Most Read in the Category of Holy Days And Nights

We reach the most luminous and fruitful night on the Night of Power. Ramadan is the only month and the Night of Power is the only night mentioned in the Quran. The Lord of the Universe informed His beloved Prophet about the honor and value of those fruitful hours. The virtue of that night is so great that there is an independent chapter in the Quran explaining the mercy that will be manifest and the spiritual events that will take place on that night. That chapter is the chapter of al-Qadr.

Allah Almighty, uses the expression “Night of Power” clearly three times in a chapter that consists of five verses in order to inform us the holiness of that night:

"We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand Months."

The exalted events are expressed as follows at the end of the chapter:

"Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand: Peace!... This until the rise of Morn."

The most important characteristic of the Night of Power is that the Quran, which grants the jinn and men bliss in this world and the hereafter and which is the pre-eternal translation of the book of the universe,  was started to be sent down to the sky of the world on that night. Then, it was presented to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), the addressee of the revelation, through Jibril (Gabriel) in the form of verses or chapters based on needs.

On that blessed night, an opportunity that will lead man to eternal welfare and that will make him gain a fruitful life is granted. A person who spends that night with prayers, dhikr (mentioning the names and attributes of Allah) and worshipping will have the bliss to gain the rewards that can be earned in a long life like eighty years.

The angels, primarily Jibril, who brought the Quran to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) through revelation, come down to the world and enliven the divine feast and the Quranic table. The believers whose hearts and perceptions are open watch the scenes from the hereafter. With the coming down of the angels, the earth becomes exposed to a spiritual pressure. The world becomes to be, so to speak, narrow for them. They surround the believers and give them the glad tidings of the forgiveness and mercy of their Lord. That exalted manifestation, which goes on until the break of the dawn, blows a vast wind of peace and bliss into the hearts of the umma (community) of Muhammad.

We reach the anniversary of such luminous events on the Night of Power. If we realize the value of it, we will benefit from its abundance and prosperity, and the luminous atmosphere that surrounds the world.

What is the reason (wisdom) why it is said to be better than one thousand months?

"One thousand months" corresponds to a period of eighty-three years and four months. It is the opportunity of obtaining the spiritual level that good people of the past earned in a whole life. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told his companions that someone from the sons of Israel had fought for Allah with his weapons for one thousand months. When the companions heard about it, they were surprised and thought that their good deeds were very few. Then, the Chapter of Qadr was sent down.

In another narration, our Prophet told his companions that four people from the sons of Israel had worshipped for eighty years without committing any sins. The companions were very surprised when they heard about it. Then, Jibril came and said, "O Muhammad! Your umma was surprised by the worshipping of eighty years of those people. Allah sent you something better than it” and read the Chapter of Qadr. He said, "It is better than your and your umma’s astonishment."(1)

In another narration, the Messenger of Allah was shown the life spans of the people of all of the ummas. When he saw that the life span of the people of his umma was short, he thought about the good deeds of the people of the ummas with long life spans. He became sorry because he thought that his umma, with the short life span, could not reach the good deeds of those ummas. Allah, the Exalted, granted the Night of Power to His beloved Prophet in return for his sorrow and made it better than one thousand months. (2)

The Chapter of Qadr was sent down upon those events. That chapter is a chapter that relieved the sorrow of the companions.

How can you explain the fact that the Night of Power is so beneficial?

Certainly, a single Ramadan can produce fruits equal to that of a lifetime of eighty years. The fact that, according to the Qur’an, the Night of Power is more auspicious than a thousand months is a decisive proof of it.  For example, a monarch may declare certain days to be festivals during his reign, or perhaps once a year either on his accession to the throne or on some other days which reflect a glittering manifestation of his sovereignty. On those days, he favors his subjects, not within the general sphere of the law, but with his special bounties and favors, with his presence without veil and his wondrous activities. And he favors with his especial regard and attention those of his nation who are completely loyal and worthy.  In the same way, the All-Glorious Monarch of eighteen thousand worlds, Who is the Sovereign of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity, revealed in Ramadan the illustrious decree of the All-Wise Qur’an, which looks to the eighteen thousand worlds. It is a requirement of wisdom, then, that Ramadan should be like special Divine festival, a dominical display, and a spiritual gathering. Since Ramadan is such a festival, Allah has commanded man to fast, in order to disengage him to a degree from base and animal activities.

Why the Night of Power (Qadr)?

The Night of Qadr means the night of decree (jugdment). As it is explained in Chapter ad-Dukhan, the decrees that are determined by the divine predestination are made distinct on the Night of Power. Therefore, some people call the Night of Power as the night of predestination. As a matter of fact, the amounts and times of the things, affairs and decrees were determined in the pre-eternity; the predestination here is the preparation of the plans of the predetermination program determined earlier. (3)

The word "Qadr" contains the meaning of “pressure” too. Accordingly, that night so many angels come down to the world that the world becomes too small for them.

In a hadith, the following is stated pointing to that situation, "That night, the number of the angels coming down to the world is more than the number of the pebble stones". (4)

Although there are many narrations about what night of Ramadan is the Night of Power, it is recommended to search it on the last ten days of Ramadan. It is stated in some hadiths that it corresponds to the 27^th  night of Ramadan. The hadith "Search it on the twenty-seventh night" points to it. (5)

Under the light of those narrations, Islamic scholars regarded thetwenty-seventh night of the month of Ramadan as the Night of Power, and Muslims worshipped during that night with the intention of the Night of Power. 

Therefore, believers try to benefit from that night as much as they can. They try not to spend that night sleeping and resting because thirty thousand rewards are given in return for one letter of the Quran on that night. The rewards of other kinds of worship increase accordingly.  .

In order to benefit from the Night of Power and to increase the abundance and prosperity of that time, people perform prayers, read the Quran, study the interpretation of the Quran, mention the names of Allah, say salawat, pray to Allah and make supplication. People also give food and sadaqah to the poor and needy. In short, that time is illuminated through all kinds of opportunities. The hadiths that were narrated about the benefits of Night of Power are the best incentives for worshipping. 

"All of the previous sins of a person who stays awake and worship on the Night of Power by expecting the reward only from Allah are forgiven." (6)

How should we pray during that night?

Let us find out about it from our Prophet through Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):

"I said,'O messenger of Allah, if I find attain the Night of Power, how should I pray?’

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, ‘say  "Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbu'l-afwa fa'fu anni (O Allah. You are the pardoner; you love pardoning; forgive me).' "

References
1) Hak Dini Kur’an Dili. 6:4592
2) Muwatta. Itikaf:6
3) ad-Dukhan, 3.
4) Hak Dîni Kur'ân Dili, 9:5970.
5) Musnad, 2:27.
6) Bukhari, Siyam: 71, Ibni Majah, Dua

That question has always been on the agenda of many Muslims in every Ramadan since the time of Hazrat Prophet. What impels man to ask that question is the excitement of searching for the night that is defined to be better than one thousand months by a verse in the Quran. That question, like many other questions, does not have only one answer. For some people, the answer is so easy as to have only two alternatives: yes or no. For others, the question has no definite answer. It can be predicted like the uncertainty principle in quantum but it cannot be known exactly. Some people claim that the beloved slaves of Allah will know when that night is. Others believe that such an exceptional night has a worldwide sign in the realm of physics and start to search for a physical event from atoms to galactic system indicating that night. In short, though the search methods are different, they all endeavor for one aim: to find the Night of Power. I want to share with you an event that I experienced in one of the previous Ramadans as a person who joined that search. I came across an interesting truth while searching for the Night of Power. Allah knows whether I know when the Night of Power is but I know the ones who know when the Night of Power is. Who are they? Here is the story…  

The first thing I noticed when I started to search for the Night of Power was the existence of different viewpoints between the Muslims of Turkey and other countries. Although it was stated in the hadiths that the Night of Power should be searched for on the last ten nights of Ramadan and especially on the odd-numbered nights, the twenty-seventh night has been accepted as the Night of Power in Turkey. However, the other Muslims we met in America prefer to concentrate on the last ten nights, which is more appropriate in terms of the meaning of the hadith, instead of one single night. Some of them even prefer to perform itikaf (staying somewhere with the intention of worshipping Allah for a period of time, usually ten days) so as not to miss that night in the last ten days. While those who know the value of the Night of Power try to worship and benefit from every night in case it is the Night of Power, those who do not realize its value avoid worshipping every night in case it is not the Night of Power. Both approaches point to the mystery of the fact that the Night of Power is kept secret as a means of testing.

Another thing that I came across while searching for the Night of Power was that the methods of searching were different. Some go to the ocean on a cloudy night and look at it till morning as if searching for fish. Some search for it as if looking for a high-salary job. Some search for it like a merchant who is looking for an appropriate market just before eid (festival day) so as to make maximum profit. Some search for it like looking for the most valuable treasure of the world. Some search for it in the extraordinary news of the physical world. Some search for it in their dreams. Some search for it in a message coming from their sheikh or teacher. In short, people search for the Night of Power, which comes only once a year, using one thousand and one different methods.  

Recently, just after iftar (meal eaten in the evening to break the fast), I accidentally heard the conversation of some people who were preparing to go fishing. All of them had concentrated on one thing: to catch as many fish as possible. They were planning to go to the ocean, which would take them about two hours, and catch fish there with fishing lines. While one of them expressed his concern by saying, “will the fish find our fishing lines in the enormous ocean?”, another one expressed his hope saying “where else can we find fish if we cannot find them in the enormous ocean?” As a matter of fact, people use a phrase ‘to be caught like a fish’ but as far as what I understood from their words, fish could not be caught so easily. It was necessary to consider many different factors like the weather, the worm you use, the place you go to, the time of the day in order to be successful. They said it was highly likely to find fish on a cloudy night. After agreeing on that point, they decided to go fishing. They were going to sacrifice their sleep. In a sense, they were going to cause themselves pain. When those negative thoughts came to their minds, they imagined big fish. As rational individuals, they agreed to sacrifice their sleep in return for the reward they would get. Maybe, according to them, it was irrational to go there during daytime. While I was listening to their negotiation, my imagination took me somewhere else: the search for the Night of Power. Would my soul agree to sacrifice its comfort and go search for the Night of Power in the ocean of Ramadan even for one night? Was it not more rational to catch fish in the ocean of Ramadan that would be on my table for endless meals than to catch fish in the ocean of this world that would be on my table for only one meal? Was it too difficult to sacrifice my comfort in return for the comfort of the endless number of nights? Those thoughts persuaded my soul to some extent but it was not enough. It demanded some other evidence.

It was the twenty-seventh day of Ramadan; we were talking about the process of the Night of Power with a physicist friend of mine. When I started to search for it, he said that night could be the Night of Power by considering a physical event. According to what he said, such a valuable night had to have a connection with a physical event universe-wide. According to the news he received from the physicists group which he was a member of, the eclipse of the Andromeda Galaxy was occurring that night. It was a great event, galaxy-wide. Furthermore, that event occurred on the last ten nights of Ramadan every year. It was not known on what night it occurred, just like the Night of Power. His arguments were quite convincing. Last year, it took place on the twenty-eighth of Ramadan, and this year it was happening that night. I quite believed in what he said due to my reliance on science. I decided to worship till morning because that night could be the Night of Power. A piece of news I received from the cyber world had also affected my decision. While I was telling a writer friend of mine about what I had heard, I received an interesting answer. He said, “Do you know? I have received a piece of news about the Night of Power today.” He added, “One of my readers sent me a message. He had learned from a saint that he knew that it was the Night of Power tonight.” It was incumbent on friends to inform each other about that great opportunity. So, a friend of Allah who found out about the Night of Power informed his friend about it. And we heard it from the friend of the friend. Upon those two events, both my mind and heart were delighted as if they found the answer. I thought, “Even my soul will agree to stay awake till morning.” However, after trying to worship for a while that night, I went to bed due to the effect of the counter arguments that emerged from inside me. It was two o’clock when I went to bed. The voice of the soul inside me said, “Thanks Allah. That is enough.” Soon, I woke up with a terrifying dream. The first thing that came to my mind was, “Is it really the Night of Power tonight?” I stayed awake for some more. However, my ignorant soul managed to make me sleep again.  

