a. The Virtues of Ramadan and Fasting
٥٣. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«إِذَا دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ فُتِّحَتْ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ وَغُلِّقَتْ أَبْوَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَسُلْسِلَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ».
53. Abu Huraira (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying:
“When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of Heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” (Bukhari, Bad’ al-khalk, 11; Muslim, Siyam, 1, 2, 4, 5)
٥٤. عَنْ أَبي هُرَيرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«قَالَ اللّٰهُ: (كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلَّا الصِّيَامَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ) وَالصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلاَ يَصْخَبْ فَإِنْ سَابَّهُ أَحَدٌ أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ: إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صَائِمٌ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ. لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ يَفْرَحُهُمَا: إِذَا أَفْطَرَ فَرِحَ وَإِذَا لَقِيَ رَبَّهُ فَرِحَ بِصَوْمِهِ».
54. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Allah said, “All the deeds of Adam’s sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.” Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid saying bad words and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, “I am fasting.” The Prophet added; By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord.” (Bukhari, Sawm, 9; Muslim, Siyam, 163)
٥٥. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ لِلّٰهِ حَاجَةٌ فِي أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ».
55. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting).” (Bukhari, Sawm, 8, Edeb, 51. Also see Abu Dawud, Sawm, 26/2362; Tirmidhi, Sawm, 16/707; Ibn Majah, Siyam, 21)
Explanations:
Ramadan, the Sultan of the 12 months[1], is a blessed[2] time period and a month of worship. In this month, the doors of heaven open up and divine mercy beams everywhere. More rewards are given to worships performed and good deeds done in this month than the rest of the year. Sins are also forgiven in this month. Muslims live through a season of intensive acts of worship in congregation.
The main reasons why the month of Ramadan is so virtuous are:
• Our guide to salvation, the Noble Qur’an, started to be revealed in this month. (Al-Baqarah; 2:185)
• The Night of Power[3] (laylat al-qadr) that Allah said is “better than a thousand months” [4] is in this month.
• The most important reason is that our Almighty Lord made one month of the year a season of worship by blessing it as a favor to His servants. Those believers who take advantage of this opportunity reflect the Noble Qur’an and Sunnah in their lives, and reach to Eid (Festival) by earning many divine rewards free from their sins.
Since the season of Ramadan circles around the year because it’s one of the months of the lunar year, Muslims show that they worship Allah under all circumstances with sincerity and with submission.
It is definitely easier to enter Paradise by earning divine rewards and stay away from Hell by defeating Satan in this virtuous month. Since the carnal self, who is the biggest helper of Satan, is being disciplined with fasting, it is easier to stay away from wrongdoings in Ramadan. Then, Muslims should take advantage of the opportunity of Ramadan, and should do their best to give their fasting its due, to recite the Noble Qur’an, to remember Allah, spend the nights worshipping Allah, and to perform many good deeds and help others.
The Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) would live Ramadan with great enthusiasm and excitement and ensured that their children also experienced this spiritual climate. As a matter of fact, Umar (r.a.) said to a person who got drunk in Ramadan:
“Shame on you! Even our children are fasting.” (Bukhari, Sawm, 47)
As we spend the days of Ramadan with fasting, it is also necessary to take advantage of the nights of Ramadan with the Tarawih Prayers (salat al-tarawih) and midnight Prayers (salat al-tahajjud), recitations of Qur’an and remembrance of Allah. The Messenger of Allah gave us the good news:
“Whoever spends the nights of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward only from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari, Tarawih, 46)
One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came out his house, and he saw a group of people praying at the corner of the mosque. He asked:
“What are they doing?”
“They do not know the Qur’an well, so Ubayy b. Ka’b (r.a.) is leading them in their prayers!”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“They did the right thing and it is good what they did!” (Abu Dawud, Ramadan, 1/1377)
On the other hand, both the obligatory alms (zakat) and supererogatory alms become more important in this month. As a matter of fact, when it is asked to the Messenger of Allah:
“What kind of alms (sadaqah) is more virtuous?” He said:
“The one given in Ramadan!” (Tirmidhi, Zakat, 28/663)
The word “sadaqah” in this hadith means the obligatory alms (zakat) in Arabic. For this reason, it is better to give zakat in Ramadan. The Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) used to give amply their Sadaqah al-Fitr (alms given during the month of Ramadan) and other charities in this month.[5] That is because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us that Sadaqah al-Fitr is obligatory for adults and children, males and females, independents and slaves and it is either one sa‘ from date or barley.[6] (Bukhari, Zakat, 70-78; Muslim, Zakat, 13)
By giving the Sadaqah al-Fitr before the Festival Prayer (salat al-eid), it should be ensured that the poor also experience the joy of eid.
In order to take advantage of the blessings of Ramadan, one must increase his generosity. As a matter of fact, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to act this way.
Ibn Abbas (r.a.) narrated:
“The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel visited him, and Gabriel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet used to recite the Holy Qur’an to Gabriel, and when Gabriel met him, he used to be more generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare). (Bukhari, Bad al-Wahy, 5, 6; Sawm, 7; Manaqib, 23; Bad al-Khalk, 6; Fadail al-Qur’an, 7; Adab, 39; Muslim, Fadail, 48, 50)
Fasting comes to mind when Ramadan is mentioned. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. Allah the Almighty made fasting obligatory to the followers of previous religions, too. Fasting is a worship that contains various and deep meanings. Fasting is also the act of worship furthest away from insincerity and showing off. For this reason, Allah said that fasting is performed especially for Him.
For each good deed, divine rewards are given as much as ten to seven hundred times of the deed performed. However, fasting is excluded from this. Allah Himself will give the reward of fasting and will make His servants who perform fasting happy both in this world and in the Hereafter and will host them in His Paradise.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Raiyan, and those who observe fasts will enter through it on the Day of Resurrection and none except them will enter through it…”(Bukhari, Sawm, 4; Muslim, Siyam, 166)
There are many benefits for His servants in the commands of Allah, and there is much harm in the prohibitions of Allah. Even though human capacity can comprehend some of the wisdom and reasons behind them, most are beyond our capacity. As a matter of fact, in our worships to Allah, the main thing is to perform them sincerely, and therefore, the search for wisdom and reasons is not that important. Muslim scholars say that there are many known and unknown benefits of fasting and mention some of the known benefits that they can understand. Some of them are as follows:
Fasting that keeps humans away from the temptations of the carnal self and teaches us how to be patient advances us to the level of piety by training us in a certain way for self-control and discipline. Due to fasting, one realizes better the value of the blessings that he has. The feelings of mercy and affection in his heart improve and he starts to discern better the needy in the society. He gets filled with the feelings of thanks to Allah and mercy and aid to His servants.
On the other hand, the benefits of fasting to our health are known to all.
