The Quran and Hadith on Ramadan (The Quran and Hadith on Ramazan)

THE QURAN ON FASTING

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious).

(Fasting) for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (i.e. an old man, etc.), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a poor person (for every day). But whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast, it is better for you if only you know." (2:183-84)

"The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan), he must fast that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number (of days which one did not fast must be made up) from other days.

Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allah for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him" (2: 185).

"It is made lawful for you to have sexual relations with your wives on the night of the fasts. They are garments for you and you are the same for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He turned to you and forgave you. So now have sexual relations with them and seek that which Allah has ordained for you, and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night), then complete your fast till the nightfall.

And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in Itikaf in the mosques. These are the limits (set) by Allah, so approach them not. Thus does Allah make clear His signs to mankind that they may become Al Muttaqun (the pious)" (2:187).

"Verily! We have sent it (this Quran) down in the night of Al-Qadr.

And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr is?

The night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months

Therein descend the angels and the Ruh (Gabriel) by Allah's Permission with all Decrees,

Peace! until the appearance of dawn (97:1-5)

THE HADITH ON FASTING

Abu Huraira related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. Whoever prays during the nights in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. And he who passes Lailat al-Qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven (Bukhari, Muslim).

Abu Huraira related that Rasulullah said: If anyone omits his fast even for one day in Ramadan without a concession or without being ill, then if he were to fast for the rest of his life he could not make up for it (Bukhari).

Abu Huraira related that the Prophet said: Allah the Majestic and Exalted said: "Every deed of man will receive ten to 700 times reward, except Siyam (fasting), for it is for Me and I shall reward it (as I like). There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts: one when he breaks the fast and the other when he will meet his Lord" (Muslim).

Abu Huraira related that Rasulullah said: Many people who fast get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst, and many people who pray at night get nothing from it except wakefulness (Darimi).

When to start fasting

Ibn Umar related that the Prophet said: Do not start fasting unless you see the new moon, and do not end fasting until you see it. If the weather is cloudy then calculate when it should appear (Bukhari, Muslim).

The Suhoor meal (which is eaten before dawn)

Anas related that Rasulullah said: Take the Suhoor meal, for there is blessing in it (Bukhari, Muslim).

Breaking your fast

Salman ibn Amir Dhabi related that the Prophet said: Break your fast with dates, or else with water, for it is pure (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi).

Fasting during a journey

Aisha related that Rasulullah was asked whether one should fast when on a journey, and he replied: Fast if you like, or postpone it if you like (Bukhari, Muslim).

Behavior while fasting

Abu Huraira related that the Prophet said: If a person does not avoid false talk and false conduct during Siyam, then Allah does not care if he abstains from food and drink (Bukhari, Muslim).

Forgetfully eating or drinking while fasting

Abu Huraira related that Rasulullah said: If anyone forgets that he is fasting and eats or drinks he should complete his Siyam, for it is Allah who has fed him and given him drink (Bukhari, Muslim).

Providing for those who are breaking the fast

Zaid ibn Khalid Juhni related that the Prophet said: He who provides for the breaking of the Siyam of another person earns the same merit as the one who was observing Siyam diminishing in any way the reward of the latter (Tirmidhi).

Lailat al-Qadr

Aisha related that the Prophet said: Look for Lailat al-Qadr on an odd-numbered night during the last ten nights of Ramadan (Bukhari).

Anas ibn Malik related that Rasulullah said: When Lailat al-Qadr comes Gabriel descends with a company of angels who ask for blessings on everyone who is remembering Allah, whether they are sitting or standing (Baihaqi).

Duroob Bheje... Huzoor Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihiwa Alaihiwa Sallam ko

ALLAH by Himself send Salat(Graces,Honours,Blessings,Mercy) to His Habib Hazrat Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wassallam) and the angels also send (ask ALLAH to bless and forgive him). And ALLAH order us beleivers also to send Salat and Salam to Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam).
Al-Quran:-
"Allah sends His Salat(Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet{Muhammad (saw)}, and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat* on (ask Allah to bless) him {Muhammad (saw)}, and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu Alaikum)"
[(33)Surah Al-Ahzab;V:56]

