HOW SALAF OBSERVED SAUM

A Message to Every Muslim on the Occasion of the Blessed Month of Ramadan

Brother and sister Muslims, may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you. I send you this message filled with love and greetings. I send it to you from a heart that loves you for the sake of Allah and I ask Him to bring us together in the abode of His Benedictions and Mercy. On the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan, I extend to you this advice as a humble gift which I hope you will accept with an open mind and that in turn, you advise me. May Allah protect you and take care of you. 

How do we receive the blessed month of Ramadhaan? Allah the Almighty says, "O You who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you may attain piety" [Qur'ân 2:183]. 

My esteemed brother: Allah has distinguished Ramadhaan from other months with many merits and virtues which include: 

• The bad breath from the mouth of a fasting person is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk. 

• The angels ask forgiveness for those fasting until they break their fast. 

• Allah beautifies His Paradise each day and says, "My righteous servants are about to be spared suffering and harm, then they will be sent to you." 

• The devils are chained during the month. 

• The doors of Paradise are opened while those of Hell are locked. 

• The night, Laylat al-Qadr, which is better than a thousand months occurs in this month. Whoever is deprived of the good of this night has indeed been deprived of goodness altogether. 

• Those fasting receive forgiveness on the last night of Ramadan. 

• Allah saves people from Hellfire during each night of Ramadan. 

My esteemed brother: How then do we receive the month containing these merits and virtues? Is it by occupying ourselves with playfulness and spending our nights with non-beneficial things? Or do we feel burdened and panic at its arrival? We seek refuge with Allah from such attitudes. The righteous servants of Allah welcome it with repentance and true determination to reap its benefits and fully utilize its precious time. They ask Allah to help them perform their acts of worship in the best manner. I therefore present to you my dear brother, the righteous deeds that are stressed during Ramadan. 

1. Fasting (Sawm): 
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Every good deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied. He will receive ten-fold to seven hundred fold reward for a good deed. Allah the Glorious and Majestic has said 'but fasting is exceptional, for it is done for Me and I will give reward for it, since one abandons his passion and food for My sake. There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts, joy when he breaks it and joy when he meets his Lord; and the breath (of an observer of fast) is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk." [Related by AI-Bukhari and Muslim]. 

Undoubtedly, this great reward will not be for those who only abstain from food and drink, but as the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Whoever does not abandon obscene speech and evil action, Allah does not need his refraining from eating and drinking." [Related by Al-Bukhari] The Prophet (pbuh) also said, "Fasting is a shield. When anyone of you is fasting on a day, he should neither indulge in obscene language, nor raise his voice; rather if anyone reviles him or quarrels with him, he should say, 'I am fasting." [Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. 

Therefore when you fast, servant of Allah, let your hearing, sight, tongue and all your limbs fast, so that your fasting and non-fasting days are not the same. 

2. Praying Qiyam Al-Layl: 
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh.) said, "He who observes the fast of the month of Ramadhaan with sincere faith and hope for the reward of Allah will have his past sins forgiven." [Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Also, Allah says, "And the servants of Allah most gracious are those who walk on the earth with humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say (Peace); Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrating and standing" 
[Qur'ân 63-64]. 
Thus, waking up in the night to pray qiyam al-layl i.e. performing prayer in the middle of the night, was a regular act of the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions. Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, 
"Do not abandon qiyam al-layl, for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never left it. If he was not well or he felt heavy, he prayed sitting." 

Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, used to pray at night what he wished, until it was in the middle of the night, when he would wake up his family to pray; then he would say to them "prayer.. prayer", and would recite this verse of the Qur'ân, "Enjoin prayer on your people, and be constant therein. We ask you not to provide sustenance: We provide it for you. But the fruit of the Hereafter is for righteousness" 
[Qur'ân 20:132]. 

Ibn Umar used to recite, "Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the night, prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord like one who does not?" [Qur'ân 39:9]. He said that was referring to Uthman Ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him). Ibn Abi Hatim said Ibn Umar said that it was due to the length of the prayer of the commander of the faithful, Uthman, at night and his recitation to the extent that he may have recited the entire Qur'ân in one rak'ah. 

Alqamah Ibn Qays narrated, "I slept with Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) one night. He woke up in the early part of the night and began to pray. He recited with a recitation similar to that of the neighborhood imam with a medium regular pace. Those around him could hear him and he continued until what remained of the night's darkness was equal to the time between the Aadhaan (call) for maghrib prayer and the end of the maghrib prayer time, i.e. a short time before daybreak. He then performed Witr prayer" 

Furthermore, Al-Sa'ib Ibn Zayd narrated in a Ahaadeeth that the reciter would recite (the Qur'ân) with hundreds of verses such that we supported ourselves with staves due to the lengthiness of the prayer and did not leave until the time of fair (dawn prayer). 

Caution: Brother Muslim, you have to complete the Tarawih prayer with the imam in order to be reckoned as one of those who stood (the night) in prayer. The Prophet pbuh) said, "Whoever stays with his imam until he completes the prayer, will have the night written for him as one who performed qiyam al-layl, i.e. one who stood the night in prayer." [Related by compilers of Sunan books]. 

3. Charity (Sadaqah) 
The Proph