Days followed days and the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan arrived. My search was going on. I tried to persuade my soul that it was highly probable that it was the Night of Power tonight. As the night continued, my mind tried to find satisfactory evidence against the doubtful voices coming from my soul. Acting upon a simile in the Booklet of Ramadan, I decided to telephone some friends. In fact, I wanted to teach my soul something while telling them about a truth. I was going to share a truth with them and try to persuade my soul. First, I called a friend of mine who sold toy helicopters. After greeting him and wishing him a good night, I came to the point.   

“How much do you sell your helicopters?”

“10 dollars.”

“What would you do if you had the opportunity of selling them for 1000 dollars in a market opened at night in a certain period of the year and if you were given the guarantee that all of the goods that you could take to the market would be sold?”

“I would get ready for it beginning from one year earlier. I would contact the factory and go to the market with the maximum amount of products.”

“What would you do if there were a market at night that you could sell them for 30 thousand dollars?”

“I would definitely stay in the market all night.”

After hanging up the phone, I asked myself: If you had the most profitable business in such markets and even if you owned the whole world, would they have any value compared to the profits of the Ramadan market? God Almighty answered that question with a sound like thunder in Chapter ar-Rad: “For those who respond to their Lord are (all) good things. But those who respond not to Him― even if they had all that is in the heavens and on earth, and as much more, (in vain) would they offer it for ransom.”(Ra’d, 18)

Then, what was the thing that made my soul consent to the profitable market of the world but drove it away from the market of the hereafter?

I dialed my telephone again. This time, I talked to a friend who was doing his doctorate on computers in the north of America. After making small talk, I came to the point.

“As far as I know, you work as an assistant at university. How much do you earn an hour?”

“15 dollars”

“There is a vacancy here with high wages. Would you like to apply for it?”

“What is it?”

“A job about computers.”

“How much do they offer?”

“Very much, but they have a condition. You have to work at night.”

“How much do they offer?”

“100 dollars an hour”

“Really? Since they offer so much money, they certainly will demand something.”

“What they demand is to work all night in order to finish the project soon. If you are interested, I will send you the advertisement.”

“Yes, please send it.”

“You will remain sleepless.”

“It does not matter! I will sleep during the day and work at night as long as it is something that I can do.”

While the conversation was going on like that, I reminded my soul the following words of Badiuzzaman: "That blessed month of Ramadan is a Night of Power in a person’s life because it contains the Night of Power; it adds another life to the life of a person who becomes successful in it. Its one minute is one day. Its one hour is two months; its one day is an eternal life like several years… The reward of good deeds in Ramadan is one thousand rewards for one deed. One letter of the Quran has ten rewards according to a sound hadith; it will bring ten fruits of Paradise. In Ramadan, one letter does not have ten rewards but one thousand rewards; and each letter of some verses like “Ayat ul Kursi” (the Verse of Throne) has thousands of rewards; and the reward is more on Fridays of the month of Ramadan. On the Night of Power, they are regarded as thirty thousand rewards."

At the end of my adventure of searching for the Night of Power, I found a very important truth: There was a mistake in the question of title of the writing. The question should be ‘Do we know the value of the Night of Power?’ Did the Quran itself not ask like that? Those who find the answer to that question actually find the answer to the question in the title too. After all, it may be difficult to know when the Night of Power is in a Ramadan and to worship all night. However, someone who worships about four hours on the last ten or fifteen nights of each Ramadan, will have definitely worshipped fully on one Night of Power in every three years. A person who becomes present in the month of Ramadan sixty-six times in his life will have worshipped on 22 Nights of Power fully. It means 22 thousand months, that is, 1833 years of reward of worshipping according to the glad tidings of the Chapter al-Qadr. Then, is it reasonable to miss that “divine campaign” offered by the All-Merciful, who will never break His promise?

Zayd bin Thabit narrates:

We had our suhur meal with the Messenger of Allah (peaces and blessings be upon him) and then we stood up for salat (prayer). He was asked, “How much time has passed (between suhur and salat)?” He gave the following answer:

"Enough time to recite fifty verses!"
(Bukhari, Sawm: 19, Mawakit as-Salat: 27, Tahajjud: 8; Muslim, Siyam: 47; Tirmidhi, Sawm: 14; Nasa’i, Sawm: 21,22)

In that hadith, it is stated how much time later after having the suhur meal and calling of adhan for the morning prayer, the morning prayer can be performed.

That practice of the Prophet and his Companions is a practice that can be performed easily by everyone.

The Noble Companions also inform us how they behave between suhur and morning prayer, what they do when time for suhur becomes short and how they get prepared for salat.

Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:

"I was eating suhur meal with my family. Then I ate quickly in order to perform the morning prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)."
(Bukhari, Sawm: 19, Mawaqit: 27)

The Prophet advised his ummah (community) ease in every subject, he did not put pressure on them and he attracted their attention to overcome hunger although a little time was left for the preparation for fasting.

He allowed that if someone was late, he could finish his meal within a few minutes even when adhan was called as is seen in the following example:

Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) declared:
"If one of you has his plate (from which he is eating and drinking) in his hand at the time adhan is called, he should not drop it till his need is satisfied." (Abu Dawud, Sawm: 18)

The information in those narrations should be mainly related with the adhans Bilal used to call since he used to call the adhans for morning prayers before its time. For this reason, in the places where adhan is called just on the time of imsak (start of the fasting time), one should begin fasting as soon as adhan is called.

Ramadan: the Month of Prayer

Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) says:

“Each slave of Allah who fasts has a prayer to be answered at the time of breaking his/her fast (at the proper time). The answer to his/her prayer is given as a reward either in the world or in the Hereafter in an eternal fashion.” (Kanzu'l-Ummal, 3:328)

Ramadan is the month of prayer.Prayers said in holy nights, in the appointed Three Months, and especially in Ramadan are close to acceptance.

As for the time of eating after fasting, it is the time when man gets closer to Allah, and when s/he feels the joy of having fulfilled His command.

Then the believer is cleansed of his/her faults and blemishes and feels a strong attachment to Allah. Just at that time, if man prays to his/her Lord, s/he will not be left unanswered.

S/he will either get what s/he wishes in the world and thus receive the reward of the prayer in advance, or send a light to his/her hereafter and eternal life in a better way.

This is because Allah knows better what His slave needs, and accepts his/her prayers in the way that is good for him/her.

Ramadan: the Month of Allah's Remembrance (Dhikrullah)

Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says:

“Those who engage in remembering Allah on the days of Ramadan are cleansed of their sins, and those who wish from Allah are not left empty-handed.” (Kanzu'l-Ummal, 8:464)

Ramadan is a season when Allah is remembered often and prayers are said in abundance. Believers who fast throughout Ramadan pass their nights and days remembering Allah. They remember Allah both with their behaviors and actions and with their mouths and tongues; and they rest their hearts and souls.

They also open their hands and hearts to their Lord in order to ask both their needs in the world and their expectations about the hereafter. They know that this month is a peaceful month in which wishes are fulfilled, needs are cared for and expectations are answered.

At the same time, they try to carry out different types of remembrance at different times and places.

In the following hadith narrated by Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) mentions the different sorts of remembrance of Allah:

“Whoever fasts in Ramadan in silence and peace for one day, says: 'Allah is the greatest', recites: “La ilaha illallah” (there is no god but Allah), thanks Allah, knows what is permitted as permitted and what is forbidden as forbidden, Allah forgives all his/her past sins.” (Kanzu'l-Ummal, 8:482)

A believer who becomes like an angel in this month by fasting is cleansed of his/her sins which are spiritual dirts and also tries to deserve Allah's acceptance/pleasure, by reciting the words of greatness (Allah is the greatest), words of oneness (There is no god but Allah), words of thankfulness, prayers for the Prophet, words of exaltedness of Allah, and words of repentance.

The month of Muharram, which is well-known as "Allah's month of Muharram"  is a month in which divine blessing, grace, grant and generosity increase and become abundant.

In fact, something like Allah's month, day, year is not in question but it was expressed like this by the Prophet because it is an important opportunity to attain Allah's mercy.

The Day of Ashura is the 10th day of Muharram. The Day of Ashura has a different place in the eye of Allah. On that day, Allah Almighty granted ten different things to His ten different prophets and increased its blessing. It is very virtuous to perform fasting on these days.

The 10th day of Muharram, which is the first month of the Hijri year, is the Day of Ashura. The month of Muharram has a different place among other months; similarly, the Day of Ashura has a more blessed place among other days.

We learn from the interpretation of the second verse ("By the ten nights") of the chapter of al-Fajr that Day of Ashura has a distinguished place in the eye of Allah.

In some tafsir books, it is stated that those ten nights are the ten nights up to the tenth day (Ashura) of Muharram. (1)

Allah Almighty expresses the holiness and blessing of those nights by swearing on them.

The reason why this day is called "Ashura" is the fact that it is the tenth day of the month of Muharram. According to what is stated in hadith books, the reason why that name was given to that day is the fact that Allah Almighty granted ten different things to His ten different prophets. Those grants are stated as follows:

1. Allah granted a miracle upon Prophet Moses (pbuh) and by splitting the sea into two, He drowned Pharaoh and his army in the water on this day.

2. Prophet Noah cast the anchor of his ark on the mount of Judi on this day.

3. Prophet Jonah (pbuh) was saved from the stomach of the fish on this day.

4. Prophet Adam’s (pbuh) repentance was accepted on this day.

5. Prophet Joseph (pbuh) was taken out of the well into which he was thrown by his brothers on this day.

6. Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was born on this day and he was elevated to heaven also on this day.

7. Prophet David’s (pbuh) repentance was accepted on this day.

8. Prophet Ishmael (Samuel), the son of Prophet Abraham, was born on this day.

9. Prophet Jacob’s eyes started to see again on this day, after being blinded by the longing for his son Prophet Joseph.

10. Prophet Job recovered from his illness on this day. (2)

According to what Hz. Aisha says, the covering (kiswah) of the Kaaba used to be changed on the Day of Ashura in the past. 

This blessed day and night, which corresponds to the anniversary of such significant and holy incidents, have been celebrated by Muslims since the Era of Bliss. They allocated more time to worshipping on those days and did more charity work than other days. For, there are hadiths stating that Allah Almighty will accept the deeds of worshipping and repentance on those days. 

The first type of worshipping that comes to the mind about the Day of Ashura is fasting.

The month of Muharram and the Day of Ashura were regarded as holy by Christians and Jews, who are from the People of the Book, too. As a matter of fact, when the Prophet (pbuh) migrated to Madinah, he found out that the Jews living there were fasting. He asked them, "What is this fasting for?"

The Jews said, "Today is the day when Allah rescued Moses (Musa) from his enemies and when He drowned the Pharaoh. Hazrat Musa performed fasting today to thank Allah."

Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “We are closer to Musa and reviving his sunnah than you” and fasted that day; he also ordered his companions to fast. (3)

The Day of Ashura was regarded as holy not only among the People of the Book but among other nations beginning from the time of the Prophet Noah (Nuh). It had been regarded as a holy day and a day of fasting among the Arabs of Ignorance (Jahiliyya) before Islam since the time of the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim). 

Hz. Aisha, our mother, says the following regarding the issue:

“Ashura was a day on which Qurayshis performed fasting during the Era of Jahiliyya. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) acted accordingly. When he migrated to Madinah, he continued that fasting and ordered others to fast too. However, when the fast of Ramadan became compulsory, he stopped fasting on the day of Ashura. After that, the Muslims who wanted to fast on that day fasted; those who did not want did not fast." Bukhari, Sawm: 69.

At that time, fasting in Ramadan had not been rendered fard; the Prophet and the Companions performed fasting as wajib on that day. When fasting in Ramadan was rendered fard, the Prophet said they were free about fasting on the Day of Ashura:  "If you wish, you can perform fasting; if you wish, you can eat." (4) Thus, fasting on the Day of Ashura remained as sunnah. 

The following hadiths are stated about the virtue of fasting on the Day of Ashura:

Somebody came to the Prophet (pbuh) and asked:

"When do you recommend me to fast after Ramadan?"

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Perform fasting on the month of Muharram because it is the month of Allah. There is such a day in it that Allah accepted the repentance of a nation on that day; He may forgive another nation." (5)

In another hadith in Tirmidhi, the Prophet (pbuh) said the following:

"I certainly hope that the fasting performed on the day of Ashura will eliminate the sins committed in the previous year." (6)

The following hadith expresses the virtue of the fasting on the day of Ashura: “The most meritorious fasting after the fasting of Ramadan is the fasting performed in the month of Muharram, the month of Allah.” (7) 

Explaining that hadith, Imam Ghazali said, “The month of Muharram is the beginning of the Hijri year. It is nice to base the new year on a good foundation like fasting. It is hoped that the abundance will continue.” (8)

It is recommended that the fasting of Ashura should be performed on the ninth, tenth, and eleventh days of Muharram so as not to resemble the Jews and not to fast only on the day of Ashura.  

