Ramadan Articles - How the Salaf Observed Ramadhan

Brother and sister Muslims, may the peace, mercy and blessings of
Allah be upon you.
I send you this message filled with love and greetings. I send it to
youfrom a heart that loves you for the sake of Allah and I ask Him to
bring us together in the abode of His Benedictions and Mercy.
On the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan, I extend to youthis
advise as a humble gift which I hope you willaccept with an open mind
and that in turn, you advise me. May Allah protect you and take careof
you.
How do we receive the blessed month of Ramadan? Allah the Almighty says,
"You who believe, fastinghas been prescribed for you as it was
prescribed for those before you that you may attain piety"[Qur'an
2:183].
My esteemed brothers and sisters:
Allah has distinguished Ramadan from other months with many meritsand
virtues which include:
*.The bad breath from the mouth of a fasting person is sweeter to
Allah than the fragrance of musk.
*.The angels ask forgiveness for those fasting until they break their fast.
*.Allah beautifies His Paradise each day and says, "My righteous
servants are about to be spared suffering andharm, then they will be
sent to you."
*.The devils are chained during the month.
*.The doors of Paradise are opened while thoseof Hell are locked.
*.The night, Laylat al-Qadr, which is better than a thousand months
occurs in this month. Whoever is deprived of the good ofthis night has
indeed been deprived of goodness altogether.
*.Those fasting receive forgiveness on the last night of Ramadan.
*.Allah saves people from Hellfire during each night of Ramadan.
My esteemed brother andsister:
How then do we receive the month containing these merits and virtues?
Is it by occupying ourselves with playfulness and spendingour nights
with non-beneficial things? Or do we feel burdened andpanic at its
arrival? We seek refuge with Allah from such attitudes. The righteous
servants of Allah welcome it with repentance and true determination to
reap its benefits and fully utilize its precious time. They ask Allah
to help them perform their acts of worship in the best manner. I
therefore present to you my dear brothers and sisters, the righteous
deeds that are stressed during Ramadan.
1.Fasting (Sawm):
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said,"Every good deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied. He will
receive ten-fold to seven-hundred-fold reward for a good deed. Allah
the Glorious and Majestic has said 'but fasting is exceptional, for it
is donefor Me and I will give reward for it, since one abandons his
passion and food for My sake. There are two occasions of joy for one
who fasts, joy when he breaks it and joy when he meets his Lord; and
the breath (of an observer of fast) is sweeter to Allah than the
fragrance of musk."[Related by AI-Bukhari and Muslim].
Undoubtedly, this great reward will not be for those who only abstain
from food and drink, but as the Prophet (pbuh) said,"Whoever does not
abandon obscene speechand evil action, Allah does not need his
refraining from eating and drinking."[Related by Al-Bukharij. The
Prophet (pbuh) also said,"Fasting is a shield. Whenanyone of you is
fasting on a day, he should neither indulge in obscene language, nor
raise his voice; rather if anyone reviles him or quarrels with him, he
should say, 'I am fasting."'[Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Therefore when you fast, servant of Allah, let your hearing, sight,
tongue and all your limbs fast, so that your fasting and non-fasting
days are not the same.
2.Praying Qiyam Al-Layl:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh.) said,"He who observes the fast 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 says,
"And the servants of Allahmost gracious 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 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 (may Allah be pleased with her)
said,"Do not abandon qiyam al-layl, for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)
never left it. If he was not well or he felt heavy, he prayed
sitting."
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, used to pray at night what he wished, until it
was in the middle of the night, when he would wake up 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
onewho does not?"[Qur'an 39:9].
He said that was referring to Uthman Ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased
with him). Ibn Abi Hatim said Ibn Umar said that it was due to the
length of the prayer of the commander of the faithful, Uthman, at
nightand his recitation to the extent that he may have recited the
entire Qur an in one rak'ah.
Alqamah Ibn Qays narrated, "I slept with Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (mayAllah
be pleased with him) one night. He woke up in the early part of
thenight and began to pray. He recited with a recitation similar to
that of the neighborhood 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. Hethen performed witr prayer."
Furthermore, Al-Sa'ib Ibn Zayd narrated in a hadiththat the reciter
would recite (the Qur'an) with hundreds of verses such that we
supported ourselves with staves dueto the lengthiness of the prayer
and did not leave until the time of fajr (dawn prayer).
