King Fahd, Abdullah Call for Unity

JEDDAH,15 October 2004 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah yesterday called for
Muslim unity, saying Muslims are in urgent need to stand
together today more than any other time and to work
according to the teachings of Islam that reject violence,
extremism and terrorism. “Hold fast together the rope of
God and stand united at this very time when the nation of
Islam is in need of coming together and Muslims in need of
adhering to the Islamic teachings that reject violence,
extremism and terrorism and preach moderation and
tolerance,” the king and the crown prince told Muslims in a
Ramadan greeting message, according to the Saudi Press
Agency.

Saudi Arabia will today join other Muslim countries in
observing the holy month of Ramadan where Muslims refrain
from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk.

“The nation of Islam is in greater need of unity than any
time before,” the Saudi leaders said. “The Islamic faith
instructs us to follow the principles of wisdom and
moderation,” SPA quoted them as saying.

King Fahd and Prince Abdullah congratulated Muslims all
over the world on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan
which begins today. They also reminded Muslims of the
greatness of Ramadan and advised them to do righteous
deeds.

The Saudi leaders said the Kingdom would spare no effort in
the service of Islam and Muslims everywhere, especially
those who come to Saudi Arabia as pilgrims and pledged to
work tirelessly and with all determination for the interest
of the country and its people.

“The blessed month has come... when the doors of Paradise
are kept open and the doors of Hell are closed and the
devils are chained... In this month there is a night that
is better than a thousand months. On this occasion we
congratulate all Muslims on the advent of this holy month
where Muslims should make good use of it through good deeds
and worship,” the king and crown prince said

King Fahd, Prince Abdullah and Prince Sultan, second deputy
premier and minister of defense and aviation, exchanged
messages of Ramadan greetings with world leaders.


 Suggested program for the Muslim during Ramadaan.
Praise be to Allaah.

May Allaah accept all our righteous words and deeds, and
help us to be sincere in secret and in public.

There follows a suggested program for the Muslim during
this blessed month:

The Muslim’s day in Ramadaan:

The Muslim starts his day with suhoor(heda or sokoli)
before Fajr prayer.It is better to delay suhoor until the
latest possible time of the night.

Then after that the Muslim gets ready for Fajr prayer
before the adhaan. So he does wudoo’ at home and goes out
to the mosque before the adhaan.

When he enters the mosque, he prays two rak’ahs (tahiyyat
al-masjid – greeting the mosque). Then he sits and keeps
busy making du’aa’, or reading Qur’aan, or reciting dhikr,
until the muezzin gives the call to prayer. He repeats what
the muezzin says, and says the du’aa’ narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to be
said after the adhaan ends. Then after that he prays two
rak’ahs (the regular Sunnah of Fajr), then he occupies
himself with du’aa’ and reading Qur’aan until the iqaamah
for prayer is given. He is in a state of prayer so long as
he is waiting for the prayer.

After offering the prayer in congregation, he recites the
dhikrs that are prescribed following the salaam at the end
of the prayer. After that if he wants to sit in the mosque
until the sun has risen, reciting dhikr and reading
Qur’aan, that is preferable, and that is what the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do
after Fajr prayer.

Then about one-quarter of an hour after the sun has risen,
if he wants he can pray Duha prayer (a minimum of two
rak’ahs), and that is good. Or if he wants he can delay it
until the preferred time, which is when the day has grown
hotter and the sun is higher in the sky – that is better.

Then if he wants he may sleep to prepare himself for going
to work, and he can intend by sleeping to strengthen
himself for worship and earning a living, so that he will
be rewarded for it in sha Allah. He should also follow the
etiquette of sleep that is prescribed in sharee’ah, both
actions and words.

Then he goes to work, and when the time for Zuhr prayer
comes, he goes to the mosque early, before the adhaan or
immediately after it, and he should get ready to pray
beforehand. So he prays four rak’ahs with two tasleems (the
regular Sunnah before Zuhr), then he keeps busy reading
Qur’aan until the iqaamah for prayer is given, and he prays
with the congregation, then he prays two rak’ahs (the
regular Sunnah after Zuhr).

Then after the prayer he goes and finishes whatever of his
work is left, until it is time to leave work. If there is a
long time to go after finishing his work until the time for
‘Asr prayer, then he can rest. But if there is not enough
time and he fears that if he sleeps he will miss ‘Asr
prayer, then he should keep busy doing something suitable
until the time for ‘Asr comes, such as going to the market
to buy some things that his family needs and the like, or
going straight to the mosque when he has finished his work,
and staying in the mosque until he has prayed ‘Asr.

Then after ‘As, it depends on his circumstances. If he can
stay in the mosque and keep busy reading Qur’aan, this is a
great opportunity. But if he feels tired, then he should
rest at this time so that he will be ready to pray
taraaweeh at night.

Before the adhaan for Maghrib, he should get ready to break
his fast, and he should do something at this time that will
benefit him, whether reading Qur’aan, making du’aa’, or
having a useful conversation with his wife and children.

One of the best things that he can do at this time is to
take part in offering iftaar to those who are fasting,
whether by bringing food to them or helping to distribute
it to them and organizing that. This brings a great joy
which no one knows except those who have experienced it.

