1.He would stay awake at night, wake his family and tie his
izaar tight.
It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with
her) said: When the (last) ten (days of Ramadan) began, the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) would stay awake at night, wake his family, strive
hard (in worship) and tie his izaar tight. Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 2024; Muslim, 1174.

This hadeeth indicates that the last ten nights of Ramadaan
are different from the others because of more acts of
worship such as prayer, dhikr, and reading Qur’aan. The
Mother of the Believers ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with her) described our Prophet and example Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as follows:

1 – “He would stay up at night” means he would stay up
doing acts of worship and would revitalize himself thereby,
because sleep is akin to death. What is meant is that he
would spend the whole night in praying qiyaam and
worshipping the Lord of the Worlds. The last ten nights are
few, and what is narrated about the prohibition on spending
the entire night in prayer, as mentioned in the hadeeth of
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him), is
to be understood as referring to one who spends the whole
night in prayer every night of the year.

2 – “… and wake his family…” i.e., his wives, the Mothers
of the Believers, to join him in making the most of
goodness, dhikr and worship during these blessed times.

3 – “… and strive hard…” means strive hard in worship. It
was also said that it refers to keeping away from his
wives, which is more likely given the context, and because
of the hadeeth of Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him):
“He rolled up his bed and kept away from his wives.” He
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to observe
i’tikaaf during the last ten days, and the person in
i’tikaaf is forbidden to have relations with his wife.

You should be keen to acquire these characteristics and to
pray tahajjud regularly with the imam in addition to
Taraaweeh, so as to increase your efforts during these last
ten days and do more than in the first twenty days, so that
you may fill your nights with prayer.

You should adorn yourself with patience in obeying and
worshipping Allaah, for tahajjud prayer is difficult, but
its virtue is great. It is the opportunity of a lifetime
and great good fortune for those whom Allaah enables to do
it. You never know, perhaps you may attain one of the
mercies of the Lord, so it will bring you happiness in this
world and in the Hereafter.

The righteous early generations of this ummah used to pray
at length during the night, following the example of their
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Al-Saa’ib ibn Yazeed said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may
Allaah be pleased with him) told Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Tameem
al-Daari (may Allaah be pleased with him) to lead the
people in praying eleven rak’ahs. He said: And the reciter
would recite the soorahs that contain one hundred or more
verses, until we would lean on sticks because of standing
for so long, and we would not leave until dawn had come.

‘Abd-‘Allaah ibn Abi Bakr said: I heard my father say: We
used to leave Taraweeh in Ramadaan and we would make the
servants hasten to bring food lest dawn came.

During Ramadaan, the believer engages in jihad al-nafs on
two fronts: during the day by fasting and during the night
by praying qiyaam. Whoever does both and does them right is
one of the patient who will be given their reward without
reckoning.

These ten nights comes at the end of the month, and actions
are judged by how they end. Perhaps you will catch Laylat
al-Qadr during these ten nights, when he is standing in
prayer before his Lord, so He will forgive him his previous
sins.

You should wake your family and encourage them to do acts
of worship, especially during this blessed time which no
one ignores except one who is deprived. The most serious
example of that is when a person spends the time when
people are praying tahajjud in haraam and sinful
gatherings. This is an obvious loss. We ask Allaah to keep
us safe and sound.

Hasten to make the most of what is left of the month, and
perhaps you will make up for what you have wasted of your
life. It is most regrettable that we see some people
starting to do righteous deeds at the beginning of the
month, such as praying and reading Qur’aan, then they seem
to get bored and tired, especially when the last ten days
begin, which are more special than the beginning of the
month.  We should continue our efforts and do more acts of
worship and strive hard when the month starts to draw to a
close. For actions are judged by how they end and
acceptance of deeds is more likely when the conditions are
met without any impediment.

“and for this let (all) those strive who want to strive
(i.e. hasten earnestly to the obedience of Allaah)”

[al-Mutaffifeen 83:26 – interpretation of the meaning]

O Allaah, accept this (worship) from us, for You are the
All-Hearing, All-Knowing, and accept our repentance, for
You are the Acceptor of Repentance, the Most Merciful

Ahkaam al-Siyaam by al-Fawzaan.


