Each year, as we approach the graceful month of Ramaḍān, we are considered as the Special Guests of God; because this month described by the holy Prophet as the Banquet of Allāh. The holy Prophet, once, delivered a speech to the community saying,
«...وَ هُوَ شَهْرٌ دُعِيــتُمْ فِيهِ إِلـى ضِيَافَةِ اللٌّهِ»
“…It is a month in which you have been called to the banquet of Allah…” (Al-Iqbāl, vol. 1, p. 26)
On the last Friday before the month of Ramaḍān, Prophet Muhammad said:
“O people, indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy, and forgiveness. A month that is the best month with Allah. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours the best of hours. It is the month which you are invited to be the guests of Allah and you are invited to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies Him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord, to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite His book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah’s forgiveness during this great month. Remember the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment with your hunger and thirst. Give alms to the needy and the poor, honor your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations, guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in supplication during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards His creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked…”[1]
This month is the best occasion to, beside Fasting, reciting the holy Quran, giving alms to the poor and needy people, giving food to the fasters to break their Fast, and leaving sins and observing the recommended rites of this month. One is also recommended to wake up at nights for saying the recommended midnight prayers and to be busy with seeking forgiveness from the Almighty Allah and to recite لا إله إلا الله (lā ilāha illallāh) (there is no deity but Allah) very much. Also, it is recommendable that one recites Surah al-Qadr before breaking his fast and to firstly says his Evening and Night Prayers.
There are numerous rites during the days and nights of this month in which divided into two main parts (general and specific rites) that one can find in Mafātīh al-Jinān and other books of supplication.
[1] See: Al-Iqbāl, by Sayyid b. Ṭāwūs, vol. 1, p. 26
Forty Hadiths on the month of Ramḍān
Introduction
Ramḍān is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is considered to be our most sacred and holy month. Fasting during this month is a powerful tool for cultivating spiritual development and promoting a deeper connection with Allah. The following are some of the Hadiths of the Holy Prophet and his Infallible Imams that are stated regarding the month of Ramḍān:
Hadith No. 01
Why the name 'Ramḍān '?
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: "Surely, the month of Ramḍān has been named so because it scorches away the sins." (Kanz al-‘Ummāl, no.23688)
Hadith No. 02
Ramḍān: The Name of God
Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) has said: Say not, "This is Ramḍān " and "Ramḍān has departed" and "Ramḍān has arrived" for surely, Ramḍān is one of the names of Allah, The Mighty, the Glorious, who neither arrives nor departs. Surely, arrives and departs that, which is ephemeral, instead say: "The month of Ramḍān ". (Al-Kāfi, 4, p. 70)
Hadith No. 03
Ramḍān: The Month of Revelation of the Holy Quran
Imam al-Riḍa (A.S.) has said: If one asks, "Why is it that the fasts were made obligatory exclusively in the month of Ramḍān and not in the other months?" it would be said, "(this is) because the month of Ramḍān is the month in which Allah, the Exalted, had revealed the Holy Quran." (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 18, p. 190)
Hadith No. 04
Reward for Recitation of the Holy Quran during Ramḍān
Imam al-Riḍa (A.S.) has said: "Someone who recites one verse from the Book of Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, in the month of Ramḍān, is like one who has recited the entire Holy Quran in the other months." (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 93, p. 344)
Hadith No. 05
Reward of the Month of Ramḍān
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) was asked: O' Prophet of Allah! Which of the two months possesses a greater reward, Rajab or the month of Ramḍān? Holy Prophet Muhammad replied: “Nothing can be compared to the month of Ramḍān in terms of reward.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 97, p. 49)
Hadith No. 06
Ramḍān: The Month of God
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “Sha’ban is my month and the month of Ramḍān is the month of Allah, The Exalted, and it is the springtime for the poor.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 97, p. 68)
Hadith No. 07
Ramḍān, the Chosen Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “Surely, Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, has chosen from amongst the months (and granted preference to), the months of Rajab, Sha’ban and the month of Ramḍān.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 27, p. 53)
Hadith No. 08
Ramḍān, the Great Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “Surely, the month of Ramḍān is a great month. Allah multiplies in it the good deeds, erases in it the sins and elevates in it the ranks.” (Wasāil al-Shi’a, vol. 10, p. 312)
Hadith No. 09
Ramḍān, the Chief of the Months
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: “The month of Ramḍān has approached you. It is the chief of all months and the beginning of the year.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 42, p. 193)
Hadith No. 10
Ramḍān, the Beginning of the Year
Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) said: “If the month of Ramḍān remains safe and sound (with respect to sins), the (entire) year shall remain so (too); the month of Ramḍān is the beginning of the year.” (Wasāil al-Shi’a vol.10, p. 311)
Hadith No. 11
Ramḍān, the Month of Mercy
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “It (Ramḍān) is the month, whose beginning is mercy, its middle, forgiveness and its end, emancipation from the fire (of hell).” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 93, p. 342)
Hadith No. 12
Excellence of the Month of Ramḍān
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “O' People! Surely, the month of God has approached you. The month which, in the eyes of Allah, is the most virtuous of the months. Its days are the best of the days and its nights, the best of the nights and its moments, the best of the moments.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 96, p. 356)
Hadith No. 13
Ramḍān, the Best of the Months
Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) said: “The best of the months is the month of God - the month of Ramḍān - and the heart of the month of Ramḍān is the Night of Qadr (Lailatul Qadr).” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. p. 386)
Hadith No. 14
The Night of Qadr
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “O' People! Surely, a great and blessed month has enveloped you. A month, in which there is a night, deeds in which are better than of a thousand months.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol.96, p. 342)
Hadith No. 15
Gift of Allah's Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “Your breath in it glorification (of Allah) and your sleep in it worship (of Allah).” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 96, p. 356)
Hadith No. 16
Fasts of the Month of Ramḍān
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “The month of Ramḍān is the month in which Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, has made fasting obligatory upon you. So one, who fasts in this month in a state of belief and with the intention of recompense, shall become free of their sins just as they were on the day when their mother gave them birth.” (Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, vol. 4, p. 152)
Hadith No. 17
Ramḍān, the Month of Spiritual Striving
In his testament to his sons, Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) said: “When the month of Ramḍān arrives, exert yourselves, for surely it is in this month that livelihood is distributed, the hour of death is ordained and the arriving for Hajj is decreed. In it is a night, deeds in which are better than deeds in a thousand months.” (Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 66)
Hadith No. 18
Ramḍān, the Month of Good Deeds
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “This month of yours (Ramḍān) is unlike the other months. Surely, when it approaches you, it does so with blessings and mercy and when it turns away from you, it does so with forgiveness of sins. This is a month in which good deeds are multiplied and of goodness accepted.” (Wasāil al-Shi’a, vol. 10, p. 312)
Hadith No. 19
Ramḍān, the Blessed Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “Surely, the month of Ramḍān, the blessed month, has come to you. The month, whose fasts Allah has made obligatory upon you. In it, the doors of Paradise are opened up and the Satan's fettered, and in it is the Night of Qadr, which is more virtuous than a thousand months.” (Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, vol. 4, p. 152)
Hadith No. 20
The Month of Ramḍān and Seeking Forgiveness
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: “It is incumbent upon you to seek forgiveness and supplicate excessively in the month of Ramḍān. As for the supplication, by means of it the calamities are warded off from you, and as for the seeking of forgiveness, it erases away your sins.” (Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 88)
Hadith No. 21
Opening of the doors of Paradise
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “In it (the month of Ramḍān) the doors of Hell are closed and the doors of Paradise opened.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 96, p. 363)
Hadith No. 22
The Month of Ramḍān and I’tikāf
Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) has said: “Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), initially observed the I’tikāf (spiritual retreat) during the first ten days of the month of Ramḍān. Later, he observed it during the middle ten days of the holy month and finally, he observed it during the last 10 days of the month and then continued to do so in the last ten days (for as long as he was alive).” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 16, p. 274)
Hadith No. 23
The Month of Ramḍān and Divine Books
Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) said: “The Torah was revealed on the sixth day of the month of Ramḍān, the Bible, on the twelfth night of the month, the Psalms on the eighteenth night of the month and the Quran on the Night of Qadr.” (Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 157)
Hadith No. 24
The Best Deed of the Month of Ramḍān
During the course of a sermon of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) about the virtues of the month of Ramḍān. Imam Ali (A.S.) says: “I stood up and asked: O' Prophet of Allah! What is the best deed for this month? Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) replied: O' Abul-Hasan! The best deed for this month is abstinence from that which is forbidden by Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 42, p. 190)