In order fasting to be beneficial for the spiritual life, it must be performed by balancing the harmony between the body and soul. In other words, while the body is fasting, the heart, carnal self, and the other body parts should also fast and stay away from all kinds of forbidden (harams) and reproachable acts (makruh). The essence of fasting is to elevate one’s spiritual state in the sight of Allah and to gain sensitivity in obeying Allah’s commands and prohibitions. For this reason, those who fast should avoid lying, slandering, backbiting, gossiping, using strong language or cursing, fighting, and all the other wrongdoings and sins. Those believers who fast should know how to respond peacefully to those who treat them impolitely. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us that Allah does not accept the fast of those who do not perform their fasting in this way. When fasting is not performed as it should be, one misses the opportunity to receive the spiritual perfection and virtue of fasting while he only fulfills his responsibility.
One should not forget that the aim of fasting is not to torture or bother the body. For this reason, in the verses that the fasting is commanded, Allah says “Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties.”[7] Practices such as Sawm-ı wisal[8] that cause difficulty to humans are prohibited. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) paid attention to wake up for the Sahur (the meal before dawn during Ramadan) and to be quick in iftar (the breaking of the Ramadan fast), and said that there is a blessing in Sahur meal,[9] and as long as they act quick in breaking their fast, Muslims will continue to live the right path.[10] By improving the individual and the society, the real goal in fasting is to fulfill our responsibility to Allah, to discipline our inner selves and advance our spiritual state to piety, to ensure a peaceful environment with which Allah will be content.
b. The Virtues of The Night of Power (Al-Laylat al-Qadr)
٥٦. عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُجَاوِرُ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ وَيَقُولُ:
«تَحَرَّوْا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ».
56. Aisha (r.a.) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to retire in the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan and devote himself to worship and say:
“Search for the Night of Qadr in the last ten days of Ramadan.” (Bukhari, Laylat al-Qadr, 3; Muslim, Siyam, 219; Tirmidhi, Sawm, 72/792)
٥٧. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَاناً وَاحْتِسَاباً غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ».
57. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Whoever establishes prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward only from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari, Sawm, 6; Muslim, Musafirin, 173-176)
٥٨. عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: قُلْتُ:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ عَلِمْتُ أَيَّ لَيْلَةٍ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ مَا أَقُولُ فِيهَا؟» قَالَ: قُولِي:
«اَللّٰهُمَّ إنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي».
58. Aisha (r.a.) said: I asked the Prophet:
“O the Messenger of Allah! If I get know which night is the Night of Qadr, how should I pray?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) responded:
“Pray saying “O my Lord! You are the most forgiver and generous, You love to forgive; please forgive me!”” (Tirmidhi, Deavat, 84/3513; Ibn Majah, Dua, 5)
Explanations:
One of the manifestations of Allah’s endless mercy and blessing is the Night of Power (al-Laylat al-Qadr). This night is the greatest opportunity blessed to us by our Lord who facilitates things for His servants in every chance. That is because this night is better than one thousand months, or in other words better than 83-year and 4-month long life.
The life span of his followers was shown to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) found it to be too short comparing to the life spans of the previous people. He thought that his followers would miss the opportunity to perform good deeds as much as the previous people. Upon that, Allah blessed him and his followers the Night of Power which is better than one thousand months. (Muwatta, Itiqaf 15)
One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told his companions about a man from Israelites. This man called Shem‘un-i Ghazi fought for the sake of Allah for a thousand months and worshipped Him during the nights. Muslims got excited and admired him.
Upon that, Allah revealed the chapter al-Qadr in order to show His blessings and mercy to the followers of Muhammad:
“We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the night of power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah’s permission, on every errand: Peace!… This until the rise of morn!” (Al-Qadr; 97:1-5) (See Wahidi, p. 486)
Allah the Almighty made the night that He appointed our Prophet to the prophethood and started to reveal our Holy Book as the holiest one of all nights. This is enough to express the honor and value of and the Noble Qur’an, and also the Night of Power.
By stating “We sent it (Qur’an) down during a Blessed Night”[11] in the chapter al-Duhan, Allah informs us about the blessing and virtue of the Night of Power and abundance of its goodness.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“In Ramadan there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever misses the goodness of this night misses something gravely important.” (Ahmad, II, 230, 385)
Acts of worship performed in this night are more rewarding than the ones performed in a thousand months that do not have a Night of Power in them. The things that will take place until the next year are told to angels on this night. In this night, Gabriel (pbuh) and many other angles descend on earth. In this night, people are protected from all kinds of evil; peace and tranquility covers everywhere until the sunrise. Angels descending on Earth greet believers by whom they stop and pray for them and for their forgiveness. They also bear witness to their worship on the Day of Judgment and intercede for that person.
In our first hadith, it is advised that one must search for the Night of Power in the last ten days of Ramadan. In other narrations, it is also advised to search for it in the odd days of the last ten days of Ramadan[12], in the twenty fourth night,[13] and twenty seventh nights.[14] Some of the Noble Companions dreamt that the Night of Power is in the last seven days of Ramadan and told that to the Messenger of Allah. Upon that, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“It seems that all your dreams agree that (the Night of Qadr) is in the last seven nights, and whoever wants to search for it (i.e. the Night of Qadr) should search in the last seven (nights of Ramadan).” (Bukhari, Laylat al-Qadr, 2; Ta’bir, 8; Muslim, Siyam, 205-206)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us about the signs of this night as:
“In the morning of the Night of Power, the sun rises without brightness, and it looks like a bowl until it gets high.” (Muslim, Musafirin, 179; Abu Dawud, Ramadan, 2/1378; Tirmidhi, Sawm, 72/793)
“The Night of Power is bright and it is neither hot nor cold. It is without clouds, rain, and wind. There would not be a falling star in that night either…” (Tabarani, Kabir, XXII, 59; Haythami, III, 178-179; Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 334)
The reason of hiding the Night of Power is to encourage people to worship and make them worship more and so elevate their spiritual state. A person who searches the Night of Power learns to take advantage of his time by worshipping and practices this same habit in other days as well. In time, being good and worshipping becomes his nature. Also, the value of something depends on the hardship that is gone through to get it. Therefore, in order to take advantage of this virtuous night, one must try hard.
Hiding the Night of Power prevents people to sin by trusting to take advantage of this night. It also saves those who do not respect this night from the responsibility of sinning intentionally for a thousand months. Taking all these reasons into account, wise people said:
“Consider every night as the Night of Power, and every man you see as Hizir.[15]
In the second hadith, the good news is given that the sins of those who take advantage of the Night of Power will be nullified. However, this is conditioned on having faith and being sincere. In other words, one must believe in the words of Allah and His Messenger and acknowledge the virtue of that night and worship by asking the rewards only from Allah. When this happens, that person gets cleansed from all his sins and reaches the morning as pure as a newborn.