The hadith in this sense was reported by Ibn Abbas. Therefore, it is mustahab to perform fasting on the Day of Ashura along with one day before or after it.  

It will be appropriate to maintain nice customs like doing charity, good deeds and giving sadaqah along with fasting on that day. If everybody gives something (food, etc) to his family, relatives and neighbors by remembering the incidents showing the virtues of these days, he will definitely be rewarded many times. The Prophet advised us to entertain the family members on the Day of Ashura more than other days.

The following is stated in hadith: "Allah Almighty bestows abundance and wealth of boons upon the ones who entertain their family and relatives on the Day of Ashura.” (9)  This notion of family includes relatives, orphans, waifs and neighbors too. However, it is not necessary to spend too much and exceed the limit of home budget. Everybody should offer within the limits of their financial situation.

The density of the darkness of Karbala is also seen above the spiritual clearness of the Day of Ashura. Hz. Imam Husayn was martyred cruelly by a traitor called Sinan bin Anas in Karbala when he was 55 years old on the tenth of Muharram, in the Hijri year of 61. The Umayyad caliph Yazid and his governor of Kufa, Ibn Ziyad, were behind this traitorousness and cruelty. This heart-wrenching incident which was informed by the Prophet (pbuh) fifty years before it happened elevated Hz. Husayn to the honor of being the lord of the youngsters of Paradise.

The martyrs were rewarded and elevated to the most honorable ranks. We do not doubt that Allah the Most Glorious will punish the cruel and unjust people with what they deserve, in the fairest way. Every believer who submits to the judgment given by qadar grieves for it but pursues their imperturbability and decency. Their emotions do not lead them to fallacy and rampage. In fact, all events that occur are the decree of the predestination of Allah. In this sense, turning this into a ceremony of mourning contradicts the creed and belief of Ahl as-Sunnah.

Sources:

(1) - Hak Dini Kur an Dili, 8:5793.
(2) - Sahih Muslim Explanation, 6:140.
(3) - Ibn Majah, Siyam: 31.
(4) - Muslim, Siyam: 117.
(5) - Tirmidhi, Sawm: 40.
(6) - ibi., Sawm: 47.
(7) - Ibn Majah. Siyam: 43.
(8) - Ihya, 1:238.
(9) - at-Targhib wa't-Tarhib, 2:116.

Rajab means honor and respect. Pre-Islamic Arabs used to deem the month of Rajab important and they used to respect and extol it. When the month of Rajab arrived, they used to put their swords back in their sheaths and their deep and bloody enmities used to be covered under a temporary curtain of peace. Those noisy and terrifying deserts used to be covered by the peaceful atmosphere of a sweet spring and all places used to turn into fields of safety and security. Even when someone came across the killer of his father, he would not raise his head to look at him. The reason why this month was called the “deaf month” is that it is a season of peace.

Another reason why the month of Rajab is called the deaf month is explained as follows:

Allah chooses not to hear people’s sins committed within this month and their faults and He only witnesses believers’ worship and good deeds, for the sake of this month. Thus, Allah the Glorious forgives His believing servants’ sins which they commit in this month.

They continued to respect the month of Rajab when Islam emerged too. Especially, it was honored with manifestations such as Raghaib and Miraj.

The Honorable Messenger (pbuh) said in his supplications:

My Allah! Make Rajab and Sha’ban good and blessed for us; and let us reach Ramadan. (Jamiu’s-Saghir, 2/90).

Rajab is also called “the month of rajm (stoning to death)”. According to this, demons are stoned in this month; they are chased away. The letter “R” in the word Rajab alludes to Allah’s mercy (rahmah), “J” alludes to His generousness and help, and “B” alludes to His birr (goodness and offerings).

The reason why the month of Rajab is called “mutahhar (cleaned)”  is that the ones who spend this month by fasting are purified from their sins and faults. The month of Rajab has got an important place in the history of prophets. For instance, Prophet Noah and his people boarded on the ark and saved themselves from the flood in the month of Rajab. 

The month of Rajab is the seventh one of the Hijri months and it is two months before Ramadan. It is important because of its virtuousness. The fact that it includes holy nights such as Raghaib and Miraj increases its virtuousness. Moreover, the fact that it is one of the forbidden months mentioned in the Quran increases its position in Muslim hearts. 

The month of Rajab is the first month of the season which is known as “three holy months”. Badiuzzaman, who calls them “months of worship with lots of rewards”, points out that they are a means of elevation for people, enabling believers to advance in thawabs:

“For if the reward yielded by good works at other times are tenfold, in the month of Rajab they are more than a hundredfold, in Sha‘ban they exceed three hundredfold, and in Ramadan they reach a thousand fold, while on Fridays in Ramadan they reach thousands and on the Night of Power may reach thirty thousand.” (Şualar (The Rays), p.491)

According to this, worshipping, good deeds and services performed in the month of Rajab yield a hundredfold rewards per one of them. For this reason, believers make more efforts to increase their shares in this month. They focus on good deeds more.

Some wise scholars have said the following about the month of Rajab:

- Rajab is for forsaking the hardships and unjust treatment; Sha’ban is for good deeds and loyalty; and Ramadan is for faithfulness and ease.

- Rajab is the month of repentance and regret; Sha’ban is the month of affection and Ramadan is the month of closeness to Allah.

- Rajab is the month of respect, Sha’ban is the month of service and Ramadan is the month of boons.

- Rajab is the month of worshipping, Sha’ban is the month of quitting worldly delights and Ramadan is the month which increases the rewards of worships. 

The supreme Sufi, Zunnun Misri, says:

Rajab is the month of planting. Sha’ban is the month of watering and Ramadan is the month of harvesting. Everyone harvests what they plant. If one quits planting, he regrets it when the time for harvest arrives. And he will be in a very bad situation on the Day of Judgment. (Abdulqadir Gaylani, Üç aylar ve Faziletleri (The Blessed Three Months and Their Virtue)s)

Another difference between the month of Rajab and other months is fasting. One should try to fast more in this month as much as possible. In Abu Dawud, it is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said to a man who fasted without a break in this month: 

"Fast some of the forbidden months and do not fast some of them. Fast and give a break in forbidden months, Fast and give a break in forbidden months." (Abu Dawud, Sawm, 54)

Then the Companion, who is the narrator of this hadith, continues as follows: 

“The Messenger of Allah folded three fingers of his while saying ‘fast’ and unfolded them when he said ‘give a break’.” Thus, it is understood that the Prophet told him “to fast for three days and then give a break of three days.” 

As it is known, the forbidden months are “Dhul-qada, Dhul-hijjah, Muharram and Rajab”. The reason why it was found inappropriate to fast the whole of Rajab is to avoid making the months of Rajab and Sha’ban resemble the month of Ramadan. This is because fasting a whole month without any breaks is exclusive to the month of Ramadan only. Some Mujtahids such as Imam Ghazali and Ibni Qayyim al-Jawzi say that fasting the whole of the month of Rajab is not even mandub. They find fasting the whole Rajab without break makruh, so that it would not resemble the month of Ramadan. (Ihya, 1/237; Zadu’l-maad, 2764).

It is advised to fast in the middle of the month of Rajab or on specific days or by giving breaks of three days, like in other months.

As it is seen, there is not a hadith or narration about fasting the whole Rajab. Fasting the blessed three months without any breaks is neither sunnah nor mustahab. It is only a nice tradition of righteous people. Those who want to fast the whole of Rajab cannot be discouraged, yet it is necessary to state its jurisprudential judgment.

By the way, the months of Rajab and Sha’ban are a good opportunity for those who broke the fast of a day in Ramadan to compensate for it. If they fast the two months without any breaks beginning from the first day of Rajab to the last day of Sha’ban, it will compensate for the fasting of one Ramadan day. As the month of Ramadan follows these two months, they happen to fast three months without missing a single day. In this situation, they both compensate for their broken fasting and fill their treasure of thawabs.

Since the month of Rajab is a month in which the sins are forgiven, it is essential to know the way of being forgiven and how to repent. According to narration, one’s sins are forgiven when he recites the following repentance supplication seven times in the month of Ramadan:

“Astaghfirullaha'l-Azima'lladhi la ilaha illa hu al-Hay-yu'1-Qayyumu wa atubu ilayh. Tawbata abdin zalimin li-nafsihi la-yamliku li-nafsihi mawtan wala hayatan wala nushura.”

Translation: “I wish for Allah’s forgiveness, who is the owner of life, who controls everything and makes all things work, there is no god but He. I repent to Him like the repentance of a servant who wronged his own self, such a servant that cannot control his own death, life or resurrection.” (Majmuatu’l ahzab, 1/599)

The blessed three months are each a season of supplication. We learn the most beautiful supplications primarily from the Companions and other Islamic scholars. It is narrated that Hazrat Ali supplicated in the month of Rajab as follows:

“O Allah, bless Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his family, who are the stars of wisdom and source of continuous boons and honor.”

“O Allah, protect me from all kinds of evil. Do not make me forgetful and do not let me be heedless. And do not let me end in longing and regrets. Be pleased and content with me. Your forgiveness is for wrongdoers, and I wronged my own self.”

“O Allah, forgive me; You will lose nothing by forgiving me. Bless your boons upon me; your blessings are not decreased when you bless them upon me. Your mercy is so wide and abundant. And your wisdom is nice and beautiful.”

“O Allah, make me healthy and well. Bless safety and peace upon me. Let me reach thankfulness and taqwa.”

“O Allah, I ask for patience and righteousness from You. Ease my works. Do not make me encounter hardships in my works. Bless my family, children and siblings. Make them believers and Muslims and let them depart the world in that way.”  

And some scholars from Salaf supplicated in the month of Rajab as follows:

“O Allah, I am supplicating to You with my sorrowful heart, with the supplication of Your beloved ones whose wishes You accepted. I am asking from You with the words of those who seek for Your content. I wish from Your Greatness to let me know You and worship You.”

“O Lord, let me benefit from the mercy and abundance of this night.”

“O Allah, You give whatever You wish to whomever You wish. Who can prevent You from giving boons to them? I am a poor and weak servant of Yours. I hope to receive boons from Your virtuousness and Your generousness. I seek refuge with You only and expect help from You only.”

“O Supreme Lord, You send Your mercy and abundance upon your servants at this night. O Allah, do not leave tongues supplicating to You and hands raised above for You unanswered. Let us benefit from Your goodness and help. Adorn us all with your blessings.”

“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his children, wives and friends with your never-ending mercy and abundance. O the Lord of the Realms!”

The sadness of separation that starts after the first half of Ramadan increases after the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr) and it reaches the top with the last tarawih and fasting. The month of mercy and forgiveness is about to end, and the nights in which one thousand rewards are given for one good deed prepare to say farewell. Many believers who are sensitive towards spirituality shed tears and they even spend the eid with a heavy heart.

The fasting performed in the month of Shawwal soothes our sorrowful hearts to some extent. It looks as if we live the extension of Ramadan. The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah just before the eid al-adha is a kind of consolation prize for our sorrowful hearts that have been separated from the abundantly rewarding and virtuous worships of Ramadan. Those ten nights are a magnificent opportunity for our enthusiastic hearts that cry as “I wish Ramadan were a bit longer.” Or “I wish I had benefited from Ramadan properly.”

We do not know exactly what a magnificent treasure is the ten nights mentioned at the beginning of the Chapter al-Fajr in the Quran as: “By the ten nights …”. Although it is stated in some sources that those ten nights are the last ten days of Ramadan or the first ten days of Muharram, the generally accepted view is that those holy ten days are the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. That is, the first nine days before the eid al-adha and the first day of the eid al-adha, totally ten days.

Dhul Hijjah is the month of general amnesty and forgiveness

Dhul Hijjah, which is the twelfth moth of the Islamic lunar calendar, is the month of general amnesty and forgiveness, in which the worship of hajj is fulfilled. The period of time of that holy month that we mentioned above is called layal ashara, that is, the ten holy nights. The tenth day is the first day of the eid al-adha.