Hadith No. 25
Losers of the Month of Ramḍān
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “One who perceives the month of Ramḍān and (does not strive in it and hence) is not forgiven, Allah distances him from Himself.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 74, p. 74)
Hadith No. 26
Imam al-Sajjād (A.S.) and the Month of Ramḍān
Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) said: “With the advent of the month of Ramḍān, Imam Ali Ibn al-Hussain (A.S.) would cease to speak about anything except Dua, Tasbīḥ (glorification of Allah), Isteghfār (seeking forgiveness) and Takbeer (saying 'Allah-u Akbar')”. (Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 88)
Hadith No. 27
Fridays of the Month of Ramḍān
Imam Baqir (A.S.) has said: “Surely, the Fridays of the month of Ramḍān possess an excellence over the Fridays of the other months, just as Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) possesses an excellence over the other prophets.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 69, p. 376)
Hadith No. 28
Seven Excellences of Ramḍān Fasting
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: “There is no Mu'min, who fasts for a day in the month of Ramḍān with the intention of attaining its rewards, except that Allah, The Exalted, grants him seven excellences: The forbidden food that had entered into his body melts away. He moves closer to the Mercy of Allah, The Exalted. Allah expiates his sins. Allah reduces for him the agony of death. Allah protects him from the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment. He is granted pardon from the fire (of Hell). Allah provides him the good and pleasant food of Paradise.” (Mustadrak al-Wasāil al-Shi’a, vol. 7, p. 395)
Hadith No. 29
Ramḍān, the Month of Patience
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “And it (the month of Ramḍān) is the month of patience, and surely, the reward of patience is Paradise.” (Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 66)
Hadith No. 30
Giving Charity
Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) has said: “Allah shall ward off 70 kinds of calamities from one who gives charity in the month of Ramḍān.” (Wasāil al-Shi’a, vol. 9, p. 404)
Hadith No. 31
Reward of an Obligatory Act
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: “(The rewards of) one, who performs in it (the month of Ramḍān) a single act from amongst the obligatory (wajib) acts of Allah, would be like (that of) one, who has performed seventy obligatory acts in the other months.” (Wasāil al-Shi’a, vol. 10, p. 307)
Hadith No. 32
Night of Decree
Imam Baqir (A.S.) said: “In the Night of Qadr is decreed everything - pleasant and unpleasant, obedience and disobedience, birth and death, and livelihood - which would occur during the course of that year, till the next Night of Qadr.” (Al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 157)
Hadith No. 33
Increase Prayers in the Month of Ramḍān
Imam al-Ṣādiq (A.S.) has said: “With the advent of the month of Ramḍān, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) would increase his Prayers (Salaat); I also increase mine and so, (you) increase yours (too).” Tahdheeb al-Akhaam, vol. 3, p. 60
Hadith No. 34
Eating of Sahur
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: “Eat your 'sahur' (the morning meal before the start of a fast) even if it is (mere) mouthfuls of water, for the blessings of Allah are upon those who eat the Sahur.” (Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, vol. 4, p. 198)
Hadith No. 35
Hunger and Thirst of the Day of Judgment
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: “Bring to mind, by means of your hunger and thirst in it (the month of Ramḍān), the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 93, p. 356)
Hadith No. 36
The Call of Allah
Abdullah b. al-Abbas b. ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib reports that he heard Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) say: “Every night, in the month of Ramḍān, Allah, The Blessed and The Exalted, calls out three times: Is there one, who seeks from Me, so that I grant him his wish? Is there one, who turns to me in repentance so that I turn to him (in Mercy)? Is there one, who seeks forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him.” (Mustadrak al-Wasāil, vol. 7, p. 429)
Hadith No. 37
Ghusl (ablution) on Night of Qadr
Imam Musa b. Ja'far (A.S.) said: “One, who performs the ghusl on the Night of Qadr and remains awake in it (engaged in worship), shall have all his sins forgiven.” (Wasāil al-Shi’a), vol. 10, p. 358)
Hadith No. 38
Shield of a Believing Servant
Allah, The Mighty and The Glorious has said: “The fasts are the shield of the believing servants on the Day of Judgment, just as your weapons shield you in this world.” (Wasāil al-Shi’a, vol.10, p. 403)
Hadith No. 39
Ifṭār for Mu'min
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “One who provides Ifṭār to a Mu'min in the month of Ramḍān, shall be granted the reward of liberating a slave (in the path of Allah) and shall have all his previous sins forgiven. And if he did not possess the means to present anything except milk mixed with water, or a drink of sweet water and a date, Allah would grant him this reward.” (Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 93, p. 317)
Hadith No. 40
Farewell to the Month of Ramḍān
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) prayed: “O' God! Ordain not this month of Ramḍān to be the last one for my fasts. But should you ordain it to be so, then make me blessed and leave me not deprived (of Your mercy).” (Iqbāl al-A’māl, p. 398)
