Category Archives: Fasting
Blessing of Ramadan (Video Series)
Big Nights and Days of Islam: Eid
It was narrated from Hazrat Abu Umaamah radi Allaahu ‘anhu: “Whoever spends the nights of the two ‘Eids in praying voluntary night prayers, seeking reward from Allah, his heart will not die on the Day when hearts will die.†[Ibn Majah, Hadeeth #1782]
Hazrat Aysha radi Allaahu ‘anhaa related: “God the Exalted showers goodness (khayr) in abundance during four nights; the Nights of Aá¸á¸¥Ä and Fiá¹r (i.e. the night of the two ʿĪds), the Night of Mid-ShaÊ¿bÄn in which deaths and provisions are determined as are the pilgrimages written, and the evening of Ê¿Arafa until the call to prayer.†[Kanz ul-Ê¿Ummaal, Vol #12, Hadeeth #35215][1]
It is related from Hazrat Mu’aadh ibn Jabal radi Allaahu ‘anhu that whoever observes the night vigil during the following five nights has heaven made obligatory on him: the 8th, 9th and 10th nights of Dhul Hijjah, fourth is the night of Eid-ul-Fitr and fifth is the 15th night of Sha’baan. [At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, Vol #2, Hadeeth #2]
Hazrat Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allaahu ‘anhumaa relates: When the blessed night of Eid-ul-Fitr arrives, it is called “Laylatul Jaaizah†which means “the night of reward.†When the morning of Eid comes in, Allah sends His innocent angels to all the cities. As a result these angels come to the earth and stand at the head of every street and call out: “Oh Ummah of Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam! Come to the Court of that Divine Lord who bestows copiously and forgives the greatest of sins!â€
Then Allah addresses His creatures as follows: “O My servants! Ask! What would you like to ask? By My Honor and Majesty! Today at this gathering (of the Eid prayer) whatever you will ask Me related to your Hereafter I Will Fulfill it. And whatever you ask related to your dunya, I Will do whatever is best for you. By My Honor! As long as you pay heed to Me, I will also cover your faults. By My Honor and Majesty! I will not disappoint you with the transgressors. Now return to your homes forgiven! You have pleased Me and I am also pleased with you!†[At-Targheeb wat Tarheeb, Vol #2, Hadeeth #23]
Hazrat Syedna Wahb bin Munabbah radi Allaahu ‘anhu relates: Whenever Eid arrives, shaytaan cries out loudly. Seeing his almost faintly state, the other devils gather around him and ask: O master! Why are you angry and sad? He says: Alas! Today, Allah has forgiven Ummat-ul-Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). Therefore you lure them into sensual pleasures and selfish desires. [Mukaashafa-tul Quloob of Hazrat Imam Ghazali rahmatullah alayh, p.308]
The Prophet’s (Prayers and Peace of Allah Be upon him) Sermon on the Last Day of Sha’ban
It has been reported by Bayhaqi, Shu’b-al-Iman Bahaar-e-Shariat that Hazrat Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) once said that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) delivered the following sermon on the last day of Sha’ban:
“O people, a mighty month has cast its protective shade to screen you. A blessed month in which there is a night that is better than a thousand months! Allah has made keeping the fast therein an obligatory religious duty and the observance of the night vigil therein a voluntary practice. If someone seeks to draw near [to the Lord] there in by setting just one example of good conduct, or performs just one religious obligation, that person will be exactly the same as someone who discharges seventy religious obligations during all the other months of the year.
It is the month of patient endurance, and the reward for patient endurance is the Garden of Paradise. It is the month of charitable sharing, and it is the month in which the sustenance of the true believer is increased. So, if someone provides a breakfast meal [Iftaar] for a person who is keeping fast, this will result in forgiveness for his sins, and in his emancipation from the Fire of Hell. The benefactor will also be granted a reward equivalent to that earned by the recipient of generosity, but without anything at all being deducted from the reward due to the latter.
Allah will grant this reward to anyone who gives some kind of breakfast nourishment to a person who is keeping the fast, even if it is merely dried dates, a drink of water, or a cup of diluted milk.
It is a month the beginning of which is mercy, the middle of which is a forgiveness, and the last part of which is a deliverance from the Fire of Hell. So, if a slave-holder lightens the burden borne by his slave* in this month, Allah will forgive him and grant him freedom from the Fire of Hell.
Furthermore, if someone provides a satisfying breakfast meal, in the course of this month, for a person who is keeping the fast, Allah (Exalted is He) will give the benefactor a drink from my Basin, after which he will never feel thirsty again.â€
Extracted from IECRC’s Ramadan: The Month of Patience, Empathy and Self Purification (includes essentials prayers related to Ramadan)
*Please note that slavery as understood by the modern world is prohibited in Islam. This refers to anyone who is under one’s payroll providing services.
