How to Seek Laylat-ul-Qadr

Laylat ul-Qadr is the most blessed night. A person who misses it has
indeed missed a great amount of good. If a believing personis zealous
to obey his Lord and increase the good deeds in his record, he should
strive to encounter this night and to pass it in worship and
obedience. If this is facilitated for him, all of his previous sins
will be forgiven.
Praying Qiyaam
It is recommended to make a long Qiyaam prayer during the nights on
which Laylat ul-Qadr could fall. This is indicated in many hadeeths,
such as the following:
Abu Tharr (radhiallahu `anhu) relates:
"We fasted with Allah's Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) in
Ramadaan. He did not leadus (in qiyaam) at all until there were seven
(nights of Ramadaan) left. Then hestood with us (that night - in
prayer) until one third of the night had passed. He did not pray with
us onthe sixth. On the fifth night, he prayed with us until half of
the night had passed. So we said, 'Allah's Messenger! Wouldn't you
pray with us the whole night?' He replied:
'Whoever stands in prayer with the imaam until he (the imaam)
concludes the prayer, it is recorded for him that he prayed the whole
night.' …" [Recorded by Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmithi (who
authenticated it), an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, at-Tahawi (in Sharhu Ma`an
il-Athar, Ibn Nasr, al-Faryabi, and al-Bayhaqi. Their isnad is
authentic.]
[Point of benefit: Abu Dawud mentioned: "I heard Ahmad being asked,
'Do you like for a man to pray with the people or byhimself during
Ramadan?' He replied, 'Pray with the people.' I also heard him say, 'I
would prefer for oneto pray (qiyaam) with the imaam and to pray witr
with him as well, for the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
"When a man prays with the imaam until he concludes, it is recorded
that he prayed the rest ofthat night." [Masaa'il]]
Abu Hurayrah (radhiallahu `anhu) narrated that the Messenger
(sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever stands (in qiyaam) in Laylat ul-Qadr[and it is facilitated
for him] out of faith and expectation (of Allah's reward), will have
all of his previous sins forgiven." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim; the
addition "and it is facilitated for him" is recorded by Ahmad from the
report of `Ubaadah Binas-Samit; it means that he is permitted to be
among the sincere worshippers during that blessed night.]
Making Supplications
It is also recommended to make extensive supplication on this night.
`A'ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported that she asked Allah's Messenger
(sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), "O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which
night is Laylat ul-Qadr, what should I say during it?" And he
instructed her to say:
"Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuh.ibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee - O Allah! You
are forgiving, and you loveforgiveness. So forgive me." [Recorded by
Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmithi. Verified to be authentic by
Al-Albani]
Abandoning Worldly Pleasures for the Sake of Worship
It is further recommended to spend more time in worship during the
nights on which Laylat ul-Qadr is likely to be. This calls for
abandoning many worldly pleasures in order to secure the time and
thoughts solely for worshipping Allah.
`A'ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported:
"When the (last) ten started, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa
sallam) would tighten his izaar (i.e. he stayed away from his wives in
order to have more time for worship), spend the wholenight awake (in
prayer), and wake up his family." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And she said:
"Allah's Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) used to exert
more(in worship) on the last tenthan on other nights." [Muslim]

Are there any saheeh ahaadeeth which speak of the ransoming of the living and the dead during Ramadaan?

