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RAMADHAN

Ghazali: Principles of Fasting (from his 40 Foundations of Religion) The Third Principle: Fasting The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said that God said: Every good deed is ten times its likeness, up to seven hundred times, except for fasting, for verily it is for Me, and I will reward it. [al-Bukhari and Muslim] He (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: For everything there is a door, and the door of worship is fasting. [Ibn alMubarak] Fasting has been singled out with these amazing qualities for two main reasons: 1. Its essence is that it is a personal abstinence, and such is a hidden action that no one but God can see, unlike the prayer, the zakah, or other (acts of worship). 2. It is a grief for, and subdual of, the enemy of God. Shaytan is the enemy, and the enemy cannot gain strength except through the medium of the passions. Hunger breaks all the passions that are the tool of Shaytan. For this reason, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Verily Shaytan runs in the Son of Adam like blood. Therefore, constrain the passageways of Shaytan with hunger. [al-Bukhari and Muslim, except after Therefore] Such is the secret of his statement (peace be upon him):

When Ramadan comes the doors of Paradise are opened, the doors of the Fire are shut, the shaytans are restrained, and a caller calls: Oh seeker of good, come forward! Oh seeker of evil, back off! [al-Tirmidhi, and al-Hakim said it was sound] Know that fasting, in addition to its rank, has three levels, and in addition to its secrets, has three levels as well. As for the levels of its rank: The least of them is to only fast the month of Ramadan. The highest of them is the fast of David (peace be upon him), which entails fasting every other day. It is mentioned in an authentic narration (in both al-Bukhari and Muslim) that such is the fast of all time and that it is the best of all fasts. The wisdom behind this type of fast lies in the fact that whoever fasts daily, fasting will become completely habitual and he will not feel brokenness in his soul, purity in his heart, or weakness in his desires. For indeed, the soul is only impacted by what comes to it (occasionally), not by what it has become used to. This shouldnt be hard to imagine, for medical doctors also discourage their patients from developing a dependence for medicine, and they say, Whoever becomes accustomed to that he will not benefit from it when he is sick, for his temperament will becomes used to it and it will henceforth not affect him. Know that the doctoring of the hearts is akin to that of the doctoring of the bodies. This is the wisdom of the statement of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) to Abdullah b. Amr b. al-Aas (may be pleased with them both) when he asked him about fasting: Fast one day, break your fast the next. He replied, I want something better than that. The Prophet (peace be upon him) responded, There is nothing better than that. It is for this reason that when it was said to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), So-and-so fasts all the time, he said, He neither fasted, nor

broke his fast. This is just like when Aisha (may God be pleased with her) said to a man that was reciting the Quran in a rapid fashion: This one here has neither recited the Quran nor kept silent. As for the middle level, it is to fast one third of the time. Whenever you fast every Monday and Thursday, adding to it Ramadan, then you have fasted four months and four days out of the year, which is slightly over a third. With that said, it is necessary that one day will be broken during the days of tashriq (during Hajj), so the total left is now three days. It is also imagined that the days of Eid will be lost as well, so this makes three days missed altogether, leaving us with one day. So think about the arithmetic and you will figure it out. Therefore, it is inappropriate for your fast to be less than this, for it is light on the nafs (self) and its reward is immense. As for the levels of its secrets, they are three: 1. The least of them is that one abstains from those things that break the fast, all the while not preventing his limbs from that which is disliked. This is the fast of the masses and it is indicative of their being pleased with the name (of fasting). 2. The second level is when you add to it prevention of the limbs. Hence, you guard the tongue from backbiting and the eye from looking at doubtful things, as well as guarding the rest of the body parts. 3. The third level is when you add to it the maintenance of the heart from (bad) thoughts and whisperings, and when you restrict it to the remembrance of God (Mighty and Majestic). This is the fast of the elect of the elite and it is the perfection of the fast.

