Greatness of the month of Ramadhan

Mu'awiya ibn Abu Ishaq quoting Sa'eed ibn Jubayr saying,

I asked Ibn Abbas once about the reward of one who fasts during the month of Ramadan knowing its greatness. He said: 'O Ibn Jubayr! Get ready to listen to what your ears have never heard before, nor your heart has ever experienced, nor your soul has ever reckoned regarding that about which you have inquired! What you are seeking is the knowledge of the first generations and the last!

So I left him and prepared myself to meet him again. I returned to him at early daybreak. Having said the fajr prayers (together), I reminded him of the tradition which I had sought, so he turned his face to me and said,

Listen carefully to what I am going to tell you. I have heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: 'Had you ever come to know about your rewards during the month of Ramadan, you would surely have thanked the Almighty a great deal more (than you usually do).

When the first night is over, Allah, the Almighty and the Exalted One, forgives the sins committed by all members of my nation, the ones committed in secrecy and the ones committed in public, and He elevates your status two thousand degrees and builds you fifty towns in Paradise.

On the next day, He rewards you for every step you take during that day with the rewards of one who adored Him for a full year and the reward of one of His prophets, and He will reward you as though you had performed the fast for a full year.

On the third day, the Exalted and Dear One grants you a dome in Paradise for each hair on your body, a dome of a white pearl on top of which are twelve thousand light houses and at the bottom of which are twelve thousand houses in each one of which there are one thousand beds and on each bed of which there is a nymph (huri) with large lovely eyes, each served by one thousand servants the head-covering of each one of them is better than this world and everything in it.

On fifth day, He builds you in Paradise a million cities in each one of which there are seventy thousand houses, inside each one of which there are seventy thousand tables, and on each table there are seventy thousand bowls, and in each bowl there are sixty thousand types of food each one of which is different from the other.

On the sixth day, He will grant you in the Abode of Peace a hundred thousand towns in each one of which there are a hundred thousand rooms, in each room there are a hundred thousand beds of gold the length of each is a thousand yards, and on each bed is a hun wife with large lovely eyes whose hair has thirty thousand locks braided with pearls and sapphires, and each lock is carried by a hundred concubines.

On the seventh day, the Almighty grants you in the Garden of Bliss the rewards of forty thousand martyrs and forty thousand siddeeqs.

On the eighth day, Allah Almighty grants you the rewards of the good deeds of sixty thousand worshippers and sixty thousand ascetics.

On the ninth day, Allah, the Exalted One, gives you what is equal to what He gives a thousand scholars and a thousand devotees and a thousand warriors fighting for Allah in a foreign land.

On the tenth day, He gives you the fulfillment of seventy thousand of your worldly wishes and orders the sun, the moon, the stars, the animals, the birds, the beasts, every rock and every rain-drop, everything wet and everything dry, all fish in the oceans and all leaves on the trees, to pray for your forgiveness.

On the eleventh day, the Exalted and Mighty One grants you the rewards whereby He rewards one who performs the pilgrimage and 'umra four times and one who performs the pilgrimage with His prophets and the 'umra with every siddeeq or martyr.

On the twelfth day, He takes upon Himself to replace your sins with good deeds, then He multiplies your good deeds many times and gives you the rewards of each of your good deeds a million times.

On the thirteenth day, Allah Almighty grants you what He grants the devotees of Mecca and Medina and bestows upon you an intercession for each and every stone and rain drop between Mecca and Medina.

On the fourteenth day, He treats you as though you had met and followed in the footsteps of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Solomon [peace be upon all of them], and as though you had worshipped the Almighty Allah in the company of His prophets for two hundred years.

On the fifteenth day, He fulfills ten of your worldly wishes and those of the hereafter and grants you what He granted Job (as), then He orders the angels who bear the 'Arsh to pray for your forgiveness and grants you on the Day of Resurrection forty lights: ten on your right, ten on your left, ten before you and ten behind you.

On the sixteenth day, the Almighty grants you sixty outfits to wear as soon as you abandon your grave and a she-camel to ride, and He will send a cloud to overshadow you to protect you from the heat of that Day.

On the seventeenth day, the Almighty Allah says: 'I have forgiven them and their parents and exempted them from having to undergo the hardships of the Day of Resurrection.'

On the eighteenth day, the Praised and Exalted One orders Gabriel, Michael and Israfil as well as the angels who bear the 'Arsh and all archangels to seek forgiveness for the nation of Muhammad (pbuh) till the next year, and He will also grant you on the Day of Resurrection whatever rewards He grants to those who participated in the Battle of Badr].