Being forgiven is an important privilege. That is because first a thing gets cleaned and then gets enriched with beauties. For this reason, before everything else, one must hold on tight to asking for forgiveness.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would worship more during the month of Ramadan compared to other months, and devote himself to worship especially at the last ten days of Ramadan in order to take advantage of the Night of Power. During these days, he would spend the night worshipping and wake up his family as well. (Bukhari, Laylatu’l-Kadr, 5)
In the third hadith, one of the prayers that can be said in the Night of Power is taught. As other prayers can be said in the Night of Power, this night can also be spent by performing worships such as praying, reciting the Qur’an, asking for forgiveness of sins and promising not to do them again, remembering Allah, saying praises for His messenger, and deeply thinking. Those who have missed prayers should at least make up one day (five) of those missed prayers. Apart from these, one should spend the day of the Night of Power by performing good deeds such as pleasing and helping others, giving charities and cheering up the needy. The least one can do to take advantage of the Night of Power is to join a congregation in the evening prayer (Salat al-Maghrib), the night prayer (Salat al-‘Isha), and the dawn prayer (Salat al-Fajr). (See Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 340)
To stay up all night might not be possible for everyone. However, in compliance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, it is quite possible for anyone during the last seven days of Ramadan to decrease the sleeping time and increase the time spend worshipping and to reserve some time from the early and late hours of the night for the acts of worship.
Those who do not benefit from Ramadan, fasting, and the Night of Power and reach the end of Ramadan without receiving forgiveness are miserable people. They insist and resist on staying away from goodness and Allah’s mercy. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Woe to him who found the blessed month of Ramadan and let it pass by without gaining forgiveness!” (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 100/3545)
c. Utilizing the Festivity (Eid) Days
٥٩. عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَتَيِ الْعِيدَيْنِ مُحْتَسِبًا لِلّٰهِ لَمْ يَمُتْ قَلْبُهُ يَوْمَ تَمُوتُ الْقُلُوبُ».
59. Abu Umamah (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Whoever spends the nights of Eid al-Fitr (the festival day at the completion of the month of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (the festival day at the completion of the pilgrimage to Mecca) worshipping and hoping for a reward only from Allah, then his heart will not die on the day when all hearts will.” (Ibn Majah, Siyam, 68. Also see Haythami, II, 198)
٦٠. عَنْ نُبَيْشَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَال:َ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«إِنَّا كُنَّا نَهَيْنَاكُمْ عَنْ لُحُومِهَا أَنْ تَأْكُلُوهَا فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ لِكَيْ تَسَعَكُمْ فَقَدْ جَاءَ اللّٰهُ بِالسَّعَةِ فَكُلُوا وَادَّخِرُوا وَاتَّجِرُوا أَلَا وَإِنَّ هٰذِهِ الْأَيَّامَ أَيَّامُ أَكْلٍ وَشُرْبٍ وَذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ».
60. Nubayshah (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“We forbade you to eat the sacrifice meat for more than three days in order that you might have abundance. Now Allah has produced abundance, so you may eat, store up, and seek reward from Allah by distributing some. Beware, the days of Eid are days of eating, drinking and remembrance of Allah, Most High. (Abu Dawud, Al-Dahaya, 9-10/2812, 2813)[16]
Explanations:
At the time when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) emigrated from Mecca to Medina, there were two festivals in which people of Medina used to perform various plays. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw this and said:
“Corresponding to these two festivals, Allah gave you better ones, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha” (Ahmad, III, 103, 178, 235, 250; Abu Dawud, Salah, 239/1134; Nasai, I‘dain, 1/1554)
Eid days are the signs of Allah’s mercy. Eid days are exceptional days where feelings of forgiveness, tolerance, cooperation, conciliation, affection, kindness, and goodness are experienced. Those believers who devote themselves to worship in Ramadan and Hajj and achieve forgiveness and contentment of Allah are the ones who benefit more comfortably from the blessings of Allah in eid days. In a sense, the festivity days represent the believers’ reception of the blessings of Paradise by completing the test of this world that is full of hardships and their affection with other believers there without having any negative feelings in their hearts such as envy, jealousy, or hatred. Actually, the real eid is on that day. As a matter of fact, the friends of Allah said:
“The real eid is not for those who put on new clothes but for those who are secure from Allah’s torment.”
In the first hadith, we are given the good news that the hearts of those believers who spend the nights of eid days worshipping, remembering Allah, supplication, and thinking of Allah will not die. That is because they are the people who experienced the joy of worshipping Allah and can keep their carnal self under control. While all others pursue their carnal desires, they enjoy worshipping by not falling for the temporal joys. Even if they coincide with an era where hearts are dead due to ubiquity of sins, their hearts stay alive, they do not prefer the world over hereafter, and they never fall into disbelief. Also, their aftermath is goodness. Those people do not get surprised and terrified neither at the time of their death or in their grave nor on the Day of Judgment but rather go to their Lord with a peaceful heart. That is because they experience the joy of worshipping. They realize and are conscious of the fact that they are in this world for a test and should take advantage of this world of opportunities until their last minute.
When something is rare and difficult to perform, it means a higher value. While most people forget worshipping with the excitement of eid, performing acts of worship during the nights of the eids shows the strength of faith and love of Allah for those who worship. Even if all hearts die, such hearts that are full of faith and love of Allah never die.
In our second hadith, we are informed that the days of eid are the days of social solidarity and unity, exchanging gifts, cooperation, treating each other with respect and honor, and benefitting from the divine blessings and remembering Allah. Otherwise, eid days are not days of vacation and entertainment.
On the other hand, in order to show happiness, games and entertainment performed without encouraging the carnal self for wrong desires are permitted in weddings and eid days. That is because displaying happiness during eid days is one of the principles of Islam. (Ahmad Naim, Tecridi Sarih Tercümesi, III, 157)
As a matter of fact, on an eid day, two young girls together with Aisha were singing songs about the Battle of Buath. The Prophet (pbuh) was resting while his face covered with a cloth. At that moment, Abu Bakr (r.a.) came in and wanted to interrupt.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, uncovering his head:
“O Abu Bakr! There is an Eid for every nation and this is our Eid!” (Bukhari, I‘dain, 3; Muslim, Salat al-I‘dain, 16)
In other words, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave permission to Muslims to celebrate eids in this way even though he did not watch it himself. Also on another eid day, a group that came from Ethiopia was playing with shields and spears in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) let Aisha watch this game over his shoulders hiding her behind himself and covering her with his wrap. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 2; Salah, 69)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) always emphasized the spiritual side of the eids in order for these permissible entertainments and the atmosphere of celebration not to go beyond acceptable limits. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) who encouraged worshipping, doing well, and remembering Allah in eids said in a hadith:
“The first thing to be done on this day (first day of Eid) is to pray.” (Bukhari, I‘dain, 3, 10; Muslim, Adahi, 7)
“Beautify your eid days with saying al-Takbir (Allahu Akbar –God is Greatest)!” (Haythami, II, 197)
Indeed, the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) kept eid days alive with saying Takbirs. Umar used to say Takbirs in his small tent in Mina and people in the mosque used to repeat after him. When people in the market also joined them, the Mina would be reverberated with the sound of Takbirs. Ibn Umar used to say Takbir continuously on eid days. He used to say Takbir after each prayer, when he went to sleep, when he entered his tent, while sitting or walking, in other words, at all times and conditions during these assigned days. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 12)
As it can be seen, the happiness of Muslims is displayed by worshipping Allah and exalting His religion. There is no share of the carnal self in their happiness. In the moments of happiness, they never act exorbitant and perform forbidden acts. In these happy days, they run to good deeds that would help them to gain the contentment of Allah and especially treat the needy and the poor nicely and try to please them. They help the poor, helpless, orphan, widow, and people who are tired and exhausted. They make children, especially orphan and poor ones, happy. Eids strengthen the feelings of friendship and kinship by awakening the spirituality of Muslims and carry the good traits such as compassion, mercy, loyalty, and empathy to their peak.
