The Excellent Qualities of Ramadan Fasting

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The Seventh Discourse

On the excellent qualities of the month
of Raman.
llh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has told us:

O you who truly believe!
Fasting is prescribed for you,
even as it was prescribed
for those before you, in order that
you may practice true devotion.
(2:183)
y ayyu-ha lladhna man

kutiba alai-kumu -iymu
ka-m kutiba
ala lladhna min qabli-kum
laalla-kum tattaqn.
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!
y ayyu-ha lladhna man.
1. y:
The vocative particle y [O!] is an exclamatory interjection,
123
See note 74 on p. 40 above.

Jafar ibn Muammad ibn Al ibn al-usain ibn Al ibn Ab lib, known as the Veracious
[a-diq], was the sixth of the twelve descendants of the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him
peace) who, according to the majority of the Sha, are considered the rightful Imms. He was
celebrated for his expert knowledge of Tradition, and came to be regarded as a master of the
esoteric sciences.
124
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uttered by someone who is well acquainted [lim] with the person, or

persons, whose attention he is seeking to attract. In this case, it is being
uttered by the One who is All-Knowing [lim].
2. ayyu:
The connective element ayyu [(O) you] is a pronoun [ism],125
referring to the recognized person, or persons, to whom the call or
summons is being addressed [al-malm al-mund].
3. -h:
As for the suffix -h, this adds an intimate touch to the impact of the
summoners call, since it conveys the hint of prior acquaintance and
long-standing friendship.
4. alladhna:
[The next word, alladhna, which is pronounced lladhna in this
context, is simply the plural form of the relative pronoun alladh,
meaning who.]
5. man:
The special significance of the verb man [truly believe]126 is that it
points to the secret knowledge that is shared by the One who is
summoning and the one who is being summoned [as-sirr al-malm
bi-yad al-Mund wa l-mund]. It is as if He is saying: O he who
belongs to Me [y man huwa l],127 on account of that secret of his, to
which he is sincerely devoted with his conscience [amr], and with the
very kernel of his being [lubb]!
This brings us to His words (Almighty and Glorious is He):
Fasting is prescribed for you
kutiba alai-kumu -iymu
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.
d) When referring to a man who has remained silent and refrained

from speaking, one may say that he has fasted [ma].
Allh (Exalted is He) has also used the word awm [fast]132 in the sense
of abstinence from speech [amt],133 for He has said:
Say, [O Mary]: I have vowed
a fast unto the All-Merciful,
so I shall not speak this day
to any human being. (19:26)
fa-ql inn nadhartu

lir-Ramni awman
fa-lan ukallima l-yawma
insiyy.
As for its observance during the month of Raman, the Fast

[a-awm] is kept by abstaining [imsk] from certain regular activities,
namely, the consumption of food and drink, and engaging in sexual
intercourseeven in the forms that are at other times permissible
according to the Sacred Law [ash-Shar]as well as by desisting and
refraining from the commission of sins.
Fasting is prescribed, as Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
even as it was prescribed
for those before you (2:183)
ka-m kutiba
ala lladhna min qabli-kum
That is to say, for the Prophets [Anbiy] and their communities

[umam], the very first of them being Adam (peace be upon him).
This interpretation is supported by the following traditional report,
transmitted by Abd al-Malik ibn Hrn ibn Antara on the authority
132 At least in the case of the term awm [fast], the three root-letters <wm> are all clearly
apparent. Since the Arabic letter ww is a so-called weak letter, it disappears from certain derived
forms of any root of which it is one of the three elements. Thus in some of the words derived from
the root wm, the central element may be hidden in a long (represented by an alif in the
Arabic script), a long (in which case the ww is disguised in the transliteration, although it
does appear in the original Arabic script), or it may have acquired the sound y or that of the long
vowel (both represented by the Arabic letter yy).
This should be borne in mind while reading this Discourse, so that the reader will understand
the linguistic and semantic connections between linking various terms discussed by the author,
such as iym. ma, mat, umtu and awmall of which are derivatives of the root wm. (For
a detailed listing of these and other words, phrases and sayings derived from this root, see
E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art. WM.)
133 In light of the explanations in note 132 above, the reader could easily assume that the word
amt [silence; abstinence from speech] must also be derived from the triliteral root wm. In fact,
however, it is derived from the root mt, which coneys the basic idea of silence; speechlessness.
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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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thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the month. Adam (peace be

upon him) accepted the challenge, and began by fasting on the first of
these days. As soon as he had done so, one third of his body turned
white. Then he fasted on the second day, and found that two thirds of
his body had now turned white. Then he fasted on the third day, after
which the whole of his body had turned white. This explains why they
are called the white days [al-ayym al-b].134
On the basis of this traditional account, assuming that we can
accept it as genuinely authentic, it is clearly established that Adam
(peace be upon him) was one of those for whom fasting was prescribed
[kutiba -iym] before the time of Muammad (Allh bless him and
give him peace). As we must not fail to mention, however, a different
interpretation has been maintained by al-asan, whose view of this
subject is shared by a significant group of learned experts in the field of
Qurnic exegesis [tafsr]:
When Allh (Exalted is He) speaks of those before you [alladhna
min qabli-kum], He is referring specifically to the Christians [an-Nar].
He has likened our form of fasting to their form of fasting, on account
of the close correspondence between the two, in terms of the time
involved and the rigorous extent of the practice.
The fact of the matter is that Allh (Exalted is He) did impose fasting
during the month of Raman upon the Christians, as an obligatory
religious duty. This proved to be extremely rigorous for them, however,
since it [i.e., the lunar month of Raman] would sometimes come
around during the season of intense heat, or in that of intense cold. It
would also inconvenience them severely by interfering with their travel
plans, and by disrupting the regular patterns of their daily lives. An
agreement was therefore reached, by the common consent of their
religious scholars [ulm] and their political leaders [ruas], on a
proposal whereby they would fix their period of fasting in the season of
the year between winter and summer. Having thus assigned it to the
spring, they also extended it by ten extra days, as a penance [kaffra] to
atone for what they had done, and so it became a period of forty days.
Some time after this, a certain king of theirs complained of an painful
ache in his mouth, so he made a proposal to Allh, promising to add
another week to their fast [awm], if he could be relieved of that painful
134
See pp. 35760 below.
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ache. This resulted in their making a further extension to the period of

