Welcome Ramadan

Once again we are about to enter the month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is a month designed especially to purify the hearts and souls of believers, bringing us closer to our creator, helping to turn our human shortcomings into strengths and make our lives more beneficial.

In a hadith, narrated from the Prophet Muhammad, it is said that when Ramadan starts, a caller, in heaven, calls each night saying: ‘O seeker of good, come forth, and O seeker of evil, back away’.

This Prophetic guidance emphasises the purpose and importance of this month. There is an entry point to this month and at that entry point we are reminded of the purpose of this month. The search for goodness is a very generic concept, embracing any good that may enhance the value and quality of our lives, but also that which may bring goodness into the lives of others. We therefore need to remember the Quranic verse which says: ‘You are the best of nations raised to (serve) mankind, enjoining what is good and prohibiting what is evil’.

To serve this purpose, we need to go, once every year, through this very tough training procedure, Ramadan, to prepare us to receive and understand the teachings and guidance of Islam. We need to acquire patience and to strengthen our resolve to serve others. We need to reinforce our spiritual base and identify and admit our faults so that we can correct them.

Ramadan helps us to do this, and Allah, the Almighty, provides us with the means to do it. The Prophet says: ‘When Ramadan starts, the gates of Paradise are opened wide and the gates of Hell are shut firmly, and the Shaytans are put in chains’.

The road to Paradise is shortened to make it easier for us to reach it. Indeed entry to it is encouraged and no hurdles remain between a person and Paradise except their determination to attain it.

The gates of Hell are closed and only those people who continue knocking on them will enter.

The month of Ramadan is so blessed and important within Islamic obligations that the Quran offers some detailed guidance about it. It says: ‘O believers! Fasting is prescribed (as an obligation) upon you as was prescribed upon those who were before you (the nations of other prophets before) in order for you to attain self-restraint’.

Yes, learning and training in ‘self-restraint’ is a practical goal which will help us all achieve a meaningful life in this world.

The Prophet, may the peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, would especially speak to people on the eve of Ramadan, greeting the month, and reminding the people about its blessings. At one such greeting sermon, welcoming the month, the Prophet spoke to the people saying:

‘O people! A blessed and great month has extended its shadow upon you. It is a month which has a night which is more excellent than the (nights of) thousand months (in devotion and submission to God).

Then the Prophet listed some of its blessed characteristics to the people:

a-                  Whoever offers therein one act of (voluntary) goodness it would equal offering an obligatory act.

b-                  Whoever would offer an obligatory duty, their act would equal offering of seventy obligatory acts.

c-                   It is a month of patience and endeavour. The fruit of being patient is only the Paradise

d-                  It is a month of compassion, kindness and showing of solidarity

e-                  It is a month in which the provision of a believer increases.

 He placed emphasis on the sublime purpose of this month so that everyone should enter it resolving to change, and remember that they are seekers of good and not of evil; a change that may bring a person closer to Allah, the Creator, the Almighty; a change that may enhance the quality of the life of a believer and increase his value in society. In other words, finding a beneficial purpose in life and reconnecting oneself with it.

It is a month of complete devotion and dedication to good purposes. If people can multiply their spiritual deeds, and fortify their Islamic framework of morality and ethics, they will be best placed to serve their neighbours, their community, and society at large. Remember, goodness is not in what we retain but in what we offer and give, and that is what Ramadan is all about.

May Allah grant us a blessed entry into the month of Ramadan and a fruitful ending to the month, so that we may all be extremely proud of our achievements. Ameen

Please also read my previous blog about Ramadan with the title Ramadan: Its true benefits and blessings written on 31 July 2011

Strengthening our spiritual lives

Muslims seeking spirituality and a proper bond with Allah, subhanahu wa-Ta`ala, the Almighty and the Creator, should strive to build and improve this connection by fully embracing their religious obligations and by striving to follow the guiding path of Islam in the most earnest manner.

With this in mind, the Prophet Muhammad, Peace and mercy of Allah be upon him,  chose to train the most suitable of his companions in certain teachings, so that they might convey those teachings in the most effective way to the future generations of the Muslim Ummah. Those who learned from those specific teachings would effectively be strengthening their own spiritual life and discover the means of becoming closer to their Lord.

In one of the most affectionate acts of teaching the prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, approached one of his closest companions, Muath bin Jabal, May Allah be pleased with him, and said to him holding his hand into his own: ‘O Muath! I surely love you and I would like to give you a (special) advice. Then he said to him: ‘do not miss saying after each obligatory salaah (Prayers) the following’: ‘O Allah! Assist me in my remembering You; in being grateful to You; and in offering my worship to You in the best way possible’.

