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Al-asan al-Bar 123 (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) once
said: Whenever you hear Allh (Exalted is He) saying: O you who
truly believe! [y ayyu-ha lladhna man], you must listen carefully and
pay the closest attention, for those words are intended to alert you,
either to a commandment you have to obey, or to a prohibition you
must not infringe.
It was Jafar a-diq 124 (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) who
said: The summons has the delightful effect of dispelling the drudgery
of obedient service and weary toil.
Let us now embark upon a detailed study of the Qurnic verse [ya]
itself, beginning with the words of Allh (Exalted is He):
O you who truly believe!
1. y:
The vocative particle y [O!] is an exclamatory interjection,
123
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6. kutiba:
To say that fasting is prescribed [kutiba], is the same as saying that it
has been imposed and made incumbent as a strictly obligatory religious
duty [furia wa jiba].
125 The
Arab grammarians apply the term ism [name] to noun and pronoun alike.
verb man [truly believe] is derived from the same triliteral root as the corresponding
verbal noun mn [true belief; true faith]. According to the classical lexicographers, the primary
meaning of mn is: becoming true to the trust with respect to which Allh has confided in one,
by a firm believing with the heart; not by profession of belief with the tongue only, without the
assent of the heart; for he who does not firmly believe with his heart is either a hypocrite or an
ignorant person. (See E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art. MN.)
127 The expression y man huwa contains a sequence of sounds man hin which one can hear
a virtual echo of the word man.
126 The
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7. alai-kumu:
[This means upon (all of) you or for (all of) you.128 The Arabic
suffix -kum is a plural pronoun, indicating that more than two people
are being addressed.129 It is pronounced -kumu when followed by the
definite article (al-, a-, etc.), the initial vowel of which then becomes
silent, as in the phrase alai-kumu -iymu.]
8. -iymu:
In terms of Arabic grammar, the word iym [fasting] is a verbal noun
[madar], which may be used as the object of the corresponding verb.
Thus [if you wish to say, in Arabic, that you have kept fast throughout
the daylight hours, and then spent the night awake, observing a
prayerful vigil,] you may use the expression: umtu iyman wa qumtu
qiyman [lit., I have fasted a fasting, and I have stayed awake a
staying awake].130
In the ordinary usage of the Arabic language, the basic meaning of
iym [fasting] is summed up in the word imsk [to cease and desist; to
refrain; to abstain]. Consider the following idiomatic expressions:131
a) The expression mat ar-r [lit., the wind has fasted] may be used
when the wind has calmed down and cease to blow.
b) The expression mat al-khail [lit., the horses have fasted] may be
used when these animals have come to a halt, and have stopped to take
a break from their journey.
c) The expression ma n-nahr [lit., the daytime has kept fast] may
be used at the point of midday in summer, when the sun is at its height,
and the shade has almost disappeared. This is a reference to the fact that
the sun comes to a halt, when it reaches the center of the sky, and
128 The appropriate translation of the preposition al (which is pronounced alai- when a pronoun
is attached to it) will depend on the idiomatic usage of the English language. For instance, we may
say that something is incumbent upon you, because it is prescribed for you.
129 In addition to the second person singular pronouns, masculine -ka and feminine -ki, both
corresponding to the archaic English thee, Arabic also has the dual form -kum [(both of) you].
130 The structure of the Arabic language makes it convenient for traditional grammarians and
lexicographers to use a verb in the third person masculine singular, followed by the corresponding
verbal noun [madar] as its object, as their basic unit of reference. An interesting example occurs
in Vol. 2, p. 87, where the author (may Allh be well pleased with him) discusses possible derivations
of the Name Allh:
According to an-Nair ibn Shumail, the Name Allh may be derivedfrom the expression alaha
ilhatan, which has the same meaning as abada ibdatan [to serve, worship, adore].
131 In each of the idiomatic expressions listed by the author (may Allh be well pleased with him),
the reader will notice the use of the Arabic verb mat or ma, both forms of which are derived,
like the verbal noun iym, from the root wm.
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interrupts its progress for a brief moment. In the words of the anonymous poet:
Until, when the day keeps fast [ma n-nahr], having reached the point of noon,
and gossamer threads [lub] appear to fall, in the light of the summer sun.
ka-m kutiba
ala lladhna min qabli-kum
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of his father, Hrn, who told Abd al-Malik that his grandfather,
Antara, had said:
I once heard Al ibn Ab lib (may Allh be well pleased with
him) say: I came to Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him
peace) one day, around the time of noon, while he was indoors in his
room. I saluted him with the greeting of peace, and he returned my
salutation, then he said: O Al, here is Gabriel, offering you the
greeting of peace! So I said: Peace be unto you, and also unto him,
O Messenger of Allh! He then said (Allh bless him and give him
peace): Come over here beside me, so I moved till I was close beside
him, whereupon he said:
O Al, Gabriel is talking to you. He is saying: You must fast
during three days out of every month. For the first day, the reward of
ten thousand years will be recorded in your favor; for the second day, the
reward of thirty thousand years; and for the third day, the reward of
three hundred thousand years.
O Messenger of Allh, said I, is this reward for me in particular,
for is it for all mankind in general?
O Al, he replied (Allh bless him and give him peace): Allh
will bestow this reward not only upon you, but also upon those who
come after you, provided they perform the same good works as you do.
O Messenger of Allh, said I, which days of the month are the
three in question?
In answer to my question, he told me (Allh bless him and give
him peace): They are the three known as the white days [al-ayym
al-b]; that is to say, the the thirteenth, the fourteenth and the fifteenth
of the month.
Antara then went on to say:
So I said to Al (may Allh be well pleased with him): Why do you
call these days the white days? Al (may Allh be well pleased with
him) then told me the following story:
When Allh (Exalted is He) evicted Adam (peace be upon him)
from the Garden of Paradise, and sent him down to the earth, he was
so scorched by the sun that his body turned as black as pitch. Gabriel
(peace be upon him) then came to him and said: O Adam, would you
like to have your skin turn white? Adam said yes, he would like that
very much, so Gabriel said to him: In that case, you must fast on the
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laalla-kum
tattaqn.
That is to say, in order that you may practice detachment from eating,
drinking, and engaging in sexual intercourse.
The experts in Qurnic exegesis [ahl at-tafsr] have also provided us
with the following historical background information:
135 Abu l-ajjj Mujhid ibn Jabr al-Makk (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) was a Tbi
[member of the generation following that of the Companions] and a disciple of Ibn Abbs (may
Allh be well pleased with him and with his father). By the time of his death, in A.H. 104, he had
come to be regarded as one of the most outstanding scholars in the fields of Islmic jurisprudence
[fiqh] and Qurnic exegesis [tafsr].
136 See p. 55 above.
137 The term Lent has come down from Middle English (12th to 15th centuries), in which lente
was the word meaning springtime.
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ayyman maddat.
What this signifies is that the month of Raman may last for thirty
days, or for only twenty-nine days.
According to traditional report, Sad ibn Amr ibn Sad ibn al-
once heard Ibn Umar (may Allh be well pleased with him, and with
his father) relating that the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him
peace) had said:
I and my Community [Ummat] are simple folk without much formal
education [ummiyya]. We do not make elaborate calculations, nor do
we make a written record of the month, like so, and like so, and like so,
in order to arrive at the total of thirty.140
In Arabic, the lunar month is called shahr, because of its conspicuous
nature [shuhra]. The words shahr and shuhra are both derived from the
root sh-h-r, which conveys the basic idea of clear visibility. Verbs
from the same root are used in several idiomatic expressions, such as
shahartu s-saif [I have unsheathed the sword], and shahara l-hill [the
new moon has come into view].
138
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shahru
Ramana lladh
unzila f-hi l-Qurnu.
It was Anas ibn Mlik 145 (may Allh be well pleased with him) who
141 In the Arabic script, there is no distinction corresponding to that which exists between upper
case and lower case in scripts derived from the Roman alphabet. This fact deserves emphatic
repetition here, as a reminder that the Arabic spelling alone provides no clue as to whether a given
word is a proper noun or name, or merely a common noun. (In certain scholarly journals, for
this very reason, no capitalized letters whatsoever are used in the transliteration of Arabic texts,
not even for the names of people and places.)
142 The month of Raman is the only month of the year to be mentioned by name in the entire
Qurn, and this is the only Qurnic verse [ya] in which Allh (Exalted is He) uses the term
Raman.
143 See p. 11 above.
144 See note 125 on p. 70 above.
145 See note 35 on p. 24 above.
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stated that Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace)
once said:
Do not say Raman [as an independent unit within a sentence]. You must
always use it as part of a particular grammatically construct phrase, just as Allh
(Exalted is He) has used it in the Qurn, for He has said:
the month of Raman. (2:185)
shahru Ramana.
Like the noun Raman, the passive verb rumiat is derived from the triconsonantal root
rm, which conveys the basic idea of being scorched; intensely heated by the sun. According
the the classical Arabic lexicographers, the expression rumiat al-fil means that the young
camels, newly weaned from their mothers, were affected by the heat of the sun from the ground,
or stones, intensely heated thereby, or that they were forced to lie down, in consequence of the
intense heat of the sand, and the burning of their feet. (See E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon,
art. RM.)
147 This explanation assumes that the month of Raman acquired its name during the historical
period in which the calendar used by the people of Arabia was based on the solar year, so that
Raman always coincided with the height of the summer season, when the desert heat was
extremely intense.
As noted by Thomas Patrick Hughes (Dictionary of Islam, art. YEAR): The ancient Arabian
year is supposed to have consisted of twelve lunar months; but about the year 412 C.E., the
Arabians introduced a system of intercalation, whereby one month was intercalated into every
three years. This system of intercalation was eventually abolished, and the lunar year reinstated,
near the end of the Prophets life on earth (Allh bless him and give him peace). According to
a report transmitted by Thawr ibn Yazd, it was in the course of the sermon [khuba] he delivered
during the Farewell Pilgrimage [ajjat al-Wad] that the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him
peace) uttered the words:
Time has swung around full circle, so that it is now divided according to the same calendrical
pattern as on the day when Allh created the heavens and the earth. The year has twelve
months.
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It has also been said: Our hearts absorb a spiritual lesson from the
heat [experienced while fasting], along with a reason to reflect on the
state of the Hereafter, just as the sand and the stones absorb the effects
of their exposure to the heat of the sun.
To quote the words of [the early philologist and lexicographer]
al-Khall [ibn Amad]:148 The etymological source from which
Raman is derived is ar-rama, the Arabic term for a rain that arrives
in the autumn. This month is therefore called Raman because it
washes the sins away from our physical bodies, and also causes our hearts
to experience a process of purification.
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inn anzaln-hu
f lailatin mubrakatin.
This uncertainty is due to the fact that [portions of] the Qurn are
known to have been sent down during other months, [and not only on
one blessed night in the month of Raman].149 Indeed, Allh Himself
(Exalted is He) has said:
And [it is] a Qurn that We
have divided, so that you may
recite it to the people at intervals.
