The Actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the month of Ramadan

The Actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the month of Ramadan

Whether it is fasting or other acts of worship, their objectives, benefits and fruits are achieved only when they are performed with full enthusiasm and desire, with their conditions and manners.

 Without this, the desired benefits are not fully achieved. The best source for creating enthusiasm and desire in worship is the life and deeds of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the most basic source for knowing their conditions and manners is the Holy Quran and the sayings and instructions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); therefore, let us try to find out in the following lines how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to spend the most beautiful season of fasting, Ramadan, what were his habits, and what instructions did he give to the Ummah to gain the blessings of fasting?

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Extraordinary Arrangement of Worship, Rituals and Prayers

The life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is comprehensive and comprehensive. He was a messenger, a preacher and a peacemaker, a ruler of the time, a judge and a decision-maker, a leader and a commander of the army.

 He had personal and family responsibilities and who knows what else, and he used to perform all these responsibilities at the same time in such a good manner that no disruption or weakness is seen anywhere.

 But among all these responsibilities and praiseworthy qualities, the most prominent and dominant quality is his servitude and devotion to worship. Whether it is peace or war, whether it is a battle or a feast, whether it is a journey or a gathering, whether it is solitude or a gathering, you will find arrangements for prayers, you will find abundance of fasting, you will find worship and discipline, you will find remembrance and invocation, you will find the morning prayer and the night prayer, you will find long prostrations, you will find long supplications, you will find weakness and need in the presence of the Lord, whatever the life of the Prophet  No matter how much you want to raise any aspect, no aspect will be found devoid of servitude and worship.

As it was explained above, even in the ordinary life of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), his servitude and taste for worship were very prominent and distinguished, then what to say about Ramadan! This was a time of special spring and vitality for the blessed nature, the taste for worship would be at its peak, the effort and discipline would increase, fear and awe would prevail, the state of urgency in prayers would increase; even his complexion would change due to the effect of struggle and the dominance of fear and awe; Thus, Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates:

کَانَ رَسُولُ اللّہِ صَلَّی اللّہُ عَلَیہِ وَآلِہِ وَسَلَّمْ إذَا دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ تَغَیَّرَ لَونُہُ وَکُثُرَتْ صَلَاتُہُ وَابْتَہَلَ فِی الدُّعَاءِ وَأشْفَقَ مِنْہ (بیہقی شعب الایمان، رقم:۳۶۲۵)

(The condition of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was such that when Ramadan entered, his complexion changed, his prayers increased, he used to be very urgent in his supplications, and fear and awe prevailed.)

The brief circumstances of his life in Ramadan described in this hadith show that only a person can truly benefit from the blessings of Ramadan who is filled with good deeds in this blessed month, is always ready to appreciate every moment of it, and values ​​his comfort and ease in order to obtain the reward of the Hereafter and a high position in Paradise.

The stories of our elders are mentioned in the books. These gentlemen, following the life of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), would devote themselves to asceticism and struggle during Ramadan, leaving comfort and unnecessary activities behind, and would fully benefit from its blessings.

Suhri and Iftar in Ramzan

Religion is the name of obedience to Allah and His Messenger, whenever the command is given, the servant is ready to comply with it without hesitation. During fasting, Allah Almighty has made food, drink and sexual desires forbidden throughout the day. If even a drop of water comes down from the throat between dawn and sunset, the fast is broken.

In this way, Allah tests the spirit of obedience, patience and steadfastness of the servants; but as soon as the fasting time is over, He not only makes Iftar permissible; but He has also encouraged it, and has promised them blessings, goodness and forgiveness. Taking into account the weakness of the servants, He has declared it better to hurry up in Iftar and delay in Suhri.

 So that the act of fasting becomes easy and short for them, a servant becomes the object of Allah’s grace and blessings even by fasting, and is deemed worthy of reward and praise even by eating and drinking during Suhoor and Iftar. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) usually arranged Suhoor and Iftar himself and encouraged others to do so. Thus, it is narrated from Hazrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

             ”تَسَحَّرُوْا فَإنَّ فِی السُّحُورِبَرَکَة“(صحیح مسلم: رقم۱۰۹۵)

Eat Suhoor, because there is a blessing in Suhoor)

In another narration, Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

      ” أمِرْنَا اَنْ نُعَجِّلَ ِافْطَارَنَا وَنُوَخِّرَ سُحُورَنَا“(السنن الکبری،۴/۲۳۸)

We have been commanded to hasten the breaking of the fast and to delay the breaking of the fast.

