Assalam u alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuhu,
May Allah guide our heart to perform the best in the last ten days of this
blessed month, ameen.
Maassalama,
Maryam
----- Original Message -----
From: Brother In Peace
The Last Ten Days of Ramadan
By Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
'Aa'ishah said: "When the last ten days (of
Ramadan) would come, the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ''alayhi wa sallam) would spend
his night in worship, wake his family (at night), exert himself and tighten his
Izaar (waistcloth) ." [1]
This hadeeth is proof that the last ten days of
Ramadan have a special virtue over any other (set of days), in which one should
increase in obedience and acts of worship, such as prayer, making dhikr
(remembrance) and reciting the Qur'aan.
'Aa'ishah has described our Prophet and role
model, Muhammad (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), with four attributes:
1. He (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would
"spend his night in worship", meaning he would not sleep during it. Thus, he
(sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would remain awake throughout it in worship
and he would liven his soul by spending the night in sleeplessness. This is
since sleep is the brother of death. The meaning of "spend his night" is that
he (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would spend all of it in the state of
qiyaam (night prayer) and performing acts of worship that are done for the sake
of Allaah, Lord of the worlds. We must remember that the last ten days of
Ramadan are fixed and numbered.
As for what has been reported concerning the
forbiddance of spending the entire night in prayer, which has been mentioned in
the hadeeth of 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr, then it is in regards to someone who does
that consistently throughout every night of the year.
2. He (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would
"wake up his family" meaning his (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) pure wives,
the Mothers of the Believers, so that they may take part in the profiting of
good, the dhikr (remembrance) and the acts of worship during these blessed
times.
3. He (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would
"exert himself", meaning he (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would persevere
and struggle in worship, adding more to his deeds than what he had done in the
first twenty days (of Ramadan). He only did this because the night of al-Qadr
occurs during one of these (last ten) days.
4. He (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would
"tighten his Izaar (waistcloth)" meaning he would exert himself and struggle
intensely in worship. It is also said that it means he (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) would withdraw from women. This seems to be more correct since it
inclines with what was mentioned previously and with the hadeeth of Anas: "He
(sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would rollup his bed and withdraw from women
(i.e. his wives)." [2]
Also, he (sall-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would
observe 'Itikaaf in the last ten days of Ramadan and the person who is in the
state of 'Itikaaf is restricted from interacting (sexually) with women.
So, O Muslim brother, strive to characterize
yourself with these attributes. And guard the prayer you make in the depths of
the night (tahajjud) with the Imaam in addition to the Taraweeh prayer (which
is prayed in the early parts of the night), so that your exertion in these last
ten days may go beyond that of the first twenty. And so that you may achieve
the attribute of "spending the night in worship" by praying.
And you must be patient in your obedience to
Allaah, for indeed, the tahajjud (night) prayer is difficult, but its reward is
great. By Allaah, it is a great opportunity in ones life and a profitable thing
to take advantage of, for the one whom Allaah grants it to. And a person does
not know if perhaps he will encounter one of Allaah's many rewards during the
night prayer, thus serving as assistance for him in this world and in the
Hereafter.
The righteous predecessors of this Ummah would
lengthen the prayer at night, exerting themselves. As-Saa'ib ibn Yazeed said:
"Umar ibn al-Khattaab ordered Ubay bin Ka'ab and Tameem ad-Daaree to lead the
people in prayer with eleven rak'at. The reciter would recite one hundred
verses, to the point that we had to lean upon wooden staffs due to the long
standing. And we would not stop until the early parts of Fajr." [3]
'Abdullaah ibn Abee Bakr reported: "I heard my
father (i.e. Abu Bakr) say: 'During Ramadan, we would finish (the night prayer)
late and we would hurry the servants to present the food (of suhoor) for fear
that Fajr (morning) would come upon us'." [4]
There are two struggles of the soul that the
believer faces during Ramadan: the struggle by day with fasting and the
struggle by night with qiyaam (night prayer). So whosoever combines these two
and fulfils their rights, then he is amongst the patient - those who will "be
given their reward in full without any reckoning." [5]
These ten days are the last part of the month and
a person's actions are based on his last ones. So perhaps, he will encounter
the night of al-Qadr, while standing in prayer for Allaah and thus have all his
past sins forgiven.
And one must incite, animate and persuade his
family to perform acts of worship, especially in these great times in which no
one neglects it except that he has been deprived. What is more incredible than
this is that while the people are performing prayer and making tahajjud, some
individuals spend their time in forbidden gatherings and sinful events. This is
indeed the greatest loss. We ask Allaah for his protection.
Therefore, embarking on these last days means
entering into the profiting from righteous deeds in what remains of the month.
From the unfortunate matters is to see that some people excel in righteous
actions, such as prayer and recitation of the Qur'aan, in the first part of the
month, but then signs of fatigue and weariness begin to show on them
afterwards, especially when the last ten days of Ramadan come in. And this in
spite of these last ten days possesses a greater standing than the first ones.
Thus, one must persevere in striving and struggling and increase his worship
when the end of the month draws near. And we must keep in mind that a person's
actions are based on his last ones.
Footnotes:
[1] Al-Bukhaaree (4/269) & Muslim (1174)
[2] See Lataa'if-ul- Ma'aarif, P. 219
[3] See al-Muwatta, Vol. 1, P. 154
[4] Muwatta of Imaam Maalik, Vol. 1, P. 156
[5] Surat-uz-Zumar: 15
Compiled By: Brother ayaz kazi <[EMAIL PROTECTED] com>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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