The Hadeeth says that Ramadhan is the month of sympathy and kindness, especially for the poor and
needy. Sympathy should be of a practical nature. When ten things are placed
before us for iftaar, at least two or four of them should be set
aside for the poor and needy. They should be treated more favourably, if not
then at least equally and should certainly be remembered. The Sahaabah were
living examples in showing sympathy for the poor, it is our duty to follow or
at least try to follow them.
In the matter of sacrifice and sympathy, only the brave can follow
the examples of Sahaabah . There are many instances which will
leave one in amazement if mentioned.
Let us see the following example, Abu Jahm relates that, during
the battle of Yarmouk, he went in search of his cousin, taking with him a water
bag to give him to drink and also wash his wounds if he was found alive or
wounded. He found him lying among the wounded. When I asked him whether he
wanted some water, he said
‘Yes’. At that moment someone near him moaned.
My cousin pointed to that person indicating that I should first give him the
water. I went to him and found that he too needed water, but just as I was
about to give him the water, a third person groaned near him. The second one
pointed to this third person meaning that I should give the third one to drink
first. I went to the third person but before he could drink, I found out that
he had passed away, I then returned to the second one only to find that he too
had passed away. When I came back to my cousin, he too had become a shaheed.
This is the type of caring character our Sahaabah had.
They preferred to die thirsty rather than to drink before a Muslim brother.
May Allah be pleased
with them all and grant us ability to follow in their footsteps. Aameen
Another Hadeeth says
that whoever feeds the hungry, clothes the naked and gives shelter to the
traveller, Allah shall save him from the terrors of Qiyaamah.
Further, Rasulullah (saw)mentioned the virtue of feeding a fasting person
at the time of breaking the fast. In one Hadeeth it is
reported that one who feeds a person out of his Halaal earnings
to break the fast, the Malaaikah grant mercy upon him during the
nights of Ramadhaan, and Jibraeel(a.s) shakes hands with him on Laylatul
Qadr. The sign of this is that his heart becomes soft and tears flow from
his eyes.
During Ramadhaan, Hammad bin Salamah, a very famous Muhaddith,
used to feed fifty people every day at iftaar. (Roohul
Bayan)
Thereafter, the Hadeeth of
Rasulullah (saw)called the first section (i.e. first 10 days) of Ramadhaan
the coming of mercy, which means that Allah’s favour is with the believers.
Those who are thankful to Allah for His bounties will receive even more. The
Qur’aan says:
“If you are thankful, I will surely grant you
more.”
During the second section (i.e. the second 10
days) of Ramadhaan, forgiveness begins to come down as a reward for fasting
during the first section. The last section (i.e. the last 10 days) of Ramadhaan
brings protection from entrance into Jahannam. This is supported by
many similar Ahaadeeth.
In my personal opinion,
Ramadhaan has been divided into three sections because people are normally of
three different kinds. Firstly, there are those who have no sins. For them
Allah’s mercy and Bounties come from the very beginning of Ramadhaan. Secondly,
there are those whose sins are not too heavy, for them forgiveness comes after
one third of Ramadhaan has passed. Thirdly, there are the
real sinners. For them forgiveness comes after
having fasted most of Ramadhaan. Those who received Allah mercy right at the
beginning are the very fortunate ones because of the great amount of mercy they
have received. (And Allah knows best).
Another point mentioned in the Ahaadeeth is that
masters should be merciful to their servants in Ramadhaan because, after all,
they too are fasting. Unnecessary hard work or too much of it will be difficult
for them. An extra worker should be hired when the work is too much. That of
course, only applies when the servant himself fasts; otherwise there is no
difference for them between Ramadhaan and any other month.
Lastly, Rasulullah (saw)encouraged
four things in the Hadeeth that should be repeated constantly.
Firstly, the recitation of Kalimah Tayyibah, which in
the Ahaadeeth is called the highest form of zikr. In
Mishkat, Abu Saeed Khudri reports: Once Nabi Moosa begged of Allah to grant him
a special zikr by which he can remember Allah and also (by
which he could) ask Him. Allah then told him to recite the Kalimah
Tayyibah. Sayyidina Moosa said, “O Allah! this is a zikr recited
by all your servants, I wish for a special zikr.” Allah replied, “O
Moosa, if the seven heavens, the earth and all its occupants including the Malaaikah but
excluding Myself (i.e. excluding Allah Himself) are placed on one side of a
scale and this Kalimah on the other, then this Kalimah will
weigh heavier than everything else.
In another Hadeeth it is stated, Should anyone
sincerely recite this Kalimah, the doors of Jannah open
up for him immediately and nothing can stop him from reaching Allah arsh (throne).
The only condition is that the reciter should stay away from major sins.
The Kalimah
Tayyibah is the most excellent form of zikr. Allah has
made it for everybody, so that none is deprived of it. Therefore, if any person
is deprived of it, it is his own fault. There are many Ahaadeeth showing
its rewards.
The second thing which should be recited plentifully is istighfaar. The Ahaadeeth report many rewards of istighfaar. In one Hadeeth we read, “Whoever makes much Istighfaar, Allah opens a way out for him from all problems and removes all sadness from him. He also receives rizq (food, money etc.) from unexpected places.” In another Hadeeth, Rasulullah (saw) said that, “Every man is a sinner, but the best among the sinners are those who repent and ask for forgiveness.” In one Hadeeth it is mentioned that, “When a man commits a sin, a black spot forms on his heart, but when he asks for forgiveness, it is washed away , if not, the black spot remains”.
Thereafter, Rasulullah
(saw) commanded us to beg two things which we cannot do without, firstly
to beg Allah for entrance into Jannah and secondly to ask for
protection in Him from Jahannam.
May
Allah grant us this good fortune. (Aameen)
Best Wishes