Such a wonderful legacy of advice, and the beautiful manner in which it was delivered, shows us all the way by which we can ensure it becomes a part of the lives of all believing men and women seeking to strengthen their faith and their relationship with the Almighty.

The Prophet guided us through this special saying, in seeking Allah’s help and assistance, in the following three aspects:

1-                  In the remembrance of Allah

2-                  In showing gratitude to Him

3-                  In seeking to offer our religious and spiritual obligations in the most correct and beautiful way.

People take their lives and all the blessings and opportunities, great or small, for granted. But, when things are taken for granted rarely is any appreciation shown for them. Islamic teachings create a mindset of gratitude for God’s favours upon people, so that people may arrive at a different outlook on life's privileges and opportunities.

The bond of creation and the realities of existence bind us with the creator. However, the ultimate goal of this life is to return us to Allah involuntarily so that we are seen to be consciously choosing our path to Allah and so earning our privileges from Allah.  This is not any easy task. Keeping up with God’s way is an incredibly difficult task, as we are constantly diverted by the opposite ungodly forces of Satan and other evil desires.

Remembrance of Allah

In this context, the Prophet is guiding us to seek out Allah’s help. A person has to invoke Allah’s assistance in order to gain the privilege of remembering Him often. Most people are heedless of this and so become incapable of realising what they are deprived of. How many unnecessary and unwanted things are on our ‘to-do-list’ of daily chores, but still we continue to fail to remember God. No wonder our hearts are so empty, when we fail in this, the most noble of tasks.

The Quranic guidelines are as follows:

  ‘          1- 'O believers! Remember Allah as often as you could (in abundance) S33/V41

              2- ‘and do not obey those whose hearts We have caused to become heedless from our remembrance,         and he had followed his vain desires and all his affairs were in excess’. S18/V28

All Islamic obligations, consciousness of Allah in life, and the seeking out of Allah’s pleasure in our deeds, contribute to His remembrance. Avoiding evil, acts of falsehood and slander, resisting the influence of false human characters and all that is ungodly, while remembering that they displease Allah, also make up part of Allah’s remembrance.

This is the reason why we are guided to seek out Allah’s help in remembering Him.

Allah says: ‘Those who believe and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah. Behold! Through the remembrance of Allah alone, do hearts find satisfaction (blessings of true happiness)’ S13/V28

Being grateful   

The Prophet then said: ‘(seek Allah’s help) in showing gratitude to Him’. The question is, how many of us are really and truly grateful to Allah for what we have in our lives. It is easy to become heedless, or go into ‘negligence mode’, when we don’t appreciate the little or the abundance of what we have. Do we appreciate the little that we have and show gratitude for that before we ask and wish for more? Or we find ourselves resentful and unappreciative?

What do we do when we have plenty and life is full of privilege when compared with others? Don’t we all think it is our extraordinary background and marvellous qualifications that make us stand out above all the others? Do we think it is all because of our hard work, long working hours and privileged background? Or do some of us think we possess a privileged genetic superiority, and that make us what we are?

If we could only realise that God has shown us extra favour and made us privileged above many others, and we express our gratefulness to Him, then, and only then, will our existence become happier and more meaningful.

Being grateful to God is part of one's Islamic religious character that turns it into an act of Ibadah.

Allah says: ‘indeed We have shown him (man) the path, which is either the path of being grateful or being ungrateful’.

Being grateful is regarded as ‘wisdom’ in the Quran. In the Sura Luqman, Allah says: ‘Indeed we had bestowed wisdom on Luqman: show your gratitude to Allah. And whosoever show gratitude then his gratitude is for the benefit of his own soul, and whosoever is ungrateful then Allah is free of all wants and Worthy of all praise’. S31/V12

Ibadah in the most correct and beautiful way

The third thing the Prophet guided us towards, in seeking Allah’s assistance, is to ensure that all our acts of worship and religious obligations are completed in accordance with the best of guidance in Islamic teachings and manners. We should not offer our obligations half-heartedly or with little enthusiasm and warmth, neither should we regard them merely as rituals.

On the other hand, we must ensure human hands have not diluted those original divine teachings, and that no religious innovation has taken place in our practices, and that they remain as pure as they were in the Sunnah of the Prophet himself.

Combining all the above three aspects will transform the spiritual life of a believing man or woman and strengthen their bonds with Allah and with Allah’s Deen (the body of Allah guidance and teachings). 

15th Night of Sha`baan

Individual scholars and schools of Islamic thoughts hold different opinions about the spiritual relevance and importance of the 15^th day and night of the month of Sha`baan, the 8^th month of the Islamic calendar. Very often people  ask me  whether or not they should celebrate this  night of this month as special . I decided to offer the scholar's opinions on the matter to the wider readership and below is a gist of these opinions:

Excellence of fasting in Sha`baan

There is no doubt many authentic hadith have been narrated from the Prophet, Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon him, regarding the excellence of fasting, in general, in the month of Sha`baan.