fasting. Then that king died, and another king succeeded him as their
ruler, at which point they finally rounded it out at fifty days.
It was Mujhid 135 (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) who said:
They were afflicted by a deadly plague, so their king said to them: You
must add more days to your period of fasting! So they added ten days
to begin with, and another ten later on.
It was ash-Shab (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) who said:
Even if I were to fast during each and every day throughout the entire
year, I would break my fast on the day concerning which there is some
element of doubt, inasmuch as some may say it is [the last day] of
Shabn, while others are calling it [the first] of Raman.136 My reason
for being so scrupulous is that fasting during the month of Raman was
once prescribed as a religious duty for the Christians, just as it is
prescribed for us, but they transferred it to the season of Lent.137 As their
pretext for making this change, they complained that they sometimes
had to fast during the intense heat of midsummer. They began by
counting it as thirty days, but then along came another generation to
take their place, and these newcomers acquired a great deal of confidence in themselves, so they fasted for an extra day before the thirty,
and for another extra day thereafter. Then each subsequent generation
would invariably follow the example set by the generation before them,
until they had extended the period of fasting to a total of fifty days.
Well then, fasting is indeed prescribed, as Allh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) has said, even as it was prescribed for those before you:
in order that you may practice
true devotion. (2:183)
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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Allh (Exalted is He) made it incumbent upon His Messenger,

Muammad (Allh bless him and give him peace), and upon all the true
believers [muminn], to fast on the Day of shr138 and on three days
out of every month. This injunction was delivered to the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace) when he arrived at Medina [at the
time of the Hijra, the Migration from Mecca]. So they made it their
regular practice to observe these fasts, until [the Qurnic injunction
concerning] the duty to fast in the month of Raman was revealed, one
month and several days before the battle of Badr took place.139
Allh (Exalted is He) has said:
[Fast] a certain number of days.
(2:184)
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
See pp. 27894 below.

The battle of Badr, in which the Muslims won an important victory over the unbelievers of
Quraish, was fought during the month of Raman in the second year of the Hijra.
140 There is no need for such calculations and written records, of course, when the beginning and
end of the period of fasting is determined by the appearance of the new moon, rather than by
human arithmetic.
139
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On the diverse opinions held by various experts

concerning the significance of the term Raman,
as it is used by Allh (Exalted is He) in the Qurn.
he experts have failed to agree on the significance of the term

Raman,141 as it is used by Allh (Exalted is He) in the Qurnic
verse [ya]:142
[The time of fasting is] the
month of Raman,
in which the Qurn was sent down.
(2:185)
shahru
Ramana lladh
unzila f-hi l-Qurnu.
Some of those experts have declared: Raman is one of the Names

of Allh (Exalted is He). This is why it is called the month of
Raman, just as Rajab is referred to as the quiet month of Allh
[shahrullh al-aamm],143 and the worshipful servant of Allh [abdullh].
From one traditional report, transmitted by Jafar a-diq144 (may
Allh bestow His mercy upon him) on the authority of his father and
his grandfathers (may Allh be well pleased with them all), we learn
that the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
The month of Raman is Allhs month.
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.
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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.
According to another traditional report, this one transmitted by

al-Ama, Ab Amr once said: It came to be called Raman
for the simple reason that young camels, newly weaned from their
mothers, were so badly scorched [rumiat al-fil] 146 by the heat in the
course of this month.147
Other authorities have maintained: [It came to be called Raman]
because, in the course of this month, the rocks and stones of the desert
terrain would be scorched [turmau] by the blistering heat. The [closely
related] term ram is used as a collective noun, meaning rocks and
stones that have been rendered intensely hot.
Yet others have said: It was given the name Raman because it has
a scorching effect upon sins [yurmiu dh-dhunb]. That is to say, it
burns sins away. This explanation has also been attributed to the
Prophet himself (Allh bless him and give him peace).
146
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.
148 According to Sir Hamilton Gibb:
The first systematic expositions [of Arabic philology] were

made by al-Khall (d. 791),* an Arab from Oman. On the basis of ancient poetry, he worked out
a complex metrical theory which has never been superseded, and he made the first attempt to
compile a dictionary, arranged not in any of the various alphabetic orders adopted in later Arabic
lexicons, but according to a phonetic scheme in which Indian influences have been suspected.
(H.A.R. Gibb. Arabic Literature. Oxford University Press, 1970, p. 53.) The title of al-Khalls
lexicon is Kitb al-Ain (because the first words listed in it were those beginning with the letter
ain). *In Arabic sources, his death is variously reported as A.H. 160 or 170 or 175.
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Concerning various interpretations of

the words of Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
The month of Raman, in which the Qurn was sent down. (2:185)
shahru Ramana lladh unzila f-hi l-Qurnu.
ccording to a traditional report, Aiyya ibn al-Aswad once had

a question [concerning this revelation] to put to Ibn Abbs (may
Allh be well pleased with him and with his father), so he said:
It seems that some uncertainty has arisen concerning His words
(Exalted is He):
We have sent it down
on a blessed night. (44:3)
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
p. 60 above, we are informed that:
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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(Allh bless him and give him peace) in a series of installments