The magnificent glad tidings of our beloved Prophet (pbuh) expressing the value of those days:

“There are no better days to worship Allah than the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. One day of fasting performed on those days is equal to the fasting of one year; the prayers performed on each night are equal to the Night of Power.” (Tirmidhi: Sawm, 52; Ibn Majah: Siyam, 39)

That is, one day of fasting performed on those days can be equal to the fasting of 360 days. The mercy and blessing of Allah increase so much that He gives the reward of one year for the fasting of one day. Is it possible to remain indifferent to such nice and delightful good news? The fact that those nights are resembled to the Night of Power is a different beauty because the Night of Power is better than one thousand nights and it is equal to the worship of 83 years.

Say subhanallah (glory be to Allah), alhamduliilah (praise be to Allah), la ilaha illallah (there is no god but Allah) and Allahuakbar (Allah is the greatest) a lot on those days.

Another encouraging sentence of our Prophet (pbuh):

“There are no deeds more valuable than those performed on the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah at the sight of Allah. Say tasbih, tahmid, tahlil and takbir a lot on those days!” (Abd b. Humayd, Musnad, 1/257)

Tasbih means, subhanallah; tahmid means alhamdulillah; tahlil means la ilaha illallah; takbir means Allahuakbar. If we think that tasbih, tahmid, tahlil and takbir are the seeds of prayers, we can understand how virtuous it is to increase nafilah prayers on those days.

There is another narration supporting the hadith above: “There is no other day in which deeds are more virtuous and loftier and lovelier at the sight of Allah than the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah …” (Tirmidhi, Sawm: 52; Darimi, Sawm: 52)

The following narration of Ibn Abbas indicates that worshipping on those days are more virtuous than even jihad:

The Messenger of Allah stated the following:

“There are no other days in which good deeds are more lovable at the sight of Allah than the days we are in now (the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah).”

The Companions asked:

“O Messenger of Allah , even more lovable than jihad for Allah?”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) replied:

“Yes, more lovable than jihad for Allah except someone who sets off for jihad himself with his goods and spends his goods and dies for Allah.” (Ibn Majah, Siyam: 39.Ibn Hajar, 5:119)

Accordingly, the deed of a person who sets off for jihad, spends all of his goods and is martyred is more virtuous than the deeds performed in those ten days.

The place of Arafa (the day before the eid) is different

Performing fasting, worshipping during the day and night of those days will bring up forgiveness and a lot of rewards.

The place of Arafa among those ten days is really different. Our Prophet (pbuh) stated the following about fasting on the day of Arafa:

“The fasting performed on the day of Arafa is atonement for the sins of a year in the past and next year.” (at-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib Trns, 2. 457)

Abdurrahman, the son of Abu Bakr, went to the presence of Hazrat Aisha. She was fasting. Somebody was sprinkling water on her because of the heat. Abdurrahman said to her, “Break your fast.”

Hazrat Aisha said, “Shall I break my fast though I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say, ‘fasting on the day of Arafa eliminates the sins of the year before it’?” (at-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib Trns, 2:458)

“Is atonement for” means it covers the sins, causes them to be forgiven. Can there be a better glad tiding than that one for us, the Muslims of the end of time who float almost in a sea of sins? It is an opportunity of being pardoned and forgiven!

In another narration, Hazrat Aisha says the following:

“Fasting on the day of Arafa is like fasting one thousand days.” (at-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib Trns, 2. 460)

That is, the reward of one day of fasting on the day of Arafa is equal to the reward of fasting for three years. 

Our Prophet describes the virtue of Arafa as follows:

“When the day of Arafa comes, Allah, the Exalted, distributes his mercy. On no other day are so many people freed from Hell. Allah meets the request of a person who wants something from Him regarding the world and the hereafter.”

Another hadith regarding the issue is as follows:

“There is no other day more virtuous than the day of Arafa. Allah, the Exalted, praises the people on the earth to the angels and says the following about the pilgrims (hajjis):

‘Look at my slaves. They have come to me their hair entangled and in a daggy state, and in dust from distant places. They expect my mercy and fear my torture. Be witnesses that I have pardoned them. I have allocated Paradise for them.’

The angels say:

‘There is someone among them who pretends to be like them. That woman is like that too.’

Allah, the Exalted, says:

‘I have pardoned them too.’

On no other day are so many people freed from Hell.”

We would like to remind something here. What is meant by the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah in the hadiths are the first nine days in terms of fasting because the tenth day of Dhul Hijjah is the first day of the eid al-adha and it is not permissible to perform fasting on that day; however, that day is a day of worshipping too. The night before the eid is included among the ten nights because nights are regarded to come before days.

The eight day of Dhul Hijjah is called “the day of tarwiya” and the ninth day is called “the day of Arafa”; the tenth day is called “the day of nahr: sacrifice” and the three days following it are called “the days of tashriq”.

Those who do not have any missed prayers should perform nafilah (supererogatory) prayers in addition to five daily prayers. Those who have missed prayers should perform their missed prayers. 

How should we benefit from those ten days?

First of all, we should never ignore five daily prayers, which are the indispensable worship in every time and place because no nafilah prayer can be equal to fard. We should try to perform prayers in congregation and perform them more carefully and in awe. If it is possible, we should fast and spend our time by reading the Quran, asking for forgiveness, reciting salawat, dhikr and supplications. Those who do not normally perform prayers like ishraq, awwabin and tahajjud should perform them on those days and try hard to attain forgiveness from Allah.

Aiming to attain the forgiveness and consent of Allah, we should spend those ten days as if they are the last ten days of Ramadan. Those who cannot do it should at least spend the day of Arafa and tarwiya by fasting and worshipping. Among the ten nights, it is especially important to worship on the nights of tarwiya, arafa and eid.

It is virtuous to read the Chapter of al-Ikhlas a thousand times on the day of Arafa because Arafa is the day when the oneness, magnificence and greatness of Allah are felt and declared. Therefore, it is wajib (obligatory) to recite takbirs of tashriq after each fard prayer beginning from the morning prayer on the day of Arafa to the afternoon prayer of the fourth day of the eid al-adha. It is also virtuous to recite those takbirs during those ten days when it is possible.

Millions of believers are in the holy places for hajj now; some are circumambulating the Kaaba, some are praying and wailing, some are shedding tears in Rawda al-Mutahhara (the Pure Garden), where the tomb of the Prophet is located in Madinah, some are performing sa’y by dhikr and supplications, some are performing prayers in front of Maqam Ibrahim , and some are begging for forgiveness at Multazam (the area between the door of the Kaaba and Hajar al-Aswad). All want forgiveness, pardon, consent success and guidance from Allah for themselves and for believers. All of them are in Arafat on the day of Arafa, reciting loudly “Labbayk, Allahumma Labbayk” and taking refuge in the mercy of Allah through the prayers and supplications they perform.

We can attain a spiritual state by imagining that we are performing hajj and regarding ourselves together with hajjis and following them imaginarily. We should pray hoping that our supplications and prayers are included among the worship of the hajjis. 

We should not forget that it is necessary to make the best use of those days in terms of quantity and quality in order to attain the glad tidings stated in the hadiths. Thus, we can assume a completely different mood, experience the delight of the worship and insha’allah reach the eid al-adha by having been forgiven.

-“There are no deeds more valuable than those performed on the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah at the sight of Allah. Say tasbih, tahmid, tahlil and takbir a lot on those days!” (Abd b. Humayd, Musnad, 1/257)

- Dhul Hijjah, which is the twelfth moth of the Islamic lunar calendar, is the month of general amnesty and forgiveness, in which the worship of hajj is fulfilled. The period of time of that holy month that we mentioned above is called layal ashara, that is, the ten holy month. The tenth day is the first day of the eid al-adha.

- We should never ignore the five daily prayers, which are the indispensable worship in every time and place because no nafilah prayer can be equal to fards. We should try to perform prayers in congregation and perform them more carefully and in awe. If it is possible, we should fast and spend our time by reading the Quran, asking for forgiveness, reciting salawat, dhikr and supplications. Those who do not normally perform prayers like ishraq, awwabin and tahajjud should perform them on those days and try hard to attain forgiveness from Allah.

Key points of Benefiting from the Ten Days

- Although many people know about the importance and value of those days, they cannot make a good plan of benefiting from those ten days due to the daily routine. They either forget about it and spend time carrying out worldly chores or benefit from it very little. Pay attention to these simple but effective suggestions:

- Put the 9 days before the eid al-adha and the first day of the eid, that is, the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah on your agenda every year or make a note about it and put it somewhere that you see every day.  

Avoid any guests, travels or tiring work that will keep you busy during those ten days. Postpone those kinds of programs or do them before those ten days.

- Refrain from watching football matches, dramas, news, etc without making any discrimination that are not very important and that do not interest you every day; be very careful about them especially during those ten days.

- Take care of your health on those days so that you will not miss worshipping and dhikr. Do not arrange any operations or treatments on those days.

-If you are a housewife, retired or old, that is, someone who does not have to work regular hours, benefit from those ten days as much as you can as if you are in itikaf.

- If you have to work regular hours like a student, official, worker, etc, try to perform fasting and worshipping on your free days as much as possible.

- Try to benefit from the free time that occurs during your work at your workplace or school. We mean free time like breaks, waiting in line, etc. You can recite the Quran, salawat, prayers, dhikr, etc during then.

- Always have a small Quran or books of prayers with you. It will be useful for you even if you read a few pages when you are free.

- Even if you do not know how to read the Quran, you will get rewards if you read the chapters that you know by heart many times.

- Try to do with less sleep during those ten nights and have the things like tea, coffee that will keep you awake more.

- If you cannot fast the whole nine days, perform fasting any day you can even if it is Friday. Although it is makrooh to fast only on Friday, makrooh means the reward you will get will decrease; otherwise, you will not get any reward if you do not fast.

- Try to do the eid shopping and buying a sacrifice before those ten days in order to save time.

Reference: Moral Dünyası Magazine

Innocent and blessed habitants of Divine realms encompass believers group by group; they bring good news from the world of mercy, greetings from the Sustainer of the universe and hopes of forgivenes.

Selman the Persian (May Allah be pleased with him), One of the companions of the prophet, narrates:

The Noble Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) uttered in the sermon He commanded in the last day of the month of Shaban:

"O mankind! An important and blessed month has approached; its shadow has stood over your heads.

It is such a month that, The Night of Power, which is better than a thousand months, exists in it.

Allah commanded fasting during its days and legitimated voluntary prayers during its nights.

A man who does a small favor in this month acquires the rewards of fulfilling an obligation (fardh) in the other months.

Performing an obligation (fardh) in this month is regarded as seventy fold rewards of performing the same obligation in the other months.

This is the month of enduring and bearing the hardships of hunger, thirst, praying and worshipping for the sake of Allah. The reward of the patience is Paradise.

This is the month of solidarity; this month increases the rizq (sustenance) of believers.

In this month, whoever hosts a fast-breaking meal for a fasting believer, this act will result in being forgiven from all his sins and being set free from Hell. He will also acquire rewards as much as that fasting person acquires from his fast without any decrease in the fasting person’s rewards.

Some of the noble companions of the prophet said:”O Allah’s Messenger! Some of us are not rich enough to host a fast-breaking meal.”

Then, the Noble Messenger (PBUH) uttered: “Allah gives those rewards to anyone who offers a fasting believer even a date, a drink of water or a sip of milk.” He went on His sermon as follows:

The first period of this month is mercy, its middle is forgiveness and the last period is being set free from Hell.

In this month, Allah forgives and protects from Hell the one who eases his servant’s and employee’s duties.

For those bounties, I will inform you about four qualities; in this month, you will please your Lord by means of two of them and you shall never give up doing the other two.

One of the characteristics that causes to please your Lord is to continue reciting kalmia shahada, and the other is to ask forgiveness from Allah.

One of the characteristics that you shall never give up is to ask Allah to send you to Paradise; the other is to take refuge in Allah from Hell.

Whoever gives a drink of water to a fasting person, Allah will let him drink such a water from my pool on the Day of Judgment Day that he will never get thirsty until he enters Paradise." (At-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib, 2:94-95)

We start to have a season full of light and prosperity with the first day of Ramadan. The universe cheers up; the earth is filled with a luminous air coming from Paradise.