I heard from someone that Allaah ransoms just one of the dead Muslims
every night, and that He does not ransom any of the living except on
the last night of Ramadaan, when He ransoms the same number as the
number of dead whom Heransomed during the month. Is this true?.
Praise be to Allaah.
After researching the matter, we did not find any ahaadeeth which say
such a thing.
There are ahaadeeth which say that Allaah ransoms people from the Fire
during Ramadaan, and that happens every night.
Some of these ahaadeeth are saheeh (sound), some are da'eef (weak),
and some are mawdoo' (fabricated).
Among the saheeh ahaadeeth which speak ofthat are the following:
1 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaahbe pleased with him)
said:The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "When the first night of Ramadaan comes, the devils and
mischievous jinn are chained up, and the gates of Hell are closed, and
none of its gates are opened. The gates of Paradise are opened and
none of its gates are closed. And a caller cries out: 'O seeker of
good, proceed; O seeker of evil, desist.' And Allaah has people whom
He frees (from the Fire), and that happens every day."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 682; Ibn Maajah, 1642; classed as hasan by
Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 759.
2 – It was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "At every breaking of the fast Allaah has people whom He redeems
from the Fire, and that happensevery night."
Narrated by Ahmad, 21698; Ibn Maajah, 1643; classed as saheeh by
Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.
The da'eef (weak) and mawdoo' (fabricated) ahaadeeth that have
beennarrated on this topic include the following:
1 – The report narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him), according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "When the first night of Ramadaan comes,
Allaah looks at His creation, and if Allaah looks at a person He will
never punish him. And every day Allaah has one thousand thousand whom
He ransoms from the Fire. On the twenty-ninth night Allaah ransoms a
number equivalent to the number whom He has already ransomed during
the entire month."
This is a mawdoo' hadeeth. See Da'eef al-Targheeb, 591 and al-Silsilah
al-Da'eefah, 5468.
2 – It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that he heard the Messenger ofAllaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) say: "Paradise is scented with incense and adorned
throughout the year, in preparation for the beginning of the month of
Ramadaan. On the first night of the month of Ramadaan, a wind called
al-matheerah comes from beneath the Throne… And on each day of the
month of Ramadaan at the time of breaking the fast, Allaah has one
thousand thousand whom He ransoms from the Fire, all of whom deserved
to go to Hell. And on the last day of the month of Ramadaan, Allaah
ransoms on that day a number equivalent to all those whom He
ransomedfrom the beginning of themonth to the end.
This is a mawdoo' hadeeth. See Da'eef al-Targheeb, 594.
3 – It was narrated that al-Hasan said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every night of
RamadaanAllaah has six hundred thousand whom He ransoms from the Fire.
And on the last night Allaah ransoms a number equivalent to those whom
He has already ransomed."
This is a da'eef hadeeth. See Da'eef al-Targheeb, 598.

The reason why fasting is prescribed

What is the reason why fasting is prescribed?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly we must note that one of the names of Allaah is al-Hakeem (the
Most Wise). The word Hakeem is derived from the same root as hukm
(ruling) and hikmah (wisdom). Allaah alone is the One Who issues
rulings, and His rulings arethe most wise and perfect.
Secondly:
Allaah does not prescribe any ruling but there is great wisdom behind
it, which we may understand, or our minds may not be guided to
understand it. We may know some of it but a great deal is hidden from
us.
Thirdly:
Allaah has mentioned the reason and wisdom behind His enjoining of
fasting upon us, as He says (interpretation of themeaning):
"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for
you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become
Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)"
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
Fasting is a means of attaining taqwa (piety, being conscious of
Allaah),and taqwa means doing that which Allaah has enjoined and
avoiding that which He has forbidden.
Fasting is one of the greatest means of helpinga person to fulfil the
commands of Islam.
The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) have mentioned some of
the reasons why fasting isprescribed, all of which are characteristics
of taqwa, but there is nothing wrong with quoting them here, to draw
the attention of fasting people to them and make them keen to attain
them.
Among the reasons behind fasting are:
1 – Fasting is a means that makes us appreciate and give thanks for
pleasures. For fasting means giving up eating, drinking and
intercourse, which are among the greatest pleasures. By giving them up
for a shorttime, we begin to appreciate their value. Because the
blessings of Allaah are not recognized,but when you abstain from them,
you begin to recognize them, so this motivates you to be grateful for
them.
2 – Fasting is a means of giving up haraam things, because if a
person can give up halaal things in order to please Allaah andfor fear
of His painful torment, then he will be more likely to refrain from
haraam things. So fasting is a means of avoiding the things that
Allaah has forbidden.
3 – Fasting enables us to control our desires, because when a person
is full his desires grow, but ifhe is hungry then his desire becomes
weak. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "O young men! Whoever among you can afford to get married, let
him do so, forit is more effective in lowering the gaze and protecting
one's chastity. Whoever cannot do that, let him fast, for it will be
ashield for him."
4 – Fasting makes us feel compassion and empathy towards the poor,
because when the fasting person tastes the pain of hunger for a while,
he remembers those who arein this situation all the time, so he will
hasten to do acts of kindness to them and show compassion towards
them. So fasting is a means of feeling empathywith the poor.
5 – Fasting humiliates and weakens the Shaytaan; it weakens the
effects of his whispers (waswaas) on a person and reduces his sins.
That is because the Shaytaan "flows through the son of Adam like
blood" as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, but fasting narrows the passages through which the Shaytaan
flows, so his influence grows less.
Shaykh al-Islam said in Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 25/246
Undoubtedly blood is created from food and drink, so when a person
eats and drinks, the passages through which the devils flow – which is
the blood – become wide.But if a person fasts, the passages through
which the devils flow become narrow, so hearts are motivated to do
good deeds, and to give up evil deeds.
6 – The fasting person is training himself to remember that Allaah is
always watching, so he gives up the things that he desires even though
heis able to take them, because he knows that Allaah can see him.
7 – Fasting means developing an attitude of asceticism towards this
world and its desires, and seeking that which is withAllaah.
8 – It makes the Muslim get used to doing a great deal of acts of
worship, because the fasting person usually does more acts of worship
and gets used to that.
These are some of the reasons why fasting is enjoined. We ask Allaah
tohelp us to achieve them and to worship Him properly.
And Allaah knows best.