The following is such a good example that shows the cooperation and empathy between Muslims before the eid.
There was a man who did not have anything but a hundred dinars. When eid was approaching, one of his friends wrote him a letter and asked for his help saying:
“Eid is coming, but we do not have anything to satisfy the needs of the children.” Upon that, that man put the hundred dinars in a money bag, sealed it, and sent it to his friend. When the man who asked for help got the money, this time he received a letter from one of his friends. The latter also wrote that he did not have enough money and asked for help to get his needs for the eid. So the man sent the money to his friend without even opening it.
The man who initially sent the money bag to his friend also wrote a letter to another one of his friends and asked for help. But this man was last man who got the dinars. Then, this man, too, sent the money to his friend without opening the seal. When the man who initially sent the dinars received the money bag and saw that this was his own sealed money bag, he was surprised. He went to his friend taking the money bag with him and asked:
“What is with this money bag you sent me?”
He explained the situation. Upon the clarification of the situation, he said:
“Let’s go to the other friend of us.”
They went to the other friend’s place and talked about the situation and opened up the money bag and shared the money. (Hatib Bagdadi, Tarihu Bagdad, XIV, 282)
On the eid day, first we send our holiday wishes to our relatives who have already passed away and who are waiting for our prayers and rewards of giving alms in their names. Their souls get exalted by reciting the chapter al-Fatiha and giving alms in their names. By taking lessons from their situation, we realize that we need to get ready for the real eid. Then, we need to visit our relatives and friends and inquire after their health. Everybody forgives his rightful dues on each other and those who offended each other reconcile.
There are some things that Islam considers nice to be done on the eid days. Some of them are:
To wake up early on eid days, to perform ghusl (bath lustration), to clean the mouth by using a miswaq,[17] to wear nice fragrances, to put on clean and nice clothes, to be happy and cheerful to thank the blessings of Allah etc.
It is better to perform the eid prayer in an open and wide space. It is preferred that men, women, and children come to an open and wide place called Musalla.[18] Even women who could not perform the ritual prayer (due to menstruation) are advised to come and join this good deed and prayers of Muslims. That is because having the more people who attend the eid prayers the more it carries the meaning of showing strength of believers and exalting the religion of Allah.
It is sunnah to eat something sweet before going to prayer of Eid al-Fitr. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would not go to Eid Prayer without eating a few dates. In addition, he used to pay attention that the number of the dates would be odd such as three or five. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 4)
It is considered better not to eat anything until the end of the prayer of Eid al-Adha[19] and eat later from the meat of the sacrificed animal. That is because acting this way shows the importance and respect given to the sacrifice.[20]
Reciting Takbirs silently in Eid al-Fitr and audibly in Eid al-Adha, taking a different way if possible when returning from the Eid Prayer,[21] treating people in a friendly manner and saying nice things to Muslims when coming across them, and give alms as much as possible are among the beauties of the Eid.
Another issue is that the Prophet did not consider appropriate to carry weapons on Eid days in mosques, markets, and where people congregate when there is no danger of enemy. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 9; Salah, 66, Fitan, 7; Muslim, Birr, 120-124; Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 168; Abdurrazzak, Musannaf, III, 289)
[1] Beyhaki, Shuab, III, 314-315; Haythami, III, 140.
[3] Translator’s note: Some translate the name of this night as “the Night of Worth.”
[4] Qadr (Power, Fate); 97:3.
[5] Bukhari, Keffaratul-Ayman, 5.
[6] Sa is a measure of weight that is equal either to 2,751 kg or 3,328 kg.
[8] Sawm al-wisal is fasting for two or three days without breaking it.
[9] Tirmidhi, Sawm, 17/708.
[10] Bukhari, Sawm, 45; Muslim, Siyam, 48.
[11] Al-Duhan (The Smoke); 44/3.
[12] Tirmidhi, Savm, 72/792.
[13] Bukhari, Laylat al-Qadr 3.
[14] Tabarani, Kabir, XIX, 349.
[15] Translator’s Note: A Muslim saint, Hizir is the last-minute rescuer from disaster, a deus ex machina, when all other assistance, natural and supernatural, has failed.
[16] In the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), when it was Eid Al-Adha, there came a group of needy Bedouin people. Upon that, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) ordered not to keep the meat of the sacrificed animal for more than three days and asked it to be distributed. Later when the prosperity increased, he abrogated this rule while still encouraging Muslims to cooperate and help the poor. (Muslim, Adahi, 28, 34; Abu Dawud, Adahi, 9-10/2812)
[17] Translator’s note: Miswaq is a small stick from a special tree that was used widely to clean the teeth prior to the widespread usage of toothbrushes.
[18] Musalla/ Jamat khana: An open-air place designated for prayer. Particularly, certain designated places away from residential centers, where eid prayers, prayers for rain (Salat al-Istisqa), and funeral prayers are held. This term is also used for the open-air prayer rooms built next to roadways for travelers to utilize. When the Messenger of Allah went for a long expedition, in places where he rested, a suitable place would be determined and this place would be cleaned and bordered with rocks and announced to be the musalla. In the Tabuk Expedition of the Prophet, fifteen of open-air musallas were made in various places. (Waqidi, III, 999; Ibn Hisham, IV, 179) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also established several musallas on the way to Mecca. (Bukhari, Salah, 49) This Sunnah (tradition of the Prophet) continued in the coming eras and sometimes musallahs became places where the army camped. (Nebi Bozkurt, “Namazgah”, Diyanet İslâm Ansiklopedisi, XXXII, 357-358).
[19] Translator’s note: The religious festival day marking the completion of Al Hajj when Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Abraham.
[20] Shah Waliyyullah al-Dahlawi, Hujjatullah al-baligha, II, 79.
[21] The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to use different roads when going to and returning from the Eid Prayers. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 24)
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5. Ramadan and Fasting
a. The Virtues of Ramadan and Fasting
٥٣. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«إِذَا دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ فُتِّحَتْ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ وَغُلِّقَتْ أَبْوَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَسُلْسِلَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ».
