4. Some Special Distinctions of the Holy Month of Ramadhan
Regarding special distinctions of the Holy Month of Ramadhan and spread
of Allah's blessings during this month, a lot of important points have been
mentioned in narrations — the points which could be useful and constructive
for those who possess an enlightened heart and sense of understanding.
Following is a brief description of those narrations:
1. Allah (the glorious, the exalted), pardons seventy million people,
who are being punished in the Hell, at the time of Fast-breaking
(iftar)during each night of the Holy Month of Ramadhan,
and at the end of the Holy Month forgives an additional number of sinners
equivalent to the total sum of those pardoned during the entire month.
2. On the first night of the Holy Month of Ramadhan, Allah (the
glorious, the exalted), pardons to whoever he pleases, and during each night
pardons twice the number pardoned in the previous night, and on the last night,
forgives twice the number of sinners pardon during entire month.
3. In this regard, the most famous tradition is the sermon of the Holy Prophet
(S.A.W.) which has been reported by Sayyid ibne Taoos in his
( 40 )
book Iqbal, quoted from Imam al-Rida (A.S.)
1 who heard from his
father, who quoted from the Commander of the Faithful Imam 'Air (AS.) who said:
One day the Holy Prophet (S.A. W.) delivered the following sermon about the Holy
Month of Ramadan: oh people! The Month of Allah with blessing mercy and pardon has
came to you, a month which is the best month among all months before Allah; its
days are the best days; its nights are the best nights and its hours are the
best hours. It is month in which you have been invited by the Lord for a
feast, and have been selected as the recipient of this special favor.
Your breathings merit the reward of praise, while your sleeping in this
month earns the reward of a worship. In this month your deeds are
accepted and prayers are granted.
Therefore, with true intention and pure hearts beseech the Lord to
bestow upon you His special favor to be able to observe fasting and recite the
Holy Qur'an. Because the most unfortunate and wretched one is the one who
remains deprived from Allah's pardon during this great month. With your thirst
and hunger remind yourself about the thirst and hunger of the Day-of-Judgment;
pay charity to poor and destitute people, pay respect to elders; be kind towards
youngsters, and observe the bonds of relationship with your kith and kins.
Watch your tongues, cover your eyes from seeing forbidden objects and prevent your
ears from hearing forbidden affairs. Be kind
____________
1— Imam al-Ridha (AS): (148-765-203/817), the son of the seventh Imam, he
lived in a period when the Abbasids were faced with increasing difficulties because
of Shi'ite revolts. Finally the caliph al-Ma'mun thought he would solve the problem
by naming the Imam as his own successor, hoping thus to ensnare him in wordly
affairs and turn the devotion of his followers away fom him. After finally being able
to persuade al-Ridha (A.S.) to accept, al-Ma'0mun realized his mistake, for Shi'ism
began to spread even more rapidly. Finally he is said to have had the Imam poisoned.
He is buried in Mashhad in Iran [Tr].
( 41 )
to the orphans of the people so that the others are kind towards your orphans.
Repent for your sins and at the time of prayer raise your hands upward, because these
hours are the best hours in which Allah looks towards mankind with mercy and compassion.
Their hymns are granted, their cries are heard. Whatever they ask is bestowed upon them
and their prayers are fulfilled.
Oh people! Your selves are mortgaged against your's deeds and therefore,
by means of repentance make yourself free. Your back has become too much heavy
due to sins; by prolongation of your prostration make yourself light-burdened.
Know that! Allah has taken the oath of his majesty and splendor that he will
not punish those who offer prayers and bows down in prostration, and on the
Day-of-Judgment will not scare them through Hell's fire.
Oh people! Whoever in this month will make arrangements for the fast-breaking
(iftar) of a believer will be bestowed upon the reward of equal to freeing of
a slave and all of his past sins shall be pardoned. He was asked: 'Oh
prophet of Allah! But all of us are not in a position to arrange the
fast-breaking of a fast-observer.' The Prophet replied: 'protect yourself
from the Hell's fire and offer fast-breaking even if it happens to be a
piece of date with a glass of sharbet.'
Oh people! Whoever makes his conduct
better in this month on the Judgment-day will be bestowed upon the
permit for crossing over the Serat. Whoever will open the knots of
difficulties of people's affairs in this month, the Lord on the Judgment-day
will make the accounting of his deeds easier.
Whoever makes people immune from his
mischief Allah on the Judgment-Day will make him immune from his
wrath. Whoever treats an orphan with respect, on the Judgment-day, Allah
will treat him with honor. Whoever take care to strengthen family bonds with
relatives, Allah will extend His blessing upon him on the Judgment -Day, and
whoever will cut off his family ties, Allah too will deprive him from His
blessing on the Judgment-day.