Categories of rulings onfasting

What are the categories of rulings on fasting?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The categories of rulings are five: obligatory (waajib), forbidden
(muharram), encouraged (mustahabb), disliked (makrooh) and permissible
(mubaah). These five rulings have been narrated with regard to
fasting. We cannot list everything that comes under each of these
rulings, but we will mention what we can.
1 – Obligatory fasts
(i) The Ramadaanfast
(ii) Making up missed Ramadaan fasts
(iii) Expiatory fasts (expiation for accidental killing,
expiation for zihaar (a form of jaahili divorce), expiation for having
intercourse during the day in Ramadaan, andexpiation for breaking an
oath)
(iv) Fasting for the pilgrim who does tamattu' in Hajj if
he does not have a sacrificial animal. "and whosoever performs the
'Umrah in the months of Hajj, before(performing) the Hajj, (i.e.
Hajj-at-Tamattu' and Al-Qiraan), he must slaughter a Hady such as he
can afford, but if he cannot afford it, he shouldobserve Sawm (fasts)
three days during the Hajjand seven days after his return (to his
home)" [al-Baqarah 2:196 – interpretation of the meaning].
(v) Fasting in fulfilment of a vow
2 – Mustahabb (encouraged) fasts
(i) Fasting the day of 'Ashoora'
(ii) Fasting the dayof 'Arafah
(iii) Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays each week
(iv) Fasting three days of each month
(v) Fasting six days of Shawwaal
(vi) Fasting most of the month of Sha'baan
(vii) Fasting the month of Muharram
(viii) Fasting alternatedays – which is the best offasting
All of these are proven in hasan and saheeh ahaadeeth, and may be
found on this site.
3 – Makrooh (disliked) fasts
(i) Singling out Friday for fasting – because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not fast
on a Friday unless you fast a day before or a day afterwards." Agreed
upon
(ii) Singling out Saturday for fasting – because the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not
fast on Saturdays apart from days when you are obliged to fast, even
if one of you cannot find anything other than grape stalks or the bark
ofa tree (to suck on, to make sure that he is not fasting)." Narrated
by al-Tirmidhi, 744, who classed it as hasan. Also narrated by Abu
Dawood, 2421; Ibn Maajah, 1726; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Irwa' al-Ghaleel, 960.
Al-Tirmidhi said: What is meant by its being makrooh is that a man
should not single out Saturday for fasting because the Jews venerate
Saturday. End quote.
4 – Forbidden fasts
(i) Fasting on Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and thedays of
Tashreeq, which are the three days after Eid al-Adha.
(ii) Fasting on the "day of doubt" – which is the
thirtieth of Sha'baan, if the sky was cloudy and the new moon could
not be sighted. But if the sky was clear there can be no doubt.
(iii) Fasts observed by women who are menstruating and
bleeding following childbirth.
5 – Permissible fasts – these are fasts that do notcome under any of
the four headings mentioned above.
What is meant by permissible here is that there is no report enjoining
or forbidding fasting on this day in particular, such as Tuesdays and
Wednesdays, even thoughin principle, observing a voluntary fast is an
act of worship that is encouraged.