On the nineteenth day, all angels in the heavens and on earth will have already sought permission of their Lord to visit your graves and to bring you every day a present and a drink [as long as you remain in the barzakh].

So, if you complete your fast for twenty full days, the Almighty Allah sends you seventy thousand angels to protect you from every accursed devil, and He will have granted you for each day of your fast your rewards as though you fasted a hundred years, and He will set a ditch between you and hell and grant you the rewards of all those who recited the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms and the Holy Qur'an, and will write for you for each feather on Gabriel the reward of a full year and will grant you the rewards of those who glorify Him at the 'Arsh and Kursi and will marry you to a thousand nymphs for each of the verses of the Qur'an.

On the twenty-first day, the Almighty expands your grave a thousand parasangs and lifts the darkness and loneliness of your graves and makes your graves look like the graves of the martyrs and your faces like the face of Joseph son of Jacob (as).

On the twenty second day, the Almighty dispatches the angel of death as He dispatches him to His prophets to remove your worldly worries and the torment of the hereafter.

On the twenty third day, you will pass on the Straight Path in the company of the prophets, the first to follow the prophets, and the martyrs, as if you had fed each orphan and clothed everyone who needed to be clothed. On the twenty-fourth day, you will not leave this life before each one of you sees the place reserved for him or her in Paradise and is given the rewards of a thousand sick and a thousand who go back to their creed and will grant you the rewards of one who freed a thousand captives from the descendants of Ishmael (as).

On the twenty-fifth day, Allah will have built you under His 'Arsh a thousand green domes on top of each one of which is a tent of light. The Almighty and Exalted One will then say: 'O followers of Muhammad! I am your Lord and you are My servants! Enjoy the shade of My 'Arsh in these domes and eat and drink with enjoyment, for there will be no fear on you, nor will you grieve. O nation of Muhammad! By My Dignity and Greatness! I shall dispatch you to Paradise in a way which will amaze the first generations and the last, and I shall crown each one of you with a thousand light crowns, and I shall provide for each one of you a she camel whose reins are made of light, and in it are a thousand gold rings, in each is an angel looking after it, in the hand of each angel is a light rod so that he may enter Paradise without a reckoning.'

And on the twenty sixth day, Allah will look at you with compassion and will forgive all your sins except those of shedding innocent blood or robbing people's wealth, and He will grant you every day a thousand barriers against backbiting, lying and slandering.

On the twenty-seventh day, He will consider you as though you had aided every believing man and woman and clothed seventy thousand naked persons and equipped a thousand soldiers to camp in a foreign land to defend Islam, and as if you have recited every book Allah has revealed to His prophets.

On the twenty-eighth day, Allah will have built you in Paradise a hundred thousand light cities and granted you in the garden of bliss a hundred thousand silver mansions and a hundred thousand cities in each one of which there are a thousand rooms, and granted you in the garden of greatness a hundred thousand pulpits of musk inside each one of which there is a thousand saffron houses in each one of which there are a thousand beds of pearls and sapphires and on each bed a wife of the huns with large lovely eyes.

So if you complete your fast till the twenty ninth day, the Almighty Allah will grant you a million quarters, inside each quarter is a white dome underneath which is a white camphor bed on which there are a thousand mattresses of green silk on each one of which there is a hun decorated with seventy thousand ornaments and crowned with eighty thousand locks each one of which is decorated with diamonds and sapphires.

So if you finish thirty complete days of fast, the Almighty will have granted you for each day the rewards of a thousand martyrs and a thousand foremost believers in His Prophets, and He will have assigned for you the rewards of fifty years of adoration, and He will have decreed a clearance for you from hell and a passage on the Straight Path and a security against the torment. One of the gates of Paradise is called al-Rayyan, and it shall never be opened before the Day of Resurrection. It will be opened for those among the nation of Muhammad (pbuh) who performed the fast. Ridwan, custodian of Paradise, will call out saying: 'O followers of Muhammad! Come to the al-Rayyan gate!' So he will let my nation enter Paradise through that gate. Therefore, if one is not forgiven during the month of Ramadan, in which month can he be forgiven? There is neither will nor strength except from Allah; Allah suffices us, and what a great Helper He is!

This lengthy tradition is also recorded on pp. 183-185, Vol. 8, of Bihar al-Anwar.

