Prophetic Guidance For An Exemplary Ramadan

A woman from the Ansaar once felt disheartened for missing the chance to perform Hajj with the Prophet ﷺ. When she explained her situation to the beloved Rasul, he ﷺ comforted her by suggesting that performing Umrah in the month of Ramadan would be equivalent to completing Hajj with him.¹Saheeh al-Bukhari 1782  This virtue has endured over time, and millions of pilgrims descend upon Makkah each Ramadan in the hope of attaining this reward. May Allah accept their intentions and grant us all the opportunity to complete Umrah in the month of Ramadan.

This touching story led me to contemplate what it might have been like to experience Ramadan in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Imagining breaking our fast among the sahabah (رضي الله عنهم) in Masjid al-Nabawi and listening to him ﷺ recite the Qur’an during this blessed month evokes a sense of awe. Although such an opportunity is beyond our reach, I pray that we may find ourselves in the company of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Jannah. In the meantime, let us strive to emulate and live our Ramadan in a manner similar to his and that of his companions. 

Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) mentions the Ramadan of the Prophet ﷺ in Zad al-Ma’ad:

كان من هديه صلى الله عليه وسلم في شهر رمضان الإكثار من أنواع العبادات ، فكان جبريل يدارسه القرآن في رمضان ، وكان إذا لقيه جبريل أجود بالخير من الريح المرسلة ( وكان أجود الناس ، وأجود ما يكون في [ ص: 31 ]رمضان ) يكثر فيه من الصدقة والإحسان وتلاوة القرآن والصلاة والذكر والاعتكاف. وكان يخص رمضان من العبادة بما لا يخص به غيره من الشهور

“From the guidance given by the Prophet ﷺ  in the month of Ramadan was to increase in different types of worship. Jibreel would come and recite the Qur’an with him, when Jibreel would meet him, he ﷺ  would be the most generous of people and his generosity peaked in the month of Ramadan. In this blessed month, he would increase in giving charity, treatment to people, tilawah of the Qur’an, prayer, remembrance of Allah and i’tikaf. He would dedicate a portion of worship that used to be shown in Ramadan that would not be shown in any other time of the year.”²Zad al-Ma’ad 2/30

Insha’Allah, over the course of this article we will try and encapsulate the Prophetic Ramadan and how we can follow in his footsteps. 

When Ramadan would arrive, Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, a tabi’ee and a great scholar of hadith would say: 

اللَّهُمَّ سَلِّمْنِي لِرَمَضَانَ وَسَلِّمْ لِي رَمَضَانَ وَتَسَلَّمْهُ مِنِّي مُتَقَبَّلً

“O Allah, secure for me Ramadan, secure Ramadan for me, and receive my deeds with acceptance.” ³Hilyat al-Awliya 3/69

Our pious predecessors would rejoice and welcome this amazing opportunity granted to all of us by Allah ﷻ – that which would lighten from us our sins and grant us acceptance. This is a blessing from Allah that they would never consider abandoning. When Ahnaf ibn al-Qays reached the autumn of his life, the people around him would tell him that he is an elderly man and that fasting may weaken his body. He would tell them:

إني أعده لسفر طويل، والصبر على طاعة الله سبحانه أهون من الصبر على عذابه

“I am preparing this fasting for a long journey and enduring patience in obedience to Allah , the Exalted, is far easier than enduring patience in His punishment.”⁴Ithaf al-Sadah al-Mutaqqin bi Sharh Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din 4/250

• The Qur’an 

The focus of the legends of the past in Ramadan was the Qur’an.  As Allah ﷻ tells us in al-Baqarah:

“The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” [Surah Al Baqarah: 2;185]

The evidence for this increased need to engage with the Qur’an in Ramadan is the example set by RasulAllah ﷺ  himself. It is narrated to us by Fatima that her father ﷺ would review the Qur’an once every year with Jibreel except in the final Ramadan of his Prophethood, in which he reviewed it twice.⁵Saheeh al-Bukhari 3623, Saheeh Muslim 2405 Ibn Abbas added that this revision of the Qur’an between Jibreel and the Prophet ﷺ  would occur at night.⁶Saheeh al-Bukhari 3554

This highlights the particular importance of reciting the Qur’an at night at a time when you can free yourself from distractions and have full focus on connecting with it. 