  The most beloved is the one who is the hastiest in breaking the fast)

Many traditions have been narrated about the virtue of delaying the pre-dawn meal and hastening the break of the fast. Some people are extremely cautious; however, due to excessive caution in pre-dawn meal and iftar, the fast may be quite long, which will cause trouble for people; therefore, delaying the pre-dawn meal and hastening the break of the fast has been declared recommended; but this does not mean that the necessary precautions should be abandoned and a person should delay the pre-dawn meal so much and hasten the break of the fast so much that the fast itself becomes doubtful. Such delay in pre-dawn meal and hastening the break of the fast so much that the fast itself becomes doubtful is not permissible.

Dates or Water for Sehr and Iftar in Ramzan

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encouraged his companions to have Sehr and Iftar with dates, and if they did not have dates, he encouraged them to break their fast with water, which is why scholars have considered breaking their fast with water in the absence of dates and dates as Sunan. Allama Ibn al-Qayyim has written that “the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encouraged breaking their fast with dates and water was actually out of compassion and empathy for the Ummah; because an empty stomach accepts sweet things more, and the body gets more energy from them than from other things. The use of water causes dryness in the stomach due to prolonged hunger and thirst.

 By consuming a little water at the beginning, the stomach becomes moist, which makes the food eaten later more healthy. This is a physical benefit. The use of dates and water together also creates some properties that are also beneficial for the heart.  It is effective, this effect is not hidden from the people of Allah.” (Zad al-Ma’ad: 1/277)

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) has also narrated a hadith in Zad al-Ma’ad in which it is clear that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also used dates or water for breaking his fast. The words of the hadith are as follows:

 “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to break his fast with something moist before he prayed, so if there was no moisture, then he would take dates, and if there were no dates, then he would take a few sips of water.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, no. 2356 and Jami’ al-Ash’ari, no. 2356)  At-Tirmidhi, No. 696)

“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to break his fast with a few dates before praying the Maghrib prayer. If there were no dates, he would break his fast with a few handfuls of dates, and if there were no handfuls, he would drink a few sips of water.”

In a hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) advised his companions to eat dates and water:

“When one of you breaks his fast, he should eat dates, for they are a blessing, but if he cannot find them, he should eat water, for they are pure.” (Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, no. 658)

“When one of you breaks his fast, he should eat dates, for there is a blessing in dates, but if he cannot find them, he should eat water, for they are pure.”

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“The best suhoor for a believer is dates.” (Sunan Abu Dawud,

Laylat al-Qiyaam and Taraweeh

Various acts of worship are performed in Ramadan, one of which is the night prayer and the Taraweeh prayer. The Messenger of Allah himself used to perform the night prayer and also encouraged others to do so. Therefore, under the title of “Performing worship and rituals”, the following events have been narrated by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):

(The condition of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was that when Ramadan entered, his complexion would change, his prayers would increase, he would be more urgent in his supplications, and fear and anxiety would prevail)

This statement explains that his prayers would increase in Ramadan compared to other days. Some other narrations in this regard are also presented; Thus, it is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him):

And peace be upon him, and the command was for that, then the command was for that during the caliphate of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and from the caliphate of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, on that (Sahih Muslim, no. 759)

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, encouraged the prayer of Ramadan, but it was not an obligation. He would say: Whoever prays Taraweeh during the nights of Ramadan out of faith in Allah and hoping for a reward from Him, Allah will forgive his previous sins. This practice continued until the death of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and this practice continued during the second and early generations of Faruqi.”

And in a narration Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:

He said: “And that was in Ramadan.” (Sahih Muslim, no. 761)

 “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed Taraweeh in the mosque one night (of Ramadan), and the people prayed with him. Then on the second night, when he prayed, the number of people following increased. On the third or fourth night, he did not come for Taraweeh. In the morning, he said: “I saw your eagerness.”  Which you demonstrated at night, and I did not come for fear that this prayer (Taraweeh) would not be made obligatory upon you in Ramadan.”