'Salat*' described in Hadith of Sahih Al-Bukhari:-
Narrated 'Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Laila: Ka"b bin Ujrah met me and said, "Shall I not give you a present I got from the Prophet (saw)?"Adur-Rahman said, "Yes, give it to me." He said, "We asked Allah's Messenger (saw)saying,'O Allah's Messenger! How should one (ask Allah to) send As-Salat upon you and the Ahl-al-Bait {the members of the family of the Prophet (saw)}, for Allah has taught us how to greet you?' He said, Say Allahumma salii 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, kama sallaita 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim, Innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin kama barikta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim Innaka Hamidun Majid" '[meaning:- O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours and Mercy)on Muhammad and on the family or the followers of Muhammad, as you sent Your Salat(Graces, Honours and Mercy) on Abraham and on the family or the followers of Abraham, for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad, and on the family or the followers of Muhammad as You sent Your Blessings on Abraham and on the family or the followers of Abraham, for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious].
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, 4/3375 O.P.589]

Please send Darud Saharif (Darud-e-Ibrahim; mentioned in Hadith) most of the time.
The more you send Salat to Prophet (saw), more you get closer to him.
There is a special group of Angels, whose work is to collect Salat and present it to Prophet (saw) with that person's name and his/her parents name. Then Prophet Muhammad (saw) pray to Allah for that person and his/her ralatives(specially parents).

When you go to Madina in Roza Sharif then give Salam!

May ALLAH Hedayah all of us
Aameen
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FASTING AND THE MONTH OF RAMADAN (FASTING AND THE MONTH OF RAMZAN)

The plan of fasting presented by Islam is perfect both as regards objectives and regulations. It holds the greatest assurance of goodness and, in it, the glory and excellence of Divine Wisdom is also supremely manifest. As the Qur'aan states:

'Should He not know what He created? And He is the Subtile, the Aware.' (Qur'aan lxvii:14)

God has chosen the month of Ramadhaan (in which the holy Qur'aan was revealed) for fasting. In it a Muslim is enjoined to go without food and drink during the day but not at night. This method of fasting was prevalent among the Arabs of those days and in the Islamic Shari'ah, too, it is the established rule and confirmed practice.

Writes Hazrat Shah Waliullah: 'In fasting the day extends from sunrise to sunset because it was in this was that days were measured in Arabia and the fast of Aashura was kept during the same hours. The month begins with the appearance of the new moon for the Arab calendar is not based on the Solar months.' (Hujjat)

God has prescribed fasting in the month of Ramadhaan and declared the two to be inseparable. The joining together of these two blessings is an act of great significance primarily becase it was in this month that the Qur'aan was revealed and the joyful tidings of a new dawn were given to the ailing humanity. It was, therefore, appropriate that just as the rising of the sun was linked with the commencement of the fast, the month of Ramadhaan, too, in which the whole of mankind emerged from a long spell of darkness, should be marked out for fasting, more so when it was also superior to all other months in effulgence and propitiousness and deserved that its days should be adorned with fasting and nights with prayer.

A most intimate association exists between fasting and the Qur'aan. The holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to pay the greatest attention to the recitation of the Qur'aan in Ramadhaan. It is related by ibn Abbaas (Radhiallaahu Anhu) that the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) was the most generous of all men but in the month of Ramadhaan, when the Archangels Jibraaeel used to come to him, his generosity knew no bounds. In Ramadhaan, Jibraaeel came to him every night and joined in the recitation of the Qur'aan. During those days, the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) appeared to be faster than the wind in acts of charity and benevolence. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Shaikh Ahmad Farooqi Mujaddid Alif Thaani says in one of his Letters that 'this month bears a special relationship with the Qur'aan, and hence, it was in it that the Qur'aan was revealed. It is endued with every kind of virtue and blessedness. The blessings which fall to the lot of a man in a whole year are as insignificant when compared to the blessings of Ramadhaan as a drop of water is before an ocean. The attainment of inner peace and tranquility in this month suffices for the entire year while mental disquiet and uneasiness during it takes the whole of the year in its grasp. Blessed, indeed, are they with whom this auspicious month departs in good pleasure while those who deprive themselves of goodness and felicity by displeasing it are, for sure, doomed and accursed.'