Allah ﷻ affirms this for us in Surah al-Muzzamil:

“Indeed, worship in the night is more impactful and suitable for recitation.” [Surah Al-Muzzammil: 73;6]

Some of the mashai’kh also take from this narration, the importance of coming together for the purpose of studying the Qur’an, checking your knowledge of the Qur’an with those knowledgeable of it, and increasing your recitation of it in this beautiful month. For example, Zubaid ibn Harith al-Yami (rahimahullah) would bring copies of the Qur’an and gather his companions to study the Qur’an together.⁷Lata’if al-Ma’arif, pg 359-360

This attitude of modifying your schedule to occupy yourself with the Qur’an was seen amongst the righteous early Muslims. Abdur-Razzaq said regarding Sufyaan at-Thawri:

إذا دخل رمضان ترك جميع العبادة وأقبل على قراءة القرآن

“At the arrival of Ramadan he would leave all other acts of worship  and dedicate himself to the recitation of the Qur’an.”⁸Lata’if al-Ma’arif, pg 171

Ibn Abdul Hakam, a senior disciple of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy upon them) remarked that when Ramadan came, Imam Malik would stop teaching his Muwatta and turn instead to the Mushaf, reciting it extensively.⁹Lata’if al-Ma’arif, pg 171 From this we can see that Imam Malik truly understood that fasting and recitation of the Qur’an coexist together – as RasulAllah ﷺ  said “fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for the servant on the day of resurrection.”¹⁰Musnad Ahmad 6626

This attention to the Book of Allah , would also be reflected in the number of times they would complete the recitation of the Qur’an in the month of Ramadan. For example, it is well known that Imam ash-Shafi’i (rahimahullah) would complete the Qur’an 60 times outside the prayer.¹¹Tarikh Baghdad 2/61 It is also reported that Aswad ibn Yazid, from the students of Abdullah ibn Masud , would usually complete the Qur’an once of every six nights and that he would up this, to every two nights in Ramadan.¹²Musannaf of Abdur Razzaq as-San’ani 1/565

You may be wondering whether all of these Imams and scholars were unaware of the famous saying of the Prophet ﷺ  advising us to not complete the recitation of the Qur’an in less than three days.¹³Sunan Abi Dawud 1390 However, Ibn Rajab helps us to reconcile this understanding by explaining that this prohibition is in doing so as a regular habit throughout the year – however if you are doing so in virtuous times such as in Ramadan (especially in the nights within which laylat al-Qadr can be found) or when you travel to virtuous places such as Makkah – then it is recommended to increase in your recitation of the Qur’an in order to make the most of this special time or place. This can be seen in the practice of the righteous muslims of the past.¹⁴Lata’if al-Ma’arif, pg 171

• Night prayer

The forerunners of the past would also complete the Qur’an in the night prayer. Some of the salaf would complete it every three nights, others every seven or ten nights. 

In Surah al-Furqan, Allah jala wa’ala describes His true servants as:

“Those who spend a portion of their night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer]” [Surah Furqan: 25;64]

The Prophet ﷺ would engage in lengthy night prayer outside of Ramadan, but like his other acts of ibaadah – he would increase it in this blessed month. He ﷺ  said:

مَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

“Whoever observes the night voluntary prayers during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain the reward of Allah, then all his past sins will be forgiven.”¹⁵Saheeh al-Bukhari 2009

Hudayfah ibn al-Yaman narrates that one night in Ramadan, he found the Prophet ﷺ  reciting al-Baqarah, An-Nisa’ and Ali ‘Imran in the night prayer, pondering deeply on the ayaat. His prayer was so lengthy that by the time he had finished two raka’ah, Bilal announced the call to Fajr.¹⁶Musnad Ahmad 5/400 In another incident,  Abu Dharr recalls the Messenger of Allah ﷺ  leading them in a lengthy night prayer to the extent they feared they would miss suhoor.¹⁷ Sunan Ibn Majah 1327