(17:106)
wa Qurnan faraqn-hu
li-taqraa-hu
ala n-nsi al mukthin.
Ibn Abbs (may Allh be well pleased with him and with his father)
responded to this by telling him:
The Qurn was sent down as a single whole, from the Well-Kept
Tablet [al-Law al-Maf], on the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] in
the month of Raman. It was thereupon installed in the House of
Glory [Bait al-Izza] in the heaven of this lower world. Then Gabriel
(peace be upon him) brought it down and revealed it to the Prophet
149 On
According to Ibn Abbs (may Allh be well pleased with him and his father), the blessed night
(44:3) is the night of mid-Shabn, which is the Night of Absolution.
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fa-l uqsimu
bi-mawqii n-nujm:
wa inna-hu la-qasamun
law talamna am:
f Kitbin maknn:
l yamassu-hu
illa l-muahharn:
a revelation from
the Lord of the Worlds. (56:7580)
tanzlun min
Rabbi l-lamn.
In a footnote, Maulana Muhammad Ali justifies this rendering with the statement: The
meaning adopted is in consonance with the context. Mawqi is the plural of mawqi, i.e., the
time or place of the coming down of a thing, which is the revelation of the Qurn in this case.
152 See note 23 on p. 18 above.
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The Scrolls of Abraham [uuf Ibrhm] (peace be upon him) were sent down
on the third day of the month of Raman. The Torah of Moses [Tawrt Ms]
(peace be upon him) was sent down on the sixth day of the month of Raman.
The Psalms of David [Zabr Dwd] (peace be upon him) were sent down on the
eighteenth day of the month of Raman. The Gospel of Jesus [Injl s] (peace
be upon him) was sent down on the thirteenth day of the month of Raman.
As for the Criterion [al-Furqn], [i.e., the Qurn,] it was sent down to
Muammad (Allh bless him and give him peace) on the twenty-fourth of the
month of Raman.
hudan lin-nsi
wa bayyintin mina l-hud
wa l-Furqn.
As a guidance for mankind, it shows the way out of error. The clear
proofs of the guidance are indisputable evidence of that which is lawful
[all] and that which is unlawful, of the restrictive statutes [udd]153
and the rules of law [akm]. The Criterion [Furqn] draws the
distinction between the true [aqq] and the false [bil].
153 In the terminology of Islamic law, udd can also mean the penalties prescribed for those who
trespass beyond the legal limits. The specific punishments prescribed by Islmic law [udd,
plural of add], and the offences for which they are prescribed, are as follows: (1) For zin in the
sense of adultery: stoning [rajm]. (2) For zin in the sense of fornication: one hundred lashes. (3)
For qadhf [falsely accusing a married person of adultery]: eighty lashes. (4) For apostasy [irtidd]:
death. (5) For drinking intoxicating beverages [shurb]: eighty lashes. (6) For theft [sariqa]:
amputation of the right hand. (7) For highway robbery [qa a-arq]: (a) amputation of hands and
feet (for robbery only) or (b) death by the sword or crucifixion (for robbery with murder).
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Not all of us can find what it takes to provide a breakfast meal for
someone who is keeping the fast, said those who were listening to his
154
Authors note: Shaikh Ab Nar Muammad ibn al-Bann cites the following chain of
transmission [isnd] for this report: His own father [Shaikh Ab Al ibn Amad ibn Abdillh
ibn al-Bann]Ibn al-FrisAb mid Amad ibn Muammad ibn al-Jald an-Nsbr
Muammad ibn Isq ibn KhuzaimaAl ibn ajar as-SadYsuf ibn ZiydHammm
ibn YayAl ibn Zaid ibn JadnSad ibn al-MusayyibSalmn [al-Fris] (may Allh
be well pleased with him)the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace).
155 See note 39 on p. 26 above.
156 The last day of the month of Shabn is immediately followed by the first day of the month of
Raman.
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sermon, but the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) went on
to say:
Allh will grant this reward to anyone who gives some kind of breakfast
nourishment to a person who is keeping the fast, even if it is merely a dried date,
a drink of water, or a cup of diluted milk.
It is a month the beginning of which is a mercy, the middle of which is a
forgiveness, and the last part of which is a deliverance from the Fire of Hell. So,
if a slaveholder lightens the burden borne by his slave in this month, Allh will
forgive him and grant him freedom from the Fire of Hell.
During the course of this month, you must therefore cultivate four practices, and
repeat them frequently. Two of these are practices by which you will earn your
Lords good pleasure, while the other two are practices that you simply cannot
afford to do without. As for the two practices by which you will earn your Lords
good pleasure, they are testifying that there is no god except Allh [shahda an
l ilha illa llh] and begging Him for forgiveness. As for the two that you simply
cannot afford to do without, they are imploring Allh to grant you the Garden
of Paradise, and taking refuge with Him from the Fire of Hell.157
Furthermore, if someone provides a satisfying breakfast meal, in the course of
this month, for a person who is keeping the fast, Allh (Exalted is He) will give
the benefactor a drink from my Basin [aw], after which he will never feel
thirsty again.158
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expiation until that same point in time. For every day on which he keeps the
fast, he will be granted a palatial mansion in the Garden of Paradise, equipped
with a thousand doors made of gold. From early in the morning, seventy
thousand angels will beg forgiveness on his behalf, although they will stay out
of sight behind the curtain. For every act of prostration he performs, by night
or by day, he will be granted a tree in Garden of Paradise, a tree in the shade of
which a rider can travel for one hundred years without ever passing beyond it.
Authors note: Shaikh Ab Nar Muammad ibn al-Bann cites the following chain of
transmission [isnd] for this report: His own father [Shaikh Ab Al ibn Amad ibn Abdillh
ibn al-Bann]al-ArajAbu Huraira (may Allh be well pleased with him)the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace).
161 See note 36 on p. 24 above.
162 Authors note: Shaikh Ab Nar Muammad ibn al-Bann cites the following chain of
transmission [isnd] for this report: His own father [Shaikh Ab Al ibn Amad ibn Abdillh
ibn al-Bann]Sahlthe father of SahlAbu Huraira (may Allh be well pleased with
him)the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace).
163
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inside a pavilion made from a single hollowed pearl. This fits the description
given by Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
Fair maids, close-guarded
in pavilions. (55:72)
run maqrtun
fi l-khiym.
Every woman amongst them will be dressed in seventy fine articles of clothing,
no item being the same as any other. She will be given seventy kinds of perfume,
none with the same fragrance as any other. She will also be given seventy
thronelike raised couches, made from a red ruby studded with pearls. Upon each
of these couches there will be seventy cushions, and over every cushion there
will be a canopy. Every woman will have seventy thousand pageboys to attend
to her own needs, as well as seventy thousand maidservants to attend to the
needs of her husband. Each of these maidservants will carry a dish made of gold,
containing some kind of cooked food, the last morsel of which will be found to
have a delicious flavor that went unnoticed in the first bite. Her husband will
be given special treats like this, as he reclines upon a couch made from red ruby.
Such will be his reward for every day on which he has kept the fast of Raman,
quite apart from what he may have earned by performing charitable deeds!
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Authors note: Shaikh Ab Nar Muammad ibn al-Bann cites the following chain of
transmission [isnd] for this report: His own father [Shaikh Ab Al ibn Amad ibn
Abdillh ibn al-Bann]Muammad ibn Amad [al-fi]Abdullh ibn
MuammadAbu l-Qsim ibn Abdillh ibn Muammadal-asan ibn Ibrhm ibn Yasr
and Ibrhm ibn Muammad ibn rithSalama ibn Shubaibal-Qsim ibn Muammad
Hishm ibn al-Waldammd ibn Sulaimn ad-Dawsal-asana-ak ibn
al-MuzimIbn Abbs (may Allh be well pleased with him and with his father)the
Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace).
165 See note 42 on p. 26 above.
166 As an ordinary noun, the Arabic word riwn means approval; consent; good pleasure. In
the standard works of reference, the angel called Riwn is variously described as the porter, the
gardener, the doorkeeper, the keeper, the guardian, the treasurer, or the custodian of Paradise.
167 The term talbiyya [(the expression of) willing compliance] is the verbal noun corresponding
to the declaration Labbaik! which signifies: Here I am, doubly at your service! or, I wait intent
upon your service, time and time again. The Arabic use of the dual form (indicated by the word
doubly in English translation) may also imply the meaning inwardly and outwardly.
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he will respond to their question by saying: O lovely good ladies, this is the first
night of the month of Raman, the night when the gates of the Garden of
Paradise are opened for the sake of those members of the Community [Umma]
of Muammad (Allh bless him and give him peace) who are keeping the fast.
In confirmation of these words, Allh (Exalted is He) will promptly say: O
Riwn, open the gates of all the Gardens of Paradise! O Mlik,168 shut the
doors of the blazing Fire of Hell [Jam], to keep out those members of the
Community [Umma] of Muammad (Allh bless him and give him peace) who
are keeping the fast. O Gabriel, go down to the earth below, shackle the defiant
and rebellious devils [maradat ash-shayn], and tie them up securely with fetters
and chains. Then cast them into the deepest depths of the oceans, so that they
cannot meddle with the Community of My beloved friend [abb], Muammad,
and spoil their experience of fasting.
According to this same report, the Prophet (Allh bless him and give
him peace) then went on to say:
On each and every night of the month of Raman, Allh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) will say three times: Does anyone have a request to make, so
that I may grant his request? Is there anyone who wishes to repent, so that I may
relent toward him and accept his repentance? Is there anyone wishing to seek
forgiveness, so that I may forgive him? Who would make a loan to a rich man,
as opposed to one who is impoverished, and to a person who is fully in control
of his affairs, as opposed to one who is the victim of injustice?
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) continued further:
On each and every day of the month of Raman, by the time when the fast is
duly broken [ifr], Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will have delivered a
million of His servants from the Fire of Hell, even though all of them had
incurred the penalty of damnation. Moreover, when the night of the Day of
Congregation [Juma] comes around, and on the Day of Congregation itself, it
will be during every single hour that Allh (Exalted is He) delivers a million of
His servants from the Fire of Hell, even though all of them had incurred the
penalty of damnation. As for what will happen on the last day of the month of
Raman, on that day Allh will deliver a number equal to the total of all those
He has delivered between the first of the month and the last.
As soon as the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] has arrived, Allh (Exalted is He)
will give the order to Gabriel (peace be upon him), who will promptly descend
to the earth below, traveling in a throng of angels and bearing a green banner,
which he will set up on top of the Kaba. Gabriel (peace be upon him) has no
fewer than six hundred wings, which he only unfolds on the Night of Power
168 As an ordinary adjectival noun, the Arabic word mlik means one who exercises control.
The
angel Mlik is charged with the custody of Hell and the supervision of its inmates, as they suffer
the torments of damnation. Unlike Riwn, his counterpart in Paradise, Mlik is mentioned by
name in the Qurn, where Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And they shall cry out: O Mlik, let your
Lord make an end of us! But he will say:
Here you must surely remain. (43:77)
wa ndaw y Mliku
li-yaqi alai-n Rabbu-k.
qla inna-kum mkithn.