After iftaar, he goes and prays in congregation in the
mosque, and after the prayer he prays two rak'ahs (the
regular Sunnah of Maghrib). Then he goes back home and eats
whatever is available – without eating too much. Then he
looks for a suitable way for himself and his family to
spend this time, whether reading a book of stories, or a
book on practical rulings, or a quiz, or permissible
conversation, or any other useful idea that is of interest
to the members of the family and will distracts them from
the haraam things that appear in the media which regard
this as their prime time, so you find the media
transmitting their most attractive programs at that time,
that may contain immoral and obscene material. Strive to
turn away from that, and fear Allaah with regard to your
“flock” (i.e., your family) concerning whom you will be
questioned on the Day of Resurrection, so be prepared to
answer the questions.

Then get ready for ‘Isha’ prayer, go to the mosque and keep
busy reading Qur’aan or listening to the lesson being given
in the mosque.

Then after that perform ‘Isha’ prayer, then pray two
rak’ahs (the regular Sunnah of ‘Isha’), then pray taraaweeh
behind the imam with humility and focus, pondering the
meanings of what is recited. Do not finish until the imam
finishes. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “Whoever stands (and prays) with the imam
until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the
night in prayer.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1370, and others.
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Salaat al-Taraaweeh, p.
15.

Then after Taraaweeh you can make a program for yourself
that is suited to your circumstances and personal
commitments. But you should pay attention to the following:


Keeping away from all haraam things and whatever may lead
to them.

Paying attention to ensuring that your family avoid falling
into any haraam thing or whatever may lead to that, in a
wise manner, such as preparing a program just for them, or
taking them out for leisure trips to permissible places, or
keeping them away from bad friends, or looking for good
friends for them.

Keeping busy with things that take priority.

Then you should try to sleep early, whilst paying attention
to the etiquette of sleep as prescribed in sharee’ah, both
actions and words. If you read some Qur’aan or some
beneficial books before going to sleep, that is something
good, especially if you have not yet completed your daily
portion of Qur’aan – so do not go to sleep until you have
completed it.

Then wake up before suhoor, allowing enough time to recite
du’aa’, because this time – the last third of the night –
is the time when Allaah descends, and Allaah has praised
those who seek His forgiveness at this time, and has
promised those who call upon Him at this time that He will
answer them, and that He will accept the repentance of
those who repent to Him at this time. So do not neglect
this great opportunity.

Friday:

Friday is the best day of the week, so you should have a
special program of worship on this day, in which you pay
attention to the following:

Coming early to Jumu’ah prayer.

Staying in the mosque after ‘Asr prayer, and keeping busy
with reading Qur’aan and making du’aa’ until the last hour
of this day, for that is a time when du’aa’s are answered.

Make this day an opportunity for completing some of your
deeds that you did not finish during the week, such as
completing your weekly portion of Qur’aan, or finishing
reading a book or listening to a tape and other good deeds.


The last ten days of Ramadaan:

The last ten days of Ramadaan include Laylat al-Qadr which
is better than a thousand months. Hence it is prescribed
for a person to observe i’tikaaf (“retreat” for the purpose
of worship) in the mosque during these ten days, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
do, seeking Laylat al-Qadr. Whoever can observe i’tikaaf at
this time, this is a great blessing from Allaah.

Whoever cannot observe i’tikaaf for the entire period
should do as much as he is able to.

If he is not able to do i’tikaaf at all, then he should try
to spend the nights in worship. Praying qiyaam, reading
Qur’aan, remembering Allaah and making du’aa’. He should
prepare for that by resting during the day so that he will
be able to stay up at night.

Note:

This program is just a suggestion. It is a flexible
schedule that each person can adapt to his own
circumstances.

This program pays attention to the Sunnahs that are proven
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). It does not mean that everything mentioned here is an
obligatory duty, rather it includes many things that are
Sunnah and mustahabb.

The most beloved of actions to Allaah are those which are
continuous even if they are little. At the beginning of the
month a person may be keen to do acts of worship, then he
may slow down. Beware of that, and strive to persist in all
the actions that you do in this blessed month.

The Muslim should strive to organize his time in this
blessed month so that he will not miss out on a great
opportunity to do more good and righteous deeds. For
example, a person should try to buy all the things that the
family needs before the month begins, and he should buy
day-to-day needs at times when the stores are not crowded,
and visits to friends and family should be organized in
such a way that they do not distract from acts of worship.

Make doing lots of acts of worship and drawing closer to
Allaah your priority in this blessed month.

Resolve at the beginning of the month to go to the mosque
early at the times of prayer, and to complete the Book of
Allaah, and to regularly pray qiyaam al-layl in this great
month, and to spend (in charity) what you can of your
wealth.

Make the most of the opportunity that the month of Ramadaan
brings to strengthen your connection to the Book of Allaah,
by utilizing the following means:

 Read the verses correctly. The way to do that is to have
your reading corrected by someone who knows how to read
well. If you cannot do that, then by listening to tapes of
expert readers.

Revise what Allaah has enabled you to memorize, and
memorize some more.

Read the tafseer (commentary) on the verses, either by
looking up the verses you do not understand in reliable
books of tafseer such as Tafseer al-Baghawi and Tafseer Ibn
Katheer and Tafseer al-Sa’di, or by making a program to
read a book of tafseer. Start first with the thirtieth Juz’
(section) of the Qur’aan, then mover on to the twenty-ninth
juz’, and so on.

Strive to apply the commands that you read in the Book of
Allaah.

We ask Allaah to perfect for us the blessing of Ramadaan,
and to help us fast and pray qiyaam throughout the whole
month, and to accept (these acts of worship) from us, and
to forgive us for our shortcomings.Amin








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