In a hadith narrated in the books of Bukhari and Muslim, Ayesha, May Allah be pleased with her, says: ‘I did not see the Prophet, Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon him, completing the fast of a month except in the month of Ramadan, and I did not see him fasting most of a month except the month of Sha`baan. He would fast in Sha`baan except some of it’.

In another hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and Nasai from Osamah bin Zaid who said to the Prophet: ‘I do not see you fasting in a month the way you fast in Sha`baan? The Prophet replied: ‘That is a month most people are heedless of; that is between the months of Rajab and Ramadan. That is a month deeds are raised therein to the Lord of the worlds. And I love that my deeds are raised ( to Him) while I am in the state of fasting’.

However, we must remember that there is no authentic hadith saying that the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, ever sought to fast a on any one particular day in Sha`baan by specifying it for any reason.

15^th Day and night of Sha`baan

A number of hadith have been narrated from the Prophet in relation to the excellence of the 15^th night of the month of Sha`baan. Broadly, the Ulema (Islamic scholars) hold two different opinions.

A large number of scholars of Hadith and Ulema are of the opinion that these hadith are unauthentic and weak and so should not be taken in account. Based on their opinions about the weak narrations of those Hadith, these Ulema and scholars of Hadith regard any special type of prayers or gatherings of Zikr in that night as Bid`ah, or religious innovation to the teachings of Islam.

Other school of thought base their opinion on hadiths narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, Imam Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

One of such Hadith  claims a narration from the Prophet saying: ‘when it is the night of the Mid Sha`baan, stay the night (in prayers) and fast its day, because Allah descends in that night after sunset to the lower heaven and says: Is there any who may seek forgiveness and I forgive him? Is there any who may seek provision and I grant him? Is there any who is  suffering and I release him (from  suffering), this remains until the first light breaks out’.

There is another famous hadith in this context which is narrated from Ayesha, May Allah be pleased with her, says: ‘I did not find the Prophet one night in the house, so I left looking for him and I found him at Baqee`; the famous cemetery in Madinah, holding his head high. He said: Did you think that you were let down by Allah and his Messenger? I said: O Messenger of Allah! I thought you might be with one of your other wives! The Prophet then said: ‘Allah surely descends the night of the Mid Sha`baan to the lower heaven and offers forgiveness to (the number of people) more than the hairs of the sheep of the tribe of Kalb’.

 Imam Ahmad offers a hadith from Abdullah ibn Amr, narrating from the Prophet, saying: ‘Allah pays special attention to His people on the night of 15^th Sha`baan and forgives His servants except two kinds of people; Mushahin and one who commit suicide’.

All these above hadith and others seek to explain the excellence of that night.

However, other scholars of hadith do not regard these hadith as authentic,

Sheikh al-Islam imam Ibn Taymiah says in his book ‘Iqtidhaus Siraat al-Mustaqueem’: ‘No doubt there are many hadith narrated about the excellence of the night of the mid Sha`baan, some of which are linked to the Prophet, while others are from the companions that explain the excellence of that night’.

Specifying the night with Salaah and Zikr

Ibn Rajab says: 'Nothing has been proven from the prophet or from his Companions regarding ‘specifying this night with special prayers and acts of Zikr’. At a  later date people in Shaam began to celebrate it and spend the night in spiritual acts and from these people it spread to others.

Specifying the fasting the day of the 15^th Sha`baan has no authentication and is regarded as makrooh (disliked).

Celebrating the occasion

Celebrating the day and the night of 15^th Sha`baan, or what is popularly called as ‘shab-e-Baraat’ or 'Lailatul Bara`ah' has no religious authenticity in Islamic theology. When many Muslims celebrate it with special meals or decorate their homes and market places, gather for special collective prayers in the mosques or in their homes and neighbourhoods, this remains nothing but part of popular religious culture and has nothing to do with true Islamic teachings.

No doubt the night has excellence and one may individually be mindful of its importance asking Allah to grant him forgiveness, blessings, increase in provisions, cure from illness and release from suffering and troubles of life.

However, anything else, to celebrate it with fireworks, the decoration of homes and market places, preparation of special foods and sweets, special collective prayers or to exaggerate the nature of that night, or anything more than what is narrated in these hadith,  should be regarded as innovative acts in the religion, with no basis and roots in Islamic guidance.

Let us be  accomplished Muslims who  worship Allah alone, follow the path of His Prophet, avoid popular religious cultures which do not have their roots in Islamic teachings and find the way to live our lives embracing  Islamic ethics and true manners in everyday life.