This same attitude towards the night prayer was also present in his companions .  Umar ibn al-Khattab would order Ubay ibn Ka’b and Tamim al-Dari to lead the people in night prayer during Ramadan. They would recite in the hundreds of verses to the extent that the people would have to support themselves with a staff due to the length of the prayer. They would stand in prayer for large swathes of the night and they would not finish until the first signs of dawn (i.e. Fajr).¹⁸Al-Istidkhar, Ibn Abd al-Barr 5/151 Likewise, Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr mentioned that his father would say by the time they finished their night prayers in Ramadan, they would have to rush the servants to prepare food as it was very close to Fajr.¹⁹Sharh az-Zarqani ‘ala Muwatta al-Imam Malik, 1/421

Umar would extend this same concern for the night prayer to his family.²⁰Sharh az-Zarqani ‘ala Muwatta al-Imam Malik, 1/428 In the middle of the night, he used to wake up his family and say to them – “prayer, prayer, prayer” and then recite the verse:

“And enjoin prayer upon your family and be steadfast therein. We ask you not for provision; We provide for you, and the [best] outcome is for [those of] righteousness.” [Surah Taha: 20;132]

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  told us regarding a persons night prayer that “Whoever stands to pray with ten verses will never be recorded among the negligent. Whoever stands with a hundred verses will recorded among those devoutly obedient to Allah. Whoever stands with a thousand verses will be recorded among those with tremendous rewards.” ²¹Sunan Abi Dawud 1398 To me it is very clear to me that the sahabah truly lived their life by this and had ambition to be amongst foremost group. The question we should ask ourself is – which group do we want to be amongst?

• Giving in Charity

PC: Allef Vinicius (unsplash)

When we enter the month of Ramadan, it is like a switch is turned on and our generosity skyrockets. In 2020, UK Muslims donated £3,500 every minute of Ramadan and US Muslims donated more than $1.8 billion over the course of Ramadan 2021. Increased generosity in Ramadan was the nature of our Rasul ﷺ  and it something we should aim to only increase in, year by year. Ibn Abbas said that “The Prophet ﷺ was the most generous of all the people, and he used to become more generous in Ramadan when Jibreel met him. Jibreel used to meet him every night during Ramadan to revise the Qur’an with him. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ then used to be more generous than the fast wind.”²²Saheeh al-Bukhari 3554  

Imam Ash-Shafi’i said that it is better for someone to increase in generosity during the month of Ramadan, following the example of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.²³Al-Hawi al-Kabir fi Fiqh al-Shafi’i 3/479

In particular, our pious predecessors would utilise their wealth towards feeding others and gave it priority over other things. RasulAllah ﷺ  told us:

مَنْ فَطَّرَ صَائِمًا كَانَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِهِمْ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئًا

“Whoever gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will have a reward like theirs, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest.”²⁴Sunan Ibn Majah 1746

The salaf would endeavour to incorporate this when they would break their fast. 

When Ramadan would begin, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri [rahimahullah] would comment “It is indeed only the recitation of Qur’an and feeding of food.”²⁵Lata’if al-Ma’arif pg 183 Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Ali [rahimahullah] said “For me to invite ten of my friends and feed them with a meal that they like is dearer to me than freeing ten of the descendants of Ismaa’eel.”²⁶Tafseer Ibn Rajab 2/177 Ibn Umar did not break his fast except with the orphans and the needy. Sometimes, if he discovered that his family had not extended hospitality to them, he would choose to abstain from breaking his fast that night.²⁷Hilyat al-Awliya’ 1/299

The righteous before us would feed the fasting person regardless of whether they were poor or rich. They hoped through this deed that the bonds of brotherhood between them would be strengthened and that it would be a path to paradise for them. Similarly, a wise Muslim would take advantage of this opportunity to feed the fasting person, both locally and abroad, and aim to give in charity frequently throughout Ramadan. In particular, try and donate for iftar to our brothers and sisters in Palestine, and prevent them from having empty stomachs alongside all the other difficulties they are undergoing. May Allah grant them ease from this oppression and feed from the best of foods and fruits in al-Firdaws. 

• Avoiding indulgence

It is unfortunate that as soon as the adhaan for Maghrib soothes our ears, we turn with ravenous intent to piles of samosas, mandi, xaniid, and other wonderful dishes from across the world. It is as if the ending of the fast signals the need to eat to our hearts’ desire. Whilst it is important that we refuel and re-energize ourselves at the end of our fast, the behavior that is rampant across our homes is far from the practice of the Prophet ﷺ  and our pious forebearers. 