THE MEANING OF RAMADAN (The Meening of Ramzan)

Fasting during Ramadan, the Muslims holy month, was ordained during the second year of Hijrah. Why not earlier? In Makkah the economic conditions of the Muslims were bad. They were being persecuted. Often days would go by before they had anything to eat. It is easy to skip meals if you don't have any. Obviously fasting would have been easier under the circumstances. So why not then?

The answer may be that Ramadan is not only about skipping meals. While fasting is an integral and paramount part of it, Ramadan offers a comprehensive program for our spiritual overhaul. The entire program required the peace and security that was offered by Madinah.

Yes, Ramadan is the most important month of the year. It is the month that the believers await with eagerness. At the beginning of Rajab --- two full months before Ramadan --- the Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to supplicate thus: "O Allah! Bless us during Rajab and Sha'ban, and let us reach Ramadan (in good health)."

During Ramadan the believers get busy seeking Allah's mercy, forgiveness, and protection from Hellfire. This is the month for renewing our commitment and re-establishing our relationship with our Creator. It is the spring season for goodness and virtues when righteousness blossoms throughout the Muslim communities. "If we combine all the blessings of the other eleven months, they would not add up to the blessings of Ramadan," said the great scholar and reformer Shaikh Ahmed Farooqi (Mujaddad Alif Thani). It offers every Muslim an opportunity to strengthen his Iman, purify his heart and soul, and to remove the evil effects of the sins committed by him.

Anyone who fasts during this month with purity of belief and with expectation of a good reward (from his Creator), will have his previous sins forgiven," said Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. "Anyone who stands in prayers during its nights with purity of belief and expectation of a reward, will have his previous sins forgiven." As other ahadith tell us, the rewards for good deeds are multiplied manifold during Ramadan.

Along with the possibility of a great reward, there is the risk of a terrible loss. If we let any other month pass by carelessly, we just lost a month. If we do the same during Ramadan, we have lost everything. The person who misses just one day's fast without a legitimate reason, cannot really make up for it even if he were to fast everyday for the rest of his life. And of the three persons that Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam cursed, one is the unfortunate Muslim who finds Ramadan in good health but does not use the opportunity to seek Allah's mercy.

One who does not fast is obviously in this category, but so also is the person who fasts and prays but makes no effort to stay away from sins or attain purity of the heart through the numerous opportunities offered by Ramadan. The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, warned us: "There are those who get nothing from their fast but hunger and thirst. There are those who get nothing from their nightly prayers but loss of sleep."

Those who understood this, for them Ramadan was indeed a very special month. In addition to fasting, mandatory Salat, and extra Travih Salat, they spent the whole month in acts of worship like voluntary Salat, Tilawa (recitation of Qur'an), Dhikr etc. After mentioning that this has been the tradition of the pious people of this Ummah throughout the centuries, Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi notes: " I have seen with my own eyes such ulema and mashaikh who used to finish recitation of the entire Qur'an everyday during Ramadan. They spent almost the entire night in prayers. They used to eat so little that one wondered how they could endure all this. These greats valued every moment of Ramadan and would not waste any of it in any other pursuit…Watching them made one believe the astounding stories of Ibada and devotion of our elders recorded by history."

This emphasis on these acts of worship may sound strange --- even misplaced --- to some. It requires some explanation. We know that the term Ibada (worship and obedience) in Islam applies not only to the formal acts of worship and devotion like Salat , Tilawa, and Dhikr, but it also applies to worldly acts when performed in obedience to Shariah and with the intention of pleasing Allah. Thus a believer going to work is performing Ibada when he seeks Halal income to discharge his responsibility as a bread-winner for the family. However a distinction must be made between the two. The first category consists of direct Ibada, acts that are required for their own sake. The second category consists of indirect Ibada --- worldly acts that become Ibada through proper intention and observation of Shariah. While the second category is important for it extends the idea of Ibada to our entire life, there is also a danger because by their very nature these acts can camouflage other motives. (Is my going to work really Ibada or am I actually in the rat race?). Here the direct Ibada comes to the rescue. Through them we can purify our motives, and re-establish our relationship with Allah.