Caution: Brother Muslim, you have to complete thetarawih prayer with
the imam in order to be reckoned as one of those who stood (the night)
in prayer. The Prophet (pbuh) 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 stoodthe night in
prayer."[Related by compilers of sunan books].
3.Charity (Sadaqah):
The Prophet (pbuh) was the most generous of people, and he was most
generous during Ramadan. He was more generous with good deeds than the
blowing wind. The Messenger of Allah also said,"The best charity is
one given during Ramadan."[Related by Al-Tirmidhi from Anas].
Zayd Ibn Aslam narrated from his father as saying,"I heard Umar Ibn
Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) say, 'The Messenger of
Allah (pbuh) commanded us to donate to charity, so I gave some of my
wealth. Then I said, 'Today I will compete with Abu Bakr ifI can ever
do so.' Then I donated half of my wealth. The Messenger ofAllah (pbuh)
asked me,'What did you leave for your family?'He said, 'I said the
same as what I gave out.' But Abu Bakr brought all of his wealth and
the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked him,'What did you leave for your
family?'He replied, 'Ileft them with Allah and His Messenger,' I said,
'I will never compete with you for anything again.
Talha Ibn Yahya Ibn Talhanarrated, "My grandmother Sa'da bint Awf
AI-Mariyah who was the wife of Talha Ibn Ubaydullah related to
me,'Talha came to me one day disconcerted. So I asked him, 'Why is it
that I see you with a gloomy face? What is the matter with you? Is
there anything that I can help you with?" He said, "No, you are a
faithful Muslim wife." I said, "Then what is the matter?" He said,"The
wealth that I have has increased and that disturbs me." I said,"Don't
worry, distribute it." She said, 'He divided it until not even a
single diniam was left." Talha Ibn Yahya said: "I asked the custodian
of Talha's property how much the amount was." He said, 'Four hundred
thousand."'
Therefore dear brothers and sisters, charity during Ramadan has
special significance, so hasten to give it out according to your
means.Charity takes many forms.
a) Feeding the Needy:
Allah the Almighty says,
"And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and
the captive, (saying), 'We feed you for the sakeof Allah Alone. No
rewards do we desire from you, nor thanks. Weonly fear a Day of
frowning and stress fromthe side of our Lord.' But Allah will deliver
them from the evil of that day, and will spread over them brightness
and a (blissful) joy. And becausethey were patient and constant, He
will reward them with a garden (and garments of) silk."[Qur'an
76:8-12].
The Salaf used to ensure feeding others and they placed it before many
acts of worship, and it is equally rewarded whether you feed a hungry
person or a good Muslim brother of yours. Hence, poverty is not a
condition for feeding a person.
The Messenger of Allah (')buh) said,"When a believer feeds a hungry
believer, Allah will feed him from the fruits of Paradise. And when he
quenches the thirst of a believer, Allah will make him drink from the
pure sealed wine of Paradise."[Related by Al-Tirmidhi with a good
chain of narration].
Some of our pious predecessors said, "For me to invite ten of my
friends and feed them with a meal that they likeis better for me then
freeing ten of the descendants of (Prophet) Isma'il." Many among the
Salaf used to leave their food for breaking the fast for others. They
included Abdullah Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), Dawud
Al-Ta'i, Malik Ibn Dinar and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. Ibn Umar did not break
his fast except withthe orphans and the needy. Sometimes, if he
learned that his family had turned back the orphans and the needy, he
would not break the fast that night. Also among the Salaf were those
who fed their brother Muslims while they still continued to fast. They
also served them and attended to their well-being. Among them were
AI-Hassan Al-Basri and Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak.
Abu Al-Sawar Al-'Adwi said, "Some men from Banu Adiy tribe used to
pray in the mosque. Noneof them ever broke the fast alone with his
food. If he found someone to share with, he ate with him, if not, he
would take it to the mosque, so that others ate with him and he ate
with others. Feeding other people is an act of worship which triggers
many other acts of worship. Ties of love and brotherliness are
strengthened between you and the person you feed and that may lead you
to Paradise." The Prophet (pbuh) said,"Youwill not enter Paradise
until you believe and youwill not believe until you love one
another."This deed will keep you close to righteous people and Allah
will reward you as the food you provide helps them with their acts of
obedience (to Allah).
b) Providing Food to Break the Fast:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,"Whoever feeds a fasting person
will have a reward equal to that of the fasting person, without any
reduction in his reward."[Related by Ahmad and Al-Nasai. Also verified
by Al-Albani as sahih]. In a hadith narrated by Salman Al-Farisi, the
Prophet (pbuh) said,"Whoever feeds a fasting person, will be
recompensed with forgiveness of sins and salvation from Hell. He will
receive the same reward as the fasting person without causing him any
reduction (in his reward)."(The Companions) said, 'Messenger of Allah,
not all of us can find something to feed a fasting person.' The
Prophet (pbuh) said,'Allah will give this reward to he who feeds a
fasting person with a sip of milk or a piece of dates, or a sip of
water. And Allah will make him who quenches the thirst of a fasting
person to drink from my cistern a drink that he will never feel
thirsty until he entersParadise (where there is no thirst)."
4.Intensifying the Recitation of the Qur'an:
I will remind you dear brother of two actions of the pious Salaf of this Ummah:
a) Undertaking Much Recitation of the Qur 'an:
The month of Ramadan isthe month of the Qur'an. The Muslim must
therefore recite the Qur'an a great deal. The Salaf used to pay
particular attention to the Book of Allah, and angel Jibril (Gabriel)
usedto study the Qur'an with the Prophet (pbuh) during Ramadan.
UthmanIbn Affan used to complete reciting the Qur'an once each day.
Some of the Salaf also completed the Qur an in their qiyam prayer
every three nights. Others completed it every seven days, while some
others completed it every ten nights. They used to recite the Qur'an
during prayers and at other times. During Ramadan, Al-Shafi'i used to
complete reciting the Qur'an sixty times, excluding prayer times.
AI-Aswad used to complete reciting the Qur'an every two nights. Qatada
regularly completed the Qur'an within seven nights, while during
Ramadan, he completed it every three nights, but in the last ten days
of Ramadan,he completed it every night. When Ramadan came, Al-Zuhri
left studying the hadith and study circles with scholars and he
concentrated on reciting the Qur'an from the book(i.e. not from
memory).
Also, when Ramadan came, Sufyan Al-Thawri left all other acts of
worship and concentrated on the Qur'an.
Ibn Rajab said that it was reported from the Prophet (pbuh) that the
Qur'an may not be completed in less than three days by those who
recite it constantly. As for the blessed times such as Ramadan,
especially during the nights of expecting Laylat al-Qadr or when in
holy places such as Makkah for those not inhabiting it, it is
recommended that the recitation of the Qur'an be increased in order to
benefit from the blessings of the time and the place. This is the
opinion of Ahmad, Ishaq and others among the distinguished scholars.
Aswe indicated earlier, the actions of other scholars also support
this view.
b) Weeping During the Recitation of the Qur'an:
It was not reported from the Salaf that they chanted the Qur'an like
poetry without pondering and understanding (its meanings); rather,
they were moved by the Words of Allah, and they in turn changed the
hearts of others with it. In a hadith in AI-Bukhari, Abdullah Ibn
Mas'ud (mayAllah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah
(pbuh) said,'Recite (the Qur'an) to me.'Then I said, 'How can I recite
to you when it was revealedto you?' The Prophet (pbuh) said,'I like to
hearit from someone else."' Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud said,"I recited the
Qur'an fromSurah Al-Nisa' until I reached the verse that says,'How
will it be then, when We bring from every nation a witness and bring
you to witness over all of them"'[Qur'an 4:41]. The Prophet
(pbuh)said,'That is enough.'I turned to the Prophet (pbuh) and found
his eyes flooding with tears."'
Al-Bayhaqi related from Abu Hurayrah that he said, "When the verse of
the Qur'an that says'Do you then wonder at this recital (the Qur'an)
and you laugh at it and weep not.'[Qur'an 53:59-60] was revealed, the
Companions residing in the Suffah, (the courtyard of the Prophet's
mosque) wept until tears began to trickle down their cheeks." When the
Prophet (pbuh) heard their weeping, he wept with them and his weeping
made us weep. The Messenger of Allah said,"The person who weeps in
humility to Allah will not enter Hell."
Ibn Umar read surah Al-Mutaffifin until he reached'...the Day when
(all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds...'[Qur'an
83:6]. He wept to such an extent that he fell to the ground and could
not move on to the next verses. Furthermore, Muzahim Ibn Zafar
related, "Sufyan Al-Thawn lead us in maghrib prayer, and when he
reached'You (Alone) do we worship and You (Alone) do we ask for
help'[Qur'an 1:5], he began to weep so thathis recitation was
disrupted. So he started from Alhamdulillah again."
It has been reported that Ibrahim Al-Ash'ath said,"One night, I heard
Fudhayl Ibn Ayadh reciting this verse of the Qur'an, repeatedly as he
wept,'And We shall try you until We test those among you who strive
their utmost and persevere in patience, and We shall test your facts
(whether true or false)'[Qur'an 47:31] But he kept on saying the words
of Allah,'And We shall test your facts', thenhe would say, 'And You
will test our facts? If You test our facts, You will disgrace us and
expose our secrets. Indeed if Youdo that, You will destroy us and
punish us,' and hewould continue crying.
5.Sitting in the MosqueUntil Sunrise
"When the Prophet (pbuh) prayed fajr prayer, he sat in his prayer
place until sunrise." [Related by Muslim].
At-Tirmidhi narrated from Anas that the Prophet (pbuh) said,"Whoever
prays fajr in the congregation and remains seated, remembering Allah
until sunrise, then performs two rak"at; it will be for him as the
reward of complete Hajj and Umrah."[Verified by Al-Albani as sahih].
This is the reward promised for everyday, so how will it be for Ramadan?
Dear brother, may Allah protect you, have a good sleep at night to
assist you in getting this great reward. Also, emulate righteous
people and train your soul to strive for the pleasure of Allah. Have
high aspirations to reach the highest of the grades of Paradise.
6.Observing I'tikaf:
The Prophet (pbuh) used to observe I'tikaf during ten days of Ramadan.
Butin the year of his death, he stayed in I'tikaf for twenty days.
[Related by Al- Bukhari). Thus, I'tikaf which means staying in the
mosque continuously for a certain period of time, is an act of worship
that embraces many acts of obedience to Allah, such as reciting the
Qur'an, praying, remembering Allah, supplicating, etc.
The person who has not experienced it might think that is difficult to
bear, but it is easy for whomever Allah makes it easy. Thus, whoever
armshimself with good intentions and true determination, Allah helps
him undertake the task with ease. I'tikaf is stressed more during the
last ten days of Ramadan in anticipation of laylat al-Qadr. It is a
permissibleform of seclusion as the person observing it holdshimself
in seclusion out of obedience to Allah andHis remembrance. He alsocuts
himself off from anything that would distract him from the observance
of I'tikaf His heart is set on all deeds that draw him closer to Allah
and the only desire he has is to do what pleases Allah.
7.Performing Umrah During Ramadan:
It has been established that the Prophet (pbuh) said,"An Umrah
performed in Ramadan isequal in reward to Hajj."[Related by AlBukhari
and Muslim). In another version the Prophet (pbuh) said,"The same
(reward) as performing Hajj with me."So, congratulations to you my
brother (who succeeds) in performing a pilgrimage with the Prophet
(pbuh).
8.Anticipating Laylat Al-Qadr:
Allah the Almighty says,
"We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power. And
what will explain to you what the Night of Power is? The Night of
Power is better than a thousand months."[Qur'an 97:1-3).
The Prophet (pbuh) said,"He who observes laylat al-Qadr with sincere
faithand hope for the reward of Allah will have his past sins
forgiven."[Related by AI-Bukhari and Muslim). The Prophet (pbuh) used
to look out for laylat al-Qadr and commanded his Companions also to
look out for it. He used to wake up his family members during the last
ten nights in the hope that they would succeed in meeting the blessed
night (in worship).
It is related in Musnad Ahmad from Ubada that the Prophet (pbuh
said,"Whoever stays awake in anticipation of laylat al-Qadr, and
succeeds in getting it, will have all of his sins both past and future
forgiven."[AlNasai reported a similar hadith,while Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar
said that its chain meets the conditions for authenticity].
It has been reported that some of our predecessorsamong the Companions
and their successors took a complete bath and used perfume during the
last ten nights (of Ramadan) in anticipationof laylat al-Qadr, which
has been highly honored by Allah.
So those of you who have wasted their time with nothing beneficial,
make up for what you have missed by observingthe night of laylat
al-Qadr, as it is reckoned from your age. Good deeds undertaken in
this night are better than (thedeeds of) a thousand months, and
whoever is deprived of its benefits has indeed been much deprived.
9.Remembering Allah, Supplicating and Seeking Forgiveness
Dear brother, the days and nights of Ramadan are distinguished times,
so seize the opportunity by increasing your remembrance of Allah, and
making supplications, especially during the chosen periods when they
are more acceptable to Allah. These include:
*.When breaking the fast,since the fasting person's supplications are
not rejected.
*.The last third of the night, when our Lord descends and says, "Is
there anyone asking that I may give;is there anyone seeking
forgiveness that I may forgive?"
*.Asking for forgiveness at dawn, as Allah says,"And in the hours of
early dawn, they (were found) praying for forgiveness."[Qur'an 51:18].
*.Looking out for the chosen hour on Friday when supplications are
answered. This hour is most likely to be the last hour of Friday
(before sunset).
Finally, dear brothers andsisters:
After this round in the garden of Paradise, under the shade of
righteous deeds, I would like to draw your attention to an
importantissue. Do you know what that is? It is sincerity. Yes,
sincerity. How so many are the people who fast but benefit nothing
other than hunger and thirst from their fast. And how so many are the
people who stay awake in worship but get nothing other than
sleeplessness and fatigue.May Allah save you and me from that kind of
outcome. Consequently, we find the Prophet (pbuh) stressing this
matter when he said,"(Fasting) with full faith and hoping for a reward
from Allah."The Salaf therefore used to do their righteous deeds
secretly in fear of falling into showing off.
Hence, we find this great Tabi'i, i.e. from the generation succeeding
the Companions of the Prophet, Ayyoub Al-Sakhtiyani, about whom Hamad
Ibn Zayd said, "Sometimes, when studying hadith, Ayyoub would be so
moved and he would turn (away) to blow his nose. Then he would say,
'How severe this cold is! Pretending tobe having a cold to hide his
weeping."
It has been reported that Muhammad Ibn Wasi' said, "I have known men
among whom there is one whose head would be placed beside that of his
wife on the same pillow, so that the part ofthe pillow under his cheek
would become wetfrom tears without his wife noticing it. I have also
known men, who while in the row for prayer, tears would pour down
their cheeks and the one next to them would not notice it. Ayyoub
Al-Sakhtiyani used to remain awake for the entire night (in worship)
yet he would hide it. So when morningcame, he raised his voice as if
he had woken up that instant. Ibn Adiy related that Dawud Ibn Abi Hind
fasted for forty years without his family knowing about it. His
occupation was embroidery, so he would take his lunch along withhim
(to work) but donateit to charity on the way. When he returned at
night, he would break hisfast with the family and they did not know
that he was fasting."
Sufyan Al-Thawri said,"The servant of Allah would do his deeds
secretly, and the devil would persist in tempting him until he
convinces him to do it openly. The devil would then continue to insist
until the person wants to be thanked for the deed. So, it will be
converted from a deed done openlyto one done for showing off."
Amusement During Ramadan:
Dear brothers and sisters,I think I have prolonged my admonition to
you to seize this opportunity. I have taken some of your time, but let
us look together at a very critical phenomenon that we all fall into,
especially during Ramadan. It is the phenomenon of wasting time and
spending it in ways other than obedience to Allah. This indeed means a
lack of awareness and amounts to turning away from theMercy and Bounty
of Allah Who says,
"But whosoever turns away from My Message, Verily for him is a life
narrowed down, and We shall raise Him up blind on the Day of Judgment.
He will say, 'My Lord, whyhave You raised me up blind while I had
sight (before)?' Allah will say, 'Thus did you, when our signs came
upon you, forget them; So will you be this day forgotten. And thus do
we recompense him who transgresses and believesnot in the signs of his
Lord. And the chastisement of the Hereafter is far more grievous and
enduring."[Qur'an 20:124-127].
One feels so much pain inhis heart and is so much dismayed to find
Muslim youth filling the sidewalks and playgrounds during the most
virtuous nights of Ramadan.
How so many are the sinsand forbidden acts committed during the nights
of Ramadan! Yes, the Muslim must be truly concerned about the manner
in which Muslimsspend their time. He mustalso be disturbed to find
Muslim youth spending their time in ways that are not pleasing to
Allah. But do not worry. The path to your happiness and that of your
Muslim brothers is to call them toapply Islamic teachings (i.e. doing
da 'wah) and to make supplications forthem. Yes, da 'wah to those
Muslims who have become unaware of theirIslamic duties, and guiding
them to the Straight Path. Also, make supplications for them in their
absence that Allah may accept it from you and that they do not become
among those deprived of guidance.