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THE MERITS OF RAMADAN
The Holy Prophet (SAW) has mentioned the
merits of Ramadan in a large number of Ahadith, Some of
the translation is as follows:
Salman, the Persian (RA) has reported the
following: "The Holy Prophet (SAW) addressed us on the
last day of Sha'ban wherein he said:
"O men, a great, blessed month has cast its
shadow upon you. It is a month which contains a night far
better than one thousand months, a month Allah has made
it obligatory to fast therein and made it commendable to
stand up praying in its nights. If someone seeks Allah's
nearness by offering an optional act of worship in this
month, it will be as rewarding as to offer an obligatory
worship in other days, and if someone performs an
obligatory act of worship in this month, it will carry as
much reward as the reward of performing seventy
obligatory acts of worship in other days. It is the month
of patience and the reward of patience is Jannah
(Paradise). It is a month of sympathy, a month in which
the provision for a believer is increased. If someone
provides another person with food to make 'Iftar'
(terminate one's fast by eating or drinking something) it
will cause forgiveness to his sins and freeing his neck
from hell and he will be awarded the same thawab as the
fasting person will be rewarded for his fast, without
decreasing his own thawab..
The companions of the Holy Prophet (SAW)
said: "O Messenger of Allah, every one of us does not
have enough food to offer for iftar to another fasting
person." The Holy Prophet (SAW) said. "This thawab will
also be given to a person who offers to a fasting person
one date or a drink of water or a little milk for his
iftar. And this is a month the first part of which is
mercy from Allah, the middle of which is the forgiveness
from Allah and the laat part of which is liberation from
hell. If someone relaxes the burden of work from his
alave in this month, Allah will forgive him his sins and
will free him from the Fire. In this month you should do
four acts frequently. Two acts are such that you will
please your Lord through them and two are such that you
can never claim to be need free of them. As for the two
acts you please Allah through them, they are: to bear
witness that there is no god but Allah, and to seek
forgiveness from Allah. And the two acts you can never be
need free of them are: to pray to Allah to give you the
Jannah (the Paradise) and to seek refuge to Allah from
the Fire. And if someone serves a drink to a fasting
person. Allah will make him have such a drink from my
canal (the Kauthar) that he will never get thirsty after
it until he enters the Jannah."
This Hadlth gives us a detailed account of
the peculiar merits of the month of Ramadan and of what
we should try to do in it. The upshot of the Hadith is
that one should not restrict himself to fasting in this
month; rather he should maximise the number of his
virtuous acts and take this opportunity to seek
forgiveness for his sins and to secure as much thawab as
he can, by offering the nafl acts of worship including
charitable acts.
In another Hadith, reported by Abu Hurairah
(RA) the Holy Prophet (SAW) has said: My Ummah has been
given five characteristic honours in the month of Ramadan
which have not been given to any other before.
1. The smell coming out from the mouth of a
fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of
musk.
2. Fish (in the water) keep praying to
Allah to forgive the fasting persons until they make
iftar.
3. In every day of Ramadan, Allah decorates
the Jannah and addresses it saying" 'It is not too far
that my righteous servants shall throw away the burdens
(of the worldly life) and shall proceed towards you.
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