easy for you. He knows that there will be some among you sick, others travelling through the land, seeking of Allah's Bounty, yet others fighting in Allah's Cause. So recite as much of the Qur'an as may be easy (for you), and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat ) and give Zakat, and lend to Allah a goodly loan. And whatever good you send before you for yourselves (i.e. Nawafil non-obligatory acts of worship: prayers, charity, fasting, Hajj and 'Umrah), you will certainly find it with Allah, better and greater in reward. And seek Forgiveness of Allah. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful .
(Al-Muzzammil, Chapter #73, Verse #20)
(6) The Day when all the secrets (deeds, prayers, fasting, etc.) will be examined (as to their truth).
(At-Tariq, Chapter #86, Verse #9)
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Collection on Ramadan (and fasting, Taraweeh prayers)
Hadith No. 01Why the name 'Ramazan'?
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: "Surely, the month of Ramazan has been named so because it scorches away the sins." Kanz al-Ummal, H: 23688
Hadith No. 02
Ramazan: The Name of God
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: Say not, "This is Ramazan" and "Ramazan has departed" and "Ramazan has arrived" for surely, Ramazan is one of the names of Allah, The Mighty, the Glorious, who neither arrives nor departs. Surely, arrives and departs that, which is ephemeral, Instead say: "The month of Ramazan". Al-Kafi, 4, pg. 70
Hadith No. 03
Ramazan: The Month of Revelation of the Holy Quran
Imam Reza (A.S.) has said: If one asks, "Why is it that the fasts were made obligatory exclusively in the month of Ramazan and not in the other months?" it would be said, "(this is) because the month of Ramazan is the month in which Allah, the Exalted, had revealed the Holy Quran." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 18, pg. 190
Hadith No. 04
Reward for Recitation of the Holy Quran during Ramazan
Imam Reza (A.S.) has said: "Someone who recites one verse from the Book of Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, in the month of Ramazan, is like one who has recited the entire Holy Quran in the other months." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 344
Hadith No. 05
Reward of the Month of Ramazan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) was asked: O' Prophet of Allah! Which of the two months possesses a greater reward, Rajab or the month of Ramazan? Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) replied: Nothing can be compared to the month of Ramazan in terms of reward. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 97, pg. 49
Hadith No. 06
Ramazan: The Month of God
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Shaaban is my month and the month of Ramazan is the month of Allah, The Exalted, and it is the springtime for the poor. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 97, pg. 68
Hadith No. 07
Ramazan: The Chosen Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Surely, Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, has chosen from amongst the months (and granted preference to), the months of Rajab, Shaaban and the month of Ramazan. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 27, pg. 53
Hadith No. 08
Ramazan: The Great Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Surely, the month of Ramazan is a great month. Allah multiplies in it the good deeds, erases in it the sins and elevates in it the ranks. Wasail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 312
Hadith No. 09
Ramazan: The Chief of the Months
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: The month of Ramazan has approached you. It is the chief of all months and the beginning of the year. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, pg. 193
Hadith No. 10
Ramazan: The Beginning of the Year
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: If the month of Ramazan remains safe and sound (with respect to sins), the (entire) year shall remain so (too); the month of Ramazan is the beginning of the year. Wasail al-Shia'h vol.10, pg. 311
Hadith No. 11
Ramazan: The Month of Mercy
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: It (Ramazan) is the month, whose beginning is mercy, its middle, forgiveness and its end, emancipation from the fire (of hell). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 342
Hadith No. 12
Excellence of the Month of Ramazan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: O' People! Surely, the month of God has approached you. The month which, in the eyes of Allah, is the most virtuous of the months. Its days are the best of the days and its nights, the best of the nights and its moments, the best of the moments. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 356
Hadith No. 13
Ramazan: The Best of the Months
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: The best of the months is the month of God - the month of Ramazan - and the heart of the month of Ramazan is the Night of Qadr (Lailatul Qadr). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. pg. 386
Hadith No. 14
The Night of Qadr
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: O' People! Surely, a great and blessed month has enveloped you. A month, in which there is a night, deeds in which are better than of a thousand months. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.96, pg. 342
Hadith No. 15
Gift of Allah's Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Your breath in it glorification (of Allah) and your sleep in it worship (of Allah). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 356
Hadith No. 16
Fasts of the Month of Ramadan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: The month of Ramazan is the month in which Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, has made fasting obligatory upon you. So one, who fasts in this month in a state of belief and with the intention of recompense, shall become free of his sins just as he was on the day when his mother gave him birth. Tahdheeb al-Ahkam, vol. 4, pg. 152
Hadith No. 17
Ramazan: The Month of Spiritual Striving
In his testament to his sons, Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: When the month of Ramazan arrives, exert yourselves, for surely it is in this month that livelihood is distributed, the hour of death is ordained and the arriving for Hajj is decreed. In it is a night, deeds in which are better than deeds in a thousand months. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 66
Hadith No. 18
Ramazan: The Month of Good Deeds
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: This month of yours (Ramazan) is unlike the other months. Surely, when it approaches you, it does so with blessings and mercy and when it turns away from you, it does so with forgiveness of sins. This is a month in which good deeds are multiplied and of goodness accepted. Wasail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 312
Hadith No. 19
Ramazan: The Blessed Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: Surely, the month of Ramazan, the blessed month, has come to you. The month, whose fasts Allah has made obligatory upon you. In it, the doors of Paradise are opened up and the Satan's fettered, and in it is the Night of Qadr, which is more virtuous than a thousand months. Tahdheeb al-Ahkam, vol. 4, pg. 152
Hadith No. 20
The Month of Ramazan and Seeking Forgiveness