Innocent and blessed habitants of Divine realms encompass believers group by group; they bring good news from the world of mercy, greetings from the Sustainer of the universe and hopes of forgiveness.

Jinn, angels, even trees, flowers, insects, wolfs, birds, earth and seas celebrate with men, the month of Ramadan, which is the anniversary of the revelation of the Holy book. A festival atmosphere is felt both in visible and in invisible worlds.

This month has an exceptional place before Allah Almighty. Our Lord reserves for this month the most extensive manifestations of his limitless mercy for his servants whom He chose to address, to this month.

Besides, since all of the Holy books, particularly the Quran was revealed in this month, the value and the holiness of these days increase.

Believers regard these days which are Divine bounties as good chances and so they try to benefit from them. They show the level of their obedience to their Sustainer. They try to pray and worship as much as they can do with an absolute sincerity and consciousness by endeavoring to be addressed by Him.

Certainly, these efforts will not be unreturned. The ones who fast and spent this month in the consciousness of obedience will acquire many bounties in addition to living a peaceful period and reaching tranquility.

Muadh ibn-i Zuhra, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:

I have heard that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) would recite this prayer when he ate iftar (the meal eaten by Muslims breaking their fast after sunset during the month of Ramadan):

"Allahumma laka sumtu wa ala rizqika aftartu."
(O my Allah! I have fasted for your acceptance and I am breaking my fast with Your provision.)
(Abu Dawud, Sawm: 22)

Marvan ibn-i Salim narrates from ibn-i Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH), would say this when he broke his fast:

"The thirst gone, the arteries dampened; the reward has become definite, Allah willing."

The narrator of the hadith Razin added the word “Alhamdulillah” (Praise be to Allah!) to the beginning of the prayer. (Abu Dawud, Sawm: 22)

Abdullah ibn-i Umar, peace be upon them both, would also pray as follows at the time of iftar:

"O my Allah, forgive me for the sake of your rahmat (mercy) which encompasses the whole universe and forgive me my sins."

Jabir bin Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has told as follows:

"My Ummah (community) was granted in Ramadan five things that were not given to the previous prophets’ Ummah.”

The first: When the first night of the month Ramadan comes, Almighty Allah gazes at them with His mercy. When Allah gazes someone with His mercy, He does not punish him, ever.

The second: The smell from the mouth of a fasting person is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk.

The third: Each day and night, the angels beg forgiveness from Allah for the people who fast.

The forth: That day, Allah orders His Heaven and declares: ‘O Heaven, get ready and be adorned for my servants, they are about to take rest from the toil of the world to My Abode and My Generosity.’

The fifth: When the last day of Ramadan comes, Allah forgives all His servants that have fasted.

One of the Companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah. Is it the night the Night of Power?”

The Prophet (peaces and blessings be upon him) said “No, do you not see that if laborers work, when they finish their tasks, they are given their wages” (at-Targhb ve at-Tarhib, 2:92)

Zayd ibn-i Khalid al-Juhani narrates:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"Whoever offers meal to his/her Muslim brother/sister at the time of iftar (the meal eaten by Muslims breaking their fast after sunset during the month of Ramadan), he receives as much reward as s/he has earned. Nothing becomes less of the reward of those he offered meal to." (Tirmidhî, Sawm: 82; Ibn-i Majah, Siyam: 40)

With the start of Ramadan, feasts and invitations of iftar increase. We invite our friends and relatives for iftar; we also attend their invitations and eat iftar together. This beautiful tradition enables people to get closer and revitalizes the feelings of helping one another and of generosity, as well.

However, when invitation is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is the elaborateness and excellence of the meal. We sometimes get beguiled by this wrong idea and exceed our budget when we invite friends and incur debts above our finance.

That is possible for those with good financial state; however, for those with straitened circumstances, it is not appropriate. It is because such a preparation will not continue, and it will prevent visits to friends and relatives, which is fard (obligatory).

While the hadith encourages offering meal to the fasting person, as we learn from another hadith, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) states that it is possible to offer iftar even with a sip of water, a sup of milk or with a single date.

Thus, one can offer iftar without extravagance and excessive cost. One can make preparation and offer in accordance with one’s circumstances. In the hadith, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) informs us of its lowest limit and points out that the same reward may be obtained also by offering a small amount.

For this reason, if we do not neglect visiting friends and relatives and offering iftar in Ramadan on the pretext “I do not have enough money to prepare iftar meal.” and thus acquire its spiritual reward, we will not only gain many things, but also carry out a beautiful sunnah (an act which the Prophet performed; not required but carries much reward).

It is also a sunnah to attend the invitation of iftar of our brother/sister and to pray for him/her after eating and drinking.

As Abdullah ibn-i Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates, the Prophet (PBUH) ate iftar at the house of Sa’d ibn-i Muadh, may Allah be pleased with him, and prayed for them as follows:

"Aftara indekumu’s-saimuna wa akala taamakumu’l-abraru ve sallat alaykumu’l-malaika. (Let the fasting ones eat iftar with you. Let the good eat of your meal. And let the angels pray for you for forgiveness.)" (Musnad, 3:138)

The Prayer of the Angels for those who offer iftar in Ramadan

In one of the narrations of Abu’sh-Shayh, Ibn-i Hıbban, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

"Whoever offers iftar to a fasting person out of one’s halal (lawful) income in the month of Ramadan, on all the nights of Ramadan, the angels pray for him and at Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) the Archangel Gabriel, peace be upon him, performs ‘musafaha’ (shaking hands) with him. With whomever Gabriel performs musafaha, his heart becomes tender and tears in his eyes increase."

The narrator says:

When I said “O Messenger of Allah! If one does not have anything to offer iftar to the fasting person, what should he do? Tell me.”

He said: “A handful of food is also enough.”

When I said “What if one does not find even a morsel of bread?”, he said:

“Then one should offer milk mixed with a little water.”

When I said “What if one does not have it, either?”, he said:

“A sip of water.” (at-Targhb wa’t-Tarhib, 2:431)

About the topic that the angels pray for the fasting people in Ramadan, Caliph Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates this hadith:

When the month of Ramadan starts, Allah commands the angels who carry the Arsh (the highest heaven):

"Now, abandon your tasbih (proclamation of Allah’s greatness and exaltedness), pray for forgiveness for the Community of Muhammad!"
(Ramuzu’l-Ahadth, Hadith number: 584)

Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:

One day, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was on the minbar (a raised pulpit in the mosque where the Imam stands to deliver sermons). At some time, he said “Amin” (Amen) three times.

After he climbed down the minbar, the Companions asked:

“At that time, what were you engaged in, O Messenger of Allah?”

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) explained:

“At that time, Gabriel came and said:

- If a servant (of Allah) reaches Ramadan and passes it without being forgiven, let his nose sweep the ground (let him suffer for that).

I said “Amin.”

He then said:

- If your name is mentioned in the presence of a servant (of Allah), and s/he does not say salawat (saying 'peace and blessings be upon him'), let his nose sweep the ground.

And I said 'Amin'.

He then said:

- If the parents or one of the parents of a servant stays with him/her and s/he does not earn their pleasure and thus cannot enter Paradise, let his nose sweep the ground, too.

I said 'Amin'.” (Bayhaqi, 4:304; at-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib, 2:426.)

Ramadan is a chain of opportunities before us with its fasting, daily prayers, alms-giving, dhikr (remembering Allah), Qur'an and with all its potential good deeds. It is a market of the Hereafter opened for spiritual shopping. It is a body of means which make the Believer closer to his/her Lord. It is a set of hundreds of opportunities chained one after another carrying the servant to Paradise.

It is a way, for all who suffer as servants and humans at the hands of the devil and the self and drift into swirls of sins and rebellion in different ways, to cleanse and purify themselves.

Reason and will require benefiting from those blessings. They call for benefiting from the opportunity to the best. Otherwise, one cannot turn one's back on them blindly. This is because one cannot always stay the same. One cannot find the same atmosphere and circumstances. Sometimes one cannot find the time, sometimes his health does not allow, and at times his psychology does not give the opportunity.

In this respect, one should make good use of the fruitfulness of Ramadan. If passed with carelessness and negligence, it leads to loss in the world and to deprivation of mercy and forgiveness in the Hereafter; it is as if one digs one's own grave and tumbles down in it.

Thus, one not only loses Allah's mercy, but also deprives oneself of the closeness to and shafaat (intercession) of the Prophet, and stays far from angel's prayers.

Therefore, we need to try our best and make ourselves loved by Allah, His Messenger and the angels.

Abdullah Ibn Umar reports:

We were on the way with Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). We were young and had no means for getting married. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"O youngsters! Let those who have means for getting married do get married. Marriage keeps the eyes away from sins, and keeps the chastity. And let those who have no means for getting married observe fasting. Fasting breaks and diminishes sexual desires." (Nasa’i, Siyam: 43)

An important advantage of the fasting is that it teaches us to restrain the wishes and desires of our nafs. Especially when young and strong, man thinks that he has a body made of steel and he depends on that body as if he will stay in the world forever. He tries to taste every pleasure. He may forget his Creator who feeds and nurtures him with compassion. He may forget his death and the eternal afterlife.

Thus, he cannot manage his senses and starts immoral attitudes. He does not listen to his mind and logic; he cannot protect his chastity and honor.

Fasting makes man realize how fragile and weak he is and teaches him a lesson. Thus, the nafs stops its conceitedness and tries to live in the way he is meant to be. It keeps its chastity and morality and takes control of itself.

“Nafs wants to be free and independent and considers itself to be so. It wants to do whatever it wants without responsibility. It does not want to think that it is trained through innumerable bounties. Especially if it possesses wealth and power in this world, and if heedlessness also encourages it, it will devour the divine like an animal.”

Thus, only by fasting can we prevent our nafs from acting as it wishes because fasting restrains its movements and reminds it that it is not uncontrolled.

By stating “Fasting is prescribed to you so that you may learn self restarint”, the Quran informs us that we can improve ourselves and control our nafs better by fasting.

As Elmali said, “Fasting breaks up the sexual desires, defeats the nafs, keeps it away from naughtiness and bad actions, looks down on the worldly ranks and fights of superiority, makes the heart closer to Allah. Fasting grants the nafs an angel-like enjoyment.”

Man observes some kind of a spiritual diet by fasting, and gets used to obeying Allah’s orders. His spiritual life is saved from being poisoned because other senses can take a deep breath and concentrate well on their duties. While the stomach cries because of a temporary hunger, other esteemed senses simply get delighted.

The good senses existing in the nature of the man defeat the bad ones. And the nafs realizes that it is not the owner of the property but a weak servant. A fasting person sees that he cannot even touch the simplest food without the permission of the Creator. Thus, he remembers his duties towards Him and heads towards his actual duty, thanking.

Yes, “The fasting in Ramadan makes the most careless and stubborn one remember his weakness. He thinks about his stomach through hunger. He realizes how needy his weak body is for kindness and compassion.”

From this point of view, in a time like this in which hundreds of sins walk towards man, fasting is a good solution and a strong shelter for youngsters. It is a very easy way to control one’s desires. And when fasting is the one in Ramadan it becomes more and more important and valuable.

Narrated by Abdullah Ibn-i Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them):

"Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most generous one of the humans in doing favors and helping others. In Ramadan, too, when he met Gabriel (peace be upon him), he would behave much more generously.

Every night in Ramadan, Gabriel met the Prophet, and he would listen to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) recite the Qur'an until the end of the month.

On the days he met Gabriel, the Prophet would be more generous than the blowing wind in charity." (Bayhaqi, 4:305)

Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an. It is the season when the Qur'an was revealed. Ramadan takes its sanctity from the Qur'an. The verse “The month of Ramadān, in which the Qur'ān was sent down…” the Qur’an, Al-Baqarah (the Cow); 185 (2:185) explains this truth.

Ramadan is the anniversary of the beginning of the revelation of Allah's words. In comparison to other times, especially in this month, one occupies oneself more with Qur'an. It is read, listened to, and its meaning is thought upon. The universe and the phenomena are viewed through the window it opens.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was always familiar with the Qur'an, would occupy himself with the Qur'an more in this month. As long as he lived, the Prophet was visited by the angel of revelation, Gabriel, when Ramadan started; they would recite and understand the Qur'an together.

If we, too, occupy ourselves with the Qur'an thinking about this holy situation, our spiritual share will increase accordingly.