[nujman nujm],150 over the course of twenty-three years. Such, in
fact, is the meaning conveyed by the words of Allh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), in the first of the following verses [yt] of the Qurn:
Oh no! I swear
by the setting-places of the stars151
fa-l uqsimu
bi-mawqii n-nujm:
and that is a tremendous oath,

if you did but know
wa inna-hu la-qasamun
law talamna am:
that it is indeed a noble Qurn,
inna-hu la-Qurnun karm:
in a Book kept hidden,
f Kitbin maknn:
which none shall touch

except the purified,
l yamassu-hu
illa l-muahharn:
a revelation from
the Lord of the Worlds. (56:7580)
tanzlun min
Rabbi l-lamn.
Dwd ibn Ab Hind told someone he knew: I once asked

ash-Shab: Was it only in the month of Raman that the Qurn was
sent down? Was it not also sent down to the Prophet (Allh bless him
and give him peace) at various times during the rest of the year? He
answered my question by saying: Oh yes, but the way it happened was
this: Gabriel (peace be upon him) used to convey to Muammad
(Allh bless him and give him peace), in Raman, the revelation sent
down by Allh. Then Allh would then emphasize whatever He
wished, fix whatever He wished in his memory, and cause him to forget
whatever He wished.
According to a traditional report, transmitted by Shihb on the
authority of Ab Dharr al-Ghifr152 (may Allh be well pleased with
him), the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
150 While the primary signification of the Arabic word najm (of which nujm is the plural form)
is star; celestial body; constellation, it can also mean installment.

151 This may fairly be described as a cautiously conservative translation of bi-mawqii n-nujm,
in that it adheres to the interpretation reflected in the renderings adopted by M.M. Pickthall (the
places of the stars), A. Yusuf Ali (the setting of the stars), and A.J. Arberry (the fallings of the
stars). Maulana Muhammad Ali represents a sharp contrast, since he embraces with positive
enthusiasm the interpretation attributed above to Ibn Abbs (may Allh be well pleased with him
and with his father), and sees no reason to hesitate in offering the translation:
But nay, I swear by revelation of portions (of the Qurn)!
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.
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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.
Next, Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has provided a description

of the Qurn, for He has told us that it is:
A guidance for mankind,
and clear proofs of the guidance,
and the Criterion. (2:185)
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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Concerning the excellent qualities

that are peculiar to the month of Raman.
haikh Ab Nar [Muammad ibn al-Bann] has informed us, on

good traditional authority,154 that Salmn [al-Fris]155 (may Allh
be well pleased with him) once said:
Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace) delivered
a sermon for our benefit on the last day of Shabn,156 and this is what
he told us:
O people, a mighty month has cast its protective shade to screen you. A blessed
month, a month in which there is a night that is better than a thousand months!
Allh has made keeping the fast therein [iyma-hu] an obligatory religious duty
[fara], and the observance of night vigil therein [qiym laili-hi] a voluntary
practice [taawwu]. If someone seeks to draw near [to the Lord] therein by
setting just one example of good conduct, or performs just one religious
obligation, that person will be exactly the same as someone who discharges
seventy religious obligations during all the other months of the year.
It is the month of patient endurance [abr], and the reward for patient
endurance is the Garden of Paradise. It is the month of charitable sharing
[musw], and it is the month in which the sustenance of the true believer
[mumin] is increased. So, if someone provides a breakfast meal for a person who
is keeping the fast, this will result in forgiveness for his sins, and in his
emancipation from the Fire of Hell. The benefactor will also be granted a
reward equivalent to that earned by the recipient of his generosity, but without
anything at all being deducted from the reward due to the latter.
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).
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
According to a traditional report transmitted by al-Kalb, on the

authority of Ab Nara, it was Ab Sad al-Khudr159 (may Allh be
well pleased with him) who stated that Allhs Messenger (Allh bless
him and give him peace) once said:
The gates of the Garden of Paradise and the gates of heaven will surely be flung
open on the first night of the month of Raman, and they will not be closed
again until the very last night thereof. Each time, without fail, that a male or
female servant [of the Lord] performs the ritual prayer [yuall] during
any night of this month, Allh will credit him or her with seventeen hundred
good deeds for every act of prostration [sajda]. For that servant, He will build
in the Garden of Paradise a house, made from a single red ruby, that has seventy
doors. Each of those doors will have two leaves of gold, beautifully adorned with
knobs fashioned from red ruby.
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
157 For traditional invocations of Divine refuge and protection, see Vol. , pp. 15, 85, 88, 106 and
338, and Vol. 2, pp. 4243.

158 In Vol. 1, pp. 23738, Shaikh Abd al-Qdir al-Jln (may Allh be well pleased with him)
has devoted a lengthy subsection to the subject of the Basin of the Prophet (Allh bless him and
give him peace).
159 Ab Sad Sad ibn Mlik ibn Sinn al-Khudr al-Anr (may Allh be well pleased with him)
was a Companion of the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) and a famous narrator of
Tradition. He died in A.H. 74 or, according to some reports, in A.H. 6364.
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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.
Shaikh Ab Nar [Muammad ibn al-Bann] has informed me, on

good traditional authority,160 that it was Ab Huraira161 (may Allh be
well pleased with him) who first reported this next saying of the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace):
When the first night of the month of Raman has arrived, Allh surveys His
entire creation. If He takes notice of a particular servant of His, it means that
He will never cause him to suffer torment, and a million have reason, every day,
to thank Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) for their deliverance from the
Fire of Hell.
Shaikh Ab Nar [Muammad ibn al-Bann] has also informed me,

on good traditional authority,162 that it was Ab Huraira (may Allh be
well pleased with him) who first reported that the Prophet (Allh bless
him and give him peace) once said:
As soon as Raman comes around, the gates of the Garden of Paradise are flung
open, the gates of the Fire of Hell are shut and locked, and the devils [shayn]
are shackled and tied up tight.
According to another traditional report, this one transmitted on the

authority of Nfi ibn Burda, Ab Masd al-Ghifr (may Allh be well
pleased with him) once heard these words being uttered by the Prophet
No servant [of the Lord], who keeps the fast for at least one day of Raman, can
possibly fail to be married to a wife from among the brides of Paradise, those
maidens with such lovely eyes [al-r al-n].163 The wedding will take place
160
ibn al-Bann]al-ArajAbu Huraira (may Allh be well pleased with him)the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace).
162 Authors note: Shaikh Ab Nar Muammad ibn al-Bann cites the following chain of
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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Several traditional reports, including descriptions