(Thanks to Mr. Firoz Meghani for sharing this beautiful tradition)

Imam Kadhim (a.s.) at Hajj

He decided to perform Hajj; however, his intention was not to benefit from it, but to show off his power; nevertheless, he was negligent that he had to circumambulate the sanctuary of the Absolute Power. As he entered Masjid al-Haram, the guards started opening the way for him so that he could perform the rituals. In fact, nobody dared to precede Harun al-Rashid (1), the Abbasid Caliph, in the rituals.
Meanwhile, another person who was also circulating around the Kaaba was pushed away by a guard. In return, he shouted with a loud voice that could be heard by Harun, ”Allah has made all his servants equal in this place”, and then he recited the following verse from the Holy Quran with the same stress: “We have made equally for all men, (for) the dwellers therein and (for) the visitors…”(2)
The man continued performing his rituals without any fear from the Caliph, as he was confident in Someone else. He actually preceded the Caliph in all the rituals. When the Caliph noticed the man’s courage and bravery, he sent someone after him. The man responded by saying, ”I have no business with him. If he needs me, he has to come to me”. After hearing this respond, Harun said, ”He is right”, and went to him.
First, Harun greeted him and got the response. Then, he said to the man, ”Woe on to you! You have harmed the Caliph of the Muslims”. Then, he continued, ”I have a question for you. If you can not answer it, I will punish you”. The man replied, ”I am ready to answer”.
Harun asked, “What is your duty to Allah (SWT)?”
The man replied, ”1, 5, 17, 34, 94, 153, 1 out of 12, 1 out of 40, 1 out of 200, 1 in lifetime, and one for one”. Harun laughed mockingly and said, ”I ask you about obligatory deeds and you count numbers for me?” The man answered, ”Do you not know that religion is all about taking accounts, and if it were no accounts in religion, Allah (SWT) would not hold his slaves accountable?” Then he recited the following verse from the Holy Quran:” …And though there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed (of good or bad deeds), (yet) will We bring it, and sufficient are We to take account” (3).
Next, he continued by saying, ”As for the one, it is the religion of Islam; the five refers to the five prayers in a day; the 17 means the number of Rak’ats of prayers per day; thirty four is the number of Sajdahs (prostrations) ninety four refers to the number of Takbirs (glorification) in prayers; and One hundred and fifty three is the number of Tasbihs (sanctification) in the prayers of a day. As for one out of twelve, I referred to the fasting of one month, the month of Ramadan, out of the twelve months in each year; one out of forty specifies the portion of Zakat (alms) each person has to pay; five out of two hundred mentions the portion of money that has to be offered to the poor; once in lifetime refers to the obligatory Hajj each Mustati (one who can afford) person has to perform once in his/her lifetime; and the one for one specifies that whoever kills a person has to be killed, as Allah (SWT) says,” … life for life…”(4)”
At this point, Harun became excited from the man’s answer…After that, as the man exited Masjid al-Haram, a group followed him and asked about his name. It was then revealed that the honorable man was Musa ibn Ja’far, Imam Kadhim (PBUH).
When Harun got the news, he said, ”I swear to God I knew that such a person could be no one but the fruit of the blessed tree (of Prophethood)” (5).
Footnotes:
1. Harun was the most powerful of Abbasid Caliph whose kingdom spread half of the world then. Imam Kadhim (PBUH) was severely poisoned and martyred by this oppressor Caliph
2. The Holy Quran, (22:25)
3. The Holy Quran, (21:47)
4. The Holy Quran, (5:45)
5. Manaaqib of Ibn Shahr Ashub, vol. 4, p. 312

Offers condolences to you upon 25th of Rajab, the anniversary of the martyrdom of the 7th star of Wilayah, the door of requests, Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (PBUH)

Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and Number

One day a person came to Ali (a.s.), thinking that since Ali thinks he is too smart, I'll ask him such a tough question that he won't be able to answer it and I'll have the chance to embarrass him in front of all the Arabs. He asked 'Ali (a.s.), tell me a number, that if we divide it by any number from 1-10 the answer will always come in the form of a whole number and not as a fraction.' Hazrat Ali (a.s.) Looked back at him and said, 'Take the number of days in a year and multiply it with the number of days in a week and you will have your answer.'
The person got astonished but as he was a Mushrik he still didn't believe Ali (a.s.). He calculated the answer Ali (a.s.) gave him. To his amazement he came across the following results:
The number of Days in a Year = 360 (in Arabic Calendar)
The Number of Days in a Week = 7
The product of the two numbers = 2520
2520 divide by 1 = 2520
2520 divide by 2 = 1260
2520 divide by 3 = 840
2520 divide by 4 = 630
2520 divide by 5 = 504
2520 divide by 6 = 420
2520 divide by 7 = 360
2520 divide by 8 = 315
2520 divide by 9 = 280
2520 divide by 10= 252