To live this instant as if reading the Qur’an together with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is to think as if the Qur'an had just been revealed and we were reading it for the first time.

It increases this share to be in such an awe as if the Prophet was reciting and we were listening to it, as if listening to Gabriel, and even as if hearing it from Allah.

Every Ramadan, in mosques and houses, muqabala (people reciting the Qur'an to each other) is performed. In this way, the style of the reciting of the Prophet and Gabriel is imitated, so a sacred ambiance is experienced.

The merits of religious acts and good deeds performed in Ramadan are a thousand to one. While at other times for each Qur'anic word that is read one merit is given, in this month merits reach up to thousands, even tens of thousands. At the night of Qadr (the night of Power), they exceed thirty thousand.

Abu Mas’ud al-Gifari (may Allah be pleased with him) tells:

One day I heard from the Noble Prophet (peaces and blessings be upon him).

After congratulating Ramadan, he stated:

"If my Ummah (community) knew the value, the honor and the importance of the month Ramadan properly, they would desire the entire of the year to be Ramadan." (at- Targhib ve at- Tarhib, 2: 102)

Abu Hurayra (May Allah be pleased with him) reported the following from the Noble Messenger (Peace and Blessings be upon him):

"When the first night of the month of Ramadan comes, devils and rebellious jinn are fastened by chains. The gates of Hell are closed; none of its doors is kept open. As for the gates of Paradise, they are opened widely and none of them is kept closed.

A call which every Muslim feels in their hearts spreads:

O the ones who are eager to do favors, do good deeds!

O the ones who desire evil, control yourselves!

There will be many people whom God saves from Hell tonight. This situation is repeated at every night of the month of Ramadan." (Bukhari, Sawm: 5; Bad’u’l-Halk: 11; Muslim, Siyam: 2; Nasai, Siyam: 5)

When the month of Ramadan comes, we, virtually, see that the devils are enchained. People turn towards worshipping more than ever. They fast, recite the Quran and mosques are filled with believers.

Everyone starts to feel the excitement of Ramadan. Numerous people who could not constrain themselves from sins repent and turn towards their Sustainer. They take refuge in His mercy. Hotbed of sins and similar places lose their customers and some of them go bankrupt.

All of them show that the activities of devils have decreased. They cannot seduce people as much as before; they cannot shoot arrows of doubt into the believers’ hearts.

It means that they are enchained immaterially. Therefore, when people turn towards the mercy of Allah in this way, there is no need for the gates of Hell to be opened.

Now, the gates of forgiveness and mercy are open. Because of the increase of activities, deeds, prayers concerning Paradise, lights are started to be sent from this transitory world to the real world and that is why the gates of Paradise are opened widely without being closed.

The Month of Ramadan is Purifying

According to the narrative reported by Ebu Said al-Khudrî (May Allah be pleased with him), the Noble Messenger (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said:

"Verily, the month of Ramadan is the month of my community. Some of them get sick and others visit them.

If a Muslim fasts without lying and slandering, breaks his fast through licit foods, fulfils the religious duties and goes to mosque at night for Isha and before sunrise for Fajr ,early morning, prayers, he recovers himself from his sins as a snake sloughs its skin." (At-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib, 2:442)

According to another narrative reported by Abu Said al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him), the Noble Messenger (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said:

"If a person fasts in the month of Ramadan, justifies his fasting by carrying out the commands of Allah and by avoiding what He prohibited and if he abstains from what should be abstained, he will be purified from his previous sins." (Bayhaqi, 4:304)

The door of Paradise belonging to those who observe fasting

Sahl Ibn Sa’d reports from Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh):

"There is a door in Paradise called Rayyan. Only those who observe fasting can enter that door on doomsday, nobody else can enter with them.

Then, a voice is heard ‘Where are the ones who observed fasting in the world?’ They come and enter paradise from that door. When the last one of them enters, the door is closed; nobody else is permitted after that. Whoever enters Paradise from that door never gets thirsty again eternally"
(Bukhari, Sawm: 4, Bad ul Halk: 9; Muslim, Siyam: 166; Tirmidhi, Sawm: 55)

In another hadith (word of Prophet Muhammad) it is stated that every believer will be called to enter Paradise from different doors in accordance with their good deeds and worships:

According to what Abu Hurayra reported, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

"Whoever gives alms from his property as doubles (two cattle, two sheep, two coins) to gain Allah’s approval, he is called by the doors of Paradise ‘O (dear) servant of Allah (come here)! There is a big benefit and abundance at this door.’

A person who performs salah (prayers) a lot is called from the salah door (of Paradise).

Mujahids (people doing jihad- striving in the way of Allah) are called from the jihad door.

People observing fasting called from the ‘Rayyan’ door.

And almsgivers are invited from the alms door."

Abu Bakr asked:

"Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you O Messenger of Allah! Is it hard for a believer to be invited from all of those doors, can someone be invited from all of those doors?"

Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) replied, “Yes, someone can be invited from all of the doors. O Abu Bakr, I hope you be one of those happy ones too”. (Summary of Sahih al-Bukhari Tajrid al Sarih Translation, Hadith no: 895.)

Ibn Abbas reports from Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh):

"Surely Paradise is decorated the whole year for the Ramadan to come.

When the first night of the Ramadan comes, a wind called “Musira” blows from the bottom of the Skies.

Leaves of the trees of Paradise and the handles of Paradise doors shake strongly and therefore such a nice sound is heard that listeners have never heard a more beautiful sound than that.

Thus, the houris of Paradise appear standing on the highest point of Paradise and say:

“Anybody who wants to marry?” Allah marries him.

Then houris say:

“O the keeper of Paradise! What night is tonight?” The keeper replies with respect:

“Tonight is the first night of the month Ramadan. The doors of Paradise were opened for the ones from the ummah (community) of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) who observed fasting.” "

Then Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said:

Allah (swt/glorious and exalted) says:

“O Ridwan (Doorkeeper of paradise)! Open the doors of Paradise and O Malik (Doorkeeper of Hell)! Close the doors of Hell to the ones from the community of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) who observed fasting!

O Gabriel! Descend to the earth, handcuff and chain the wild ones of the satans, then throw them into the sea, so that they cannot demolish the fasting of my beloved Muhammad’s (pbuh) community.”

Hz Muhammad (pbuh) then said:

Allah (swt) orders a caller (angel) to call like this three times at every night of the month of Ramadan:

“Anybody who wants something? I will give him what he wants.

Anybody who repents? I will accept his repentance.

Anybody who wants forgiveness? I will forgive him.

Who will lend money to the poor not to the rich and to the loyal not to the oppressor?”

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) continued:

Every day of Ramadan during the iftar (evening meal for breaking the daily fast) time Allah (swt) saves one million people from Hell who deserves it. Also on the last day of Ramadan, Allah (swt) saves as many people as the sum of all He saved during Ramadan.

On Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power), Allah (swt) orders Gabriel. Gabriel descends to the earth with angels carrying a green flag with them. They put the flag onto the Kaaba. There are one hundred wings of the flag. Two of those wings do not open except that night.

Gabriel opens those two wings on that night, and those wings reach from the east to the west. On that night Gabriel urges the angels, and they salute and handshake with everybody who is standing, sitting, performing salah and doing dhikr (mentioning Allah). They say “ameen” for their prayers.

It goes on until the dawn. When it dawns Gabriel says:

“O group of angels! Prepare for the return”.

Angels say:

“O Gabriel, what did Allah (swt) do about the needs of believers who are from Hazrat Muhammad’s (pbuh) community?”

Gabriel replies:

“Allah (swt) looked with mercy and grace at them tonight and forgave them. However four groups are excluded.”

The narrator says:

When we asked “O Messenger of Allah! Who are they?” he said:

“He who keeps on drinking, he who rebels his parents, he who does not care about his relatives, and he who is mushahin.”

Then we asked “O Messenger of Allah! What is ‘mushahin’”, and he said:

“He who cuts amity relations between people and he who causes disorders and hostility”.

When Ramadan ends and bairam (celebration, holiday) night comes, it is called the night of reward. In the morning of the bairam Allah (swt) sends the angels to every town. They descend to the earth, hold the street corners and shout with a sound every creature can hear except the human beings and the genies:

“O community of Muhammad! Come to the presence of your Lord who bestows much and forgives your big sins”.

When they get to their places of worship Allah (swt) asks to the angels:

“What is the reward of the worker who has done his job?”

Angels say:

“O our exalted Lord! It is your giving his exact reward and payment”.

Upon that Allah (swt) said:

"O my angels! Be witness that, I gave them my approval and forgiveness as a gift for their fasting and salahs they performed during the Ramadan” and then ordered:

“O my slaves! Request from me. For the sake of my glory and superiority today I will surely give whatever you want for your afterworld from me. And I will consider your situation for the things you want for this world.

For the sake of my glory, as long as you pay observe my approval, I will cover your mistakes.

For the sake of my glory and superiority, I will not disgrace you in front of the holders of a right and managers.

You gained my approval, return with my approval and having been forgiven of your sins.”

Therefore, the angels get happy and tell the good news of the reward that Allah (swt) will give to that community when they make iftar at the end of Ramadan. (At-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib, 2:439).

Paradise Reward of Ramadan

As transmitted by Abu Said al-Khudri, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"When the first night of Ramadan comes, the doors of the skies are opened; none of them is closed until the last night of the Ramadan.

When a person performs salah on a Ramadan night, surely Allah writes one thousand and five hundred merits for its every sajdah (prostration act in the salah) and builds a villa made of red ruby for him in the heaven. There exist sixty thousand doors of that villa. There exists a golden villa decorated with red ruby on every door of it.

When he fasts on the first day of Ramadan, his past sins till that date are forgiven and every day seventy thousand angels pray for him from the morning salah to the evening salah.

For the every sajdah he does during the day or night in Ramadan, he is given such a big tree that in its shadow a horseman can travel for five hundred years.”
(At-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib, 2:429)

As is narrated by Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"Whoever fasts one day for the acceptance of Allah, Allah keeps his/her face seventy years away from Hell in return for this one day." (Nasai, Siyam: 44)

Ramadan is the Salvation from Hell

Narrated from Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

"When the first night of Ramadan comes, Allah regards His creation with mercy. Whichever servant Allah regards with mercy, He does not torment him/her, eternally. Each day of Ramadan, Allah saves one million people from Hell who deserve going to Hell.

When the 27th night of Ramadan comes, angels surge and Allah al-Jabbar (the Irresistible) reflects Himself with His light, which nobody can depict and calls out to the angels, who are to make celebrations the next day:

“O community of angels! What is the due of the worker who fulfills his job thoroughly?”

Angels say:

“He is given his due completely.”

Thereupon, Allah says:

“I appoint you witnesses that I have forgiven them all.” (at-Targhb wa’t-Tarhib, 2:434)

The Gap between the Fasting Person and Hell

According to the narration of Abu'd Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

"Whoever fasts one day for the acceptance of Allah, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah creates  a gap between him and Hell, as wide as the heavens and the earth."
(Tirmidhi, Jihad: 3; at-Targhib va’t-Tarhib, 2:86)

That question has always been on the agenda of many Muslims in every Ramadan since the time of Hazrat Prophet. What impels man to ask that question is the excitement of searching for the night that is defined to be better than one thousand months by a verse in the Quran. That question, like many other questions, does not have only one answer. For some people, the answer is so easy as to have only two alternatives: yes or no. For others, the question has no definite answer. It can be predicted like the uncertainty principle in quantum but it cannot be known exactly. Some people claim that the beloved slaves of Allah will know when that night is. Others believe that such an exceptional night has a worldwide sign in the realm of physics and start to search for a physical event from atoms to galactic system indicating that night. In short, though the search methods are different, they all pursue one aim: to find the Night of Power. I want to share with you an event that I experienced in one of the previous Ramadans as a person who joined that search. I came across an interesting truth while searching for the Night of Power. Allah knows whether I know when the Night of Power is but I know the ones who know when the Night of Power is. Who are they? Here is the story…

The first thing I noticed when I started to search for the Night of Power was the existence of different viewpoints between the Muslims of Turkey and other countries. Although it was stated in the hadiths that the Night of Power should be searched for on the last ten nights of Ramadan and especially on the odd-numbered nights, the twenty-seventh night has been accepted as the Night of Power in Turkey. However, the other Muslims we met in America prefer to concentrate on the last ten nights, which is more appropriate in terms of the meaning of the hadith, instead of one single night. Some of them even prefer to perform itikaf (staying somewhere with the intention of worshipping Allah for a period of time, usually ten days) so as not to miss that night in the last ten days. While those who know the value of the Night of Power try to worship and benefit from every night in case it is the Night of Power, those who do not realize its value avoid worshipping every night in case it is not the Night of Power. Both approaches point to the mystery of the fact that the Night of Power is kept secret as a means of testing.