of how the month of Raman will be experienced
by the inhabitants of the Garden of Paradise.
on good traditional authority,164 that Ibn Abbs (may Allh be well
pleased with him and with his father) once heard these words being
uttered by the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace):
The Garden of Paradise will surely be refurnished and redecorated from year to
year, with the advent of the month of Raman. As soon as the first night of
the month of Raman has arrived, a wind called the Whirlwind [al-Muthra]
will blow from beneath the Heavenly Throne [al-Arsh]. The leaves [awrq] of
the trees of the Garden of Paradise will be set in a state of commotion, and the
rings on the leaves [mar] of the doors will be shaken and rattled. This will
give rise to a rustling and tinkling sound, far more beautiful than anything the
listeners ever heard ringing in their ears before.
The brides of Paradise, those maidens with such lovely eyes [al-r al-n],165 will
be splendidly adorned, until they are ready to stand in the midst of the most
nobly distinguished company in the Garden of Paradise. They will then call out
the invitation: Is any suitor ready to present his suit to Allh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), so that He may marry him [to one of us]? Then they will turn
to Riwn [the angelic custodian of the Garden of Paradise]166 and ask him:
What night is this? Displaying an eager willingness to be of service [talbiyya],167
164
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).
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].
When people asked: O Messenger of Allh, what kind of a person

is the mushin [virulently rancorous individual]? he replied: Someone who is murim [spitefully reluctant to abandon a grudge, and
stubbornly unwilling to accept the restoration of good relations with
anyone who has offended him].169 He then went on to say (Allh bless
him and give him peace):
When the month of Raman is over, and the night of the [Festival of] Fast
Breaking [al-Fir] has arrived, that night is called the Night of the Prize [Lailat
al-Jiza]. Then, in the early morning of the [Festival of] Fast Breaking, 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!
169 In later centuries, when the proliferation of sectarian movements increasingly threatened to
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.
This traditional report171 concludes with the following words of the

Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace):
The angels will then be very happy, as they welcome the good news of all that
Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will bestow upon this Community, when
its members break the fast they have kept through the month of Ramn.

on good traditional authority,172 that Ab Masd al-Ghifr (may
Allh be well pleased with him) stated that he had heard the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace) say, on the day when the
appearance of the new moon marked the beginning of the month
of Raman:173
170

A similar traditional report, with a close correspondence in the actual wording,
has come down to us through a different chain of transmission, although the earliest links are the
same, namely: a-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).
172 Authors note: Shaikh Ab Nar Muammad ibn al-Bann cites the following chain of
ibn al-Bann]NfiAb Masd al-Ghifr (may Allh be well pleased with him)the
173 With certain differences in the wording, as well as some omissions and several additions, most
elements of this traditional report are included in two such reports already cited in this Discourse
(see pp. 8688 above). The mention of the Khuza tribesman is the one ingredient that does not
occur in either of the other two reports.
171 Authors note:
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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!
On hearing this, a man from [the tribal group of] Khuza

exclaimed: O Messenger of Allh, do tell us all about it! So Allhs
Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace) responded by saying:
The Garden of Paradise will surely be adorned for the sake of the month of
Raman, from the beginning of the year and on through the whole of the
intervening period. Then, as soon as the first night of the month of Raman
has arrived, a wind will blow from beneath the Heavenly Throne [al-Arsh],
causing the leaves of the trees of the Garden of Paradise to be set in a state of
commotion.
The brides of Paradise, those maidens with such lovely eyes [al-r al-n], will
regard this as a good omen, so they will say: O Lord, pray grant us from among
Your male servants, in this month, such husbands that our eyes will be soothed
by them, and their eyes will be soothed by us! No servant [of the Lord], who
keeps the fast through the month of Raman, can possibly fail to be married
to a wife from among the brides of Paradise, those maidens with such lovely eyes
[al-r al-n]. The wedding will take place 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 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!
According to another traditional report, transmitted by Qatda175 on

174 According to the classical Arabic lexicographers, the term istabraq is properly applied to thick
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
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

177
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According to the same traditional report, the Prophet (Allh bless

him and give him peace) then went on to say:
Throughout the entire month [of Raman], the Lord (Exalted is the Mention
of His Name) will go on issuing this call: My servants, men and women alike!
Be of good cheer, be patient, and steadily persevere! I am about to grant you
relief from trouble and pain, and you will shortly attain to My mercy and My
generous favor.
As soon as the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] has arrived, Gabriel (peace be
upon him) will descend in the midst of a throng of angels. As they alight, they
will pronounce benedictions upon every servant [of the Lord], who, whether
standing erect or sitting down, is diligently engaged in the remembrance of
Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
According to another traditional report, also transmitted on the

authority of Anas ibn Mlik (may Allh be well pleased with him),
Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
If Allh were ever to allow the heavens and the earth to speak, they would surely
greet those who keep the fast of Raman, hailing them with glad tidings of the
Garden of Paradise.
According to yet another traditional report, this one transmitted

from Abdullh ibn Ab Awf (may Allh be well pleased with him),
The sleep of one who keeps the fast is an act of worshipful service [ibda], his
silence is a declaration of the glory of the Lord [tasb],180 his prayer of
supplication [du] is sure to be accepted, and the merit of every good deed he
performs is sure to be multiplied.
According to al-Amash,181 Ab Khaithama (may Allh be well

pleased with him) is reported as having said: They used to say:
Raman in the case of Raman, the Pilgrimage [ajj] in the case of
the Pilgrimage, the Day of Congregation [Juma] in the case of the Day
of Congregation, and the ritual prayer [alt] in the case of the ritual
prayer. These are sufficient in themselves as expiations [kaffrt] for
sins committed during their observance,182 so long as the major sins
[kabir] are avoided.
As we learn from traditional reports, the Commander of the Believers
[Amr al-Muminn], Umar ibn al-Khab (may Allh be well pleased
180 In other words, his silence is actually proclaiming: subnallh [Glory be to Allh]! (The
term tasb is a verbal noun, derived from the same rootsbas the word subn.)
181 Ab Muammad al-Amash Sulaimn ibn Mihrn al-Kf (may Allh bestow His mercy upon
him) was a famous Qurn-reader and narrator of Prophetic tradition. He died. ca. A.H. 148.
182 In the words of the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace), cited on pp. 8586 above:
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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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with him) used to say, at the advent of the month of Raman:

Welcome to a month that is good in its entirety! Its days are devoted
to keeping the fast [iym], and its nights to the practice of vigil [qiym],
while the outlay of funds [nafaqa] for its sake is like the disbursement of
funds for the sake of the cause of Allh [f sabli llh].
According to another traditional report, transmitted on the authority of Ab Huraira183 (may Allh be well pleased with him), the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
If someone keeps the fast and observes the night vigil during Raman, as a
matter of faith [mn] and in anticipation of Allhs favor in the Hereafter, but
with no expectation of worldy reward [itisban], he will be forgiven his earlier
sins, as well as those committed recently.
From another traditional report, also transmitted on the authority of

Ab Huraira (may Allh be well pleased with him), we learn that the
Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
For every good deed or practice performed by a human being [ibn dam]
belonging to my Community [Ummat], the merit will be multiplied at least ten
times, and up to to seven hundred times in some cases. The sole exception is
the fast [awm], for Allh (Exalted is He) has told us:184
The fast belongs to Me, and I provide its recompense. [When someone keeps
the fast] he is abstaining from his carnal desire, his eating and his drinking, for
My sake.
The fast is a suit of armor [junna]. Moreover, two occasions of joy are in store
for the person who is keeping the fast: joy at the moment of breaking his fast
[ifr], and joy at the moment of meeting his Lord.
We have been informed by Shaikh Imm Abu l-Barakt [Father of

Blessings] Hibatullh ibn al-Mubrak as-Saqa (may Allh bestow
His mercy upon him), on the authority of Yazd ibn Hrn, that
al-Masd once said:
It has come to my attention that if someone, while performing
voluntary worship [taawwu] at night in the month of Raman, recites
[the words addressed by Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) to His
Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace)]:
We have surely given you
a signal victory. (48:1)
inn fatan la-ka

fatan mubn.
that person will receive a guarantee of safekeeping for the whole of

that year.
183

Variants of this Divine Saying [adth Quds] have been recorded by several notable
authorities, including Imm al-Bukhr and Imm Muslim. See: William A. Graham, Divine Word
and Prophetic Word in Early Islam; Mouton, The Hague and Paris, 1977; pp. 186189.
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On the significance of each of the five

letters in the word Raman
[as that word is spelled in the Arabic script].
he word Raman [as written in the Arabic script] is made up of

five letters, namely, r, mm, d, alif and nn.185 The initial letter
r stands for riwnullh [Allhs good pleasure]. The letter mm stands
for mubtullh [the considerate and favorable disposition of Allh].
The letter d stands for amnullh [Allhs guarantee, meaning His
assurance of spiritual reward]. The letter alif stands for ulfatullh [the
intimate affection and nearness of Allh].186 The final letter nn stands
for nrullh [the radiant light of Allh].187
This means that the month of Raman is the month of considerate
behavior, the giving of assurance, the sharing of intimate affection, the
shedding of light, the bestowal of benefits, and generous respect for the
saints [awliy] and the righteous [abrr].
As someone once said: In comparison with the other months, the
status of Raman is like that of the heart within the breast, like that
of the Prophets [Anbiy] within the human race, and like that of the
Sacred Territory of Mecca [al-aram] among the cities of the world.
To clarify these points of comparison (in reverse order): The
accursed False Messiah [ad-Dajjl] will be denied access to the Sacred
Territory of Mecca [al-aram], just as the defiant and rebellious agents
of Satan [maradat ash-Shain] are kept shackled and chained in the
185

In the Arabic script, an initial letter alif merely serves to indicate that the word concerned
begins with a vowel. An extra sign is sometimes added to indicate whether that vowel is a, i, or u.
When alif occurs between two consonants, however, (e.g., between the letters d and nn in the
word Raman) it indicates the long vowel .
187 In the Thirtieth Discourse of The Removal of Cares [Jal al-Khawir], the author (may Allh
be well pleased with him) has suggested the following explanations:
186
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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month of Raman.188 [On the Day of Resurrection] the Prophets

[Anbiy] will be intercessors [shufa] on behalf of those who are guilty
of sinful offenses, just as the month of Raman will be an intercessor
[shaf] on behalf of those who have kept the fast. The heart is beautified
and adorned by spiritual experience [marifa] and faith [mn], just as the
month of Raman is beautified and adorned by the light of the
recitation of the Qurn.
If a person does not receive forgiveness in the month of Raman,
in which month can he hope to have his sins forgiven? The servant [of
the Lord] must therefore turn in repentance to Allh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), before the doors of repentance [tawba] are locked and
bolted. He must turn to Him (Almighty and Glorious is He) in
repentance [tawba], before the time for returning to obedience [inba]
has slipped away beyond recall.189 Let him also weep, before the time
for weeping and compassion [rama] has expired.
As the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
The members of my Community [Ummat] will not be put to shame, so long
as they observe the night vigil during the month of Raman.
On hearing this, a man asked: O Prophet of Allh, what does result

in their being put to shame? So he replied:
If someone is guilty, during month of Raman, of violating a sacred ordinance
[maram], of committing an evil deed, of drinking intoxicating liquor, or of
committing adultery or fornication, [his fasting in] Raman will not be
accepted of him. Allh and His angels and all those who dwell in the heavens
will curse him, and the curse will remain in effect until the same point of time
in the year ahead. If he happens to die in the interval before the next Raman
comes around, he will die without having even one good deed to his credit in
the sight of Allh.
188
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.
s someone once said:
The chieftain of the human race [sayyid al-bashar] is Adam (peace be