The above hadiths reveal a few things:

 (1) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Taraweeh in congregation for seven nights with his companions,

 (2) Then when he saw the enthusiasm of the people, he abandoned the congregation out of fear that Taraweeh in congregation might not become obligatory.

(3) Although the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had organized the congregation, he himself used to offer many prayers during the nights of Ramadan and used to encourage people to do so.

 (4) With the encouragement of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), people used to organize Taraweeh in their own way during the life of the Holy Prophet and after that during the two Sadiqis and the early days of the Farooqis.

 (5) They used to show great enthusiasm and enthusiasm in Taraweeh prayers.

 (6) If Taraweeh is offered with sincerity, it forgives the sins of a lifetime (minor sins).

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had prayed Tarawih in congregation for a few days and then abandoned it out of fear of obligation. After his death, the fear of obligation disappeared; therefore, Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) started it in congregation after a few years of his reign according to the initial method of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), which was liked by the Companions and the same method has been followed in the Ummah till today.

However, Tarawih is a very important and blessed act of Ramadan, its performance is a means of forgiveness and a source of reward and reward, and neglecting it is a cause of great deprivation.

Arrangement of Tahajjud

 Allah Almighty has not made Tahajjud prayer obligatory, taking into account the weakness of the servants;  But its virtues and rewards are many and it plays a very important role in removing the rebelliousness of the soul. This prayer has been emphasized in the hadiths. Allah Almighty Himself has emphasized it in the Holy Quran in a very strong way. The opening verses of Surah Al-Muzamil have been mentioned in the statement of its emphasis, desire and importance. Explaining the benefits of Tahajjud, Allah Almighty said:

 “Indeed, the night shift is the most powerful and the most eloquent.” (Al-Muzamil: 6)

“Indeed, getting up at night is an act by which the soul is thoroughly crushed, and speech is also better spoken.”

(That is, getting up at night and praying Tahajjud makes it easier for a person to control his desires, and the night  (There is no noise during the night; therefore, the recitation and supplication are performed with the heart present, these benefits are less during the day)

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encouraged people to perform Tahajjud and said:

“In Ramadan and other months, he would pray ten rak’ahs, and he would pray four, and he would not ask about their goodness and length, and he would pray four more.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 2013)

(The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not pray more than eleven rak’ahs except in Ramadan and Ramadan. He would pray four rak’ahs at a time. Do not ask how good and how long these four rak’ahs were. Then he would pray four more.  (When you prayed four rak’ahs together, don’t ask how good and how long these four rak’ahs were, then you used to pray three rak’ahs.).

Special attention in the last ten days and encouraging family members to stay awake at night

Thus, the entire month of Ramadan was dedicated to worship and exercise; but in the last ten days, this arrangement would increase even more. He would be engaged in worship all night long, waking up his family and encouraging them to engage in prayer and worship; as stated in the Holy Hadith:

“When the last ten days entered, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would stay up at night and wake up his family and tighten his veil” (Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, no. 795 and Musnad Ahmad, no. 1105)

“When the last ten days began, he would spend the nights in worship, and his family would stay up at night and pray.”  He would wake up for worship, and would hug his waist.”

(There can be two meanings of hugging his waist here, one is that he would give up meeting his wives and would always be busy only in the remembrance of Allah, and the other meaning is that he would be extremely ready for worship and sports)

“Which we did not do on other days”

How good it would be for a person to get as much of the blessings and happiness of the last ten days of Ramadan as possible and to encourage his family to do the same. After all, in the good things of this world, we always remember our family and are concerned about providing them with the most benefit, so why not be concerned about their welfare in the hereafter?

Reciting and listening to the Holy Quran

The blessed month of Ramadan has a great connection with the Holy Quran. According to the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty chose this blessed month and its blessed night, the Night of Power, to send down His pure words from the preserved tablet to the last heaven. The hadiths also reveal a special connection between the Quran and fasting, as it is stated:

Sleep at night, so intercede for me in it, he said: So they intercede (Musnad Ahmad, no. 6626, at-Tabarani, no. 14672)

“Both fasting and the Quran will intercede for the servant on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, O Lord, I have prevented this servant from eating and desires;  So accept my intercession regarding him, and the Quran will say, “I prevented this servant from sleeping in the nights (i.e. he used to stay awake at night and recite the Quran in Taraweeh and Nawafil prayers).” So accept my intercession regarding him, the Messenger of Allah said, “Then both of them will intercede.”