Another thing that I came across while searching for the Night of Power was that the methods of searching were different. Some go to the ocean on a cloudy night and look at it till morning as if searching for fish. Some search for it as if looking for a high-salary job. Some search for it like a merchant who is looking for an appropriate market just before eid (festival day) so as to make maximum profit. Some search for it like looking for the most valuable treasure of the world. Some search for it in the extraordinary news of the physical world. Some search for it in their dreams. Some search for it in a message coming from their sheikh or teacher. In short, people search for the Night of Power, which comes only once a year, using one thousand and one different methods. 

Recently, just after iftar (meal eaten in the evening to break the fast), I accidentally heard the conversation of some people who were preparing to go fishing. All of them had concentrated on one thing: to catch as many fish as possible. They were planning to go to the ocean, which would take them about two hours, and catch fish there with fishing lines. While one of them expressed his concern by saying, “will the fish find our fishing lines in the enormous ocean?”, another one expressed his hope saying “where else can we find fish if we cannot find them in the enormous ocean?” As a matter of fact, people use a phrase ‘to be caught like a fish’ but as far as what I understood from their words, fish could not be caught so easily. It was necessary to consider many different factors like the weather, the worm you use, the place you go to, the time of the day in order to be successful. They said it was highly likely to find fish on a cloudy night. After agreeing on that point, they decided to go fishing. They were going to sacrifice their sleep. In a sense, they were going to cause themselves pain. When those negative thoughts came to their minds, they imagined big fish. As rational individuals, they agreed to sacrifice their sleep in return for the reward they would get. Maybe, according to them, it was irrational to go there during daytime. While I was listening to their negotiation, my imagination took me somewhere else: the search for the Night of Power. Would my soul agree to sacrifice its comfort and go search for the Night of Power in the ocean of Ramadan even for one night? Was it not more rational to catch fish in the ocean of Ramadan that would be on my table for endless meals than to catch fish in the ocean of this world that would be on my table for only one meal? Was it too difficult to sacrifice my comfort in return for the comfort of the endless number of nights? Those thoughts persuaded my soul to some extent but it was not enough. It demanded some other evidence.

It was the twenty-seventh day of Ramadan; we were talking about the process of the Night of Power with a physicist friend of mine. When I started to search for it, he said that night could be the Night of Power by considering a physical event. According to what he said, such a valuable night had to have a connection with a physical event universe-wide. According to the news he received from the physicists group which he was a member of, the eclipse of the Andromeda Galaxy was occurring that night. It was a great event, galaxy-wide. Furthermore, that event occurred on the last ten nights of Ramadan every year. It was not known on what night it occurred, just like the Night of Power. His arguments were quite convincing. Last year, it took place on the twenty-eighth of Ramadan, and this year it was happening that night. I quite believed in what he said due to my reliance on science. I decided to worship till morning because that night could be the Night of Power. A piece of news I received from the cyber world had also affected my decision. While I was telling a writer friend of mine about what I had heard, I received an interesting answer. He said, “Do you know? I have received a piece of news about the Night of Power today.” He added, “One of my readers sent me a message. He had learned from a saint that he knew that it was the Night of Power tonight.” It was incumbent on friends to inform each other about that great opportunity. So, a friend of Allah who found out about the Night of Power informed his friend about it. And we heard it from the friend of the friend. Upon those two events, both my mind and heart were delighted as if they found the answer. I thought, “Even my soul will agree to stay awake till morning.” However, after trying to worship for a while that night, I went to bed due to the effect of the counter arguments that emerged from inside me. It was two o’clock when I went to bed. The voice of the soul inside me said, “Thanks Allah. That is enough.” Soon, I woke up with a terrifying dream. The first thing that came to my mind was, “Is it really the Night of Power tonight?” I stayed awake for some more. However, my ignorant soul managed to make me sleep again.

Days followed days and the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan arrived. My search was going on. I tried to persuade my soul that it was highly probable that it was the Night of Power tonight. As the night continued, my mind tried to find satisfactory evidence against the doubtful voices coming from my soul. Acting upon a simile in the Booklet of Ramadan, I decided to telephone some friends. In fact, I wanted to teach my soul something while telling them about a truth. I was going to share a truth with them and try to persuade my soul. First, I called a friend of mine who sold toy helicopters. After greeting him and wishing him a good night, I came to the point.   

“How much do you sell your helicopters?”

“10 dollars.”

“What would you do if you had the opportunity of selling them for 1000 dollars in a market opened at night in a certain period of the year and if you were given the guarantee that all of the goods that you could take to the market would be sold?”

“I would get ready for it beginning from one year earlier. I would contact the factory and go to the market with the maximum amount of products.”

“What would you do if there were a market at night that you could sell them for 30 thousand dollars?”

“I would definitely stay in the market all night.”

After hanging up the phone, I asked myself: If you had the most profitable business in such markets and even if you owned the whole world, would they have any value compared to the profits of the Ramadan market? Allah Almighty answered that question with a sound like thunder in Chapter ar-Rad: “For those who respond to their Lord are (all) good things. But those who respond not to Him― even if they had all that is in the heavens and on earth, and as much more, (in vain) would they offer it for ransom.” (Ra’d, 18)

Then, what was the thing that made my soul consent to the profitable market of the world but drove it away from the market of the hereafter?

I dialed my telephone again. This time, I talked to a friend who was doing his doctorate on computers in the north of America. After making small talk, I came to the point.

“As far as I know, you work as an assistant at university. How much do you earn an hour?”

“15 dollars”

“There is a vacancy here with high wages. Would you like to apply for it?”

“What is it?”

“A job about computers.”

“How much do they offer?”

“Very much, but they have a condition. You have to work at night.”

“How much do they offer?”

“100 dollars an hour”

“Really? Since they offer so much money, they certainly will demand something.”

“What they demand is to work all night in order to finish the project soon. If you are interested, I will send you the advertisement.”

“Yes, please send it.”

“You will remain sleepless.”

“It does not matter! I will sleep during the day and work at night as long as it is something that I can do.”

While the conversation was going on like that, I reminded my soul the following words of Badiuzzaman: "That blessed month of Ramadan is a Night of Power in a person’s life because it contains the Night of Power; it adds another life to the life of a person who becomes successful in it. Its one minute is one day. Its one hour is two months; its one day is an eternal life like several years… The reward of good deeds in Ramadan is one thousand rewards for one deed. One letter of the Quran has ten rewards according to a sound hadith; it will bring ten fruits of Paradise. In Ramadan, one letter does not have ten rewards but one thousand rewards; and each letter of some verses like “Ayat ul Kursi” (the Verse of Throne) has thousands of rewards; and the reward is more on Fridays of the month of Ramadan. On the Night of Power, they are regarded as thirty thousand rewards."

At the end of my adventure of searching for the Night of Power, I found a very important truth: There was a mistake in the question of title of the writing. The question should be ‘Do we know the value of the Night of Power?’ Did the Quran itself not ask like that? Those who find the answer to that question actually find the answer to the question in the title too. After all, it may be difficult to know when the Night of Power is in a Ramadan and to worship all night. However, someone who worships about four hours on the last ten or fifteen nights of each Ramadan, will have definitely worshipped fully on one Night of Power in every three years. A person who becomes present in the month of Ramadan sixty-six times in his life will have worshipped on 22 Nights of Power fully. It means 22 thousand months, that is, 1833 years of reward of worshipping according to the glad tidings of the Chapter al-Qadr. Then, is it reasonable to miss that “divine campaign” offered by the All-Merciful, who will never break His promise?

According to a hadith reported by Abu Hurayra (May Allah be pleased with him), the Noble Messenger (Peace and Blessings be upon him) spoke as follows:

"Each good deed and worshipping which the sons of Adam performed increases in from tenfold to seven hundred fold in terms of rewards, as much as Allah wishes.

Allah utters: However, a fasting person is exempt from this because he fasts only to please Me. He quits pleasures and eating for Me.

There are two types of happiness for a fasting person: The first happiness is the one at the time of breaking his fast. The second happiness is the one when he meets his Sustainer and acquires his award.

I swear on Allah that the halitosis of a fasting person is more beautiful then odor of musk before Him" (Ibni Majah, Siyam: 1)

A believer fasts only because Allah commands it. He has the aim of gaining His pleasure. He waits all day long, does not eat or drink anything. He manifests his degree of obedience to his Sustainer. When he sits down for the meal at the breaking time of his fast, he does not eat anything and awaits the command of “help yourselves!” of his Lord. He tries to thank by means of a comprehensive and universal prayer for the compassionate and merciful bounties of Allah Almighty.

There is no pretension and hypocrisy in the worship of fasting. A man shows his fasting only to his Creator who feeds him and nurtures him and who fulfils his needs by means of all sorts of bounties. He could break his fast in a place where nobody sees when he is fasting but he does not do it. And that manner is the best evidence showing that he fasts only for Allah.

That is why Almighty Allah commands: ”Fast is performed only to please Me. It belongs to Me. I will give its reward.”

While the rewards of each good deed and prayer are indicated through verses and Hadiths, the rewards of fasting were not limited and a quantity or measure was not pronounced.

It means that the pleasures, spiritual rewards and the prizes of the prayers and worshipping performed sincerely will be unlimited.

Abu Umama (May Allah be pleased with him) tells:

I said, “O the Messenger of Allah! Would you advice me a favorable deed?”

The Noble Messenger (PBUH) uttered: “Perform fasting because there is no worship equal to fasting”.

I asked again: “Would you advice me a good deed?”

He replied: “Try to fast because there is no other worship as meritorious as it before Allah.” (Nasaî, Siyam: 43)

According to a hadith reported by Ali Ibni Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with him), the Noble Messenger (PBUH) commanded:

"If fasting prevents a person from food and beverages he desires, Almighty Allah feeds him with Paradise foods and lets him drink Paradise drinks." (Kanzu’l-Ummal, 3:329)

The holy month of Ramadan is like an extremely profitable display and market for the trade of the hereafter. It is an extremely fertile piece of land for the crops of the hereafter. For the growth and flourishing of actions, it is like April showers.

The fasting believer, by temporarily quitting eating and drinking, becomes kind of a man of the hereafter; he becomes a mirror reflecting the attributes of Almighty Allah.

"Indeed, the month of Ramadan comprises and makes one gain a permanent and eternal life in this fleeting world and brief transient life."

Man eats and drinks in Paradise what he quits eating and drinking temporarily in this world.

Fasting: The Door of worshipping

According to a narrative by Damra Ibni Habîb (May Allah be pleased with him), the Noble Messenger (PBUH) commanded as follows:

"Everything has a door. The door of worshipping is fasting." (Kanzu’l-Ummal, 8:447)

In one of the Hadith related by Daylami from Anas Ibn Malik (R.A), the Prophet (SAW) advised the easy way of fasting and said:

“He who applies four things fasts quite easily: breaks his fast with water, does not give up the suhoor meal, does not give up resting at noon, and uses nice perfume.” (Ramuz-al-Ahadith, No: 957)

"We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures."
(al-Anbiya, 107)

No activity, no text that is read, no story that is narrated about him is enough to understand him fully.

However, it is a reality that the biggest cause of the depressed environment humanity lives in today is not living as he described and he himself lived.

If people suffer in the swamp of interest and usury, if the institution of family is about to collapse, if people try to deceive themselves through entertainment in order to satisfy their desire of living eternally and if lives are destroyed through similar chaotic things, it is possible to get rid of them by knowing him and living like him.

Therefore, we need to make use of these days; we need to know and understand him; we need to live like him and make people live like him.

Today is an opportunity for it; you can start to know him today:

1. Read the Quran, which is the source of his beauty. Read it because the cure to all material and spiritual problems are in it. Life is not life without understanding him and living with him.

2. Read his life. Share some anecdotes from his life, which is an example for people, with your family and friends. Read and share because only those who accept him as their model can make this world a livable place.

3. Learn the things that you do not know about him. Learn about him so that you will correct your mistakes about him and the wrong things that other people know about him.