upon him).
The chieftain of the Arabs [sayyid al-Arab] is Muammad (Allh
bless him and give him peace).
The chieftain of the Persians [sayyid al-Furs] is Salmn [al-Fris]
(may Allh be well pleased with him).190
The chieftain of the Greeks [sayyid ar-Rm] is uhaib [ar-Rm]
(may Allh be well pleased with him).191
The chieftain of the Abyssinians [sayyid al-abash] is Bill (may
Allh be well pleased with him).192
The chieftain of the towns [sayyid al-qur] is Mecca.
The chieftain of the valleys [sayyid al-awdiya] is the valley of the
Temple of Jerusalem [wd Bait al-Maqdis].193
190 See
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
Srat al-Baqara is the secondand longestChapter in the Qurn.
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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Concerning the excellent properties

of the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr].
et us now consider the significance of the words of Allh (Exalted

is He):
Behold, We sent it down
on the Night of Power.
inn anzaln-hu
f Lailati l-Qadr.
And what has made you know

what is the Night of Power?
wa m adr-ka
m Lailatu l-Qadr.
The Night of Power is better

than a thousand months.
Lailatu l-Qadri khairun

min alfi shahr.
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.
Peace it is, until

the rising of the of dawn. (97:15)
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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he gave the following commentary on:

on the Night of Power. (97:1)
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):
f Lailati l-Qadr.
this means: on a tremendous or stupendous night [laila ama],

or, as some have maintained: on the Night of the Divine Decree [Lailat
al-ukm]. It is called the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] in order to
proclaim the immensity of the night itself, and to emphasize its potency
[qadr], because it is then that Allh (Exalted is He) predetermines
[yuqaddiru] how things are to be throughout the year, until the same
night of the year that lies ahead.
Then He has said (Exalted is He):
what is the Night of Power? (97:2)
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)
inn anzaln-hu f lailatin

mubrakatin f-h yufraqu
kullu amrin akm.
Next, He has said (Almighty and Glorious is He):

than a thousand months. (97:3)

min alfi shahr.
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
inn anzaln-hu
f Lailati l-Qadr.

wa m adr-ka
m Lailatu l-Qadr.


min alfi shahr.
In it the angels
on every errand.
wa r-Ru f-h
bi-idhni Rabbi-him
min kulli amr.
Peace it is, until

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:

min alfi shahr.
meaning: better than those thousand months, during which that

man bore a weapon in the service of Allhs cause [f sabli llh], and
never once set his weapon aside.
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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
on every errand.
wa r-Ru f-h
bi-idhni Rabbi-him
min kulli amr.
Peace it is, until

the rising of the of dawn. (97:4,5)
salmun hiya
att malai l-fajr.
1. What is meant by the angels come down [tanazzalu l-malikatu]

is that they come down in succession, from the setting of the sun until
the the rising of the of dawn.
2. The Spirit [ar-R] means Gabriel (peace be upon him).
According to a-ak, it was Ibn Abbs (may Allh be well
pleased with him and with his father) who said: The Spirit [ar-R] is
in the shape of a human being with a gigantic physical build, and he is
the one to whom Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) was referring
when He said:
And they will ask you
about the Spirit. (17:85)
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)
yawma yaqmu r-Ru

wa l-malikatu aff.
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3. In it [f-h] simply means: in the Night of Power [f Lailat al-Qadr].

4. By their Lords permission [bi-idhni Rabbi-him] means, in effect:
by their Lords command [bi-amri Rabbi-him].
5. On every errand [min kulli amr] is a way of saying: for every good
purpose.
6. Peace it is [salmun hiya] has exactly the same meaning as: It
is peace [hiya salmun], which signifies that it is perfectly safe and
salubrious [salma]. No sickness or disease can break out in the course
of it, nor can it be disturbed by any kind of hocus-pocus [kahna].
It has also been maintained that salmun [peace] means the greeting
of peace, with which the angels salute the true believers [salmu lmalaikati ala l-muminn] among the people of the earth, for they say
to them: Peace, peace, until the rising of the dawn [salmun salmun
att malai l-fajr]!
7. As for the phrase until the rising of the dawn [att malai l-fajr],
we should note the existence of an alternative reading for the Arabic
word mala. By substituting the vowel i for the vowel a after the
consonant l,204 we arrive at the form mali.205 The mali of the dawn
means the rising [al-ul] thereof, while mala denotes the place or
point at which it rises [yaluu].206
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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On the fact that the Night of Power

[Lailat al-Qadr] should be looked for during the
last ten days of the month of Raman.
he Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] should be looked for during the

last ten days of the month of Raman, and it is most likely to be
the night of the twenty-seventh.
According to the doctrine of Imm Mlik207 (may Allh bestow His
mercy upon him), however, all the nights of the last ten days are equal
candidates, and none of them is more probable than any other.
According to the doctrine of Imm ash-Shfi208 (may Allh bestow
His mercy upon him), on the other hand, the most likely candidate is
the twenty-first.
Some have maintained that it is the night of the nineteenth, this
being the doctrine of isha (may Allh be well pleased with her).
Ab Burda al-Aslam (may Allh be well pleased with him), is known
to have said: It is the night of the twenty-third.
Ab Dharr209 and al-asan (may Allh be well pleased with them)
are both known to have said: It is the night of the twenty-fifth.
According to a traditional report attributed to Bill (may Allh be
well pleased with him),210 the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him
peace) once said: It is the night of the twenty-fourth.
Ibn Abbs and Ubayy ibn Kab211 (may Allh be well pleased with
207 Imm Mlik ibn Anas (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. 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.
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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There are seven ingredients in the physical constitution of a human