53. Abu Huraira (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying:
“When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of Heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” (Bukhari, Bad’ al-khalk, 11; Muslim, Siyam, 1, 2, 4, 5)
٥٤. عَنْ أَبي هُرَيرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«قَالَ اللّٰهُ: (كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ لَهُ إِلَّا الصِّيَامَ فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ) وَالصِّيَامُ جُنَّةٌ وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلاَ يَصْخَبْ فَإِنْ سَابَّهُ أَحَدٌ أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ: إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صَائِمٌ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَخُلُوفُ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ. لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ يَفْرَحُهُمَا: إِذَا أَفْطَرَ فَرِحَ وَإِذَا لَقِيَ رَبَّهُ فَرِحَ بِصَوْمِهِ».
54. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Allah said, “All the deeds of Adam’s sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.” Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid saying bad words and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, “I am fasting.” The Prophet added; By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord.” (Bukhari, Sawm, 9; Muslim, Siyam, 163)
٥٥. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ لِلّٰهِ حَاجَةٌ فِي أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ».
55. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting).” (Bukhari, Sawm, 8, Edeb, 51. Also see Abu Dawud, Sawm, 26/2362; Tirmidhi, Sawm, 16/707; Ibn Majah, Siyam, 21)
Explanations:
Ramadan, the Sultan of the 12 months[1], is a blessed[2] time period and a month of worship. In this month, the doors of heaven open up and divine mercy beams everywhere. More rewards are given to worships performed and good deeds done in this month than the rest of the year. Sins are also forgiven in this month. Muslims live through a season of intensive acts of worship in congregation.
The main reasons why the month of Ramadan is so virtuous are:
• Our guide to salvation, the Noble Qur’an, started to be revealed in this month. (Al-Baqarah; 2:185)
• The Night of Power[3] (laylat al-qadr) that Allah said is “better than a thousand months” [4] is in this month.
• The most important reason is that our Almighty Lord made one month of the year a season of worship by blessing it as a favor to His servants. Those believers who take advantage of this opportunity reflect the Noble Qur’an and Sunnah in their lives, and reach to Eid (Festival) by earning many divine rewards free from their sins.
Since the season of Ramadan circles around the year because it’s one of the months of the lunar year, Muslims show that they worship Allah under all circumstances with sincerity and with submission.
It is definitely easier to enter Paradise by earning divine rewards and stay away from Hell by defeating Satan in this virtuous month. Since the carnal self, who is the biggest helper of Satan, is being disciplined with fasting, it is easier to stay away from wrongdoings in Ramadan. Then, Muslims should take advantage of the opportunity of Ramadan, and should do their best to give their fasting its due, to recite the Noble Qur’an, to remember Allah, spend the nights worshipping Allah, and to perform many good deeds and help others.
The Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) would live Ramadan with great enthusiasm and excitement and ensured that their children also experienced this spiritual climate. As a matter of fact, Umar (r.a.) said to a person who got drunk in Ramadan:
“Shame on you! Even our children are fasting.” (Bukhari, Sawm, 47)
As we spend the days of Ramadan with fasting, it is also necessary to take advantage of the nights of Ramadan with the Tarawih Prayers (salat al-tarawih) and midnight Prayers (salat al-tahajjud), recitations of Qur’an and remembrance of Allah. The Messenger of Allah gave us the good news:
“Whoever spends the nights of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward only from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari, Tarawih, 46)
One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came out his house, and he saw a group of people praying at the corner of the mosque. He asked:
“What are they doing?”
“They do not know the Qur’an well, so Ubayy b. Ka’b (r.a.) is leading them in their prayers!”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“They did the right thing and it is good what they did!” (Abu Dawud, Ramadan, 1/1377)
On the other hand, both the obligatory alms (zakat) and supererogatory alms become more important in this month. As a matter of fact, when it is asked to the Messenger of Allah:
“What kind of alms (sadaqah) is more virtuous?” He said:
“The one given in Ramadan!” (Tirmidhi, Zakat, 28/663)
The word “sadaqah” in this hadith means the obligatory alms (zakat) in Arabic. For this reason, it is better to give zakat in Ramadan. The Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) used to give amply their Sadaqah al-Fitr (alms given during the month of Ramadan) and other charities in this month.[5] That is because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us that Sadaqah al-Fitr is obligatory for adults and children, males and females, independents and slaves and it is either one sa‘ from date or barley.[6] (Bukhari, Zakat, 70-78; Muslim, Zakat, 13)
By giving the Sadaqah al-Fitr before the Festival Prayer (salat al-eid), it should be ensured that the poor also experience the joy of eid.
In order to take advantage of the blessings of Ramadan, one must increase his generosity. As a matter of fact, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to act this way.
Ibn Abbas (r.a.) narrated:
“The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel visited him, and Gabriel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet used to recite the Holy Qur’an to Gabriel, and when Gabriel met him, he used to be more generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare). (Bukhari, Bad al-Wahy, 5, 6; Sawm, 7; Manaqib, 23; Bad al-Khalk, 6; Fadail al-Qur’an, 7; Adab, 39; Muslim, Fadail, 48, 50)
Fasting comes to mind when Ramadan is mentioned. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. Allah the Almighty made fasting obligatory to the followers of previous religions, too. Fasting is a worship that contains various and deep meanings. Fasting is also the act of worship furthest away from insincerity and showing off. For this reason, Allah said that fasting is performed especially for Him.
For each good deed, divine rewards are given as much as ten to seven hundred times of the deed performed. However, fasting is excluded from this. Allah Himself will give the reward of fasting and will make His servants who perform fasting happy both in this world and in the Hereafter and will host them in His Paradise.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Raiyan, and those who observe fasts will enter through it on the Day of Resurrection and none except them will enter through it…”(Bukhari, Sawm, 4; Muslim, Siyam, 166)
There are many benefits for His servants in the commands of Allah, and there is much harm in the prohibitions of Allah. Even though human capacity can comprehend some of the wisdom and reasons behind them, most are beyond our capacity. As a matter of fact, in our worships to Allah, the main thing is to perform them sincerely, and therefore, the search for wisdom and reasons is not that important. Muslim scholars say that there are many known and unknown benefits of fasting and mention some of the known benefits that they can understand. Some of them are as follows:
Fasting that keeps humans away from the temptations of the carnal self and teaches us how to be patient advances us to the level of piety by training us in a certain way for self-control and discipline. Due to fasting, one realizes better the value of the blessings that he has. The feelings of mercy and affection in his heart improve and he starts to discern better the needy in the society. He gets filled with the feelings of thanks to Allah and mercy and aid to His servants.
On the other hand, the benefits of fasting to our health are known to all.