2.Whoever gives iftaar to a fasting person will have a
reward like his.
It was narrated that Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Whoever gives iftaar to a fasting person will
have a reward like his, without that detracting from the
reward of the fasting person in the slightest.” Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi, who said it is a saheeh hasan hadeeth.

This hadeeth is indicative of the virtue of giving iftaar
(“breakfast”) to those who are fasting, and shows that
there is a great reward for that, namely a reward
equivalent to that of the one who is fasting, and Allaah
knows best, because the one who is fasting deserves to be
honoured, and feeding him is an act of  charity, an act of
respect for his fast and a means of upholding ties with one
who does acts of worship. This is something that the
Muslims are used to doing, because they understand the
great reward that results from that. The month of Ramadaan
is a month in which Allaah bestows abundant mercy and
forgiveness upon His slaves and ransoms them from the Fire,
and Allaah has mercy upon those of His slaves who show
mercy. Giving iftaar to one who fasts is similar in many
ways to feeding the poor by giving them food to eat or
money with which to buy food, but it does not apply only to
the poor.

Generosity during the month of Ramadaan is an action that
carries a high status. It was proven that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most
generous of people in doing good, and he was at his most
generous during Ramadaan, because of the holiness of this
time and the fact that rewards are multiplied during this
month, and so as to help those who were fasting and
worshipping to continue with their worship – so the one who
helps them deserves to have a reward equal to theirs.

Generosity means giving a great deal; this includes charity
and all manner of kind deeds. In this hadeeth it is to be
understood as meaning generosity at all times, and more so
in Ramadaan.

So we should follow the example of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and give generously to the
poor and needy, check on our neighbours and uphold the ties
of kinship, and take part in charitable projects. Perhaps
it will motivate us to give if we let fasting remind us of
the bounties and blessings of Allaah which we only
acknowledge when we have lost them, so we should be
grateful for the blessings of Allaah which enable us to get
what we want of the things that Allaah has permitted to us,
and we should remember our poor brothers who cannot get
what they need, and we should give generously to them.

A combination of fasting and feeding others is a most
effective means of expiation and protecting oneself from
Hell, especially if qiyaam al-layl is added to that. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to
Mu’aadh ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him): “Shall
I not tell you of the means of goodness? Fasting is a
shield, and charity extinguishes sins as water extinguishes
fire, and a man’s prayer in the middle of the night.” Then
he recited (interpretation of the meaning):

“Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in
fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allaah’s
Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them.

17. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as
a reward for what they used to do”

[al-Sajdah 32:16]

The righteous early generations of this ummah were keen to
feed others and give iftar to those who were fasting. They
gave that priority over other acts of worship whether they
were feeding the hungry or offering food to a righteous
brother.

There are many well-known reports about that. One of the
salaf said: “For me to invite ten of my companions and
offer them food that they like is more beloved to me than
freeing ten of the sons of Ismaa’eel.”

Many of the salaf would give their own iftaar food to
others when they were fasting, such as ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), Ahmad ibn Hanbal,
Dawood al-Taa’i and Maalik ibn Dinar.

Among the salaf were some who would offer food to their
brothers when fasting, and they would serve them and make
them feel at home, such as al-Hasan al-Basri and
‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak.

Imam al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I
like for a person to be more generous during the month of
Ramadaan, following the example of the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and because the people
are in need of this generosity as many of them are
distracted from earning a living by their fasting and
praying.”

See Ahkaam al-Siyaam by al-Fawzaan, p. 67.

O Allaah, accept this (worship) from us, for You are the
All-Hearing, All-Knowing, and accept our repentance, for
You are the Acceptor of Repentance, the Most Merciful.

Read the Qur’aan, for it will come on the Day of
Resurrection and intercede for its companions


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was narrated that Abu Umaamah al-Baahili (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Read the
Qur’aan, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection and
intercede for its companions…” Narrated by Muslim, 804.

This hadeeth is indicative of the virtue of reading the
Qur’aan, and the great reward that it brings, and tells us
that it will intercede for its companions on the Day of
Resurrection for them to enter Paradise.