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: It is incumbent upon you to seek forgiveness and supplicate excessively in the month of Ramazan. As for the supplication, by means of it the calamities are warded off from you, and as for the seeking of forgiveness, it erases away your sins. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 88
Hadith No. 21
Opening of the doors of Paradise
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: In it (the month of Ramazan) the doors of Hell are closed and the doors of Paradise opened. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 363
Hadith No. 22
The Month of Ramazan and Itikaf
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), initially observed the Itikaf (spiritual retreat) during the first ten days of the month of Ramazan. Later, he observed it during the middle ten days of the holy month and finally, he observed it during the last 10 days of the month and then continued to do so in the last ten days (for as long as he was alive). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 16, pg. 274
Hadith No. 23
The Month of Ramazan and Divine Books
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: The Torah was revealed on the sixth day of the month of Ramazan, the Bible, on the twelfth night of the month, the Paslms on the eighteenth night of the month and the Quran on the Night of Qadr. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 157
Hadith No. 24
The Best Deed of the Month of Ramazan
During the course of a sermon of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) about the virtues of the month of Ramazan. Imam Ali (A.S.) says: I stood up and asked: O' Prophet of Allah! What is the best deed for this month? Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) replied: O' Abul-Hasan! The best deed for this month is abstinence from that which is forbidden by Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, pg. 190
Hadith No. 25
Losers of the Month of Ramazan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: One who perceives the month of Ramazan and (does not strive in it and hence) is not forgiven, Allah distances him from Himself. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 74, pg. 74
Hadith No. 26
Imam Sajjad (A.S.) and the Month of Ramazan
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: With the advent of the month of Ramazan, Imam Ali Ibn al-Hussain (A.S.) would cease to speak about anything except dua, tasbeeh (glorification of Allah), isteghfar (seeking forgiveness) and takbeer (saying 'Allahu Akbar'). Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 88
Hadith No. 27
Fridays of the Month of Ramazan
Imam Baqir (A.S.) has said: Surely, the Fridays of the month of Ramazan possess an excellence over the Fridays of the other months, just as Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) possesses an excellence over the other prophets. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 69, pg. 376
Hadith No. 28
Seven Excellences of Ramazan Fasting
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: There is no Mu'min, who fasts for a day in the month of Ramazan with the intention of attaining its rewards, except that Allah, The Exalted, grants him seven excellences:
The forbidden food that had entered into his body melts away.
He moves closer to the Mercy of Allah, The Exalted.
Allah expiates his sins.
Allah reduces for him the agony of death.
Allah protects him from the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment.
He is granted pardon from the fire (of Hell).
Allah provides him the good and pleasant food of Paradise.
Mustadrak al-Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 7, pg. 395
Hadith No. 29
Ramazan: The Month of Patience
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: And it (the month of Ramazan) is the month of patience, and surely, the reward of patience is Paradise. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 66
Hadith No. 30
Giving Charity
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: Allah shall ward off 70 kinds of calamities from one who gives charity in the month of Ramazan. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 9, pg. 404
Hadith No. 31
Reward of an Obligatory Act
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: (The rewards of) one, who performs in it (the month of Ramazan) a single act from amongst the obligatory (wajib) acts of Allah, would be like (that of) one, who has performed seventy obligatory acts in the other months. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 307
Hadith No. 32
Night of Decree
Imam Baqir (A.S.) said: In the Night of Qadr is decreed every thing - pleasant and unpleasant, obedience and disobedience, birth and death, and livelihood - which would occur during the course of that year, till the next Night of Qadr. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 157
Hadith No. 33
Increase Prayers in the Month of Ramazan
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: With the advent of the month of Ramazan, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) would increase his Prayers (Salaat); I also increase mine and so, (you) increase yours (too). Tahdheeb al-Akhaam, vol. 3, pg. 60
Hadith No. 34
Eating of sahur
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: Eat your 'sahur' (the morning meal before the start of a fast) even if it is (mere) mouthfuls of water, for the blessings of Allah are upon those who eat the sahur. Tahdheeb al-Akhaam, vol. 4, pg. 198
Hadith No. 35
Hunger and Thirst of the Day of Judgment
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: Bring to mind, by means of your hunger and thirst in it (the month of Ramazan), the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 356
Hadith No. 36
The Call of Allah
Abdullah Ibn al-Abbas Ibn Abd al-Muttalib reports that he heard Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) say: Every night, in the month of Ramazan, Allah, The Blessed and The Exalted, calls out three times: Is there one, who seeks from Me, so that I grant him his wish? Is there one, who turns to me in repentance so that I turn to him (in Mercy)? Is there one, who seeks forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him? Mustadrak al-Wasaail, vol. 7, pg. 429
Hadith No. 37
Ghusl (ablution) on Night of Qadr
Imam Musa Ibn Ja'far (A.S.) said: One, who performs the ghusl on the Night of Qadr and remains awake in it (engaged in worship), shall have all his sins forgiven. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 358
Hadith No. 38
Shield of a Believing Servant
Allah, The Mighty and The Glorious has said: The fasts are the shield of the believing servants on the Day of Judgment, just as your weapons shield you in this world. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol.10, pg. 403
Hadith No. 39
Iftaar for Mu'min
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: One who provides iftaar to a Mu'min in the month of Ramazan, shall be granted the reward of liberating a slave (in the path of Allah) and shall have all his previous sins forgiven. And if he did not possess the means to present anything except milk mixed with water, or a drink of sweet water and a date, Allah would grant him this reward. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 317
Hadith No. 40
Farewell to the Month of Ramazan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) prayed: O' God! Ordain not this month of Ramazan to be the last one for my fasts. But should you ordain it to be so, then make me blessed and leave me not deprived (of Your mercy). Badaabi Az Quran, pg. 398
No comments:
Post a Comment