In order fasting to be beneficial for the spiritual life, it must be performed by balancing the harmony between the body and soul. In other words, while the body is fasting, the heart, carnal self, and the other body parts should also fast and stay away from all kinds of forbidden (harams) and reproachable acts (makruh). The essence of fasting is to elevate one’s spiritual state in the sight of Allah and to gain sensitivity in obeying Allah’s commands and prohibitions. For this reason, those who fast should avoid lying, slandering, backbiting, gossiping, using strong language or cursing, fighting, and all the other wrongdoings and sins. Those believers who fast should know how to respond peacefully to those who treat them impolitely. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us that Allah does not accept the fast of those who do not perform their fasting in this way. When fasting is not performed as it should be, one misses the opportunity to receive the spiritual perfection and virtue of fasting while he only fulfills his responsibility.
One should not forget that the aim of fasting is not to torture or bother the body. For this reason, in the verses that the fasting is commanded, Allah says “Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties.”[7] Practices such as Sawm-ı wisal[8] that cause difficulty to humans are prohibited. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) paid attention to wake up for the Sahur (the meal before dawn during Ramadan) and to be quick in iftar (the breaking of the Ramadan fast), and said that there is a blessing in Sahur meal,[9] and as long as they act quick in breaking their fast, Muslims will continue to live the right path.[10] By improving the individual and the society, the real goal in fasting is to fulfill our responsibility to Allah, to discipline our inner selves and advance our spiritual state to piety, to ensure a peaceful environment with which Allah will be content.
b. The Virtues of The Night of Power (Al-Laylat al-Qadr)
٥٦. عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُجَاوِرُ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ وَيَقُولُ:
«تَحَرَّوْا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ».
56. Aisha (r.a.) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to retire in the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan and devote himself to worship and say:
“Search for the Night of Qadr in the last ten days of Ramadan.” (Bukhari, Laylat al-Qadr, 3; Muslim, Siyam, 219; Tirmidhi, Sawm, 72/792)
٥٧. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَاناً وَاحْتِسَاباً غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ».
57. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Whoever establishes prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward only from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari, Sawm, 6; Muslim, Musafirin, 173-176)
٥٨. عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: قُلْتُ:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ عَلِمْتُ أَيَّ لَيْلَةٍ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ مَا أَقُولُ فِيهَا؟» قَالَ: قُولِي:
«اَللّٰهُمَّ إنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي».
58. Aisha (r.a.) said: I asked the Prophet:
“O the Messenger of Allah! If I get know which night is the Night of Qadr, how should I pray?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) responded:
“Pray saying “O my Lord! You are the most forgiver and generous, You love to forgive; please forgive me!”” (Tirmidhi, Deavat, 84/3513; Ibn Majah, Dua, 5)
Explanations:
One of the manifestations of Allah’s endless mercy and blessing is the Night of Power (al-Laylat al-Qadr). This night is the greatest opportunity blessed to us by our Lord who facilitates things for His servants in every chance. That is because this night is better than one thousand months, or in other words better than 83-year and 4-month long life.
The life span of his followers was shown to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) found it to be too short comparing to the life spans of the previous people. He thought that his followers would miss the opportunity to perform good deeds as much as the previous people. Upon that, Allah blessed him and his followers the Night of Power which is better than one thousand months. (Muwatta, Itiqaf 15)
One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told his companions about a man from Israelites. This man called Shem‘un-i Ghazi fought for the sake of Allah for a thousand months and worshipped Him during the nights. Muslims got excited and admired him.
Upon that, Allah revealed the chapter al-Qadr in order to show His blessings and mercy to the followers of Muhammad:
“We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the night of power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah’s permission, on every errand: Peace!… This until the rise of morn!” (Al-Qadr; 97:1-5) (See Wahidi, p. 486)
Allah the Almighty made the night that He appointed our Prophet to the prophethood and started to reveal our Holy Book as the holiest one of all nights. This is enough to express the honor and value of and the Noble Qur’an, and also the Night of Power.
By stating “We sent it (Qur’an) down during a Blessed Night”[11] in the chapter al-Duhan, Allah informs us about the blessing and virtue of the Night of Power and abundance of its goodness.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“In Ramadan there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever misses the goodness of this night misses something gravely important.” (Ahmad, II, 230, 385)
Acts of worship performed in this night are more rewarding than the ones performed in a thousand months that do not have a Night of Power in them. The things that will take place until the next year are told to angels on this night. In this night, Gabriel (pbuh) and many other angles descend on earth. In this night, people are protected from all kinds of evil; peace and tranquility covers everywhere until the sunrise. Angels descending on Earth greet believers by whom they stop and pray for them and for their forgiveness. They also bear witness to their worship on the Day of Judgment and intercede for that person.
In our first hadith, it is advised that one must search for the Night of Power in the last ten days of Ramadan. In other narrations, it is also advised to search for it in the odd days of the last ten days of Ramadan[12], in the twenty fourth night,[13] and twenty seventh nights.[14] Some of the Noble Companions dreamt that the Night of Power is in the last seven days of Ramadan and told that to the Messenger of Allah. Upon that, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“It seems that all your dreams agree that (the Night of Qadr) is in the last seven nights, and whoever wants to search for it (i.e. the Night of Qadr) should search in the last seven (nights of Ramadan).” (Bukhari, Laylat al-Qadr, 2; Ta’bir, 8; Muslim, Siyam, 205-206)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us about the signs of this night as:
“In the morning of the Night of Power, the sun rises without brightness, and it looks like a bowl until it gets high.” (Muslim, Musafirin, 179; Abu Dawud, Ramadan, 2/1378; Tirmidhi, Sawm, 72/793)
“The Night of Power is bright and it is neither hot nor cold. It is without clouds, rain, and wind. There would not be a falling star in that night either…” (Tabarani, Kabir, XXII, 59; Haythami, III, 178-179; Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 334)
The reason of hiding the Night of Power is to encourage people to worship and make them worship more and so elevate their spiritual state. A person who searches the Night of Power learns to take advantage of his time by worshipping and practices this same habit in other days as well. In time, being good and worshipping becomes his nature. Also, the value of something depends on the hardship that is gone through to get it. Therefore, in order to take advantage of this virtuous night, one must try hard.
Hiding the Night of Power prevents people to sin by trusting to take advantage of this night. It also saves those who do not respect this night from the responsibility of sinning intentionally for a thousand months. Taking all these reasons into account, wise people said:
“Consider every night as the Night of Power, and every man you see as Hizir.[15]
In the second hadith, the good news is given that the sins of those who take advantage of the Night of Power will be nullified. However, this is conditioned on having faith and being sincere. In other words, one must believe in the words of Allah and His Messenger and acknowledge the virtue of that night and worship by asking the rewards only from Allah. When this happens, that person gets cleansed from all his sins and reaches the morning as pure as a newborn.