Finally, fasting has a last matter by which it is completed: to break the fast with that which is permissible, not that which is doubtful. In addition, not to be excessive in the eating of the permissible, in an attempt to make up for what was lost in the morning. In this case one would be merging two meals into one thereby weighing down the stomach and increasing the desires. This will invalidate the wisdom of the fast and its benefit, and will lead one to be too lazy to get up for tahajjud (night vigil prayer) and possibly cause one to not even get up before Fajr (to have suhur and prepare for prayer). All of this is a complete loss and it may be that such a one will not even benefit from the fast at all. THE BOOK OF ASSISTANCE by IMAM AL-HADDAD Chapter 19 On Fasting Increase your good works, especially in Ramadan, for the reward of a supererogatory act performed during it equals that of an obligatory act performed at any other time. Ramadan is also a time when good works are rendered easy and one has much more energy for them than during any other month. This is because the soul, lazy when it: comes to good works, is then imprisoned by hunger and thirst, the devils who hinder it are shackled, the gates of the Fire are shut, the gates of the Garden are open, and the herald calls every night at God's command: 'O you who wish for goodness, hasten! And O you who wish for evil, halt!' You should work only for the hereafter in this noble month, and embark on something worldly only when absolutely necessary. Arrange your life before Ramadan in a manner which will render you free for worship when it arrives. Be intent on devotions and approach God more surely, especially during the last ten days. If you are able not to leave the mosque, except when strictly necessary, during those last ten days then do so. Be careful to perform the Tarawih prayers during every Ramadan night. In some places it is nowadays the custom to make them so short that sometimes some of the obligatory

elements of the prayer are omitted, let alone the sunnas. It is well known that our predecessors read the whole Qur'an during this prayer, reciting a part each night so as to complete it on one of the last nights of the month. If you are able to follow suit then this is a great gain; if you are not, then the least that you can do is to observe the obligatory elements of the prayer and its proprieties. Watch carefully for the Night of Destiny [Laylat'ul-Qadr], which is better than a thousand months. It is the blessed night in which all affairs are wisely decided. The one to whom it is unveiled sees the blazing lights, the open doors of heaven, and the angels ascending and descending, and may witness the whole of creation prostrating before God, its Creator. Most scholars are of the opinion that it is in the last ten nights of Ramadan, and is more likely to fall in the odd numbered ones. A certain gnostic witnessed it on the night of the seventeenth, and this was also the opinion of al-Hasan alBasri. Some scholars have said that it is the first night of Ramadan, and a number of great scholars have said that it is not fixed but shifts its position each Ramadan. They have said that the secret wisdom underlying this is that the believer should devote himself completely to God during every night of this month in the hope of coinciding with that night which has been kept obscure from him. And God knows best. Hasten to break your fast as soon as you are certain that the sun has set. Delay suhur long as you do not fear the break of dawn. Feed those who fast at the time when they break it, even if with some dates or a draught of water, for the one who feeds another at the time of breaking the fast receives as much reward as he without this diminishing the other's reward in any way. Strive never to break your fast nor to feed anyone else at such a time except with lawful food. Do not eat much, take whatever lawful food is present ' and do not prefer that which is tasty, for the purpose of fasting is to subdue one's lustful appetite, and eating a large quantity of delicious food will on the contrary arouse and strengthen it.

Fast on the days on which the Law encourages you to fast, such as the day of Arafat for those who are not participating n the pilgrimage, the ninth and tenth [Ashura] of Muharram, and the six days of Shawwal, starting with the second day of the Feast, for this is the more effective discipline for the soul. Fast three days in each month, for these equal a perpetual fast. It is better if these are the White Days, for the Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, never omitted to fast them whether he was at home or traveling. Fast often, especially in times of special merit such as the Inviolable Months, and noble days such as Mondays and Thursdays. Know that fasting is the pillar of discipline and the basis of striving. It has been said that fasting constitutes half of fortitude. The Messenger of God, may blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'God the Exalted has said: "All good deeds of the son of Adam are multiplied ten to seven hundredfold, except fasting, for it is Mine, and I shall reward a man for it, for he has left his appetite, his food and drink for My sake!"' 'The one who fasts has two joys, one when breaking his fast, the other when meeting his Lord.' And; 'The odour of the fasting mans mouth is more fragrant to God than that of musk.' God says the truth and He guides to the way.
_________________ Ramadan Advice from Syakh AlHabib AlJifri (MAPH) Ask For Allah's Forgiveness Never let a day of Ramadan pass that you have not asked for Allah's forgiveness, make it so that each day will pass with an increase in Allah's pleasure for you. Ramadan is the chance you have to increase your closeness to Allah because suddenly you have an intense love to pray and desire to read Quran; to keep this closeness steady, take care to always do 3 things:

1. Constant Dua and supplication to your Lord after every act of obedience, asking Him to help you in devotion, because it is only through His generosity that you are able to worship. The Prophet said to Muadh ibn Jabal: "I love you! So never leave this

8 dua after every prayer: Oh Allah help me in remembering You, in offering gratitude to You, and in worshiping You beautifully." This became known as the Circle of Love hadith, as when Muadh taught the dua to others he first said "I love you! So do not leave saying" and they would tell those who came after them, "We love you! So do not leave saying this dua"

2. Safeguard tightly your sight, your hearing, and your speech by day and by night. Safeguard them from seeing, hearing and saying things that would displease Allah this will lead to your heard being strongly protected as a result of your limbs being safeguarded.

3. Striving to be present with Allah in worship, don't let your acts of worship be empty shells full of thoughts on worldly affairs. When you read the Quran, it is not letters that you read rather it is Allah's words to you! Take heed from the state of Ikrimah, the Companion of the Prophet who would pick up the Qura'n and as his eyes fell upon the letters of the Qur'an he would be so awestruck and exclaim in wonder: "Kalamu Rabby! Kalamu Rabby! Kalamu Rabby!" "The words of my Lord! The words of my Lord! The words of my Lord!" And tears would begin to fall from his eyes and at times he would faint out of his awestruck state before he even was able to recite a line from those beloved words.

Know that to be present with Allah does not come instantly and it takes work, strive every day even if your heart is far away still pray and make dua in this state, it will come slowly after the struggle Allah says: "Those who struggle in our way, We will verily guide them to Us!!"

Do not stand in the way of being forgiven in the Month of Forgiveness! Jibreel came to the Prophet and told him "May he be forsaken who is not forgiven in Ramadan, say Ameen!" And the Prophet said "Ameen!" and in another hadith the Prophet said: "May he be forsaken he who is not forgiven in Ramadan, for if he is not forgiven in Ramadan then when will he be?"

To explain this, there is a narration that says: "Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven except for 4 people: The one who drinks wine (until he repents and is forgiven), the one who disrespects his parents (even through an annoyed look, and definitely by raising your voice at them or mistreating them may Allah protect you from that), the one who cuts off family and friendship ties (the one who cuts off family ties is cut off from the Mercy of Allah as Allah explicitly said Himself! Even if they were the ones who wronged you and hurt you, do not cut off ties with them even if you keep it minimal by only greeting them.), and lastly the one who keeps grudges against people."

The same way you would not accept to lie in filth, or have filth on your body, you should not accept for there to be filth in your heart! Your heart is the only place in you that Allah looks directly into! Didn't the hadith say "Verily Allah does not look at your outward semblances, or your bodies, but rather He looks at your HEARTS!" Are you pleased that you should keep grime and dirt: grudges and malicious feelings in your heart, the place that Allah looks at, simply because of what people say in passing or do in passing? Purify your hearts! If there are people you do not like to see or hear about, that means there is something in your heart. Purify it!

To purify your heart: 1. Make dua for that person which you bear ill feelings towards the feelings will dissolve. Each time you remember him or her badly, ask Allah to give that person the best of things. Even if you don't feel it sincerely at first, this is the process of purifying of the heart.

2. Remember that you have also made mistakes and that you need forgiveness. If you are that amazing that you have not hurt another human, then remember that you always fall short in front of serving Allah. Forgive others!

10 3. Remember that the most precious thing you own in this world is your heart. It is where Allah's gaze lies. Don't let anything taint your heart.

Outer Fasting and Inner Fasting Fasting in the viewpoint of the Sufis has an outer aspect which is the fasting according to the rules and conditions detailed in the Shari'ah, and an inner aspect, which includes in addition to that the fasting of the inward organs of the human. Isma'il Haqqi writes in his Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan of the Divine Words: "O you who believe! Fasting is ordained for you", saying: "The allusion in His Words indicates that just as there is an 'outward' for fasting, there is also an 'inward' for fasting. The inward address is directed to the heart, soul, and innermost secret of those who believe, meaning those who witness the lights of being present with Allah Most High. So the fasting is the heart is from the abstract world, and the fasting of the soul is from occupying its sight with the spiritual world, and the fasting of the innermost secret is by guarding it from witnessing other than Allah. Therefore, whoever fasts the outward fast (from outward food and drink), the end of his fast occurs at nightfall; and whoever fasts from alterities (other-than-Allah) then the end of his fast is at his coming to witness the Real (Most High). As for his words (upon him be blessings and peace), "fast at witnessing (the new moon) and break the fast at witnessing it", the pronoun alludes to the Real Himself. Therefore, it is necessary that the fasting of the person be both outward and inward for the purpose of seeing the Real, and the break-of-fast (iftar) be by and for that vision." The inward and outward Adab (manners) of fasting We have already mentioned some of the outward manners of fasting, such as in the hadith "fasting is a shield (from the Fire)" and in Jabir's statement, "If you fast, then have your eyes, ears, and tongue fast as well" The reality which is absent from most people is that these manners in the point of view

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of the Shari'ah are considered conditions of validity and perfection of the fast. So for example, gossip and backbiting and tale-bearing are acts which invalidate the fast, even if this is not expressly mentioned in most fiqh texts, and the proof for this is the hadith narrated by 'Ubayd the freed slave of Rasul Allah alayhi salat wa salam, recorded by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad and others: "A man mentioned to the Prophet that there were two women who were fasting, and that they were close to death due to severe thirst and heat, and the Prophet (alayhi salam) ignored him and remained silent (not giving permission for them to break their fast). When the man repeated himself afternoon, the Prophet said told him to bring them forth and called for a bowl, and said to the two women to vomit in the bowl. So the first one vomited rotten meat and blood enough to fill half the bowl, and the second one vomited the same enough to fill the bowl entirely. So at this the Prophet (alayhi salat wa salam) commented: "These two fasted from that which Allah permitted, and feasted upon that which Allah forbade, for they gossiped with each other about other people and thus ate their dead flesh." In this way, fasting can serve as a school of manners and morals, training the Muslim to have noble character and to preserve the rights of others. As for the inward manners of fasting, which were delineated by the Sufi Awliya' in addition to the outward manners, they were mentioned by Sirajuddin atTusi when he said: "The validity of fasting, and the excellence of the fasting person in his fast, is thru the soundness of his aspirations, separation from his lower desires, guarding of his limbs, purity of his food, to tend to and protect his heart, to be constant in the dhikr of his Lord, not paying much heed to the details of his guaranteed provision nor to the worth of his own fasting, his apprehension because of his deficiencies, and seeking help and aid from Allah to fulfill the fast to the utmost. These are the manners required of the one who fasts." Imam Abu Talib al-Makki also mentions some of the inward and outward manners of fasting when he writes:

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"Know may Allah grant you success that fasting in the eyes of the majority of those who fast is considered the fast of the body. As for the fasting of the elite among those who have certitude (yaqin), the fast is (in addition to the fast of the body) also the fasting of the heart from low aspirations and worldly thoughts and concerns, as well as fasting of the eyes, ears, and tongue from overstepping the lawful bounds. So whoever fasts in this manner has succeeded in fulfilling the rights of each hour of the day of fasting, and has filled each hour of his with dhikr. Such a one deserves to be characterized with the words (of the hadith recorded by Bayhaqi), "his sleep is worship and his breath is glorification" (Qut al-Qulub 1:154-55). Finally, we find Hujjat al-Islam Imam Ghazali also confirming (Ihya Ulum adDin 1:234-35) that the fast of the righteous elect involves each limb and organ abstaining from the forbidden, and its completion lies in 6 factors, which are the inward meanings and manners of fasting. They are:

Guarding the eyes and keeping them away from looking at anything disliked or unlawful, and anything which occupies it from remembering Allah Most Exalted;

Guarding the tongue from aimless speech, lying, gossip, tale-bearing, obscenity, argument, and other faults, and enforcing silence upon it and busying it with invocation of Allah and recitation of the Qur'an and this is the fast of the tongue;

Guarding the ears from listening to anything disliked or prohibited, because anything which is forbidden to speak is also forbidden to listen to;

Guarding the rest of the limbs (hands, feet, etc) from the prohibited and disliked, as well as guarding the stomach from ingesting anything ambiguous (as to its lawfulness) at the time of iftar, for there is no meaning or benefit behind fasting from the lawful only to break the fast upon the forbidden or possibly forbidden;

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To not eat much halal food during iftar to the point he feels satiated, so that the fasting can actualize its benefit of conquering the internal enemies of Allah and breaking the hold of the lower desire, by which the person can be strengthened in taqwa;

That his heart after breaking the fast hang between hope and fear, because one is never sure if his fasting is accepted (making him one of those drawn near) or rejected (making him of those banished and despised) .

May Allah make us among those drawn near to His Holy Presence!
A Quick preparation for RAMADHAN 1.. Start reading Quran daily after Salat al-Fajr. 2.. Spend some time listening to recitations from the Quran. 3.. Train yourself to go bed early so that you can wake up for Salat al-Fajr. 4.. Keep yourself in a state of Wudu (Ablution) most of the time. 5.. Evaluate yourself daily before going bed. 6.. Thank Allah for good deeds, and repent to Him for your mistakes and sins. 7.. Start giving Sadaqah daily , no matter how little. Make it a habit like eating and drinking. 8.. Find time to pray extras, such as Tahajjud prayers . 9.. Spend more time reading Islamic books, especially the Quran, Hadith, and Fiqh. 10. Find time to help others with your wisdom, knowledge and other talents. 11. Try to write articles on Islam for Muslims as well as for non-Muslims. 12. Associate with Muslim scholars / ulama and other pious people so that you may learn from them. 13. Train yourself to do good, render free service to others to seek the pleasure of Allah. What to avoid 1.. Avoid/reduce watching TV ; instead spend more time reading the Quran and other Islamic literature. 2.. Avoid looking at unlawful pictures, whether magazines, department store catalogs

14 or otherwise. 3.. Spend free time in Masjid , Islamic organizations and make that a daily habit. 4 . If you smoke , try to reduce daily usage; otherwise Ramadan will be very difficult for you to observe. 5 . If you have friends who do not practice the teaching of Islam, try to avoid socializing with them. 6 . If you travel a lot on business, try to do more local business, so you can be more closer to your family and community. 7 . If you are used to staying up till midnight, try to go to bed earlier, so that you will be able to wake up early for Salat al-Fajr and Tahajjud prayers as well. To prepare ourselves before the month of Ramadan arrives is far better than waiting till it comes. To prepare ourselves for anything in life is a sign of wisdom and maturity. No one is assured of living one day more; tomorrow may not come. So hurry and benefit from blessings and rewards from Allah.

Remember: " Time is not money or gold; it is life itself and is limited . You must begin to appreciate every moment of your life and always strive to make the best use of it."

A Quick Checklist 1.. Make a resolve to win the maximum favor of Allah by performing extra Voluntary prayers (Nawaafil), making frequent Dua and increased remembrance (Dhikr). 2.. Try to recite some Holy Quran after every Prayer. In fact if you read 3-4 pages after every Prayer you can easily finish the entire Quran in Ramadan! 3.. Study the Tafseer ( commentary) every morning. 4.. Invite a person you are not very close with or your relatives to your home for Iftaar, at least once a week (Weekend). You will notice the blessings in your relationships! 5.. Bring life to your family! Everyday, try to conclude the fast with your family and spend some quality time together to understand each other better. 6.. Give gifts on Eid to at least 5 people: 2 to your family members, 2 to your good friends, and 1 to a person whom you love purely for the sake of Allah.

15 7.. Make commitment to join Islamic study circles to learn more about Islam and improve your own life. 8.. Donate generously to the Masjid, Islamic organizations , and any where people are in need or oppressed. "Because Ramadan, is a month of sharing!" 9.. Share month of Ramadan and its teachings of peace and patience with your neighbors. 10. Sleep little, eat little! Make sure you do not defeat the purpose of fasting by overindulging in food and being lazy. 11. Seek the rare and oft-neglected rewards of the night better than 1000 months ( Laylatul-Qadr / Shab-e-Qadr ). 12. Weep in private for the forgiveness of your sins: Ramadan is the month of forgiveness and Allah's Mercy! It's never too late. 13. Learn to control your tongue and lower your gaze. Remember the Prophet's (pbuh) warning that lying, backbiting, and a lustful gaze all violate the Ramadan fast! 14. Encourage others to enjoin and love goodness, and to abandon everything that Allah dislikes. Play the role of a Da'ee (one who invites to Allah) with zeal, passion, and sympathy. 15. Experience the joy of Tahajjud prayers late at night and devote yourself purely and fully to Allah in the Itikaf retreat during the last 10 days of Ramadan.

O who believe, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you; perchance you will guard yourselves.... The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down, a guidance for the people, and clear verses of guidance and criterion. [Quran: Chapter 2, 183] Ramadan by Suheil Laher

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It is appropriate that every Muslim should receive the blessed month of Ramadan with repentance, sincerity, resoluteness and earnestness. He/she should make the intention to perform extra acts of devotion and worship therein, including the Night Prayer (qiyam), recitation of Qur'an, and abundant charity to the poor and needy. On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), used to say the following when the month of Rajab began. "Oh Allah! Bless us in Rajab and Sha`ban, and bring us, oh Allah, to Ramadan." [Narrated by Tabarani and Ahmad] The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, saying, "Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all." [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah] In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) says, "Ramadan has come to you. (It is) a month of blessing, in which Allah covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for

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the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in (this month) of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted." [Narrated by Tabarani] The preceding hadiths bring attention to readiness and preparation for receiving Ramadan. This is achieved by having a clear understanding of this month in one's mind, and greeting Ramadan with love and yearning. Also, one should have the determination and intention to perform good deeds and worship, and one should lay down a program to accomplish this in the days of the blessed month. It is communally obligatory upon the Muslims to seek the crescent at the time of sunset on the 29th day of Sha`ban, and the 29th day of Ramadan, in order to verify the status of the start and end of their fasting. When seeing the crescent, it is sunnah for the Muslim to supplicate with the following supplication, which has been reported from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). On the authority of Talhah ibn `Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him): when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw the crescent, he used to say, "Oh Allah! Cause it to appear over us with prosperity, faith (Iman), security and Islam. (Then to the moon:) My Lord and your Lord is Allah." [Narrated by Tirmidhi, who said it is a good (hasan) hadith.] Qatadah said that he was informed that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to say, when seeing the crescent, "A crescent of goodness and orientation, a crescent of goodness and orientation, a crescent of goodness and orientation. (To the moon:) I believe in Allah who created you." (Three times), and then he would say, "Praise be to Allah who has taken away such- and-such month and brought such-and-such month." [Narrated by Abu Dawud] The month of Ramadan has excellences over the other months, as is testified to by the Qur'an and Sunnah, and out of these we will bring to attention the following virtues:

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1. It is the month of the Qur'an, with regards to revelation and study. ("The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Qur'an." [Qur'an, 2:185]). On the authority of Ibn `Abbas: Angel Gabriel used to meet the Prophet every night in Ramadan and used to study Qur'an with him. 2. It is the month of seclusion. Ibn `Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to seclude himself for the last ten days of the month of Ramadan." 3. It is the month of generosity. Ibn `Abbas said, "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to be at his most generous in Ramadan." 4. It is the month of standing (in voluntary night prayer). On the authority of Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Whoever stands (in voluntary night prayer) during Ramadan, with faith and in expectancy of reward, his previous sins are forgiven him." 5. It is the month of the compulsory fast, because of Allah's saying, "So, whoever among you witnesses the month should fast." [Qur'an, 2:185] A terrible error prevalent among people is to talk about Ramadan just as they talk about the obligation of fasting, as if Ramadan and fasting are synonymous, each carrying the meaning of the other and not anything more nor less. Yet, fasting is one of many acts of worship in Ramadan. Many reports have been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) explaining the distinction of Ramadan, of which we have selected the following. "The month of Ramadan has come to you; a month of goodness and blessing." [Ibn Khuzaymah] "The Master of the Months is Ramadan, and the Master of the days is Friday." [Ibn Khuzaymah]

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"Whoever fasted Ramadan with faith and in expectancy of reward, his previous sins are forgiven him." [Bukhari and Muslim] "When Ramadan comes, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained." And in a narration from Nasa'i, the following words are added: "and a caller calls out every night: 'Oh seeker of Good, draw near! Oh seeker of Evil, desist!' "