Maulana Hafiz and Qari Syed Sagheer Ahmad Naqshbandi Shaykh al-Hadith Jamia Nizamia
All the blessings that are available to a man are all given by Almighty Allah, whether it is religious or worldly, when a worldly blessing is to be bestowed upon man, in order to obtain it, man plans to welcome it and expresses happiness, as if a boy or a girl or a close relative is about to get married, then there is an atmosphere of happiness, arrangements start several days in advance, invitations are laid, new clothes are bought, wedding hall get booked, all kinds of dishes are prepared, all this is pre-arranged just for the pleasure of one day.
From the day of marriage, their married life has begun, but their efforts of pre-wedding arrangement did not have any reserve in the Hereafter and did not become the cause of reward for eternal life. It is true that getting married is Sunnah, and getting married will lead to following the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), Nowhere in the hadith does it appear that there is a reward for pre-wedding arrangements. However, by expressing happiness and welcoming the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, a Muslim becomes entitled to a reward and he becomes deserving of Paradise.
The month of Ramadan is a great blessing for Muslims. For those who practice this holy month, there is eternal salvation and the pleasure of the Almighty Allah and the Holy Prophet and Paradise is their abode.
The blessed month is coming again, it is about to cast a shadow over the believers who are wearing the veil of mercy. Blessed Muslims are rejoicing at arrival of Ramadhan, they are also welcoming Ramadhan and are committed to worshiping Almighty Allah in this month. This is indeed the case with the believers, they are always on the lookout to follow every deeds of Holy Prophet (PBUH). It is a fact that our Prophet (PBUH) welcome the arrival of the Holy month Ramadhan and delivered a great sermon.
عَنْ سلمان رضی اللہ عنہ قَال خَطَبَنَا رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم فی آخرِ یومٍ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ فقال یا ایھا الناسُ قَدْ اظلکُمْ شَھْرٌ عَظِیْمٌ مُبَارکٌ۔۔ إلی آخرہ (صحیح ابن خزیمہ: ۱۸۸۷، شعب الایمان: ۳۶۰۸)
It is narrated by Hazrat Salman Farsi (RA) that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) delivered a sermon among us on the last day of the month of Sha’ban: He said: O people! A great blessed month is about to fall on you, there is a night (Shab-e-Qadr) in it which is better than a thousand months, Almighty Allah has made it obligatory (Fard) to fast in this month, and Allah made it voluntary (Nafl) for you to stay up at night (Taraweeh). Performing a voluntary deeds in a this month is like performing obligatory deeds in another months, and whoever performs a obligatory duty in this month, it is like performing seventy obligatory duties in a month other than this month. This is the month of patience, the reward of patience is paradise, this is the month of sympathy, this is the month in which the provision (Rizq) of the believer is increased. Whoever makes the fasting person break his fast will be forgiven of his sins and saved from Hell and he will get reward like the reward of the fasting person but the reward of the fasting person will not be reduced. The Companions (RA) asked: O Messenger of Allah! We don’t have enogh provisions to offer a fasting person to break his fast with us? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Almighty Allah will reward to anyone who offers to breaks the fast with a Date, sip of Water or Milk.
From the beginning of this month, the blessings of God, the Lord of Glory, are bestowed on His servants in such a way that the accursed Satan, the eternal enemy of man, is bound in chains so that he may not hinder the worship of the believer, the gates of heaven are opened. Although one has to go to heaven thousands of years later, it is as if Allah’s mercy is calling out to His servants: O servants! The streams of heaven, the garden and the spring, the maiden slaves, the peace and tranquility are all for you, worship me and get the rewards, and the gates of hell are being closed. This is a sign that the glorious glory is covered with the veil of divine mercy. Wrath is cooled by Allah’s mercy. It is in Hadith Sharif that:
عَنْ ابی ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ یقول قال رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم اذا دخل شھر رمضان فتحت ابواب الجنۃ و غُلِّقَتْ ابوابُ جھنمَ و سُلْسِلتِ الشیاطین۔ (بخاری و مسلم)
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah (RA) that the Prophet (PBUH) said: When the month of Ramadhan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, the demons (Satan) are bound in chains.
Similarly, it is said in a hadith that when a Muslim intends to do good deeds but he has not done it yet, good deeds are written in his book of deeds. This is the mercy that always flows through the doors of Allah’s mercy. He lays out the treasures of His mercy all the time, only the receiver is needed. As the poet of the East Allama Iqbal said:
Hum Tau Mayal Ba-Karam Hain, Koi Sayal Hi Nahin Rah Dikhlaen Kise Rahraw-e-Manzil Hi Nahin Behold, my hands arc full of gifts, but who comes seeking here? And how shall I the right road shew when there’s no traveler?
The sinful servant has not yet acted, but in spite of this the Lord of the worlds rewards him. Therefore, the incident of a person from the previous ummah is mentioned in Muslim Sharif, which would be appropriate to mention here: The Prophet (PBUH) said: Among those before you was a man who committed ninety-nine murders. He inquired about the greatest scholar in the world, so people gave him the address of an scholar. So he came to the scholar and asked him that I had committed ninety-nine murders, can my repentance be accepted? The scholar said no! so this man also killed the scholar and completed one hundred (100) murders. Then he started searching for the greatest scholar in the world again and he was told the address of a scholar. He went to the scholar and said that he had committed hundred (100) murders. Can my repentance still be accepted? The scholar said yes! Who can stand between you and your repentance? Go to a certain place. The righteous, devout servants of Allah lives there. Go to that place and worship with them and then do not return to your homeland because it is a very bad place.
So he left. When he reached the halfway point he died, now the angels of mercy and torment quarreled over him. The angels of mercy said that he was coming to repent by filling his heart with the mercy of Allah, the angels of torment said that he never did any good. Then an angel in the form of a man came to him and he accepted his command. The angel said, “Measure the earth.” He will be counted among those who are near the town. So when they measured the land, they came out near the town of the righteous, so the angels of mercy took away his soul.
According to a tradition, he was close to a span of good people, so he was also counted among the good people. In another narration it is said that Allah Almighty commanded to the land of the town of the evil: to distance away, and commanded to the land of the town of the righteous: to come closer and said: Measure the distance of these towns, the span was found closer to the town of the righteous, so he was forgiven.
Be attentive, that a person from the previous ummah repented of his crime and wanted to join the company of saints for the purpose of prayer and worship even though he had not yet worshiped and suddenly died and passed away. Nevertheless, the angel whose repentance was accepted brought the glad tidings of acceptance of prayer. The Ummah of Muhammad (PBUH) is a best Ummah. If we commit to worship with good intentions, we will be rewarded and we will get Guidance (Hidayat) for worship. There is a holy hadith that Allah Almighty says: I am with the intention of my servants, I give them whatever they intend.
Pray as much as possible in Ramadhan and make arrangements for prayers. Dua is accepted early in this month.
It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (RA) that he said: On the authority of Abi Saeed Al-Khudri (RA): The Prophet (PBUH) said:
ان للہ تبارک وتعالیٰ عتقاء فی کل یوم ولیلۃ یعنی رمضان وان لکل مسلم فی کل یوم ولیلۃ دعوۃ مستجابۃ (رواۃالبزار)
The Prophet (PBUH) said: Every night and day of Ramadhan, prisoners are released by Allah, and supplications are accepted of Muslim every night and day.
We ask Almighty Allah to grant us the ability to worship him and meditate in this Holy Month (Ameen).