 It was narrated that al-Nawaas ibn Sam’aan (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The Qur’aan will be
brought on the Day of Resurrection, with its people – those
who used to used to act in accordance with it – preceded by
Soorat al-Baqarah and Aal ‘Imraan.” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) likened them to
three things, which I did not forget afterwards. He (the
Prophet) likened them to two clouds or two black canopies
with light between them, or like two flocks of birds in
ranks pleading for one who recited them.”

Narrated by Muslim, 805.

And it was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Fasting and the Qur’aan will intercede for a
person on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, ‘O
Lord, I deprived him of food and desires during the day, so
let me intercede for him.’ And the Qur’aan will say: ‘I
deprived him of sleep during the night, so let me intercede
for him.’ So they will both be allowed to intercede.”

Narrated by Ahmad, 6589.

The fasting person should recite Qur’aan a great deal
during these blessed days and nights, for reading Qur’aan
during Ramadaan is more special than in other months.

He should make the most of his time in the blessed month in
which Allaah revealed the Qur’aan.

Reading Qur’aan in the nights of Ramadaan is something
special, for the night is free of distractions and it is
easier to focus the mind, thus a person can focus on what
he is reading and try to understand it. And Allaah is the
One Whose help we seek.

It was proven that Jibreel (peace be upon him) used to meet
with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) every night in Ramadaan and study the Qur’aan with
him. If dhikr were superior to the Qur’aan or equal to it,
they would have recited dhikr all the time or some of the
time during their frequent meetings. This hadeeth shows us
that it is mustahabb to study the Qur’aan in Ramadaan and
to gather to do so, and to practise reciting Qur’aan in
front of one who has more knowledge of it.

The righteous salaf of this ummah used to recite Qur’aan a
great deal during Ramadaan. When they fasted they would sit
in the mosques and say, Let us guard our fast and not
backbite about anyone. They would recite Qur’aan in prayer
and at other times.

‘Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to read the
entire Qur’aan once a day.

Some of the salaf used to complete it when praying qiyaam
every three nights.

Some of them used to complete it every seven nights, and
some every ten.

In Ramadaan al-Shaafa’i used to complete it sixty times at
times other than prayer.

Al-Aswad used to read the whole Qur’aan every two nights in
Ramadaan.

Qutaadah used to complete the Qur’aan every seven days all
the time, and in Ramadaan every three days, and in the last
ten days every night.

These reports about the salaf are well known.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It
was narrated that it is not allowed to read the Qur’aan in
less than three days as a habit, but in times of virtue,
such as the month of Ramadaan – especially during the
nights in which Laylat al-Qadr is sought, or in places of
virtue such as Makkah for non-residents who go there, it is
mustahabb to read Qur’aan a great deal, seeking to make the
most of the virtue of that time or place. This is the view
of Ahmad, Ishaaq and other imams, and this is indicated by
the actions of others as stated above.

The one who reads Qur’aan must observe the proper
etiquette, including having a sincere intention towards
Allaah.

He should read in a state of purity (i.e., with wudoo’)

He should use miswaak.

He should think about what he is reading and not rush,
rather he should read at a measured pace, and focus on the
meanings, because this helps the reader to pronounce the
letters correctly and ponder the meanings, and focus with
proper humility. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“(This is) a Book (the Qur’aan) which We have sent down to
you, full of blessings, that they may ponder over its
Verses, and that men of understanding may remember”

[Saad 38:29]

The etiquette of reading includes not breaking off to speak
to anyone. Many people sit to read with others next to
them, and they often break off to speak to their neighbour.
This is not appropriate because it is turning away from
reading unnecessarily.

The one who is reading should act in accordance with the
Qur’aan, regard as halaal that which it permits and as
haraam that which it forbids, so that the Qur’aan will
testify for him on the Day of Resurrection and will
intercede for him to enter Paradise.

And Allaah knows best.

Source: Ahkaam al-Siyaam by al-Fawzaan, p. 63.


Courtesy of Sheikh Muhammed Al-Munajjid.



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