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ  said “Verily, the people who ate to their fill the most in this world will be the hungriest on the Day of Resurrection.”²⁸Sunan Ibn Majah 3351

Muhammad ibn Waasi, a tabi’i muhaddith and qadi, said “Whoever eats little will understand and make others understand and will be clear and humble. Overeating weighs a person down and keeps him from much of what he wants [to accomplish].”²⁹Al Juu’ pg. 69, Ibn Abi Dunya

It has been narrated regarding Muhammad ibn Amr al-Maghribi that he would eat only two full meals over the course of Ramadan.³⁰Hilyat al-Awliya 10/129 It is important for us to be mindful of what we eat, not just because of the worldly consequences such as being so full that it is difficult for us to pray or we disturb others with burps during prayer, but also because a lack of self-discipline only has a destructive effect on the heart. 

Our mother, A’ishah said:

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَلاءٍ حَدَّثَ فِي هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ قَضَاءِ نَبِيِّهَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الشِّبَعُ فَإِنَّ الْقَوْمَ لَمَّا شَبِعَتْ بُطُونَهُمْ سَمِنَتْ أَبْدَانُهُمْ فَتَصَعَّبَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَجَمَحَتْ شَهَوَاتُهُمْ

“Verily, the first trial to occur in this nation after the passing of its Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was people eating to their fill. For when people fill their stomachs, their bodies are fattened, their hearts are hardened, and their desires are uncontrollable.”³¹Al Juu’ pg. 43, Ibn Abi Dunya

• Treatment of others

When you are in the state of fasting for the pleasure of Allah , you should not be engaging in things that earn His displeasure. The people around you should be safe from your temper, your words, and your illicit actions. The month of Ramadan is about working towards bettering yourself in your deen and there is nothing more reflective of a person than their character. Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said:

الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ خُلُقٌ فَمَنْ زَادَ عَلَيْكَ فِي الْخُلُقِ زَادَ عَلَيْكَ فِي الدِّينِ.

“The religion itself is entirely good character, so whoever surpasses you in character has surpassed you in religion.”³²Madarij al-Salikin 2/294

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ  said “When one of you wakes up in the morning for fasting, then he should not use obscene language or behave foolishly. If anyone abuses him or fights with him, he should say twice: Indeed, I am fasting.”³³Saheeh Muslim 1151

Of course, this is how you should behave at all times but the emphasis is even stronger in Ramadan – as mentioned by Imam an-Nawawi (rahimahullah) in his explanation of this hadith.³⁴Al-Minhaj bi Sharh Saheeh Muslim, Imam an-Nawawi 8/217

Allah ﷻ exemplifies this response in Surah al-Furqan. He ﷻ tells us:

“And the (faithful) slaves of the Most Gracious (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness.” [Surah Al-Furqan: 25;63]

He ﷺ  also taught us that “whoever does not leave evil words and deeds while fasting, Allah does not need him to leave food and drink.”³⁵Saheeh al-Bukhari 1903

The beloved companion of RasulAllah, Jabir ibn Abdullah said:

إذا صمت فليصم سمعك وبصرك ولسانك عن الكذب والمحارم، ودع أذى الجار، وليكن عليك وقار وسكينه يوم صومك، ولا تجعل يوم صومك وفطرك سواء

“If you fast, then guard your ears, eyes and tongue against lies and evil deeds; do not abuse your servants; be tranquil and dignified on the day you observe fasting; do not let the day when you do not fast and the day when you fast be the same.”³⁶Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah 2/422

When Ramadan would start, Ali would address the Muslims and tell them:

هَذَا الشَّهْرُ الْمُبَارَكُ الَّذِي فَرَضَ اللهُ صِيَامَهُ وَلَمْ يَفْرِضْ قِيَامَهُ أَلَا إِنَّ الصِّيَامَ لَيْسَ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَالشَّرَابِ وَلَكِنْ مِنَ الْكَذِبِ وَالْبَاطِلِ

“This is the blessed month in which Allah has obligated fasting and not obligated night prayers. Certainly, fasting is not merely from food and drink, but rather from lying, falsehood, and vain talk.”³⁷Al-Sunan al-Kubra li Bayhaqi 7955