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[Lailat al-Qadr]. He will therefore spread them on that night, and, by so doing,
he will span the entire distance between the East and the West. Gabriel (peace
be upon him) will command the angels to infiltrate into this Community
[Umma], so they will insert themselves unobtrusively among its members. They
will then give the greeting of peace to every believer who is found to be
observing the night vigil [qim], performing the ritual prayer [muall], and
practicing the remembrance of Allh [dhkir]. They will exchange greetings
with them, and say mn to their prayers of supplication [yuamminna al
dui-him], until the break of dawn.
At this point, Gabriel (peace be upon him) will cry out: O company of angelic
friends [y mashar al-awliy], now is the moment for us to be homeward
bound! But they will ask: O Gabriel, what has Allh done to meet the needs
of the believers [muminn] belonging to the Community of Muammad (Allh
bless him and give him peace)? So he will respond to this by saying: Allh
(Exalted is He) has scrutinized them carefully, and He has pardoned and
forgiven them all, with only four exceptions.
Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace) was quick to
explain:
These are the four exceptions: Anyone who is addicted to intoxicating liquor
[mudmin khamr]; anyone who is disobedient and disrespectful toward his
parents [qq wlidai-hi]; anyone who is guilty of disrupting a bond of kinship
[qi rim]; and anyone who is virulently rancorous [mushin].
dismember the Community, defenders of the orthodox tradition of Islm would seize upon this
saying of the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace), interpreting the word mushin to
mean virulently and aggressively schismatic.
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Then, when the believers have emerged and presented themselves at their place
of prayer [muall], Allh (Exalted is He) will say to His angels: O My angels,
what is the recompense of the hired laborer, once he has done his job?
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) continued:
The angels will reply: Our God [Ilh] and our Master [Sayyid], You will pay him
his wages in full! So He will say: I now call upon you to bear witness, O My
angels, that I have conferred My acceptance and My forgiveness, as the reward
for their fasting [iym] and night vigil [qiym] during the month of Raman.
Then He will say: O My human servants, put your requests to Me now, for this
I swear, by My Might and My Majesty: You will not ask Me this day, in this
gathering of yours, for anything connected with your life hereafter, without My
granting it to you; nor for anything connected with your life in this lower world,
without My attending to your need. By My Might and My Majesty, I will surely
condone the false steps you make, as long as you are consciously alert in the
effort to avoid incurring My displeasure. By My Might and My Majesty, I will
not put you to shame, nor will I expose you to disgrace amongst those who are
faithfully committed to observing the statutes [udd].170 Now you may depart,
knowing that you have been forgiven. You have won My approval, and I am
well pleased with you.
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If the servants [of the Lord] only knew what the month of Raman contains,
those servants of His would dearly wish that the month of Raman could be
a whole year!
run maqrtun
fi l-khiym.
Every woman amongst them will be dressed in seventy fine articles of clothing,
no item being the same as any other. She will be given seventy kinds of perfume,
none with the same fragrance as any other. She will also be given seventy
thronelike raised couches, made from red rubies and studded with pearls. Upon
each of these couches there will be seventy cushions, the lining of which will
consist of thick silk brocade interwoven with gold [istabraq],174 and over every
cushion there will be seventy canopies.
Every woman amongst them will have seventy thousand pageboys to attend to
her own needs, as well as seventy thousand maidservants to attend to the needs
of her husband. Each of these maidservants will carry a dish made of gold,
containing some kind of cooked food, the last morsel of which will be found to
have a delicious flavor that went unnoticed in the first bite. Her husband will
be given special treats like this, as he reclines upon a couch made from a single
red ruby, wearing two bracelets of gold inlaid with sapphires. Such will be the
reward of one who has kept the fast through the month of Raman, quite apart
from what he may have earned by performing charitable deeds!
dbj [silk brocade], or, more precisely, to closely woven, thick, beautiful dbj [silk brocade]
interwoven with gold. (See E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art. BRQ and art. DBJ.)
175 Abu l-Khab Qatda ibn Dima ibn Qatda as-Sads (d. A.H. 118). Learned in Qurnic
exegesis [tafsr] and Islamic jurisprudence [fiqh], he was also an authority on Arabic poetry.
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the authority of Anas ibn Mlik 176 (may Allh be well pleased with
him), the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
As soon as the first night of the month of Raman has arrived, the
All-Majestic One [al-Jall] (Magnificent is His Glory) will summon Riwn, the
keeper [khzin]177 of the Garden of Paradise. The ever-obedient Riwn will
present himself at once, saying: I wait intent upon Your service, time and time
again, and upon aiding Your cause, time and time again [labbaika wa sadaik]!178
The Lord will then tell him: You must refurnish and redecorate My Garden
of Paradise, for the sake of those members of the Community [Umma] of Amad
who are keeping the fast.
Next, He will summon Mlik,179 the keeper [khzin] of the Fire of Hell, with the
call: O Mlik! The ever-obedient Mlik will present himself at once, saying:
I wait intent upon Your service, time and time again, and upon aiding Your
cause, time and time again [labbaika wa sadaik]! The Lord will then tell him:
Shut the doors of the blazing Fire of Hell [Jam], so as to lock out those
members of the Community [Umma] of Amad (Allh bless him and give him
peace) who are keeping the fast. Then do not reopen those doors to them until
they have completed their month of fasting.
At this point, He will summon Gabriel (peace be upon him), who will present
himself at once, saying: I wait intent upon Your service, time and time again,
and upon aiding Your cause, time and time again [labbaika wa sadaik]! The
Lord will then tell him: You must go down to the earth below, in order to
shackle the defiant and rebellious devils [maradat ash-shayn], so that they
cannot meddle with the Community of Amad, and spoil their experience of
fasting and breaking fast.
On each and every day of the month of Raman, at the rising of the sun and
also at the time of breaking fast [ifr], Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will
have countless servants, male and female, delivered from damnation to the Fire
of Hell.
In each of the seven heavens, He has an angelic herald ever at the ready. One
of these is an angel whose crest [urf] is just beneath the Throne of the Lord of
All the Worlds [Arsh Rabbi l-lamn], while the padded soles of his feet
[farsin] are planted on the farthest edges of the seventh and lowest earth. He
has one wing in the East, and one wing in the West. Adorned with a diadem
of corals, pearls and gems, he will proclaim [on behalf of his Lord]: Is there
anyone ready to repent, so that his repentance may be accepted? Is there anyone
ready to make a plea, so that his request may be answered? Is there anyone
suffering injustice, so that Allh may come to his aid? Is there anyone seeking
forgiveness, so that Allh may forgive him? Is there anyone with a petition to
make, so that his petition may be granted?
176
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If someone keeps the fast on the first day of the month of Raman, Allh will forgive him every
sin until the last day of Raman, and his fasting will be an expiation until that same point in time.
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The initial r stands for rama [mercy] and rafa [compassionate kindness]. The mm stands for
mujzt [recompense], maabba [loving affection] and minna [gracious favor]. The d stands for amn
[guarantee], meaning the assurance of spiritual reward. The alif is the first letter of the Arabic word ulfa,
meaning intimate affection and nearness. The final nn stands for nr [light] and nawl [receiving benefit].
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See the traditional reports cited on p. 89 and p. 93 above. (In those reports, the expression
maradat ash-shayn [defiant and rebellious devils] is used, rather than maradat ash-Shain [defiant
and rebellious agents of Satan].
189 In certain contexts, the terms tawba and inba are virtually synonymous, so repentance is
often a satisfactory equivalent for either. Significant distinctions are sometimes drawn, however,
as the author (may Allh be well pleased with him) has explained in Vol. 2, p. 204, where he tells
us that, according to Ab Al ad-Daqqq (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him):
Repentance has three parts or stages: (1) tawba, which is an initial stage; (2) inba, which is an
intermediate stage; and (3) awba, which is an ultimate stage. The term tawba applies to the repentance
of one who repents because of the fear of punishment. The term inba applies to the repentance of one
who is motivated by the desire for reward or the dreadful prospect of chastisement. The term awba applies
to the repentance of one who repents in deference to the Divine commandment, not because of the desire
for reward or the fear of chastisement.
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An anonymous saying,
in which every sentence begins:
The chieftain [sayyid] ofis.
note 39 on p. 26 above .
uhaib (may Allh be well pleased with him) was one of the very first to acknowledge the
Mission of the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace), and so to accept Islm. Although
he was the son of Arab parents, he acquired the nickname ar-Rm [the Greek] because, while
only a boy, he had been captured and enslaved by the Byzantine Greeks [ar-Rm].
192 Bill (may Allh be well pleased with him) was the first muezzin [muadhdhin] appointed by the
Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) to summon the Muslim community to the five daily
prayers. He was an Abyssinian slave who had been ransomed by Ab Bakr (may Allh be well
pleased with him).
193 In Arabic, the Temple of Jerusalem is called either Bait al-Maqdis or Bait al-Muqaddas. In either
case, the literal meaning is the House of the Holy Land. (Faced with an Arabic text in which
the spelling is simply mqds, with no marks to indicate vowels or doubled consonants, the
translator can only guess at the reading originally preferred!)
191
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The chieftain of the days of the week [sayyid al-ayym] is Friday, the
Day of Congregation [Yawm al-Juma].
The chieftain of the nights [sayyid al-layl] is the Night of Power
[Lailat al-Qadr].
The chieftain of the Books of Scripture [sayyid al-Kutub] is the
Qurn.
The chieftain of the Qurn [sayyid al-Qurn] is the Chapter
entitled The Cow [Srat al-Baqara].194
The chieftain of the Chapter entitled The Cow [sayyid Srat
al-Baqara] is the Verse of the Throne [yat al-Kurs].195
The chieftain of the stones [sayyid al-ajr] is the Black Stone
[al-ajar al-Aswad].196
The chieftain of the wells [sayyid al-abr] is Zamzam.197
The chieftain of the staffs [sayyid al-u] is the Staff of Moses [A
Ms] (peace be upon him).
The chieftain of the fishes [sayyid al-tn] is the whale [t] that once
carried Jonah [Ynus] (peace be upon him) inside its belly.
The chieftain of the she-camels [sayyid an-nq] is the she-camel
[nqa] of li (peace be upon him).198
The chieftain of the horses [sayyid al-afrs] is al-Burq.199
The chieftain of the signet rings [sayyid al-khawtim] is the seal of
Solomon [khtam Sulaimn] (peace be upon him).
The chieftain of the months [sayyid ash-shuhr] is the month of
Raman.