Being forgiven is an important privilege. That is because first a thing gets cleaned and then gets enriched with beauties. For this reason, before everything else, one must hold on tight to asking for forgiveness.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would worship more during the month of Ramadan compared to other months, and devote himself to worship especially at the last ten days of Ramadan in order to take advantage of the Night of Power. During these days, he would spend the night worshipping and wake up his family as well. (Bukhari, Laylatu’l-Kadr, 5)
In the third hadith, one of the prayers that can be said in the Night of Power is taught. As other prayers can be said in the Night of Power, this night can also be spent by performing worships such as praying, reciting the Qur’an, asking for forgiveness of sins and promising not to do them again, remembering Allah, saying praises for His messenger, and deeply thinking. Those who have missed prayers should at least make up one day (five) of those missed prayers. Apart from these, one should spend the day of the Night of Power by performing good deeds such as pleasing and helping others, giving charities and cheering up the needy. The least one can do to take advantage of the Night of Power is to join a congregation in the evening prayer (Salat al-Maghrib), the night prayer (Salat al-‘Isha), and the dawn prayer (Salat al-Fajr). (See Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 340)
To stay up all night might not be possible for everyone. However, in compliance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, it is quite possible for anyone during the last seven days of Ramadan to decrease the sleeping time and increase the time spend worshipping and to reserve some time from the early and late hours of the night for the acts of worship.
Those who do not benefit from Ramadan, fasting, and the Night of Power and reach the end of Ramadan without receiving forgiveness are miserable people. They insist and resist on staying away from goodness and Allah’s mercy. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Woe to him who found the blessed month of Ramadan and let it pass by without gaining forgiveness!” (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 100/3545)
c. Utilizing the Festivity (Eid) Days
٥٩. عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَتَيِ الْعِيدَيْنِ مُحْتَسِبًا لِلّٰهِ لَمْ يَمُتْ قَلْبُهُ يَوْمَ تَمُوتُ الْقُلُوبُ».
59. Abu Umamah (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Whoever spends the nights of Eid al-Fitr (the festival day at the completion of the month of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (the festival day at the completion of the pilgrimage to Mecca) worshipping and hoping for a reward only from Allah, then his heart will not die on the day when all hearts will.” (Ibn Majah, Siyam, 68. Also see Haythami, II, 198)
٦٠. عَنْ نُبَيْشَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَال:َ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«إِنَّا كُنَّا نَهَيْنَاكُمْ عَنْ لُحُومِهَا أَنْ تَأْكُلُوهَا فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ لِكَيْ تَسَعَكُمْ فَقَدْ جَاءَ اللّٰهُ بِالسَّعَةِ فَكُلُوا وَادَّخِرُوا وَاتَّجِرُوا أَلَا وَإِنَّ هٰذِهِ الْأَيَّامَ أَيَّامُ أَكْلٍ وَشُرْبٍ وَذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ».
60. Nubayshah (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“We forbade you to eat the sacrifice meat for more than three days in order that you might have abundance. Now Allah has produced abundance, so you may eat, store up, and seek reward from Allah by distributing some. Beware, the days of Eid are days of eating, drinking and remembrance of Allah, Most High. (Abu Dawud, Al-Dahaya, 9-10/2812, 2813)[16]
Explanations:
At the time when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) emigrated from Mecca to Medina, there were two festivals in which people of Medina used to perform various plays. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw this and said:
“Corresponding to these two festivals, Allah gave you better ones, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha” (Ahmad, III, 103, 178, 235, 250; Abu Dawud, Salah, 239/1134; Nasai, I‘dain, 1/1554)
Eid days are the signs of Allah’s mercy. Eid days are exceptional days where feelings of forgiveness, tolerance, cooperation, conciliation, affection, kindness, and goodness are experienced. Those believers who devote themselves to worship in Ramadan and Hajj and achieve forgiveness and contentment of Allah are the ones who benefit more comfortably from the blessings of Allah in eid days. In a sense, the festivity days represent the believers’ reception of the blessings of Paradise by completing the test of this world that is full of hardships and their affection with other believers there without having any negative feelings in their hearts such as envy, jealousy, or hatred. Actually, the real eid is on that day. As a matter of fact, the friends of Allah said:
“The real eid is not for those who put on new clothes but for those who are secure from Allah’s torment.”
In the first hadith, we are given the good news that the hearts of those believers who spend the nights of eid days worshipping, remembering Allah, supplication, and thinking of Allah will not die. That is because they are the people who experienced the joy of worshipping Allah and can keep their carnal self under control. While all others pursue their carnal desires, they enjoy worshipping by not falling for the temporal joys. Even if they coincide with an era where hearts are dead due to ubiquity of sins, their hearts stay alive, they do not prefer the world over hereafter, and they never fall into disbelief. Also, their aftermath is goodness. Those people do not get surprised and terrified neither at the time of their death or in their grave nor on the Day of Judgment but rather go to their Lord with a peaceful heart. That is because they experience the joy of worshipping. They realize and are conscious of the fact that they are in this world for a test and should take advantage of this world of opportunities until their last minute.
When something is rare and difficult to perform, it means a higher value. While most people forget worshipping with the excitement of eid, performing acts of worship during the nights of the eids shows the strength of faith and love of Allah for those who worship. Even if all hearts die, such hearts that are full of faith and love of Allah never die.
In our second hadith, we are informed that the days of eid are the days of social solidarity and unity, exchanging gifts, cooperation, treating each other with respect and honor, and benefitting from the divine blessings and remembering Allah. Otherwise, eid days are not days of vacation and entertainment.
On the other hand, in order to show happiness, games and entertainment performed without encouraging the carnal self for wrong desires are permitted in weddings and eid days. That is because displaying happiness during eid days is one of the principles of Islam. (Ahmad Naim, Tecridi Sarih Tercümesi, III, 157)
As a matter of fact, on an eid day, two young girls together with Aisha were singing songs about the Battle of Buath. The Prophet (pbuh) was resting while his face covered with a cloth. At that moment, Abu Bakr (r.a.) came in and wanted to interrupt.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, uncovering his head:
“O Abu Bakr! There is an Eid for every nation and this is our Eid!” (Bukhari, I‘dain, 3; Muslim, Salat al-I‘dain, 16)
In other words, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave permission to Muslims to celebrate eids in this way even though he did not watch it himself. Also on another eid day, a group that came from Ethiopia was playing with shields and spears in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) let Aisha watch this game over his shoulders hiding her behind himself and covering her with his wrap. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 2; Salah, 69)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) always emphasized the spiritual side of the eids in order for these permissible entertainments and the atmosphere of celebration not to go beyond acceptable limits. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) who encouraged worshipping, doing well, and remembering Allah in eids said in a hadith:
“The first thing to be done on this day (first day of Eid) is to pray.” (Bukhari, I‘dain, 3, 10; Muslim, Adahi, 7)
“Beautify your eid days with saying al-Takbir (Allahu Akbar –God is Greatest)!” (Haythami, II, 197)
Indeed, the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) kept eid days alive with saying Takbirs. Umar used to say Takbirs in his small tent in Mina and people in the mosque used to repeat after him. When people in the market also joined them, the Mina would be reverberated with the sound of Takbirs. Ibn Umar used to say Takbir continuously on eid days. He used to say Takbir after each prayer, when he went to sleep, when he entered his tent, while sitting or walking, in other words, at all times and conditions during these assigned days. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 12)
As it can be seen, the happiness of Muslims is displayed by worshipping Allah and exalting His religion. There is no share of the carnal self in their happiness. In the moments of happiness, they never act exorbitant and perform forbidden acts. In these happy days, they run to good deeds that would help them to gain the contentment of Allah and especially treat the needy and the poor nicely and try to please them. They help the poor, helpless, orphan, widow, and people who are tired and exhausted. They make children, especially orphan and poor ones, happy. Eids strengthen the feelings of friendship and kinship by awakening the spirituality of Muslims and carry the good traits such as compassion, mercy, loyalty, and empathy to their peak.