Imam Musa al-Kadhim (a.s.) & Mansur

One Nawroz day, Mansur Dawaaniqi, the Abbasid Caliph who took over the caliphate after his brother Abu al-A’bbas Saffaah, ordered Imam Musa Kadhim (a.s.) to present himself in the gathering of the Eid of Nawroz. This was so that the people could come and greet him and offer their gifts to him, which he should accept.
The Imam (a.s.) told Mansur, “Nawroz is the customary Eid of the Iranians and nothing has been said about it in Islam.”
To which Mansur replied, “This act is politically motivated and is intended to keep my soldiers happy. I place you under the oath of the Great God that you accept my request and present yourself at that gathering.”
The Imam (a.s.) agreed and arrived at the assembly. The army generals, nobles and the common masses arrived in his august presence, greeted him, and presented their gifts to him.
In the meantime, Mansur had ordered one of his slaves to position himself near the Imam (a.s.) and maintain a record of the money and gifts presented to him. The last person who had come to meet the Imam (a.s.) was an old man, who said to him:
“O’ Son of the Messenger of Allah! I am an impoverished person and lack the money to present you with gifts, but my gift for you today are three verses of elegy, which my grandfather had composed for your grandfather, Husain Ibn A'li(a.s.).”
Having said this, he then recited the verses.
The Imam (a.s.) responded appreciatively, saying, “I have accepted your gift,” after which he prayed for the man.
Then, turning to the slave, he instructed, “Go to Mansur, inform him of these gifts and ask him what has to be done about them?”
The slave did as he was told and upon returning, said to the Imam (a.s.):
“The Caliph has said: I have given them to you (Imam Musa Kadhim) as gifts. Spend them as you desire.”
The Imam (a.s.) told the old man, “Take these riches and gifts, for I am giving them all to you as gifts.”

Azazeel

His name was Azazeel. He is also known as Iblees. He used to pray a lot and even used to give lectures to the angels. One day there was a notice in the heavens which said that someone was going to be ordered out of the heavens. All the angels were very worried because they thought it might be one of them. They went to Jibrael who was one of the most important angels to ask him whether he could do anything. Jibrael said he too was worried because it might be himself. Jibrael suggested that they go to Azazeel because he was very clever. Azazeel told them not to worry at all for the would pray to Allah for all of them. He forgot himself thinking he was the best and it could never be him. He had kibr (pride). Allah made the first human being - Prophet Adam (as). He asked all the angels including Azazeel to do sajdah to Prophet Adam (as). Iblees disobeyed Allah and refused to do sajdah saying that he was better than Prophet Adam (as) and so he would not do sajdah."I am made out of fire and he is made out of earth!" he told Allah. You see, he was only looking at the outside and not the inside and more important, he disobeyed Allah. He was ordered out of heaven.

(thanks Ehtesham)

Lower Your Gaze

"There was a companion of ours in Glasgow who became ill and was hospitalized. He was admitted for three days and on the fourth day the attendant nurse said, "Marry me".He [the brother in Glasgow] asked, "Why? I am a Muslim, you and I cannot become companions."She said, "I will become Muslim"."What's the reason?" it was asked.She said, "In all my time that I have served in hospitals, except you, I have never seen a man lower his gaze in front of a woman. In my life you are the first person who lowers his gaze when seeing a woman. I come, and you close your eyes. Such great modesty can be taught by none other than a true religion."The protection of one's gaze entered Islam in her. She testified to the Oneness of Allah and became a Muslim. They both got married. By now, the same woman was and is the means of bringing so many other girls and women into Islam.

In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported as having said: "And the eyes commit zina (adultery). Their zina is gazing."The Prophet Muhammad (saw) commanded Imam Ali (as) said: "Ali! Do not look once after another, for the first look is for you (since it happens accidentally) while the second is against you."

Showing Off

Informing People of Worship
In the tribe of Bani Isra`il, there lived a worshipper who after years of worship, requested Allah to manifest to him his rank and status, and prayed: 'O' Lord! If my deeds are to Your liking, I would strive further in performing good deeds, but if not, then I would want to make amends for it before death overtakes me, and engage myself (more) in acts of worship.'
In his dreams he was informed: 'In the eyes of Allah, you do not possess any good deed.' Perturbed, he exclaimed: 'O' Allah! Where then have my deeds gone?' It was said to him: 'You do not possess any deed, for whenever you performed a good deed, you informed the people of it. Therefore, the pleasure that you derived out of informing them of your acts is your reward for those acts.' This disturbed him immensely and left him greatly saddened.
For the second time, he was informed in his dreams: 'Now purchase your life from Us. Give charity equivalent to the number of veins in your body, every day!'
He pleaded: 'O' Lord! How can I give such a large amount in charity when I do not possess anything?'
He heard: 'We do not impose any duty on a soul except in the measure of its ability. Recite the following three hundred and sixty times daily; every word of it is charity for a vein of your body:
Subhan Allahi, Wal Hamdu Lillahi, Wa La Ilaha Illallahu, Wallahu Akbar, Wa La Haul Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah.' (Arabic in attachment)
The worshipper, who was overjoyed to hear these words, said: 'Grant me more than this', whereupon it was said to him: 'The more you recite the more reward you shall earn. 'Reference: Anecdotes for Reflection, vol 3, Showing off, Pg 57.