Another great caliph, Ameer al-Mu’mineen, Umar ibn al-Khattab would advise people that “fasting is not merely from food and drink alone. Rather, it is from lies, falsehood, vain talk, and swearing.”³⁸Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah 2/272

It is important that we try to protect our fasts from that which detracts from it. There is great importance placed on each of us attending taraweeh, completing the recitation of the Qur’an, and those things that enhance our reward this month but what about that which takes away from it? Mujahid ibn Jabr (rahimahullah), the great student of Ibn Abbas, said “Whoever avoids two things, then his fast will be safe: backbiting and telling lies.”³⁹Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah 2/272

• I’tikaf 

It was from the habit of the Prophet ﷺ to spend a part of his Ramadan in the seclusion of the Masjid. Ibn Umar shared with us that the Prophet ﷺ  would perform i’tikaf in the final ten days of Ramadan.⁴⁰Saheeh Muslim 1171a In particular, his aim was to catch the night of honor – Laylat al-Qadr. He ﷺ  would do this each year from when he entered Madinah, except for twenty days in the final year of his Prophethood as, according to Ibn Hajr, he was traveling the previous year.⁴¹Fath al-Bari 4/334 He ﷺ  would never abandon this act of worship and had immense love for it, and hence Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (rahimahullah) was astonished that many Muslims had abandoned it.⁴²Fath al-Bari 4/334

PC: Imad Alasirry (unsplash)

I’tikaf provides an opportunity to free you from the distractions that prevent you from re-connecting with Allah ﷻ. It protects you from wasting time in idle talk with friends, from excessively sleeping and generally doing other than what allows you to maximize your reward. It motivates someone to only that which draws them closer to Allah and earns His pleasure. 

If it is not possible to spend the entirety of the last ten nights in the masjid, it is also possible for us to intend to spend a shorter period of time for the sake of Allah . Imam an-Nawawi (rahimahullah) said “With regard to the minimum length of time for i’tikaf , the majority stipulated that it must be observed in the mosque, and that it is permissible to do a lot or a little, even an hour or a moment.”⁴³Al-Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhaddhab 6/514 Abdur-Razzaq al-San’ani reported that Ya’la ibn Umayyah (rahimahullah) said:

إِنِّي لأَمْكُثُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ السَّاعَةَ، وَمَا أَمْكُثُ إِلَّا لِأَعْتَكِفَ

“I am staying in the masjid for a period of time, and I am staying to observe i’tikaf.”⁴⁴Musannaf of Abdur Razzaq as-San’ani 5/81

If you make the intention to observe i’tikaf for a period of time, it is imperative that you fulfill it. Umar once made the vow to spend one night of i’tikaf in Masjid al-Haram before he even accepted Islam and the Prophet ﷺ  told him to observe it. ⁴⁵Sunan al-Nasa’i 3821

Ibn Rajab (rahimahullah) mentions that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ  “would reserve a mat upon which he would seclude himself from people, not mixing with or paying attention to them. This is why Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) did not recommend for the person doing i’tikaf to mix with anyone – not even to teach them knowledge or make them recite the Qur’an. Rather, the best thing to do is to be alone and free oneself to converse privately with one’s Lord, remember Him, and ask Him.”⁴⁶Lata’aif al-Ma’arif pg. 438

This is an extended period of time where someone is invited as a guest of Allah , in His House –  to converse with Him, ask Him of our needs, and find comfort in His company ﷻ. 

Summary 

I pray that this is a transformative Ramadan for us all and one in which we feel a deep sense of connection to the Ramadan observed by RasulAllah ﷺ  and the righteous examples of the past. 

May Allah ﷻ allow us to enter the month of Ramadan, benefit from it, and accept it from us. May He grant us the tawfeeq to continue in the goodness beyond the month and cut off bridges to sin. May it be a means for us to increase the distance between us and the hellfire and bring us closer to Jannah and the company of our beloved Rasul ﷺ. May He aid our brothers and sisters in Gaza and all parts of the world that are facing oppression, accept them as martyrs, and give them the ability to witness many more Ramadans. May He ﷻ unite us all in Jannah and grant us forgiveness. 

Related:

– The Ramadan Of The Early Muslims I Sh Suleiman Hani

– [Podcast] Ramadan Imposter Syndrome | Shaykha Taimiyyah Zubair