The following is such a good example that shows the cooperation and empathy between Muslims before the eid.
There was a man who did not have anything but a hundred dinars. When eid was approaching, one of his friends wrote him a letter and asked for his help saying:
“Eid is coming, but we do not have anything to satisfy the needs of the children.” Upon that, that man put the hundred dinars in a money bag, sealed it, and sent it to his friend. When the man who asked for help got the money, this time he received a letter from one of his friends. The latter also wrote that he did not have enough money and asked for help to get his needs for the eid. So the man sent the money to his friend without even opening it.
The man who initially sent the money bag to his friend also wrote a letter to another one of his friends and asked for help. But this man was last man who got the dinars. Then, this man, too, sent the money to his friend without opening the seal. When the man who initially sent the dinars received the money bag and saw that this was his own sealed money bag, he was surprised. He went to his friend taking the money bag with him and asked:
“What is with this money bag you sent me?”
He explained the situation. Upon the clarification of the situation, he said:
“Let’s go to the other friend of us.”
They went to the other friend’s place and talked about the situation and opened up the money bag and shared the money. (Hatib Bagdadi, Tarihu Bagdad, XIV, 282)
On the eid day, first we send our holiday wishes to our relatives who have already passed away and who are waiting for our prayers and rewards of giving alms in their names. Their souls get exalted by reciting the chapter al-Fatiha and giving alms in their names. By taking lessons from their situation, we realize that we need to get ready for the real eid. Then, we need to visit our relatives and friends and inquire after their health. Everybody forgives his rightful dues on each other and those who offended each other reconcile.
There are some things that Islam considers nice to be done on the eid days. Some of them are:
To wake up early on eid days, to perform ghusl (bath lustration), to clean the mouth by using a miswaq,[17] to wear nice fragrances, to put on clean and nice clothes, to be happy and cheerful to thank the blessings of Allah etc.
It is better to perform the eid prayer in an open and wide space. It is preferred that men, women, and children come to an open and wide place called Musalla.[18] Even women who could not perform the ritual prayer (due to menstruation) are advised to come and join this good deed and prayers of Muslims. That is because having the more people who attend the eid prayers the more it carries the meaning of showing strength of believers and exalting the religion of Allah.
It is sunnah to eat something sweet before going to prayer of Eid al-Fitr. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would not go to Eid Prayer without eating a few dates. In addition, he used to pay attention that the number of the dates would be odd such as three or five. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 4)
It is considered better not to eat anything until the end of the prayer of Eid al-Adha[19] and eat later from the meat of the sacrificed animal. That is because acting this way shows the importance and respect given to the sacrifice.[20]
Reciting Takbirs silently in Eid al-Fitr and audibly in Eid al-Adha, taking a different way if possible when returning from the Eid Prayer,[21] treating people in a friendly manner and saying nice things to Muslims when coming across them, and give alms as much as possible are among the beauties of the Eid.
Another issue is that the Prophet did not consider appropriate to carry weapons on Eid days in mosques, markets, and where people congregate when there is no danger of enemy. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 9; Salah, 66, Fitan, 7; Muslim, Birr, 120-124; Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 168; Abdurrazzak, Musannaf, III, 289)
[1] Beyhaki, Shuab, III, 314-315; Haythami, III, 140.
[2] Ahmad, II, 230, 385.
[3] Translator’s note: Some translate the name of this night as “the Night of Worth.”
[4] Qadr (Power, Fate); 97:3.
[5] Bukhari, Keffaratul-Ayman, 5.
[6] Sa is a measure of weight that is equal either to 2,751 kg or 3,328 kg.
[7] Al-Baqarah; 2/185.
[8] Sawm al-wisal is fasting for two or three days without breaking it.
[9] Tirmidhi, Sawm, 17/708.
[10] Bukhari, Sawm, 45; Muslim, Siyam, 48.
[11] Al-Duhan (The Smoke); 44/3.
[12] Tirmidhi, Savm, 72/792.
[13] Bukhari, Laylat al-Qadr 3.
[14] Tabarani, Kabir, XIX, 349.
[15] Translator’s Note: A Muslim saint, Hizir is the last-minute rescuer from disaster, a deus ex machina, when all other assistance, natural and supernatural, has failed.
[16] In the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), when it was Eid Al-Adha, there came a group of needy Bedouin people. Upon that, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) ordered not to keep the meat of the sacrificed animal for more than three days and asked it to be distributed. Later when the prosperity increased, he abrogated this rule while still encouraging Muslims to cooperate and help the poor. (Muslim, Adahi, 28, 34; Abu Dawud, Adahi, 9-10/2812)
[17] Translator’s note: Miswaq is a small stick from a special tree that was used widely to clean the teeth prior to the widespread usage of toothbrushes.
[18] Musalla/ Jamat khana: An open-air place designated for prayer. Particularly, certain designated places away from residential centers, where eid prayers, prayers for rain (Salat al-Istisqa), and funeral prayers are held. This term is also used for the open-air prayer rooms built next to roadways for travelers to utilize. When the Messenger of Allah went for a long expedition, in places where he rested, a suitable place would be determined and this place would be cleaned and bordered with rocks and announced to be the musalla. In the Tabuk Expedition of the Prophet, fifteen of open-air musallas were made in various places. (Waqidi, III, 999; Ibn Hisham, IV, 179) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also established several musallas on the way to Mecca. (Bukhari, Salah, 49) This Sunnah (tradition of the Prophet) continued in the coming eras and sometimes musallahs became places where the army camped. (Nebi Bozkurt, “Namazgah”, Diyanet İslâm Ansiklopedisi, XXXII, 357-358).
[19] Translator’s note: The religious festival day marking the completion of Al Hajj when Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Abraham.
[20] Shah Waliyyullah al-Dahlawi, Hujjatullah al-baligha, II, 79.
[21] The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to use different roads when going to and returning from the Eid Prayers. (Bukhari, I‘dain, 24)
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