being, seven ingredients in his basic diet, and seven slits or cavities in
the surface of his face.
There are seven seals [khawtm].215
There are seven verses [yt] in the Sra of Praise [Srat al-amd].216
There are seven modes [aruf] of reciting the Qurn.217
There are seven oft-repeated verses [as-sabu l-mathn].218
In the act of prostration [sujd] during the ritual prayer [alt], seven
parts of the body are brought into contact with the ground.
There are seven gates of Hell [Jahannam], and Hell has seven names,
corresponding to its seven descending steps or levels [darakt].219
There were seven Companions of the Cave [Ab al-Kahf].220
In the course of seven nights, the tribe of d was annihilated by the
wind.221
For seven years, Joseph [Ysuf] (peace be upon him) remained in prison.
There were [two sets of] seven cows [baqart] in the dream of the king
215 The seven seals [khawtm] mark the division of the Qurn into seven sections or stages
[manzil], an arrangement designed to facilitate the recitation of the entire Book in the course of
a week.
216 This is one of the many alternative titles sometimes given to what is most commonly known
as the Opening Sra [Srat al-Ftia] of the Noble Qurn. It alludes to the first verse [ya] thereof,
which reads: Praise be to Allh, Lord of All the Worlds [al-amdu lillhi Rabbi l-lamn].
217 The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
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.
wa la-qad tain-ka saban

mina l-mathn
wa l-Qurna l-am.
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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of Egypt, as mentioned by Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) in the

Sra of Joseph [Srat Ysuf]:
And the king said: I saw in a dream
seven fat cows, and seven
lean ones devouring them. (12:43)
wa qla l-maliku inn ar

saba baqartin simnin
yakulu-hunna sabun ijfun.
There would be seven years of drought, and then seven years of

plenty, according to the prediction made by Joseph [Ysuf] (peace be
upon him).
There are seventeen cycles [raka], all told, in the five daily prayers
[alawt].222
The number seven is mentioned in the words of Allh (Almighty
and Glorious is He):
Then a fast of three days
while on the Pilgrimage,
and of seven when
you have returned. (2:196)
fa-iymu thalthati ayymin

fi l-ajji
wa sabatin
idh rajatum.
There are seven degrees of relationship by blood [nasab] within

which it is unlawful to marry.223
There are seven degrees of relationship by fosterage [ri] and
marriage [ihr], within which it is likewise unlawful to marry.224
Before they can be considered pure and fit for human use, food
containers in which dogs have lapped must be washed and scrubbed
seven times, including one scrubbing with dry earth. Such is the rule
laid down by Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace).
There are twenty-seven Arabic words [urf]225 in the Sra of Power
222 The total of seventeen is arrived at by adding together:
(a) the two cycles of the dawn prayer

[alt al-fajr], (b) the four cycles of the midday prayer [alt a-uhr], (c) the four cycles of the
afternoon prayer [alt al-ar], (d) the three cycles of the sunset prayer [alt al-maghrib], and (e)
the four cycles of the late evening prayer [alt al-ish].
223 As Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has told us in the Qurn (4:23):
Forbidden to you are
your mothers,
and your daughters,
and your sisters,
and your paternal aunts,
and your maternal aunts,
and your brothers daughters,
and your sisters daughters.
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.
224 In this category, it is forbidden for a man to marry:
(1) his foster-mother, (2) his foster-sister,

(3) his mother-in-law, (4) his daughter-in-law, (5) his stepdaughter, (6) the sister of a wife to
whom he is still married, and (7) the widow or divorced wife of his father.
225 The basic meaning of the term arf (of which urf and aruf are plural forms) is a letter of
the Arabic alphabet. As in this context, however, it may also signify a connected group of Arabic
letters, representing either a separate word, or, in some cases, a grammatical combination of two
or more elements, only one of which can normally be written separately.
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[Srat al-Qadr], up to but not including the verse [ya]: Peace it is

[salmun hiya].226
Job [Ayyb] (peace be upon him) endured trial and tribulation for
seven years.
isha (may Allh be well pleased with her) once said: Allhs
Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace) married me when I was
seven years of age.
There are seven days of the old hag [ayym al-ajz], i.e., of the
destructive wind [usm]: three in February [Shub] and four in March
[dhr].227
The martyrs [shuhad] of my Community [Ummat] are seven, namely: (1) one
who is killed in battle, while fighting for the cause of Allh [al-qatl f sablillh];
(2) the victim of the plague [al-man]; (3) the victim of pulmonary tuberculosis [al-masll]; (4) one whose death is caused by drowning [al-gharq]; (5) one
who is trapped in a fire and burned to death [al-arq]; (6) one whose death
results from a gastric or intestinal ailment [al-mabn]; (7) the woman who dies
in the process of childbirth [an-nafs].
Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) swore [aqsama] by seven

things, when He said, in the first seven verses of the Sra of the Sun
[Srat ash-Shams] (91:17):
1. By the sun and its brightness,
2. and the moon when she follows him,
3. and the day when it reveals him,
4. and the night when it enshrouds him,
5. and the heaven and Him who built it,
6. and the earth and Him who spread it,
7. and a soul and Him who perfected it.
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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It is thus established that most things [of great religious importance]

are associated with the number seven. This means that Allh (Exalted
is He) has implicitly indicated to His servants that the Night of Power
[Lailat al-Qadr] is the twenty-seventh, by virtue of His statement:
Peace it is, until
salmun hiya
att malai l-fajr.
He has thereby given us to understand that the Night of Power [Lailat

al-Qadr] is the night of the twenty-seventh [of the month of Raman].228
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]:
1. Peace![that is] a word [of greeting]

from a Lord All-Compassionate. (36:58)
2. Peace be upon Noah
among all beings! (37:79)
3. Peace be upon Abraham! (37:109)
4. Peace be upon Moses and Aaron! (37:120)
5. Peace be upon Elias! (37:130)
6. And peace be upon those
sent as Messengers! (37:181)
7. Peace it is, until
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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On the conflicting opinions of various experts

concerning the correct answer to the question:
Which is more excellent, the night of the Day
of Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma],
or the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr]?
hich is more excellent, the night of the Day of Congregational

Prayer [Lailat al-Juma],229 or the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr]?
This is a question over which our fellow scholars230 have been in some
disagreement.
On the one hand, Shaikh Ab Abdillh ibn Baa, Shaikh Abu lasan al-Jazar and Ab af Umar al-Barmak (may Allh bestow His
mercy upon them) have all opted for the answer that the night of the
Day of Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma] is the more excellent of
the two.
On the other hand, the answer preferred by Abu l-asan at-Tamm
(may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) is that, of all the Nights of
Power [Layli l-Qadr], only one is more excellent than the night of the
Day of Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma], namely, the actual
Night during which the Qurn was sent down. As for all the otherwise
similar Nights of Power [Layli l-Qadr], the night of the Day of
Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma] ranks higher than any of them
on the scale of excellence.
[Aside from these representatives of the anbal school] most of the
learned scholars [ulam] have maintained that the Night of Power
[Lailat al-Qadr] is more excellent, not only than the night of the Day
of Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma], but than all other nights
in the calendar.
229 The Day of Congregational Prayer [al-Juma] is Fridaybut please remember that Friday night
in the Islmic calendar is the night that begins at sunset on Thursday!