                         

Month Of Sha`baan

The month of Shabaan is the 8th month in the Islamic calendar and precedes the blessed month of Ramadan.

In the Islamic concepts of divine blessings, Allah has bestowed His blessings and Mercy on the cycles of time, days and months, where some are more prestigious than others and others are more sacred.

There is a saying which says 'to be blessed with success one has to be in the right place and at the right time'.

This has been expressed by the Prophet Mohammad, Peace and Mercy be upon him, in a Hadith saying: ‘indeed Allah has (made) in the cycle of the eternity of time (blessed) breezes. So make yourself exposed to them; perhaps some of you get a breeze and then he may never get miserable again (in his life)’. So it is all about getting prepared, looking for blessed moments and watching out for opportunities.

The Holy Quran, stating the twelve monthly cycle of the year, says: ‘indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve, in the (eternal) Book of Allah, the Day He created the heavens and the earth, of which four are sacred; so do not wrong yourselves therein…’

This verse makes a factual statement about the creation of what we call a ‘year’ consisting of twelve months. As part of the blueprint in creating the earth, the cycle of time has been so precisely fixed that we are able to measure it right down to a millionth of a second.

The two major elements which play an important role in the concept of time, day and night, month and a year, is the existence of Sun and moon. The Quran mentions in the Surah 55 verse 5 that ‘the sun and the moon are in accordance to precise calculation’.

Islam is not a religion of rituals and superstitions. It is all about the factual realities of impacting elements that Allah has bestowed within the essence of His creation and guided people to take benefit from them, or to avoid them, so that life does not become miserable for them.

Allah deemed four months in the Islamic calendar as sacred and then commanded the believers not to wrong themselves therein. The context here is about war and battle and not about the ordinary concept of wrongdoing that occurs daily in our lives, and waging a war during these four months is effectively ruled out.

The four months that the Quran has named as sacred are Rajab, the 7th month and then the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qadah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, which are the 11th, 12th and 1st month of Islamic calendar.

The 8th month of Islamic calendar is called Shabaan, which is followed by Ramadan. After which comes the 10th month of Shawaal which is the first month of Hajj.

In essence, Islam seems to be limiting the possibility of any war taking place during those blessed times. Wars inflict huge injustices on people, cause untold pain and incalculable suffering and it was essential in the teachings of Islam to limit such upheavals as much as possible.

So Shabaan is not one of those months the Quran designates as sacred? What then is its importance in Islam? Let me quote to you a hadith of the prophet Mohammad, Peace and Mercy be upon him, who said: ‘that is a month people are heedless about it while they are in it; that month is between Rajab and Ramadan. That is a month in which (human) deeds are presented (annually) to the Lord of the worlds. I would like my deeds to be presented while I was fasting’.

What a guidance to readiness and for how to close one’s records of deeds and actions. Throughout our lives our actions are fully recorded and then our data is annually deposited for future accountability. How embarrassed will we be when the data is opened and we are made answerable, and accountable.

The month of Shabaan gives us the opportunity for reflection and offers the opportunity to close those annual records of our lives in the most beautiful way. Not only does this month give us this, it also gives us the opportunity to be fully prepared to enter the month of Ramadan.

Occasional fasting in Shabaan keeps us in full strength and prepares us for fasting in Ramadan, and ensures that we receive the full benefit of Ramadan right from the day one. It helps us to intensify the spiritual elements of our actions and deeds before Ramadan. The month also helps us in spiritual development before the blessed month arrives and in setting out our priorities better.

What are the spiritual priorities and spiritual development? We may wonder. To be a Muslim, it is not enough to pronounce the testimony of Islam. One must enter Islam fully and completely and leading a just life and keeping away from wrongdoing must become a habit.

The prophet said: ‘whoever ate of pure provision, acted in accordance to the Sunnah and people were in safety from his harms, would enter the Paradise’. This is the basis for Islamic spiritual development. Ordinary ideas and simple concepts are what make one Islamic and a true believer.

A man came to the Prophet and said: Ah my sins! Ah my sins! The Prophet guided him to say instead: ‘O Allah! Your forgiveness is greater than my sins, and your mercy is more expected by me than my deeds (to depend on). The Prophet asked him to repeat it twice and then said: 'Stand up now. Allah has forgiven you'.

This goes to show that it is not only the right time and the right place that matters in achieving a pleasant ending and success but that the right attitude and manner also matter in reaching a successful conclusion to our endeavours.

That is where the importance of the month of Shabaan lies. It is a month of incredible importance in preparation to the month of Ramadan as well as closing the annual accounts of our deeds for the final accountability.