Ajwad may be in Ramadan when he met Gabriel, and Jibreel met him in the whole night of the city of Ramadan.  When he was teaching the Qur’an, he said: When the Messenger of God met Gabriel, peace be upon him, and he was the best of the spirits of the Messenger (Sunan).  Al-Nasai, Issue: 2094)

Hazrat  Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was superior to all the servants of Allah in giving good and benefiting mankind, and in the blessed month of Ramadan, this generous quality of his would increase even more. Every night in Ramadan, Gabriel the Trustworthy would meet him, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would recite the Holy Quran to him. When Gabriel met him, his generous benefit and giving good would become faster and stronger than the winds sent by Allah.

From this holy hadith, it is known that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not only recite during Ramadan, but he would also recite the Quran to Gabriel (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Therefore, those who memorize the Quran during Ramadan are entitled to a double reward, one reward for listening to and reciting the Quran and the other for reviving the blessed Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); therefore, this should be done as much as possible.

An abundance of charity, benevolence, and beneficence

The reward for good deeds increases in the blessed month of Ramadan; therefore, along with the abundance and care of remembrance, supplication, glorification, and prayer, one should also organize as much charity and good deeds as possible within one’s means. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has encouraged this in various hadiths.

 Great rewards and rewards have been promised for breaking the fast of those who are fasting. In the case of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), generosity and caring for the needs of people were no less important.  But during Ramadan, a strange state of cheerfulness and cheerfulness would prevail over his nature; so, while his other deeds would increase, his generosity and his passion for providing religious and worldly benefits to people would also increase, from which everyone would benefit. Read the words mentioned in the above hadith once again and try to imagine the generosity and passion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):

 “In the forgiveness of Allah, it would be faster and stronger than the winds sent by Allah.”

 Just as the cool breezes that come before the rain touch everyone’s body and make their hearts happy, the blessed breezes of the presence and generosity of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) bless many more people and become a source of joy and happiness for them; therefore, the members of the Ummah should try to paint themselves in the color of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) according to their own circumstances, and should try to benefit as many people as possible through charity, good deeds, and teaching good.

Etakaf in the month of Ramzan

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself used to organize I’tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan and encouraged others to do the same. The virtues of I’tikaf are many, no Muslim should be deprived of it. If one were to be able to do it every Ramadan, as was the blessed habit of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then what can be said! Such people are enviable; but if circumstances do not permit it, then it must be arranged at some point in the year.

 A man leaves his wife, children, homeland and who knows what else for years in order to earn a living. Leaving home for a few days to attend the mosque to attain Paradise and escape from Hell is not such a difficult task. All that is needed is courage and determination. It is narrated from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):

“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to observe I’tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah took him away, then his wives would observe I’tikaf after him.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Number: 1922)

 “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to observe I’tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan, and this practice continued until Allah Almighty took his life, then after him his wives continued the practice of I’tikaf (in their homes).”

Narrated Abu Hurairah:

“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to observe I’tikaf every Ramadan for ten days, but when the year he passed away was the year of I’tikaf, he observed it for twenty days.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1939)

“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to observe I’tikaf for ten days every Ramadan, and in the year he died, he observed it for twenty days.”

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was trained by Allah Himself directly; therefore, his nature was molded in the best mold of high morals. Allah Almighty says, “And indeed, you are of great morals” (Al-Qalam: 68). Ramadan is the best of Ramadan. Even in his ordinary life, he always remained pure and clean from bad speech, backbiting, slander and useless and frivolous things. He also wanted the Ummah to stay away from these evils; therefore, he made people aware of them. He especially advised them to stay away from them in Ramadan; because without abstaining from these evils, fasting becomes a matter of discipline.

 But the benefits and fruits of fasting, its real spiritual blessings, and the kind of training of our souls that is intended through it cannot be achieved without avoiding these evils. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

And if someone else abuses him or argues with him, he should say, “I am fasting.” (And after saying this, he should move away.)