194
195 Q. 2:255.
196 The Black
Stone [al-ajar al-Aswad] is embedded in the sharp angle of the Kaba in the
Sanctuary of Mecca.
197 The well called Zamzam is situated within the precincts of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca.
198 li, of the tribe of Thamd, was one of the Prophets of Arabia (peace be upon them) who
are not mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures. The story of his she-camel is told in Qurn:
So they hamstrung the she-camel, and they flouted the commandment of their Lord, and they
said: O li! Bring your threats to bear upon us, if you are indeed one of those sent [by Allh].
So the eathquake caught them unawares, and morning found them lying prostrate in their place
of abode. (7:77,78)
199
According to traditional reports, al-Burq is the name of the fabulous animal which the
Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) mounted on the night of his Heavenly Ascension
[Mirj].
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inn anzaln-hu
f Lailati l-Qadr.
wa m adr-ka
m Lailatu l-Qadr.
In it the angels
and the Spirit come down
by their Lords permission,
on every errand.
tanazzalu l-malikatu
wa r-Ru f-h
bi-idhni Rabbi-him
min kulli amr.
salmun hiya
att malai l-fajr.
First of all, we should note that the object pronoun -hu [it] in anzaln-hu
[We sent it down] is an allusion to the Qurn. Allh (Exalted is He)
sent it down from the Well-Kept Tablet [al-Law al-Maf] to the
heaven of this lower worldto the Scribes [as-Safara], they being the
clerks or secretaries among the angels. It would thus come down on that
particular night, from the Tablet, to the extent that Gabriel (peace be
upon him) was to reveal itwith the permission of Allh (Exalted is
He)to the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) in the
course of the whole year. The same procedure would then be applied
in each subsequent year, until the entire Qurn had come down, on the
Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] in the month of Raman, to the heaven
of this lower world.
Ibn Abbs (may Allh be well pleased with him and with his father)
was offering an interpretation also proposed by other authorities, when
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inn anzaln-hu
f Lailati l-Qadr.
This means: We sent Gabriel down with this Sra, and with the
whole of the Qurnon the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr]to the
recording angels. Then it came down after that, by installments
[najman najm], to Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him
peace)during a period of twenty-three years, and in all the months,
days, nights, and moments of time.
As for His statement (Exalted is He):
on the Night of Power.
f Lailati l-Qadr.
wa m adr-ka
m Lailatu l-Qadr.
In other words: O Muammad, if it were not for the fact that Allh
has made you realize its tremendous importance, [how could you have
known]? For the fact is that, in every instance where the question
posed in the Qurn is in the past tenseand what has made you know
[wa m adr-ka]?Allh had already imparted the relevant knowledge
to him. On the other hand, whenever the question posed therein is in
the future tenseand what will make you know [wa m yudr-ka]?
the implication is that He had not let him know, and had not imparted
the relevant knowledge to him. For example, consider His words
(Almighty and Glorious is He):
And what will make you know?
It may be that the Hour is near.
(33:63)
wa m yudr-ka
laalla s-Sata taknu qarb.
The timing of the Hour [of the Resurrection] had not become clear
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to the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace), so he was asked:
and what will make you know [wa m yudr-ka] ? rather than: and
what has made you know [wa m adr-ka]?
The following point should also be noted, concerning the night
which He has described (Exalted is He) as the Night of Power [Lailat
al-Qadr], that is to say, the Night of Sublime Majesty and Wisdom
[Lailat al-Aama wa l-ikma]: According to some authorities, this is
the blessed night referred to in the words of Allh (Almighty and
Glorious is He):
We sent it down on a blessed night
in which every firm decree
is made distinct. (44:3,4)
In other words, good deeds therein are better than [those performed
in] a thousand months that are without a Night of Power.
It is said of the Companions [aba] (may Allh be well pleased with
them) that they never felt so happy about anything, as they felt about
His words (Exalted is He): better than a thousand months [khairun min
alfi shahr]. The story behind this goes as follows:
One day, Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace)
was telling his Companions about four of the Children of Israel [Ban
Isrl], and how they worshipfully served Allh for eighty years,
without disobeying Him for one single twinkling of an eye in all of
that time. The four he spoke about were Job [Ayyb],200 Zacharias
[Zakariyy],201 Ezekiel [izql],202 and Joshua the son of Nn203 [Yshaibn
Nn] (peace be upon them all).
200 Job [Ayyb] (peace be upon him) is mentioned several times in the Qurn, as a Prophet and
an example of patience.
201 Zacharias [Zakariyy] is mentioned several times in the Qurn, where he is hailed as the father
of John the Baptist [Yay] (peace be upon them both).
202 Ezekiel [izql] (peace be upon him) is not mentioned by name in the Qurn, but the Qurnic
commentators have identified an allusion to him therein, and he is frequently referred to in
traditional reports. (See: Thomas Patrick Hughes, op. cit., art. EZEKIEL, and Shorter Encyclopedia
of Islam, art. IQL.)
203 Although not mentioned by name in the Qurn, Joshua the son of Nn [Ysha ibn Nn]
(peace be upon him) is identified by some Islamic authorities as the servant of Moses (peace be
upon him), who is mentioned in Q. 18:60.
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The Companions of Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him
peace) were greatly amazed at all of this, so Gabriel (peace be upon him)
came to him and said: O Muammad, it seems to have come as a
great surprise to you and your Companions, to learn that these
individuals were devoted to worshipful service for eighty years,
without disobeying Allh (Exalted is He) for one single twinkling
of an eye in all of that time. So now Allh has sent down to you
something even better than that! Then he recited to the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace):
Behold, We sent it down
on the Night of Power.
inn anzaln-hu
f Lailati l-Qadr.
wa m adr-ka
m Lailatu l-Qadr.
In it the angels
and the Spirit come down
by their Lords permission,
on every errand.
tanazzalu l-malikatu
wa r-Ru f-h
bi-idhni Rabbi-him
min kulli amr.
salmun hiya
att malai l-fajr.
Gabriel (peace be upon him) then said to him: This is even more
excellent than that which you and your Companions found so
amazing. Needless to say, the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him
peace) was highly delighted.
It was Yay ibn Naj who said: Once upon a time, among the
Children of Israel [Ban Isrl], there was a man who carried a weapon
for a thousand months in the service of Allhs cause [f sabli llh], and
not once in all of that time did he set his weapon aside. Allhs
Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace) mentioned this to his
Companions, and they found the story quite amazing. So it was then
that Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) sent down the revelation:
The Night of Power is better
than a thousand months. (97:3)
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As for the name by which the man was known among the Children
of Israel [Ban Isrl], some say it was Simon the Worshipful Servant
[Shamn al-bid], while others say it was Samson [Shamsn].
Let us now consider the significance of each element in His saying
(Exalted is He):
In it the angels
and the Spirit come down
by their Lords permission,
on every errand.
tanazzalu l-malikatu
wa r-Ru f-h
bi-idhni Rabbi-him
min kulli amr.
salmun hiya
att malai l-fajr.
wa yasalna-ka
ani r-R.
He is the angel who will stand in the company of the angels, when
they line up in rows on the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyma], but
in a rank by himself.
According to al-Muqtil: He is the most noble of all the angels in
the sight of Allh (Exalted is He).
Someone else has said: He is an angel whose face is shaped like that
of a human being, while his body is the body of the angels. He is the
most enormous creature in the presence of the Heavenly Throne
[Arsh], so he will stand in a row all by himself, when the angels stand
arrayed. The last part of this statement is, of course, a reference to the
words of Allh (Exalted is He):
On the day when the Spirit
and the angels stand arrayed. (78:38)
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204
In the original text, the author (may Allh be well pleased with him) is able to express this
much more neatly, by using the technical term of Arabic grammar: bi-kasri l-lm.
205 The reading att malii l-fajr is a traditionally accepted alternative to att malai l-fajr. See,
for instance, the celebrated Qurnic commentary called Tafsr al-Jallain, the first half of which
was compiled by Shaikh Jallud-dn al-Maall (d. A.H. 864), and the rest by Jallud-dn as-Suy
(d. A.H. 911).
206 In either case, according to the Qurnic commentary mentioned in note 205 above, the
meaning is understood to be: till the time of its rising [il waqti uli-hi]. (Jallud-dn al-Maall
and Jallud-dn as-Suy. Tafsr al-Jallain. Istanbul: Salh Bilici Kitabevi Yaynlar, n.d.;
pt. 2, p. 267.)
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four schools [madhhib] of Islamic jurisprudence. He died in the year A.H. 179/795 C.E.
208 Imm Ab Abdillh Muammad ibn Idrs ash-Shfi (may Allh bestow His mercy upon
him) was the founder of one of the four schools [madhhib] of Islamic jurisprudence. He died in
the year A.H. 204/820 C.E. Imm al-Ghazl (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) was one of
the most notable professors of the Shfi school.
209 See note 23 on p. 18 above.
210 See note 192 on p. 98 above.
211 Ubayy ibn Kab (may Allh be well pleased with him) was one of the Companions of the
Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) to whom particular editions of the text of the
Qurn, prior to the authorization of Uthmns version, have been ascribed. (See: Shorter
Encyclopaedia of Islam, art. AL-KURN.)
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them) are both known to have said: It is the night of the twentyseventh.
The strongest evidence in favor of the conclusion that the most likely
candidate is the night of the twenty-seventhalthough Allh knows
best [wallhu Alam]has been presented by Imm Amad ibn anbal212
(may Allh bestow His mercy upon him). Citing an authoritative
chain of transmission [isnd], the Imm reports that Ibn Abbs (may
Allh be well pleased with him and with his father) once said:
It seemed that people would never stop telling the Prophet (Allh
bless him and give him peace) about how, in their dreams, they had seen
which of the last ten nights was the Night. So the Prophet (Allh bless
him and give him peace) eventually declared: As I cannot help but notice,
your dreams repeatedly suggest that it is one of the odd-numbered
nights among the final ten. If anyone is really keen to investigate, let
him focus his research on the seventh night of the final ten.
Ibn Abbs is reported as having said to Umar ibn al-Khab (may
Allh be well pleased with them):
I made a careful study of all the uneven numbers [afrd], and I had
to conclude that none was more worthy of note than the number
seven [as-saba].
To demonstrate the special significance of the number seven, we shall
now repeat what a certain learned scholar had to say on the subject:
There are seven heavens, and there are seven earths.
There are seven nights [in a week].
There are seven celestial spheres [aflk], and there are seven constellations [nujm].
There are seven laps to be covered at a brisk pace [say] between [the
small hills] of a-af and al-Marwa.213
There are seven circuits to be performed in the circumambulation
[awf] of the House [of Allh].214
212 Imm Amad ibn anbal (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) was the founder of one of
the four schools [madhhib] of Islamic jurisprudence. He died in the year A.H. 241/855 C.E. The
legal doctrines of the anbal school were those studied most intensively by the author, Shaikh
Abd al-Qdir al-Jln (may Allh be well pleased with him) as a young man.
213 This sentence refers to one of the rites of the Pilrimage [ajj]. (For a detailed account, see:
Vol. 1, pp. 2652.)
214 The circumambulation [awf] of the House of Allh [Baitullh], i.e., the Kaba, is another rite
of the Pilrimage [ajj].
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The Qurn has been revealed according to seven dialects [nazala l-Qurnu al sabati aruf].
This has been interpreted to mean: according to seven modes of reading or recitation. (See:
E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art. RF; also: Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam, art.
AL-KURN; and: Thomas Patrick Hughes, op. cit., art. SEVEN DIALECTS.)
218 Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said in the Qurn (15:87):
We have given you seven
of the oft-repeated [verses]
and the mighty Qurn.
According to some authorities, the seven mathn are the oft-repeated verses [yt] of the
Opening Sra [Srat al-Ftia] of the Qurn. Others maintain that the seven mathn are the
seven long Sras from Srat al-Baqara to Srat al-Arf. (For yet other interpretations, see: E.W.
Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art. THNY and art. SB.)
219 The names of the descending levels of Hell are as follows: (1) Jahannam, (2) La (3)
al-uama (4) Sar (5) Saqar (6) al-Jam (7) Hwiya. All of these are mentioned in the Qurn,
but the traditional commentators differ as to their order of descent.
220 Their story is told in the Sra of the Cave [Srat al-Kahf], the 18th Sra of the Qurn. In the
Christian tradition, they are known as the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.
221 The Prophet Hd (peace be upon him) and a few righteous men were the only survivors.
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urrimat alai-kum
ummahtu-kum
wa bantu-kum
wa akhawtu-kum
wa ammtu-kum
wa khltu-kum
wa bantu l-akhi
wa bantu l-ukhti.
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wa sh-shamsi wa u-h
wa l-qamari idh tal-h
wa n-nahri idh jall-h
wa l-laili idh yaghsh-h
wa s-sami wa m ban-h
wa l-ari wa m a-h
wa nafsin wa m sawwh.
Moses [Ms] (peace be upon him) stood seven cubits tall, and the
length of the staff of Moses was also seven cubits.
226
The twenty-seven elements counted as urf [words] are therefore the following:
(1) inn (2) anzaln-hu (3) f (4) Lailati (5) l-Qadr (6) wa (7) m (8) adr-ka (9) m (10) Lailatu
(11) l-Qadr (12) Lailatu (13) l-Qadr (14) khairun (15) min (16) alfi (17) shahr (18) tanazzalu (19)
l-malikatu (20) wa (21) r-Ru (22) f-h (23) bi-idhni (24) Rabbi-him (25) min (26) kulli
(27) amr.
227 Their names are said to be: (1) inn, (2) innabr, (3) wabr, (4) al-mir, (5) al-mutamir, (6)
al-muallil, and (7) al-jamr al-mufi or mufi a-an. (See: E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art.
JZ and art. SM.) These are the seven days during which the tribe of d was destroyed by
the wind. (See p. 108 above.)
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salmun hiya
att malai l-fajr.
228 Since this conclusion hinges on the expression: Peace it is [salmun hiya ], we are no
doubt expected to be aware that the word salm [peace] occurs seven times in the Qurn. These
are the relevant verses [yt]:
salm: qawlan
min Rabbin Ram.
salmun al Nin
fi l-lamn.
salmun al Ibrhm.
salmun al Ms wa Hrn.
salmun al Ilysn.
wa salmun
ala l-Mursaln.
salmun hiya
att malai l-fajr.
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Authors note: Imm Ab Yala (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) has provided a
complete chain of transmitting authorities [isnd] to verify the authenticity of this report.
232 That is to say, by repeating the invocation: Allh bless him and give him peace [allallhu
alaihi wa sallam].
233 The ghurra of a horse, for instance, is the blaze on its forehead.
234 See note 35 on p. 24 above.
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position in the calendar is known for certain here in this lower world,238
whereas the exact date of the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] can only
be surmised.
It must be admitted, notwithstanding, that a case can be made in
favor of the view preferred by at-Tamm and some other learned
scholars.239 When they maintain that the Night of Power [Lailat
al-Qadr] is more excellent than any other night, they begin by citing the
words of Allh (Exalted is He):
The Night of Power is better
than a thousand months. (97:3)
Then, having noted the fact that a thousand months are the equivalent of eighty-three years and four months,240 they cite the following
traditional reports:241
It said that the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) was
shown the life spans of the members of his Community [Umma], and he
considered them too short, so he was granted the Night of Power [Lailat
al-Qadr].
Imm Mlik ibn Anas242 (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) is
reported as having said: I have heard, from someone whose word I
trust, that Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace)
once saw the life spans of all the people before his own time, or as much
of that as Allh (Exalted is He) wished him to see. In this vision, it
seemed to him that the life spans of those belonging to his own
Community [Umma] had become shorter by comparison, with the
result that they could not accomplish as much good work, in the course
of a lifetime, as others who had preceded them. It was then that Allh
granted him the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr], which is better than
a thousand months.
238 In this world, to put it in simple English, Friday comes but once a week, and always between
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Imm Mlik ibn Anas (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) also
said: It has come to my attention that Sad ibn al-Musayyib243 once
said: If someone is present at the late evening prayer [alt al-ish] on
the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr], he will derive good fortune
therefrom.
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) is reported as
having said:
If someone performs both the late evening [ish] and sunset [maghrib] prayers
in congregation, he will obtain his share of good fortune from the Night of
Power [Lailat al-Qadr]. Moreover, if he recites itmeaning the Sra of Power
[Srat al-Qadr]it will be as if he had recited one fourth of the entire Qurn.244
243 Sad ibn al-Musayyib [or, al-Musayyab] (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) was an early
scholar of Prophetic tradition. He died in A.H. 93. (There is some uncertainty as to the correct
spelling of his last name. The forms ibn al-Musayyib and ibn al-Musayyab both occur, often in the
same text.)
244 Authors note: It is a recommended practice for the worshipper to recite the Sra of Power
[Srat al-Qadr] in the final late evening prayer [ish] of the month of Raman.
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uppose someone raises the question: Why has Allh not informed
His servants of an exact date, on which the Night of Power [Lailat
al-Qadr] is certain to occur, just as He has provided them with precise
and unambiguous information concerning the night of the Day of
Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma]?
The appropriate response will be to tell the questioner: His purpose
(Exalted is He) is to make sure that His servants do not take it for
granted that they have performed good deeds on that particular night.
Were it not for this element of uncertainty, they could make the claim:
We have performed good deeds on a night that is better than a
thousand months, so Allh has granted us forgiveness, and in His sight
we are now entitled to spiritual degrees and Gardens of Paradise. They
might therefore abandon all further effort to do good works, and simply
rest on their laurels. Having thus fallen prey to unduly optimistic
expectation, they would then be doomed to perdition.
It should also be noted that, as a similar measure of precaution, Allh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has refrained from informing His
servants as to when their individual lifetimes are due to expire. Were
it not so, a person with a long life still ahead of him could say: I intend
to give free rein to my carnal desires, indulging in all the pleasures this
world has to offer, and enjoying its comforts to the full. Eventually, of
course, when the expiration of my term draws near, I shall repent and
devote myself to the worshipful service of my Lord. I shall then die as
a penitent and reformed character.
In actual fact, Allh (Exalted is He) has kept their appointed terms
concealed from them, so they must always be cautious and wary of
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245
fi ala -alawti
wa -alti l-wus:
wa qm lillhi qnitn.
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iqtarabati s-satu
wa nshaqqa l-qamar.
It is also universally believed by the people of Islm that the Prophet Muammad (Allh bless him
and give him peace) was granted as many miracles [mujizt] as those bestowed upon the rest of the
Prophets, and more besides. Some of the experts in religious knowledge [ahl al-ilm] have counted no
fewer than a thousand such miracles. Included among them is the Qurn.
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inn anzaln-hu
f lailatin mubrakatin:
inn kunn mundhirn:
f-h yufraqu
kullu amrin akm.
inn anzaln-hu
f Lailati l-Qadr.
The Night of the Heavenly Ascension [Lailat al-Mirj] is also known as the Night of the
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And what has made you know
what is the Night of Power?
wa m adr-ka
m Lailatu l-Qadr.
In it the angels
and the Spirit come down
by their Lords permission,
on every errand.
tanazzalu l-malikatu
wa r-Ru f-h
bi-idhni Rabbi-him
min kulli amr.
salmun hiya
att malai l-fajr.
121
Ibn Abbas (may Allh be well pleased with him and with his father)
is reported as having said:
As soon as the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] has arrived, Allh
(Glorified and Exalted is He) will command Gabriel (peace be upon
him) to go down to the earth, accompanied by a host of angels, seventy
thousand strong, from among the inhabitants of the Lote-Tree of the
Farthest Boundary [Sidrat al-Muntah].250 They will carry with them
banners of light, and once they have alighted upon the surface of the
earth, Gabriel (peace be upon him) will set up his banner [liw] and the
angels will set up their banners in four localities, namely: (1) next to
the Kaba in Mecca, (2) next to the tomb of the Prophet (Allh bless
him and give him peace) in Medina, (3) next to the Mosque of
Jerusalem [Bait al-Maqdis],251 and (4) next to the Mosque of Mount
Sinai [r Sn].
Then Gabriel (peace be upon him) will tell the angels to fan out and
go their separate ways, so they will disperse and go off separately in all
directions. Not a single house, or chamber, or tent, and not a single boat
or ship, in which there is a believing man [mumin] or a believing
woman [mumin] to be found, will fail to receive a visit from the
angelsapart from any such place that contains a dog, or a pig, or
intoxicating liquor, or a person who is ritually unclean from some
unlawful contact or behavior [junub mina l-arm], or an icon [ra].
250 With reference to the experience of the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) during
his Heavenly Ascension [Mirj], Allh (Exalted is He) has told us in the Qurn (53:13,14):
And indeed, he saw Him yet another time
by the Lote-Tree of the Farthest Boundary.
251
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As they make their rounds, the angels will be glorifying the Lord
[yusabbina],252 extolling His Sanctity [yuqaddisna],253 and declaring
that worship is due to Him Alone [yuhallilna],254 as well as begging
forgiveness on behalf of the Community of Muammad (Allh bless
him and give him peace). They will continue in this fashion until,
when the moment of dawn arrives, they rise up aloft into the sky. The
inhabitants of the lowest heaven will then receive them as their guests,
and they will ask them: Where are you coming from? So the traveling
angels will say: We spent the night in the world below, because it was
the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] for the Community of Muammad
(Allh bless him and give him peace).
The inhabitants of the lowest heaven will then go on to ask: How
has Allh treated them, and what has He done to meet their needs?
Gabriel (peace be upon him) will respond to this by saying: Allh has
forgiven the righteous ones among them [li-him], and He has
accepted their intercession on behalf of the unrighteous ones in their
midst [li-him]. On hearing this, the angels of the lowest heaven will
raise their voices in glorification [tasb], sanctification [taqds], and
praise of the Lord of All the Worlds [Rabb al-lamn], as an expression
of gratitude for the forgiveness and acceptance that Allh has bestowed
upon this Community. Then the angels of the lowest heaven will
escort their guests up to the second heaven.
This procedure will then be repeated from each heaven to the next,
all the way up to the seventh heaven, at which point Gabriel (peace be
upon him) will say: O inhabitants of the various heavens, you must
now return home! Obedient to this command, the angels from the
various heavens will promptly return to their respective places, and
those who are inhabitants of the Lote-Tree of the Farthest Boundary
[Sidrat al-Muntah] will return to the Lote-Tree.
252
That is to say, they will be proclaiming: subnallh [Glory be to Allh]! Like the verbal
noun tasb (see note 180 on p. 94 above), the verb yusabbina is derived from the same threeconsonant rootsbas the word subn.
253 That is to say, they will be proclaiming: taqaddasallh [Sanctified is Allh]! (See note 256
on p. 123 below.)
254 That is to say, they will be proclaiming: l ilha illallh [There is no god but Allh]! The form
yuhallilna is a grammatical derivative of the basic verb hallala, of which the corresponding verbal
noun is tahll.
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As soon as their fellow angels have come home from their mission,
the inhabitants of the Lote-Tree will ask them: Where have you been?
So the travelers will give them the same answer as the one they gave to
the inhabitants of the lowest heaven. On hearing this, the inhabitants
of the Lote-Tree will raise their voices in glorification [tasb]255 and
sanctification [taqds].256 The sound of their voices will be heard by
the Garden of Refuge [Jannat al-Maw], then by the Garden of
Blissful Happiness [Jannat an-Nam], then by the Garden of Eden
[Jannat Adn], and then by [the highest Garden of] Paradise [(Jannat)
al-Firdaws],257 and so it will come to be heard by the Throne of the
All-Merciful One [Arsh ar-Ramn].
The Heavenly Throne [Arsh] will thereupon raise its voice in
glorification [tasb], sanctification [taqds], and praise of the Lord of All
the Worlds [Rabb al-lamn], as an expression of gratitude for all that
He has bestowed upon this Community. Although He is All-Knowing
[Alam], Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will ask: O My Throne,
why have you raised your voice? So it will say: My God [Ilh], I have
just received the good news that You granted forgiveness, last night, to
the righteous members of the Community of Muammad (Allh bless
him and give him peace), and that You offered to accept the intercession
of the righteous ones among them [li-him] on behalf of the unrighteous ones in their midst [li-him].
On receiving this answer, Allh (Exalted is He) will say: You have
spoken the truth, O My Throne, but there is even more to it than that.
The Community of Muammad is entitled, in My sight, to generous
favor the likes of which no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and
no human heart has ever conceived.
It has also been said that, when Gabriel (peace be upon him) comes
down from heaven on the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr], he will not
leave any human being without giving him the greeting of peace and
shaking him by the hand. For the recipient, the sign of this will be the
sudden appearance of goose bumps all over his skin [iqshirr jildi-hi],
coinciding with a surge of tender feelings in his heart, and a tearful
moistening of his eyes.
255
256 Like the verbs yuqaddisna and taqaddasa (see note 253 on p. 122 above), the verbal noun taqds
is derived from the three-consonant root qds, which conveys the basic idea of holiness,
sanctity. This same root occurs in the words Maqdis and Muqaddas, which are applied to the
Temple of Jerusalem (see note 193 on p. 98 above).
257 These four Gardens are all mentioned by name in the Qurn.
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258 The Arabic word tarwa (of which tarw is the plural form) means a pause for rest. The
alt at-tarw is a special form of the Islmic ritual prayer, performed at some period of the night
in the month of Raman, after the obligatory late-night prayer [alt al-ish]. It consists of
twenty cycles [rakat] (or thirty-six, according to the Mlik school of Islmic law), and takes its
name from the pauses for rest that occur after every fourth cycle. (The salutation [taslma] is
pronounced at the end of each set of two cycles.)
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Umar is said to have been the first to assemble behind one qri [reciter of the Qurn] those who
performed their prayers in the mosque of al-Madna singly or in groups; he is also said to have preferred
the first part of the night for these pious exercises. (See: Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islm, art.
TARW.)
261 Authors note:
The Caliph Uthmn ibn Affn (may Allh be well pleased with him) is also
reported as having uttered the same invocation, under similar circumstances.
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May Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) shine light upon the tomb
of Umar, as He has filled our mosques with light!
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) is reported as
having said:
If someone hangs a lamp in one of the houses of Allh, the angelsno fewer
than seventy thousand of themwill not stop seeking forgiveness on his behalf,
and invoking blessing upon him, until that lamp is extinguished.
262 See
note 23 on p. 18 above.
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five daily prayers, which is customarily followed by a voluntary prayer of two cycles [rakatain].
264 See note 65 on p. 35 above.
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iqra
bismi Rabbi-ka lladh khalaq:
khalaqa l-insna min alaq.
a-raaita in kna
ala l-hud
aw amara bit-taqw.
a-raaita in kadhdhaba
wa tawall.
a-lam yalam bi-anna llha yar.
fal-yadu ndiya:
sa-nadu z-zabniya.
The reason for this recommendation is that the Sra of the Clot of
Blood [Srat al-Alaq] was the very first Sra of the Qurn to be revealed
265 In Arabic, the term mamm is used to denote someone who performs the ritual prayer behind
an imm. (Both words are derived from the same triconsonantal root <mm> as the preposition
amma, which means in front of.)
266 In Arabic, this formula reads: uall rakatayi t-tarwi l-masnna.
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to the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace)according to our
own Imm, Amad ibn Muammad ibn anbal267 (may Allh bestow
His mercy upon him), and likewise in the opinion of all the other Imms
(may Allhs good pleasure [riwn] be upon them all).
On reaching the end of this Sra, the Qurn-reciter must perform an
act of prostration [sajda]. Then he must resume an upright posture, and
start reciting the Sra of the Cow [Srat al-Baqara].
The recitation of the complete text [khatma] of the Book is recommended, in order that[in the course of the month of Raman]the
people may hear the whole of the Qurn, and so become acquainted
with all the commandments, prohibitions, exhortations and warnings
contained therein. The recitation of more than one khatma is not
recommended, however, since that might place too great a strain upon
the believers [muminn]. Their feelings of irritation and discomfort
would lead to boredom, and they might even shun the congregation
altogether, having found their attendance to be a thoroughly unpleasant
and burdensome experience. If this were to happen, they would miss
the opportunity to gain a mighty recompense and obtain an abundant
reward. The imm would be to blame for this, so his sin [ithm] would be
tremendous, and he would be counted among the sinners [thimn].
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) was addressing
this very problem, when he said to Mudh [ibn Jabal]268 (may Allh be
well pleased with him): Are you a fiendish tempter [fattn], O Mudh?
The incident arose because Mudh had so prolonged the Qurnic
recitation, while leading a group of people in prayer, that one of them
stopped praying and walked away, then lodged a complaint about the
situation with the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace).
It is considered appropriate to postpone the nighttime prayer called
witr 269 until after the tarw prayer has been completed. In the first
267
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sa-nuqriu-ka
Therefore remind,
in case the reminder brings
some benefit.
He who fears will remember,
but the most wretched will flout it,
he who will roast in the Great Fire,
in which he then will neither die
nor live.
fa-dhakkir
in nafaati
dh-dhikr
sa-yadhdhakkaru man yakhsh
wa yatajannabu-ha l-ashq
alladh yala n-nra l-kubr
thumma l yamtu
f-h wa l yay.
fa-l tans
ill m sha llh:
inna-hu yalamu l-jahra
wa m yakhf.
wa nuyassiru-ka
lil-yusr.
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nor shall I worship
what you have worshipped,
neither will you worship
that which I worship.
To you your religion,
and to me my religion! (109:16)
wa l ana bidun
m abadtum:
wa l antum bidna
m abud.
la-kum dnu-kum
wa liya dn.
What this means, presumably, is that it is considered reprehensible to perform the tarw
prayer in one mosque, then go to another mosque on the same night, and there repeat the
performance.
271 In the age of the automobile, the term tailgating springs to mind as a possible rendering of
taaqqub.
272 See note 212 on p. 107 above.
273 See note 35 on p. 24 above.
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274
The Qurnic expression nshiat al-lail has been variously interpreted by the traditional
authorities. According to some, it has the same meaning as qiym al-lail [keeping vigil by night],
while others say that it signifies the first part, or the first hours, of the night: or, every hour of
the night in which one rises: or, rising after sleeping, in the first part of the night. (See: E.W.
Lane, English-Arabic Lexicon, art. NSH.)
These different interpretations are reflected in the renderings adopted in several English
translations of the Qurn. Thus we find: The vigil of the night (M.M. Pickthall, op. cit., p. 772);
The rising by night (A. Yusuf Ali, op. cit., p. 1633, and Maulana Muhammad Ali, op. cit.,
p. 1112); The first part of the night (A.J. Arberry, op. cit., p. 614).
275 In one of his recorded talks, Shaikh Abd al-Qdir al-Jln (may Allh be well pleased with
him) has provided the following commentary on the vigil referred to in this verse [ya] of the
Qurn:
This refers not only to giving up sleep in the ordinary sense, but also to giving up the sleep of
involvement with creatures, the lower self [nafs], natural inclination [ab], passion [haw] and willfulness
[irda]. For its food and drink the heart is left with speaking confidentially [munjt] to Allh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), standing [qiym] and bowing [ruk] and making prostration [sujd] in His presence.
(See: Shaikh Abd al-Qdir al-Jln. Utterances [Malft]. Translated by Muhtar Holland.
Houston, Texas: Al-Baz Publishing, Inc., 1992; p. 31.)
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tanazzalu l-malikatu
wa r-R.
In other words, Gabriel (peace be upon him), who is the Spirit [R],
comes down with an escort of seventy thousand angels, whom he leads
as their commanding officer [amr].
Once they have descended from heaven to the earth below, Gabriel
(peace be upon him) will give the greeting of peace to anyone who
happens to be in a sitting posture, while the angels will give the greeting
of peace to anyone who happens to be sleeping. At the same time, the
Maker [al-Bri] (Glorified and Exalted is He) will bestow the salutation
of peace upon those of His servants who are standing upright.
It is certainly possible to conceive that Allh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) will bestow the salutation of peace upon those believing servants
of His [ibdi-hi l-muminn] who are worthy to inhabit the Garden of
Paradise, for He has indicated that He will say to them, within the
confines of the Garden:
Peace!such is the greeting
from a Lord All-Compassionate.
(36:58)
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al-Qdir al-Jln (may Allh be well pleased with him) used kansa to denote a church, and ba
to denote a synagogue. (See Vol. 1, p. 108.) According to some Arabic lexicographers, however,
the term ba applies to a Christian church, and kansa to a Jewish synagogue. Yet others say that
kansa may be applied to either of these, or that it means a place of worship used by the followers
of any religion other than Islm.
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salutation to all who are guilty of sinful disobedience, for some of them
are perpetrators of heinous wrongdoing and injustice [alama], who
deserve no share in the peace conveyed by the angels. Grievous indeed
is the offense committed by the consumer of unlawful sustenance [kil
al-arm], the breaker of family ties [qi ar-rim], the spreader of
malicious gossip and slander [nammm], and the consumer of goods that
rightfully belong to orphans [kil amwl al-yatm]. The likes of these
are therefore not entitled to any share in the peace conveyed by the
angels, and none shall they receive.
What calamity could be worse than this terrible disaster? What a
dreadful affliction it must be, to live through a monththe beginning
of which is a mercy, the middle of which is a forgiveness, and the last
part of which is a deliverance from the Fire of Hell277and yet find
yourself excluded from sharing in the peace conveyed therein by the angels
of the Lord of the sinners and the righteous [Rabb al- ut wa l-abrr]!
What could have brought this affliction upon you? Was it due to your
remoteness from the All-Merciful One [ar-Ramn], to your being an
agent of tyranny [a-ughyn] and a willing accomplice of the Devil
[ash-Shain], and to your having adopted the flamboyant style of those
who tread the path that leads to the Fires of Hell [an-nrn]? Was it due
to your remoteness and aloofness from those who tread the path that
leads to the Gardens of Paradise [al-jinn], and your extreme reluctance
to obey the One who controls both the infliction of harm and the
bestowal of benefit [al-isn]?
The month of Raman is the month of serenity and purity
[shahr a-af], the month of fulfillment and fidelity [shahr al-waf]. It
is the month of those who practice the remembrance of their Lord [shahr
adh-dhkirn], the month of those who endure with patience [shahr
a-birn], and the month of those who are honest and truthful
[shahr a-diqn]. So, if it does not have the effect of improving your
heartif it does not induce you to desist from rebellious acts against
your Lord, and does not make you avoid the company of troublemakers
and criminalswhat else can exert a positive influence on your heart?
What goodness can be hoped for in a case like yours? What redeeming
quality can survive in someone like you? What successful outcome can
be expected from an individual like you?
277
See p. 85 above, where the month of Raman is so described in a saying attributed to the
Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace).
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You had better pay attention, O miserable wretch, and try to learn
from what has happened to you. Come to your senses, wake up from
your slumber, shake off your heedless indifference, and take a good hard
look at what has befallen you. However little of the month you still
have left, you must seize every opportunity for repentance [tawba] and
contrition [inba].278 Take full advantage of the time that is still
available for seeking forgiveness [istighfr] and practicing worshipful
obedience [a]. If you follow this advice, you may yet be one of those
who receive the blessings of mercy [rama] and compassionate grace [rafa].
Then, when the month of Raman comes to its close, you should bid
it farewell with the shedding of copious tears. You should weep over
your unfortunate self, while moaning and wailing and uttering plaintive
cries of lamentation. For, as you must be well aware, many a keeper of
the fast [im] will never keep another fast, and many a keeper of the
vigil [qim] will never keep vigil again.
The worker will be paid his wages, once he has finished his work, and
we have now finished the work [required of us in the month of
Raman]. But if only I knew for certain whether our fasting [iym] and
our vigil [qiym] have been accepted, or whether they will be used to slap
us in our faces! If only I knew for certain which of us has been accepted,
so that we may congratulate him, and which of us has been rejected, so
that we may offer him our condolences!
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
There is many a one who keeps the fast by day, yet who gets nothing out of his
fasting but hunger and thirst. And there is many a one who spends the night
in vigil and prayer, yet who gets nothing from his vigil other than insomnia.
278
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Peace be upon you, O month of daytime fasting!
as-salmu alaiky shahra -iym
Peace be upon you, O month of nighttime vigil!
as-salmu alaiky shahra l-qiym
Peace be upon you, O month of true faith!
as-salmu alaiky shahra l-mn
Peace be upon you, O month of the Qurn!
as-salmu alaiky shahra l-Qurn
Peace be upon you, O month of the radiant lights!
as-salmu alaiky shahra l-anwr
Peace be upon you, O month of forgiveness and pardon!
as-salmu alaiky shahra l-maghfirati wa l-ghufrn
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O Allh, include us among those whose fasting and prayers have been
accepted, among those whose evil deeds You have transformed into
good deeds, among those whom You have allowed by Your mercy to
enter Your Gardens of Paradise, and among those whose degrees You
have exalted, O Most Merciful of the merciful [y Aram ar-rimn]!
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llh (Exalted is He) has told us [in a passage of the Qurn that is
generally believed to concern the immediate aftermath of the
month of Raman]:
Successful is he who purifies himself,
and remembers the Name of his Lord,
and then performs the prayer.
(87:14,15)
aware that the Arabic noun zakt, the verb tazakk, and the participle zk, are all derived from
the same three-consonant rootzkwwhich conveys the basic notion of healthy growth or
purification and development.
280 In an earlier chapter of the present work, Shaikh Abd al-Qdir al-Jln (may Allh be well
pleased with him) has provided a detailed account of the rules governing the payment of zakt
al-fir. (See Vol. 1, p. 20.)
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As for the proper interpretation of His words man tazakk, this has
been the subject of some disagreement among the traditional authorities:
According to Ibn Abbs (may Allh be well pleased with him and
with his father), the expression signifies: he who cleanses himself [man
taahhara] of polytheistic association [shirk], by means of true faith [mn].
It was al-asan [al-Bar]281 (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him)
who said: The expression man tazakk means: he who is righteous
[li], and whose good work is thriving [zk] and growing.
Abu l-Awa said: I take it to mean: [he who pays] the general
alms-due [zakt] on all goods and property.282
Qatda283 and A284 (may Allh bestow His mercy upon them)
both said: Allh intended it to convey the very specific meaning: [he
who pays] the zakt al-fir [the special alms-due that becomes payable
immediately after the end of Raman, i.e., at the time of fast-breaking],
as distinct from any other.
3. and remembers the Name of his Lord, and then performs the
prayer. [wa dhakara sma Rabbi-hi fa-all].
Here again, the proper interpretation has been the subject of some
disagreement among the traditional authorities:
According to Ibn Abbs (may Allh be well pleased with him and
with his father), the meaning is: [and] affirms the Oneness [waada]
of Allh (Exalted is He), and performs the five daily prayers [alla alawti l-khams].
281
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Allhu Akbar
[Allh is Supremely Great!] These words are pronounced at the beginning of every ritual prayer
[alt].
287 See note 83 on p. 43 above.
288 In this context, the term fira is simply a shorter synonym of zakt al-fir.
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Concerning Id al-Fir
[the Festival of Breaking Fast after the month of
Raman] and why the Arabic term Id
is so appropriately applied to it.289
aware that the Arabic nouns d and awid, and the verbs yadu, d and d, are all derived
from the same three-consonant rootwdwhich conveys the basic notion of returning.
This common derivation is somewhat disguisedto some extent in the Arabic script, and even
more so in transliterationdue to the fact that the middle consonant w is a weak letter (see
note 132 on p. 73 above).
290 In the case of the term awid [benefits, favors, advantages; profits, returns on investment],
the three root consonantswdare all apparent, even in transliteration.
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[sunna], and from the Fast of Raman to the fast of six days in the
month of Shawwl.
It came to be called d for the simple reason that the believers are
told at that time: Return [d] to your dwelling places, knowing that
you have been granted forgiveness!
It came to be called d because it is an occasion for remembering the
promise and the threat291 [al-wad wa l-wad],292 the Day of requital and
superabundance [al-jaz wa l-mazd], the Day of emancipation for the
bondmaids and the male slaves [al-im wa l-abd],293 the approach of
the Lord of Truth to His creatures near and far [al-qarb wa l-bad], and
the reality of contrition and repentance [al-inba wa l-awba]294 from the
feeble servant to the One who is All-Forgiving and Ever-Loving
[al-Ghafr al-Wadd].
It was Wahb ibn Munabbih (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him)
who said:
Allh created the Garden of Paradise on the Day of Breaking the Fast
[Yawm al-Fir]; He planted the Tree of Bliss [b]295 on the Day of
Breaking the Fast; He chose Gabriel (peace be upon him) as the
conveyer of inspiration [way] on the Day of Breaking the Fast; and the
sorcerers [saara] found forgiveness on the Day of Breaking the Fast.
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) is reported as
having said:
When the Day of Breaking the Fast [Yawm al-Fir] comes around, and the people
emerge from their homes to pray in the open space near the burial ground
[jabbna], Allh (Exalted is He) will take notice of them, and He will say: My
servants, for My sake you have kept the fast, and for My sake you have performed
the prayers. Now take your leave, knowing that you have been granted
forgiveness!
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Anas ibn Mlik296 (may Allh be well pleased with him), the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
On the Night of Breaking the Fast [Lailat al-Fir], Allh (Exalted is He) will
grant the recompense due to anyone who has kept the fast throughout the
month of Raman, and He will grant that recompense in full measure Then,
in the early morning of the Day of Breaking the Fast, Allh (Exalted is He) will
give His angels their instructions. In obedience to His command, they will
promptly fly down to the earth, where they will position themselves at the street
corners and at the crossroads, proclaiming in a voice that is audible to all created
beings, apart from the jinn and humankind: O Community of Muammad,
come forth into the presence of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), who
accepts the smallest offering, bestows the greatest abundance, and forgives the
most terrible sin!
Then, once the believers have emerged and presented themselves at their place
of prayer [muall], performed their prayers, and offered their supplications, the
Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) will make sure that they are left with no need
that He has not satisfied, no request that He has not answered, and no sin that
He has not forgiven. They will then return to their homes, knowing that they
have been granted forgiveness.
The following saying [adth] of the Prophet (Allh bless him and give
him peace) is one of those reported on the authority of Ibn Abbs (may
Allh be well pleased with him and with his father):
When the month of Raman is over, and the Night of Breaking the Fast [Lailat
al-Fir] has arrived, that night is called the Night of the Prize [Lailat
al-Jiza]. Then, in the early morning of the Day of Breaking the Fast, Allh
(Exalted is He) will send His angels forth to visit all the towns and cities on the
earth below. Once they have made their descent, they will position themselves
at the entrances to all the streets and alleys. There, in a voice that is audible
to every being created by Allh (Exalted is He), apart from the jinn and
humankind, they will issue a proclamation, saying: O Community of Muammad
(Allh bless him and give him peace), come forth into the presence of a Noble
and Generous Lord [Rabb Karm], who will grant you gifts in abundance, and
forgive your terrible sin!
Then, when the believers have emerged and presented themselves at their place
of prayer [muall], Allh (Exalted is He) will say to His angels: O My angels!
They will respond to His call by saying: We wait intent upon Your service, time
and time again, and upon aiding Your cause, time and time again [labbaika wa
sadaik]!297 Then He will say to them: What is the recompense of the hired
laborer, once he has done his job?
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) continued:
The angels will reply: Our God [Ilh] and our Master [Sayyid] and our Lord
[Mawl], You will pay him his wages in full! So the All-Majestic One [al-Jall]
296
297
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(Magnificent is His Majesty) will say: I now call upon you to bear witness,
O My angels, that I have conferred My acceptance and My forgiveness, as
the reward for their fasting [iym] and night vigil [qiym] during the month
of Raman.
Then He will say: O My human servants, put your requests to Me now, for this
I swear, by My Might and My Majesty: You will not ask Me this day, in this
gathering of yours, for anything connected with your life hereafter, without My
granting it to you; nor for anything connected with your life in this lower world,
without My attending to your need. By My Might and My Majesty, I will surely
condone the false steps you make, as long as you are consciously alert in the
effort to avoid incurring My displeasure. By My Might and My Majesty, I will
not put you to shame, nor will I expose you to disgrace amongst those who are
faithfully committed to observing the statutes [udd].298 Now you may depart,
knowing that you have been forgiven. You have won My approval, and I am
well pleased with you.
298
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At the point when this occurred, his fellow tribesmen were going out
of town for the purpose of celebrating a certain religious festival [d] of
theirs, but Abraham (peace be upon him) preferred to stay behind.
Since he did not identify with their religion [dn], he pleaded sickness
as a pretext for not joining them on their excursion. As soon as they had
all departed, he armed himself with an ax and used it to smash their idols
[anm]. Then, when he had finished wielding the ax, he attached it
to the neck of the biggest idol and left it hanging there. As for what was
to happen next, from the moment when his fellow tribesmen returned,
the story is told in these verses [yt] of the Qurn:
They said: Who has done this
to our gods? Surely it must be
one of the evildoers.
ql samin fatan
yadhkuru-hum
yuqlu la-hu Ibrhm.
ql fa-t bi-hi
al ayuni n-nsi
laalla-hum yashhadn.
299
Strange as it may seem, the Arabic word Ayd [Festivals] is simply the plural form of d
[Festival]. (For the derivation of these and other words from the root wd, see note 289 on
p. 146 above.)
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fa-raja il anfusi-him
fa-ql inna-kum
antumu -limn.
ql arriq-hu wa nur
lihata-kum in
kuntum filn.
Khall [Bosom Friend]. Shaikh Abd al-Qdir al-Jln (may Allh be well pleased with him) was
once asked to explain the meaning of the word khulla, so he responded by saying:
What is bosom friendship [khulla]? It is companionship [uba], loving affection [maabba] and
togetherness [wula].
(See: Shaikh Abd al-Qdir al-Jln. Utterances [Malft]. Translated by Muhtar Holland.
Houston, Texas: Al-Baz Publishing, Inc., 1992; p. 51.)
301 The story of this miracle is told in Q. 2:260.
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of Humankind [Khair al-Bariyya] (Allh bless him and give him peace).302
2. The Festival [d] celebrated by the people of Moses [Ms], the
Interlocutor of the All-Merciful [Kalm ar-Ramn] (peace be upon him).
This is referred to as the Day of Grace [Yawmu z-Zna], in the words
of Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
[Moses] said: Your tryst shall be
the Day of Grace. (20:59)
qla mawidu-kum
Yawmu z-Znati.
fa-awjasa f nafsi-hi
khfatan Ms.
The fear he had conceived was for his people, and he expressed his
deep concern by saying: Perhaps they will deluded into believing that
what those magicians have done is really what it seems to be. If so, their
faith [mn] will be diminished, or they may even apostasize [yartaddna].
302 We find some important details concerning this subject in Vol. 2, pp. 118, where Shaikh Abd
al-Qdir al-Jln (may Allh be well pleased with him) informs us that:
[In] the case of Abraham, the Special Friend of Allh [Ibrhm al-Khall] (peace be upon him), the
fact [is] that Allhcaused him to become the father and direct ancestor of so many of the Prophets
[Anbiy] and Messengers [Mursaln]. As we know from traditional reports, his own children and the
offspring of his children account for no fewer than four thousand Prophets (peace be upon them all).
Allh (Exalted is He) has told us:
And We made his offspring
wa jaaln dhurriyyata-hu
the survivors. (37:77)
humu l-bqn.
Even our own Prophet Muammad (Allh bless him and give him peace) is one of his direct
descendants, as are Moses and Jesus and David and Solomon (peace be upon them all), to mention only
a few by name.
303 The term is ram is derived from the same three-consonant rootrmas Raman. (See
note
152 146 on p. 79 above.)
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wa alqi a-k.
wa ulqiya s-saaratu
sjidn.
They all bowed down low in prostration before Him (Almighty and
Glorious is He), including the most important of them, whose name was
Simon [Shamn], and they cried:
We believe in the Lord
of Aaron and Moses. (20:70)304
mann
bi-Rabbi Hrna wa Ms.
304
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They said: We wish to eat from it,
so that our hearts may be at rest,
and that we may know that you
have told us the truth, and that
we may be among those who
are witnesses to it. (5:113)
fa-lamm aassa s
min-humu l-kufra qla
man anr
ila llh:
qla l-awriyyna
nanu anru llh:
mann bi-llhi
wa shhad
bi-ann muslimn.
distinguish them from the explanatory material in which they are embedded.
306 The Arabic lexicographers offer several ingenious interpretations of al-awriyyn/-n, the
collective name for the Disciples of Jesus (peace be upon him), which they derivelike the
Qurnic term for the brides of Paradise (r n: see note on p. above)from the Arabic
root wr. (See E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art. WR.)
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as a receptable for the food that is taken along on a journey. As E.W. Lane explains: This is
commonly of a round form, with a running string; so that it is converted into a bag to contain the
food, at one time, and at another time is spread flat upon the ground, when persons want to eat
upon it. (See: E.W. Lane, Arabic English-Lexicon, art. SFR.)
156
312 In Christian writings, this Disciple is often called Simon Peter.
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[sawq].313 Jesus (peace be upon him) then proceeded to cut the two
fishes into little pieces. He broke the bread into halves, and set the
barley broth [sawq] down on the dining mat. Then he made an ablution
[tawaaa], performed two cycles of ritual prayer [all rakatain], and
offered a supplication to his Lord [da Rabba-hu].
It was at this point that Allh (Glorified and Exalted is He) cast
something resembling fits of drowsiness upon his companions. When
the people reopened their eyes, lo and behold, the food on the dining
mat had increased in quantity, so much so that it now reached up to the
height of their knees. Then Jesus (peace be upon him) told the people
present: Eat, and invoke the Name of Allh, but do not take any
leftover food away with you. He instructed them to sit in circles, so
they sat and ate, and invoked the Name of Allh, until they had fully
satisfied their hunger. Some say there were five thousand of them, all
menothers say one thousand, all men, and yet others say eight
hundred, including both men and womenranging from those who
were desperately poor and starving, to those whose need was merely for
a single loaf of bread, or perhaps a few loaves. Be that as it may, they
all came away completely satisfied, gratefully praising their Lord.
Then, all of a sudden, everything upon it was restored to its
original shape, and the dining mat [sufra] was raised up to heaven,
before their very eyes.
In the words of the narrator: Every poor beggar who ate from it was
enriched on that day, and did not cease to be a wealthy man until he
died. Every chronic invalid was permanently cured, and every sick
person was made healthy again.
It was Muqtil who said: Jesus (peace be upon him) asked the people:
Have you eaten? Yes, they said, so he told them: Well then, do not
take any leftover food away with you! Although they replied: We shall
not take any leftovers away with us, they did in fact take quite a lot
away. In all, the extra food they took away with themover and above
what they had eaten on the spotwas enough to fill twenty-four twobushel baskets [miktal].
313 According to the Arabic lexicographers, the term sawq denotes a meal of parched barley and/
or wheat, that is generally made into a kind of gruel, being moistened with water, or clarified butter,
or the fat of a sheeps tail, etc. Sugar and dates may also be added. (See: E.W. Lane, Arabic EnglishLexicon, art. SWQ.)
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wa nasqu l-mujrimna
il jahannama wird.
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As for the pious abstainer [zhid], the person endowed with direct
intuition [rif], and the spiritual deputy [badal],317 each and every one
will be in a state of comfort and affluent well-being, in the presence of
their King [Malk] and their Beloved [Mabb], beneath the shadow of
the Heavenly Throne [Arsh]. They will be invested with ornaments
and fine attire, and the radiant lights of worshipful acts and spiritual
experiences [anwr a-t wa l-marif] will be visible upon their faces,
for they will be glowing and resplendent. Tables will be set in front of
them, spread with all kinds of cooked food, drinks and fruits, until the
Reckoning [isb] is over, and the accounts of all creatures have been
settled. Then they will move on to the Garden of Paradise, to occupy
the dwellings that Allh (Exalted is He) has made ready for them.
There they will find pleasures and delights the likes of which no eye has
ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no human heart has ever conceived.
Allh (Exalted is He) has said:
So no soul knows what comfort
is laid up for them secretly,
as a reward
for what they used to do. (32:17)
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[to the inhabitants of the Garden of Paradise] that the moment has
come for them to visit the Lord of Mankind [Rabb al-Anm] in the
Abode of Peace [Dr as-Salm], at the command of the Source of Peace
[bi-amri s-Salm].
When he sees that the rows [of worshippers] have been properly
formed, and that his fellow creatures have assembled for the congregational prayer, he should be reminded of how all creatures will stand
in the presence of the All-Compelling One [al-Jabbr], and of the
rows formed by the profligate and the righteous [al-fujjr wa l-abrr] on
the Day of Resurrection [Yawm an-Nashr], when all secrets [asrr] will
be revealed.
When he sees the people disperse from the site used for congregational worship in the open air [jabbna]as each individual returns to
his allotted house, or mosque [masjid], or hostel [khn]the intelligent
observer should be reminded of the moment when all creatures will
disperse from the presence of the King [al-Malik] the All-Bounteous
One [al-Mannn], the Requiter [ad-Dayyn], bound for the Garden of
Paradise, or for the Fire of Hell.
As the Lord of Exalted Majesty and Gracious Favor [Dhu l-Aama
wa l-Imtinn] has told us:
And on the day when the Hour comes,
on that day they will be divided.
(30:14)
farqun
fi l-jannati
wa farqun fi s-sar.
* * * * * * *
This brings us to the end of the Seventh Discourse.
Praise be to Allh, the Lord of All the Worlds!
[al-amdu lillhi Rabbi l-lamn].
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