Islam does not approve of monasticism. It does not ask us to permanently isolate ourselves from this world, since our test is in living here according to the Commands of our Creator. But it does ask us to take periodic breaks from it. The mandatory Salat (five daily prayers) is one example. For a few minutes every so many hours throughout the day, we leave the affairs of this world and appear before Allah to remind ourselves that none but He is worthy of worship and of our unfaltering obedience. Ramadan takes this to the next higher plane, providing intense training for a whole month.

This spirit is captured in I'tikaf, a unique Ibada associated with Ramadan, in which a person gives up all his normal activities and enters a mosque for a specific period. There is great merit in it and every Muslim community is encouraged to provide at least one person who will perform I'tikaf for the last ten days of Ramadan. But even those who cannot spare ten days are encouraged to spend as much time in the mosque as possible.

Through direct Ibada we "charge our batteries"; the indirect ones allow us to use the power so accumulated in driving the vehicle of our life. Ramadan is the month for rebuilding our spiritual strength. How much we benefit from it is up to us.
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JOYS OF RAMADAN (Joys of Ramzan)

In the depths of each night of Ramadhaan, Adam Esse would take his rounds in the streets of his small village called Sinujiif in Somalia, exhorting the sleepers to wake for suhur. Beating a drum-like iron container with a big stick, the young Esse would repeatedly chant, "Suhur Yaa Mu'mineen"

Conjuring up those images years later, his voice became hoarse with emotion, 'I really miss it. Even if I used to miss one member of a house, they'd ask the next morning: 'Where were you? What happened?" In turn, be remembers, he would get very shy and apologize.

Such announcers, called "musahharati" in Egypt, are an inherent part of the Ramadhan traditions in many Muslim countries, although confined more to the villages and older parts of the cities.

Iftar too is a very special time and is announced distinctly in the villages. For instance, canon balls are fired in the countryside in Tunisia and Libya. Farzana Razzaque, of Central Islip, N. Y, cannot forget the striking of a gong which announced iftar in the small village of Kapasia, Bangladesh, which she came to associate with Ramadhan there as a child visiting her grand-parents. Even in the large city of Sarajevo, Bosnia, Elmedina Cokic said everyone knew it is Iftar time when the fireworks started over the mountains every evening in Ramadhan.
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RAMADAN - FULFILMENT OF MAN'S DESTINY RAMZAN

Time and again, Divine Apostleship has come to the rescue of mankind against the onslaughts of crude materialism and sensuality. It has freed the heart from the mournful domination of animalism and removed from it the impurities that had reduced it to a mere lump of flesh. By putting morality and spiritualism in their proper perspective and imparting to man a healthier, nobler and broader outlook of life it has prepared him afresh for the fulfillment of the underlying purpose of his creation which can be summed up in the three words of Ibaadat (worship), Wilaayat (Devoutness) and Khilaafat (Vicegerency). This was a task which could not be achieved solely through the spirituality of the angles or the corporeity of the animals. For it, the annual routine of fasting was prescribed which could, to some extent, relax the hold of sensuality and introduce, in its place, as much of faith and spiritualism as could be effective in the maintenance of moderation, poise and equilibrium in life. This spiritual discipline is designed to enable man to exercise self-restraint when the evil propensities threaten to overwhelm him, to overcome the harmful effects of over eating and to cultivate within him, as far as possible, a likeness of Divine Morals.

Objects

Shedding light on the objects of fasting, Imaam Ghazzaali writes:

'The object of fasting is that man should produce within him a semblance of the Divine Attribute of Samadiyyat (i.e. Freedom from want), that he should, as far as possible, take after the angles and cast off the beastly propensities because the angles are free from desire and the place of man, too, is above the animals and he has, further, been given the power of discrimination to resist the pressure of inordinate appetites. He is, of course, inferior to angles in the sense that desire often overpowers him and he has to strive hard to subdue it. When he succumbs to sensual propensities he degenerates into the 'lowliest of lowly' and joins the herds of cattle while he conquers them he attains the dizzy heights of the heavenly host and begins to dwell on the place of the angles.' (Ihya-ul-Uloom vol.1 pg.212)

Similarly, Allaamah ibn-i-Qayyim says:

'The purpose of fasting is that the spirit of man was released from the clutches of desires and moderations prevailed in his carnal self, and through it, he realized the goal of purification and everlasting felicity. It is aimed at curtailing the intensity of desire and lust by means of hunger and thirst, at inducing man to realize how many were there in the world like him who had to go even without a small quantity of food, at making it difficult for the Devil to deceive him, and at restraining his organs from turning towards things in which there was the loss of both the worlds. Fasting, thus, is the bridle of the God-Fearing, the shield of the crusaders and the disciple of the virtuous.'