Explanation of above anecdote

Showing off is a tree that comes into existence as a result of hypocrisy and whose fruit is nothing but concealed polytheism. It is exhibited before entities that neither have the ability to grant life and death, nor the authority to fulfil the needs of any person.On the Day of Judgment, at the time of reckoning, it will be said to a person who showed off: "Collect the rewards of your deeds from those, whom you had made partners to Me and for whom you had performed your deeds!!"Showing off usually occurs in gatherings and with respect to clothes and acts of worship. Thus, it is essential to remain attentive towards and heedful of Allah in order to purge our interiors of this satanic vice.

Answers from the Holy Prophet (pbuh)

A traveller once came to the Masjid to see the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) after greeting the prophet, he was asked where he was from. The traveller replied that he came from very far just to get a few questions answered. Following is the dialogue between the traveler and the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH ),
Traveller : I do not want adhab (punishments) to be written in my account.
Prophet : Behave well with your parents
Traveller : I want to be known amongst people as an inteligent person.
Prophet : Fear Allah (Jalla Jalalah), always.
Traveller : I want to be counted amongst Allah's favourites.
Prophet : Recite Quran every morning and evening.
Traveller : I want my heart to always be enlightened. ( Munawer )
Prophet : Never forget death.
Traveller : I never want to be away from Allah's blessing.
Prophet : Always treat fellow creatures well.
Traveller : I never want to be harmed by my enemies.
Prophet : Always have faith in only Allah.
Traveller : I never want to be humiliated.
Prophet : Be careful of your actions.
Traveller : I wish to live long.
Prophet : Always do sile rahm. (Goodness towards blood Relations)
Traveller : I want my sustenance to increase.
Prophet : Always be in wudhoo.
Traveller : I wish to stay free of adhab in the grave.
Prophet : Always wear pure (paak) clothes.
Traveller : I never want to be burned in hell.
Prophet : Control your eyes and tongue.
Traveller : How do I get my sins forgiven?
Prophet : Always ask forgiveness from Allah with a lot of humility.
Traveller : I want people to respect me always.
Prophet : Never extend your hands of need at people.
Traveller : I want to always be honoured.
Prophet : Never humiliate or put down anyone.
Traveller : I don't want to be squeezed by fishare qabr.(Squeezing in the grave)
Prophet : Recite Surat Al Mulk (The Dominion) often.
Traveller : I want my wealth to increase.
Prophet : Recite surat el Waqiah (The Inevitable) every night.
Traveller : I want to be safe and at peace on Day of Judgment.
Prophet : Do zikr (Praises) of Allah from dusk to night.
Traveller : I want to be in full attention & concentration during prayers.
Prophet : Always do wudhoo with concentration and attention.

Advice from Satan

After Prophet Nuh (a.s.) had disembarked from his ark, the Satan approached him and said: "You have greatly obliged me and so I wish to thank you for your obligation and give you something in exchange!"

Nuh (a.s.) said: "I am indisposed to the fact that I oblige you and you recompense me for it. Anyway, go on and tell me the truth."

Satan said: "Indeed I have to strive hard and exert myself before I can lead one person astray, but you cursed the people and all of them were destroyed and so, at least at present, I am at ease till another community is born and reaches the age of responsibility before I invite them towards disobedience (of Allah)!! Now, in reciprocation of your good deed, I shall give you a word of advice. Stay away from three attributes:

Firstly - never exhibit arrogance, for it was because of this vice that I did not prostrate before your father, Adam and was expelled from the presence of Allah.

Secondly - stay away from greed, for it was this due to this that Adam consumed the wheat and was deprived of Paradise.

Thirdly - distance yourself from envy, for it was because of this vice that Qabil killed his brother Habil and eventually perished as a result of Divine punishment."

Reference:

• Anecdotes for Reflection, Vol 3, Satan, Anecdote 1, Pg 88

Why do I read Qur'an?

Why do we read Quran, even if we can't understand a single Arabic word???? This is a beautiful story.
An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Qur'an do?"
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.
The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"
"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.
"Son, that's what happens when you read the Qur'an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives."