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We should look to the example
of the Prophet, his Companions, and the
earliest generation of Muslims if we want to
get the maximum benefit from this blessed
month of Ramadan. The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) said, "The best of
my Ummah would be those of the generation
nearest to mine. Then [come] those nearest to
them; then [come] those nearest to them"
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
We will look at some of the
things to which our pious predecessors used to
pay extra attention during the month of
Ramadan.
Reading the Qur'an
Almighty Allah says,
[The month of
Ramadan is that in which the Qur'an was
revealed] (Al-Baqarah 2:185)
For that reason, our pious
predecessors used to increase their recitation
of the Qur'an in Ramadan. Al-Aswad ibn Yazid
used to complete reading the entire Quran
every two nights in Ramadan. He would sleep
between Maghrib Prayer and `Isha' Prayer.
Outside of Ramadan, he would complete reading
the Qur'an every six nights.
Sa`id ibn Jubayr would also
complete reading the Qur'an every two nights
in Ramadan.
It is also narrated that
Al-Walid used to normally complete reading the
Qur'an every three nights, but in the month of
Ramadan, he would entirely read it 17 times.
Qatadah used to read the whole
Qur'an every seven days, but in Ramadan he
would take three days to do so. During the
last 10 nights of Ramadan, he would read the
entire Qur'an every night.
Al-Qasim ibn `Ali described
his father, Ibn `Asakir, author of The History
of Damascus, as follows: "He used to
always perform his Prayers in congregation,
and he was consistent in reciting the Qur'an.
He would always complete a reading of the
entire Qur'an by Friday. However, in Ramadan,
he would do so everyday and retreat to the
eastern minaret of the mosque."
Describing Abu Barakat
Hibatullah ibn Mahfuz, Adh-Dhahabi , the
prominent scholar wrote, "He learned
Islamic law and read the Qur'an. He was known
for his charity and his good deeds. In the
month of Ramadan, he would read the Qur'an 30
times."
Night Vigil Prayer
As-Sa'ib ibn Yazid said,
"`Umar ibn Al-Khattab ordered Ubayy ibn
Ka`b and Tamim Ad-Dari to lead the people in
Prayer in Ramadan. They would each read
hundreds of verses at a go, until we had to
support ourselves with canes because of the
length of time we had to stand. We would only
finish praying close to the time of Fajr
Prayer" (Musannaf `Abdul Razzaq and Sunan
Al-Bayhaqi).
`Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr
narrated that he heard his father say,
"By the time we finished our Prayers
[i.e. Night Vigil Prayer] in Ramadan, the
servants would have to rush to prepare food in
fear of the coming of Fajr" (Al-Muwatta').
`Abdur-Rahman ibn Hurmuz said,
"The reciters [leading the Prayers] would
complete the reading of Surat Al-Baqarah in
eight rak`ahs [units of Prayer]. When the
reciters took 12 rak`ahs to complete it, the
people regarded it as if the reciters were
making things easy for them" (Musannaf
`Abdul Razzaq and Sunan Al-Bayhaqi).
Nafi` reported that Ibn `Umar
used to pray in his house during the month of
Ramadan. When the people departed from the
mosque, he would go off to the Prophet's
Mosque with a flask of water. He would not
leave the mosque again until after Fajr Prayer
(Sunan Al-Bayhaqi).
`Imran ibn Hudayr narrated
that Abu Mijlaz would lead the Prayers in
Ramadan for the people in his neighborhood. He
would recite the whole Qur'an in Prayer in the
course of seven days (Musannaf Ibn Abi
Shaybah).
Generous Almsgiving
Ibn `Abbas reported,
"Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings
be upon him) was the most generous of all
people in doing good, and he was at his most
generosity during the month of Ramadan.
Jibreel [Angel Gabriel] used to meet with him
every year throughout the month of Ramadan, so
that the Prophet could recite the Qur'an to
him. Whenever Jibreel met with him, he [the
Prophet] became more generous than a
beneficial breeze" (Al-Bukhari and
Muslim).
Al-Muhallab, a famous Maliki
scholar, explained this hadith, saying,
This shows the blessings
of good works and shows that engaging in
some good deeds opens the door to
performing others. Doing some good deeds
assists one in further good works. We can
see here that the blessings of fasting and
of meeting Jibreel increased the Prophet's
generosity and charity, so much so that
the Prophet became more generous than a
beneficial breeze.
Az-Zayn ibn Al-Munir explained
the description "beneficial breeze"
as follows:
His charity and good
treatment for those who are poor and
needy, as well as for those who are
well-off and possess sufficient means, are
as general as the relief brought by a
beneficial breeze.
After Maghrib Prayer, Ibn
`Umar used to break his fast only in the
company of the poor. Whenever someone came to
him while he was eating and asked him for
something, he would take from his food what he
deemed to be the beggar's rightful share. Then
he would stand up and leave the rest of the
food for that person. He would then take what
was in his hand and give it to his family, so
that when he woke up in the next morning to
resume his fast, he would not have eaten
anything the night before.
During the month of Ramadan,
Ibn Shihab Az-Zuhri would engage in nothing
besides reciting the Qur'an and providing the
poor with food.
Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman would
take it upon himself to provide 500 people
with food enough to break their fast, during
the month of Ramadan. Then, on the day of `Eid
Al-Fitr, he would give each of those people
100 pieces of silver.
Watching One's Tongue
Abu Hurairah reported that the
Prophet said, "For those who do not
abandon false speech and false acts, Allah has
no need of their abandoning of food and
drink" (Al-Bukhari).
Al-Muhallab made the following
observation about this hadith :
This shows that fasting
entails refraining from obscene and false
speech, just as it entails refraining from
food and drink. Those who engage in false
or obscene speech detract from the value
of their fast. They expose themselves to
their Lord's displeasure and to the
possibility of their fast to be
unaccepted.
The Prophet said,
If someone of you starts
off the day fasting, they should avoid
obscene speech and ignorant behavior. If
someone abuses them or starts to fight
with them, they should reply by saying,
"I am fasting; I am fasting."
(Muslim)
Al-Maziri, the most prominent
Maliki jurist of all time, had the following
observation about this hadith, "It is
possible that one is recommended to say,
"I am fasting; I am fasting," only
to remind him- or herself that he or she
should refrain from getting engaged in the
exchange of insults."
`Umar ibn Al-Khattab said,
"[In Ramadan] one does not abstain only
from eating and drinking but also from lying,
from uttering falsehood, from engaging in vain
talk, and from swearing" (Musannaf Ibn
Abi Shaybah).
`Ali ibn Abi Talib said,
"Fasting is not to leave off food and
drink but rather to leave off lying, uttering
falsehood, and engaging in vain talk"
(Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah).
Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari (may Allah
be pleases with him) said, "When you
fast, be on your guard as mush as
possible." (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah).
Jabir ibn `Abullah said,
"When you fast, your hearing, your
vision, and your tongue should also fast by
avoiding lies and sins. You should not abuse
your servant. You should maintain your
composure and dignity on the day you fast. Do
not make your fasting day the same as your
normal day" (Musannaf Ibn Abi
Shaybah).
Abu Hurairah said, "When
you fast, do not act in an ignorant manner and
do not insult people. If someone acts
ignorantly toward you, say, 'I am
fasting'" (Musannaf `Abdul Razzaq).
Mujahid said, "If you
avoid two things, then your fast will be all
right. You must avoid backbiting and
lying." Abu Al-`Aaliyah added, "A
fasting person is engaged in worship as long
as he or she does not backbite someone."
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