Proceeding further, the Allaamah remarks:

Fasting is most efficacious in the protection of the external limbs and internal organs. It guards against disorders resulting from the accumulation of the effete matter. It expels the toxins that are injurious to health and cures the ailments which develop in the body due to over-indulgence. It is beneficial for health and most helpful in leading a life of piety and good-doing.

Says the Qur'aan: O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before ye, that ye may ward off evil.' (Baqarah 183)

And the hole prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) has said, 'Fasting is a shield'.

'Hence, a person who wishes to marry but does not have the means to support a family is advised to observe fasting. It has been prescribed as a sovereign remedy for him, the object being to demonstrate that since the advantages of fasting were evident from the point of view of commonsense God had enjoined it as an act of mercy for the protection of His slaves.' (Zaad-al-Ma'aad)

'For the reason that', Allamah ibn-i-Qayyim goes to say, 'the correction of the heart and steadfastness are dependent upon the pursuit of the path of Allah and upon inner peace, repentance and single-minded devotion, distraction is extremely harmful for it. Overeating, too much of mixing with people and unnecessary conversation and volubility are the things that upset one's composure and serenity and make a man drift from the straight path. God, therefore, in His Divine Mercy, thought fit to prescribe fasting for his bondmen so that they could be purged of the evil effects of intemperance and overeating which prevented mankind from attaining the cherished goal of God realization and it might prove useful to them in both the worlds and none of their interests, temporary or permanent, were harmed.'

AHLAN WA SAHLAN YAA RAMADAN (Ahalan wa Sahlan yaa Ramzan)

Daytime normally constitutes of occupation with work and school, with many of the Muslim countries altering schedules to accommodate Ramadhan, and restaurants are closed in countries like Pakistan and Somalia, and no one eats in public during the day. While right before Maghrib the cities become like ghost towns, the streets, homes, and Masajid come alive during the night, especially after Iftaar. People visit each other, go to the bazaars and food stands, kids play and sing outside and the Masajid become crowded for 'Isha and taraweeh.

In the village, Afifa Afifi, of Princeton, N.J., remembered that children in the small village of Sharqiyyah, Egypt, would hold lanterns and sing songs for Ramadhan, including "Ahlan wasahlan ya Ramadhan," welcoming Ramadhan. Aly Ramadan, of Virginia, used to sing such songs as a child in Libya, he recalled.

As the cities got more and more urbanized, "you don't see a lot of these traditions in the new quarters' streets," Afifi said. But, in the old quarters of Cairo, the celebrations do continue on the streets. Tents are put up and people come to listen to lectures, she recalls.

In contrast, there are many entertainment programs on TV after Iftar which draw people's attention away from 'Ibadaat. These include game shows with riddles, plays, dramas and even soap operas, and they are especially made for the month of Ramadhan. "They have nothing to do with Ramadhan. The government shouldn't allow them," she said. Even so, some of the programs are about Qur'an and lectures, and an entire radio station is devoted to Quraan, its tafsir, and ahadeeth, even during other months. "You have two things and a person can choose one or the other," Afifi said.

Alia Amr, of Madison, Wis., remembered that after iftar people tended to split into two groups in Tunis. "There's the group of worshippers who pray 'isha and taraweeh and then come back and stay home with their families," she said. The other group of people did not pray but they did fast, and after iftar they left their homes in search of entertainment and socialization.

"Entertainment is abundant in Tunisia, both halal and haram, including dancers and theaters," she said. "When you go to the Masajid, they are full and you think everyone's there, but then when you go to the streets, they are also full of people."

One of the things Aly Ramadan disliked in Libya was that people would stay up very late at night. "This affects their productivity the next day and they are drowsy during the day. This isn't because of fasting, but their (habits)," he said. Some used to play cards, or sit in the cafes, or go to social clubs, he said, instead of committing themselves to the faith.