To sum up, we will say, "Today is the birthday of the Prophet. O Allah! I promise for the sake of this holy day that I will learn and practice Islam." We will try to understand the Quran, which is the purpose of the life of the Prophet. Then, we will think about what the Prophet did, how he lived, how he performed prayers, how he fasted, how he prayed, what he wanted from Allah and what he advised his ummah. We will read a book about his life Then, we will take what he did as a model and practice them; that is, we will follow his Sunnah.

The twenty-seventh night of the month of Ramadan, when the Quran started to be sent down. The most sacred and virtuous night in Islam is the Night of Power (Laylatul-Qadr). The Night of Power is better than one thousand months that do not include the Night of Power. There is a separate chapter stating the virtue of this night in the Quran. Our Lord states the following in this chapter:

"We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the night of power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah´s permission, on every errand: Peace!...This until the rise of morn!" (al-Qadr, 97/ 1-5)

There are various narrations about the reason why this chapter was sent down. One of them is as follows:  

Once, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to his Companions that a man from Sons of Israel girded on his weapons and made jihad in the way of Allah for one thousand months. When the Companions were astonished by it, God Almighty sent down this chapter. (Tajrid-Sarih Translation, VI, 313).

The reason why this night is called the Night of Power is due to its honor and value as it is stated below:

a) The Quran started to be sent down on this night.

b) Worship in this month is more virtuous than worship in one thousand months that do not include the Night of Power.

c) All kinds of incidents to take place during the next year are notified to the angels related to Allah’s pre-eternal destiny on this night.  (Tajrid-Sarih Translation, VI, 312).

d) Jibril (Gabriel) and many angels come down to the earth on this night.

e) This night is peaceful until dawn and is free from all evil. The angels that come down to the earth greet all believers that they meet.

It is not definitely known what night is the Night of Power exactly but it is generally preferred that it is on the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan. The Prophet (pbuh) did not clearly say what night it was; he said, "Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan." (Bukhari, Laylatul-Qadr, 3; Muslim, Siyam, 216)

Zirr b. Hubaysh, narrates: "I said to Ubayy b. Ka'b: Your brother Ibn Mas'ud says, "He who worships every night during the year will come across with the Night of Power."

Ubayy b. Ka'b said, "May Allah have mercy on Ibn Mas'ud! He did not want people to rely only on the Night of Power. He knew that the Night of Power was in Ramadan and on the twenty-seventh night, among the last ten days."

I said to him: O Abu Mundhir (Ubayy b. Ka'b’s nickname)! On what ground do you say that?

Ubayy said: By the sign which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave us: On the following day, the sun rises without having any ray in it." (Muslim, Siyam, 220)

According to what is stated in the Islamic resources, Allah Almighty kept the Night of Power and some things secret due to some wise reasons. They are as follows:

The time of acceptance of prayers on Friday, the middle prayer (salatul-wusta) among five daily prayers, the greatest name of Allah among divine names, divine consent among deeds of worship, the time of the Day of Judgment in time and the time of death in a person's lifespan. The reason why they are kept secret is to make believers alert and careful and worship Allah all the time. Believers should not spend this night in heedlessness; they should benefit from it by worshipping. The Prophet (pbuh) states the following in a hadith reported by Abu Hurayra:

"If a person spends the Night of Power worshipping by believing its virtue and hoping for a reward from Allah, all his previous sins will be forgiven." (Bukhari, Qadr, 1)

What can be done on the Night of Power?

One should spend the Night of Power by performing prayers, reading the Quran, repenting, asking for forgiveness and saying prayers (dua).

It is more virtuous for those who have to perform missed (qada) prayers to perform at least five missed prayers. If one has no missed prayers, he can perform nafilah prayers.

Sufyan ath-Thawri states the following: "It is better to pray to Allah and ask for forgiveness than performing prayers on the Night of Power. It is better to read the Quran first and to pray to Allah after that." (Tajrid-Sarih Translation, VI, 313)

Hz. Aisha narrates: I asked the Messenger of Allah,

"- O Messenger of Allah! How shall I pray on the Night of Power?" He said,

"- Pray as follows: Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul-afwa fa’fu anni (O Allah! You are the Forgiver and You like forgiving; so, forgive me)." (Tajrid-Sarih Translation, VI, 314).

There is such a moment on this night that all deeds of worship that are performed and all prayers that are said are accepted. It is necessary to spend the whole night repenting and asking for forgiveness in order to catch that moment. This will refresh a person’s belief. Those who cannot spend the whole night worshipping should at least sit and pray to Allah for a while after tarawih prayer.   

Durak PUSMAZ

It is necessary to state thatthe month of Muharram has three main important features in the history of Islam:

The first one is fasting; the second one is that it is the beginning of the Hijri calendar; and the third one is the fact that Hazrat Husayn and his children were martyred in Karbala. The fasting performed in the month of Muharram has a historical feature too. After the immigration to Madinah, the Prophet found out that the Jews were fasting one day.

It was the tenth day of the month of Muharram, the day of Ashura. He asked, “What is this fasting for?” The Jews answered, “Today is the day when Allah saved Hazrat Musa (Moses) from his enemies and when He made the Pharaoh drown. Moses performed fasting today to thank Allah."

Our Prophet said to them, "We are nearer than you and we deserve it more than you to carry out the Sunnah of Moses”; he and other Muslims performed fasting that day. That year, the fasting of Ramadan had not been made fard yet. However, when the fasting of Ramadan was made fard the next year, Ramadan became the month of fasting for Muslims. Our Prophet left it to Muslims whether to fast or not on the day of Ashura; he said, “If you wish, perform fasting on the day of Ashura.” Thus, fasting on the day of Ashura became mustahab (recommended).

According to a hadith reported by Ibn Abbas, one of the scholars among the Companions, fasting one day before and after was added to the fasting of Ashura so as not to cause confusion and not to resemble Jews. Thus, fasting for three days became sunnah. Accordingly, neither the Prophet, nor the Companions, nor madhhab imams, nor mujtahids, nor Islamic scholars that came after them stated that it was necessary to perform fasting on the first ten days of the month of Muharram. It is necessary to say that an application apart from the one mentioned above has no place in the history of Islamic worshipping.

The month of Muharram was made the beginning of the calendar of the Islamic history during the caliphate of Hazrat Umar, and it has been used by many Islamic countries since then. The fact that Muharram 1 is the Hijri New Year’s Day is significant because it is the first day of the year although it does not have a tradition of celebration like the New Year’s Eve and Day.

In the Quran, a different feature of the month of Muharram is mentioned. As it is stated in the chapter at-Tawbah (verse 36), "The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year)― so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred; that is the straight usage", one of those four months is the month of Muharram. Sacred months are valuable, important and different in this aspect, and it is stated that we should show respect to those months.

The month of Muharram, which is known as "Shahrullahil-Muharram- Muharram, the month of Allah" with the expression of our prophet, is a month in which, divine bounties and prosperity become abundant. Actually, there is no month, day or year of Allah but our Prophet defined it like that because it is a great opportunity to reach the mercy of Allah.

The month of Muharram has a different place in the history of prophets. Many prophets, primarily, Hazrat Adam, Noah (Nuh), Abraham (Ibrahim), Moses (Musa), David (Dawud), Jacob (Yaqub), Joseph (Yusuf), Job (Ayyub), Jonah (Yunus), Jesus (Isa) attained special bounties and were saved from some troubles on the day of Ashura. It is regarded as an anniversary in this respect.

As for the issue of the brutal martyrdom of Hazrat Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) and his children, in fact, the martyrs received their rewards and reached the highest ranks. We have no doubt that Allah will justly give the oppressors the punishment that they deserved.

Every believer that surrenders to the judgment of the destiny feels sorry about the event but does not lose his moderation and calmness.

His feelings do not lead him to some extreme acts because everything that takes place is the judgment of the preordainment. Therefore, it is not in compliance with the spirit of the Sunnah to turn it to a ceremony of mourning.

(Mehmet Paksu. Mübarek Aylar, Günler ve Geceler; Peygamberimizin Ramazan'ı ve Oruçları)

Our soul, which is called "nafs" by the Quran, is clad in flesh and bones; the contract made between the soul and the beloved Creator in pre-eternity has been forgotten due to the interest in the world and material things; love, whose real aim is Allah, has tended toward ephemeral beauties, lost its aim and has been lost to a great extent.

“It is never too late to mend.” As the saying indicates, man needs to stop for a while and think in order to remember why he came to this world, determine to what extent he is close to his purpose of creation and turn toward the qiblah. Turning toward the qiblah can be achieved by turning away from other directions; what we mean by other directions is anything that prevents the love of Allah.

The soul that forgets the contract and that closes the door to the effect of the divine spirit blown into it will definitely love things other than Allah; it will prefer the ephemeral one to the eternal one; this is the case for most people.

A strong call and inviter/director is necessary for turning toward the qiblah; this call is adhan/prayer. The most important inviter is the worship of fasting. Fasting means keeping away consciously and voluntarily from what the soul likes, the beauties and pleasures of the world for a certain period of time.   

Why?

For the sake of Allah!

To give up other loves, connections and habits for the sake of Allah are exercises of finding the qiblah. When these exercises achieve their objectives, love will also achieve its objective; migration will take place; the ephemeral will be loved as much as an ephemeral one deserves and the eternal one will be loved as much as the eternal one deserves.

Our Prophet, who is the Guide of Love, spent most of his days fasting. Since it is not possible for him to turn toward a wrong qiblah and since it is not possible for him to love ephemeral ones, fasting wass not an exercise of finding the qiblah for him, it was the opportunity to continue in the target, to experience love and to be happy in a way peculiar to him. For, Allah states the following in the Quran:

“Say: ‘If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful’. / Say: ‘Obey Allah and His Messenger.: But if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.’” (Aal-i Imran: 3/31-32)

Th golden rules of loving Allah and being loved by Allah are given in the verses:

1. To love the Messenger of Allahand to follow His way.  

2. To obey Allah and His Messenger as a natural consequence of it.

We need to love the Beloved One of Allah more than ourselves.

Allah’s Messenger states the following:

“You will not be regarded to have believed unless you love me more than your family, your wealth and everybody.”

Hz. Umar went to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, “O Messenger of Allah! I love you more than anything and anybody else except my soul.” The Prophet said, "None of you will be regarded to have believed unless he loves me more than his own soul and himself.”

Hz. Umar changed with the effect of this statement, realized that he loved the Prophet more than himself and said,

“I swear by the One who sent you the Book that I love you more than my soul and myself.”

The Prophet said,

“O Umar! It is all right now.”

We read above in the verse that “the guide that will take us to love of Allah isthe Messenger of Allah”.  This verse is clear evidence that Allah loves the Prophet. A person cannot attain the love of Allah unless he loves the one that Allah loves and follows his way; for, the soul enters between the consent and instruction of Allah and the believer. Material and sensual desires, excitements, motives and ambitions drag man to the pleasures that are common with other creatures. It is not possible or easy for a believer to resist this natural attraction unless he loves the Messenger of Allah more than himself. Therefore, a believer needs to love the Messenger of Allah more than himself; he can make the Messenger of Allah a guide for his life only thanks to a love like that; and this guide will enable the believer to attain the happiness of the love of Allah (being loved by Allah).

An actual example of a believer loving the Messenger of Allah more than himself is the example of Hz. Talha b. Ubaydullah:

Sa´d b. Abi Waqqas narrates the following as an eye-witness:

“Talha was the one that acted the most generously and self-sacrificingly among us on the Day of Uhud. Although we moved to various directions and left the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) from time to time, he never left the Messenger of Allah. Whenever we returned to check the Messenger of Allah, we saw Talha around the Messenger of Allah using his body as a shield for him. Malik b. Zuhayr, who was one of the best marksmanships of the polytheists, took sight and threw an arrow at the Messenger of Allah. When Talha b. Ubaydullah realized that the arrow was going to hit the Messenger of Allah, he extended his hand toward the arrow. The arrow hit his finger and wounded him. The Prophet said, “He who wants to look at a person of Paradise walking on the earth should look at Talha b. Ubaydullah.”

The last part of the poem called Arzıhal is as follows:

If I find a way in Paradise, I do not want a place at the back

Any place away from the beloved one is a prison for the lover

I am a lover; my paradise is where I rejoin my beloved one

No happiness and no love without my beloved one.