( 42 )
Whoever offers supererogatory prayers in this month, Allah will
register for him immunity from the fire. Whoever performs a
compulsory deed in this month, will be bestowed the reward of seventy
compulsory deeds performed in other months. Whoever offers
a lots of salutation upon me in this month, on the Judgment-day, Allah will
make the balance of his righteous deeds heavier. Whoever recites one single
verse of the Holy Qur'an during this month will be bestowed the reward of
finishing the entire Holy Qua in in other months.
Oh people! The gates of Paradise are opened in this month, beseech
Allah that it should not be closed upon you .The doors of Hell are
closed, and ask Allah that they are not opened upon you. The devils
are chained in this month, ask Allah not to allow them to take-over your control.
Imam Alt (A.S.) said: 'Oh Prophet of Allah which one is the best deed
during this month?' The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) replied: `Oh Abul Hasan!
The most supreme deed in this month is piety and renunciation of divine
forbidden acts.' Then the Holy Prophet
(S.A. W.) cried. 'Oh Prophet of Allah! What has caused you to cry:' Asked Imam Alt
(A.S.). 'Oh 'Alt! What would happen to you during this month. As I can see you
standing in prayer whispering with your Lord, the most wretched person comes and
with a heavy blow of his sword makes your beard colored with your blood.'
'Oh Prophet of Allah! Would I be steadfast upon my religion on that day?' Asked Imam
'Alt (A.S): 'Yes! You would be steadfast on your faith:' Said the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.).
Then he said: 'Oh Ali? Who ever would kill you, would kill me; whoever would engage in
ill-speaking against you would vilificate me, because, you are from me; your's soul is
my soul; your's nature is my nature; Allah has created, me and you; He had bestowed
exaltedness upon me and you — prophet hood (nabuwwat) for me, and vicegerency (imamat)
for you; whoever has not accepted your vicegerency has not believed in my prophethood
either; oh Ali you are my executor and successor, you are the father of my children,
you are the husband of my
( 43 )
daughter;
you are the caliph of my community (ummah)1 during my life time
as well as after my demise; your orders are my orders; your
prohibition is my prohibition; I swear to
Allah who has bestowed upon me prophet hood and made me His most
distinguished servant that —you are Allah's proof upon His creatures; you
are the trustee of His secrets; and you are Allah's vicegerent (caliph) upon
His bondsman.
4. The most important and expilicit tradition about this
month is prophet's cursing for some one
who did nothing for his own forgiveness while the entire Holy Month
passed away. The Holy Prophet has said:
May Allah never forgive some one who spent
the entire Holy Month without being able to receive forgiveness.
Comments
As far as the Holy Prophet's (S.A.W.)
himself is a source of mercy and
favor for the people, and is blessing for the humanity, he will never
curse a Muslim even if he happens to be a
sinner. Therefore, it must be said — that with this curse the prophet
desired to give the good tidings of Allah's blessing and abundance of His
favors during this Holy Month.
5. The most important and hopeful traditions which have been
narrated about this month — are plenty of
narrations about chaining of
devils, closing of the Hell's doors, openings of the Paradise's gates, and
Allah's proclaimer announcing the open invitation for the people from
the beginning till the end of month. Such
special distinctions from the
beginning till the end of month have not been mentioned for any other
month. In other months only the last one third nights possess such special
____________
1— ummah: the entire Islamic community without territorial or ethnic distinction [Tr].
( 44 )
merits except Friday-nights — all of them possess meits, as well as
the Holy Month of Rajab whose all nights possess such merits.
6. Some other samples of hopeful narrations about this month are
the narrations which indicate the special merit of this month is the
acceptance of prayers by Allah (the glorious, the exalted),
as the Holy Qur'an says:
Beseech Me so that I may grant your wishes.
the Holy Qur'an (15: 60).
After referring to some of the above-mentioned traditions, here it must
be added that the ponts emphasized therein possess higher exalled
distinctions, and those who are worthy and knowledable recognise these
distinctions as well as know that Allah (the glorious, the exalted), in
this manner, has bestowed upon us what sort of great favors. From this
aspect happy, pleased, and with joyful heart accept them, thank and
praise Allah (the glorious, the exalted), for His love and compassion,
and thus in this manner get benefitted from these things. But the
negligent and the deniers in proportion to the degree of their
negligence, denial, and thanklessness might be benifitted a little
or not at all.
Comment
It has been said that some people do not consider chaining of devils
during this month as very effective. May be the acceptance of fastening
of devils was difficult for them, or did not appreciated its meanings
correctly, even though the effect of fastening of devils during this
month is quite expilcit; the worshiping and obedience during this month
become significantly effective, the good deeds become more, the number
of sinful and evil deeds diminish, which all together indicates the
result of fastening of devils.
( 45 )
And the one who knows, the reality of Satan and His tactics and tricks
upon human beings, should apprciate that this very abstinence form
eating and drinking, especially if accompanied with abstinence from
over-talking, prevents fast-observer's heart from Satanic influences,
the point which has been emphasized in the following narration:
Stop the path of Satanic influence upon your self through hunger.
Yes! This tremendous increase in worship and good deeds of people during
the Holy Month of Ramadhan in itself is an explicit and undeniable
indication of fastening of devils. Of course, those who are
knowledgable know that this fastening of devils does not applies to
fastening of all the devils. This point has also been explained in the
traditions whereby the fastening of devils has been referred especially
for the most rebellious devils.
4.1. A Few Reminders
We know that in this month Allah (the glorious, the exalted), has
bestowed His blessing upon us, has invited us to His table of
benevolence and compassion. Here I would like to add that in accordance
of the decree of
Sharial, wisdom , and common practice
when the breeze of Allah's love and mercy breezes, all are obliged that
for the sake of achieving His-nearness and consent, must accept it with
thank and pleasure and must present themselves as obedient servants, or
at least in a decent manner with pleasing words, must respond to the
Proclaimer of the Holy
____________
1—Sharia:
the all embracing law of Islam derived from the Qur'an the normative
practice and authoritative pronouncements of the Prophet (S.AW.), and a
number of secondary sources [Tr].
( 46 )
Month — the angel who invites people to divine feast and gives them glad
tidings of Allah's blessing and forgiveness. And in this reply must
indicate their thanks, appreciation, and indebtness and should ask
Allah's pardon for their negligences and omissions.
And it would be much better if they consider the Proclaimer Angel of
the Month as the messanger from the emperor, who has came before
them for extending on invitation to the emperor's feast, as well as to
give them the glad tidings that how much the emperor likes and desires
them, what sort of gifts, rewards, and precious robes he has stored for
them, and even has called them for a private union with him so that they
could become His friends, confidents and companions. Then they should
think that if really such a royal herald would have brought royal
invitation for them, wouldn't they had accepted it with a lot of
enthuisiasm and excitement? And in order to accomplish it, wouldn't
they had sacrificed every thing belonging to them?
Therefore, think about the majesty, splendor and glory of the Lord,
who is the King of all the kings, and must remember about all that love
and favors towards us, in order to appreciate how to respond to His
invitation. I have earlier explained
1 in the etiquettes of the Holy Month of
Rajabas how to respond to
the call of Lord's messenger. The same reply should be recited for the
Holy Month of Ramadhan with some minor variation . And it would be
better if this reply should be recited on the first night at the
beginning of the Holy Month as well as should be recited at some other
special timings.
Granting of servant's prayers and acceptance of their wishes is another
breeze which breezes during this month, and it is up to us to be
benefited and positioning our self across the blowing direction, by
engaging into prayers and supplications as much as possible whether
be it prayers of our own or the prayer recited through the tongue of
Sinless Imams of the Prophet's Holy Progeny
—Ahlul-Bait (A.S.),
i.e. recital of
____________
1— The author is referring to etiquette of Holy Month of Rajab in his
original text, which has not been translated in to Englishas
yet [Tr].
( 47 )
prayers which have been reported as compiled by those noble ones.
Also it would be appropriate if we must ponder and take a penetrating
benevolent look regarding the Qur'anic verses which have been revealed
in this context such as:
My Lord wouldn't concern Himself with you but for your prayer.
• the Holy Qur'an (25:77).
Pray unto Me and I will hear your prayer. Lo! those who
scorn My service, they, will enter Hell, disgraced.
• the Holy Qur'an (40:60).
And when My servants question thee
concerning Me, then surely I am nigh. I answer the preyer of the
suppliant when he crieth unto me. So let them hear my call and let
them trust in me in order that they may be led aright..
• the Holy Qur'an (2:186).
the Is not He (best) who answerth the wronged one when he crieth unto
Him and removeth the evil.
• the Holy Qur'an (27:62).
( 48 )
If only, when our diaster came on them, they had been humble!
• the Holy Qur'an (6:43).
Ask Allah of His bounty. Lo! Allah is ever knower of all things.
• the Holy Qur'an (4:32).