230 The author (may Allh be well pleased with him) is referring to his fellow scholars in the
anbal school of Islmic theology and jurisprudence. (See note 212 on p. 107 above.)
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There is plenty of traditional evidence, however, to justify the point

of view adopted by our anbal colleagues, as we shall demonstrate:
According to one traditional account, related by al-Q [the Judge]
al-Imm Ab Yala (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him), it was Ibn
Abbs (may Allh be well pleased with him and with his father) who
reported that Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace)
once said:231
Allh grants forgiveness, on the night of the Day of Congregational Prayer
[Lailat al-Juma], to all the people of Islm.
No comparable excellence is known to have been attributed by the

Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) to any of the other nights.
Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace) is also
reported as having said:
Invoke Allhs blessing upon me,232 many times over, in the course of the
illustrious night [al-lailat al-gharr], and during the brightly shining day
[al-yawm al-azhar]on the night of the Day of Congregational Prayer [Lailat
al-Juma], and then on the Day itself.
The adjective gharr [illustrious] is related to the noun ghurra, which

means the highlight, the prime, the finest feature of something.233
Another point in favor of the superior excellence of the night of the
Day of Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma] is the very fact that it
immediately precedes the Day itself. This is indeed a telling point,
because we have been taught so much about the excellence of that
Day, and so little about the excellence of the day of the Night of
Power [Lailat al-Qadr].
The following traditional reports are highly significant in this
connection:
According to Anas [ibn Mlik]234 (may Allh be well pleased with
The sun never rises to usher in a day that is more splendid, in the sight of Allh,
than the Day of Congregational Prayer [Yawm al-Juma], and none is
dearer to Him.
231
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.
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According to Ab Huraira235 (may Allh be well pleased with him),

the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) once said:
The sun never rises, nor does it ever set, upon a day that is more excellent than
the Day of Congregational Prayer [Yawm al-Juma]. There is no creature that
walks or crawls upon the earth, that is not terrified of the Day of Congregational
Prayer [Yawm al-Juma], apart from these two species [thaqalain]: the jinn and
human beings.
According to another report from Ab Huraira (may Allh be well

pleased with him), the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace)
also said:
On the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyma], Allh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) will resurrect the days in a manner that displays their condition. When
He brings forth the Day of Congregational Prayer [al-Juma], it will be shining
with a radiant beauty, and its own people will greet it with affectionate respect,
as if it were a bride being led in procession to her noble bridegroom, beaming
upon them as they walk in her radiance. Their complexions will be like snow,
and their fragrant aroma will be like musk. They will plunge into mountains of
camphor, and the people assembled at the Place of Standing [al-Mawqif],
humans and jinn alike, will stare at them in wonder, too fascinated to blink an
eye, until they enter the Garden of Paradise.
Suppose someone were to say: That all sounds very convincing, no

doubt, but what is your response to His saying (Almighty and Glorious
is He):
than a thousand months. (97:3)?

min alfi shahr.
To this our reply would be as follows: What is meant to be

understood by it is: better than a thousand monthsin the reckoning
of which the night of the Day of Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma]
is not included. This interpretation should be perfectly comprehensible even to those who prefer the other point of view, since their
understanding of the phrase is: better than a thousand monthsin the
reckoning of which the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] is not included.236
In defense of our point of view, we should also point out that the night
of the Day of Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Juma] is everlasting in
the Garden of Paradisebecause visiting with Allh (Glorified and
Exalted is He) takes place during the Day thereof.237 Furthermore, its
235

Logically, if this were not so, the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] would be better than itself.
237 In Vol. 2, pp. 26986, the author (may Allh be well pleased with him) has quoted lengthy
traditional reports concerning the Garden of Paradise.
236
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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):

min alfi shahr.
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
Thursday and Saturday.

239 Near the beginning of this subsection (p. 112 above), the author (may Allh be well pleased
with him) has ascribed to Abu l-asan at-Tamm (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) a
viewpoint that sets him somewhat apart from the other learned scholars.
240 Even at the end of the 20th century, and even among the most technologically developed
societies, eighty-three years and four months would represent an above-average span of life
expectancy.
241 As the reader can hardly fail to notice, few transmitting authoritiesif anyare named in
connection with these particular reports.
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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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On the answer to 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?
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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death. Under these circumstances, they have a permanent incentive to

practice good conduct, to pursue repentance with dilgent perseverance,
and to make constant efforts to improve their behavior. Death, whenever
it comes to claim them, will therefore find them in a very good spiritual
state. As well as receiving their allotted shares [aqsm] of pleasure and
sensual enjoyment in this world, they will be safely delivered from
Allhs torment in the hereafter, by the mercy [rama] of Allh
(Exalted is He).
The following anonymous saying is also worth quoting:
Allh (Exalted is He) has concealed five things inside five: (1) He
has concealed Allhs good pleasure inside worshipful acts of obedience
[t]; (2) He has concealed His wrath inside sinful acts of disobedience
[ma]; (3) He has concealed the middle prayer [a-alt al-wus] 245
among the other ritual prayers [alawt]; (4) He has concealed His
saintly friend [wal] among the rest of His creatures; (5) He has
concealed the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] within the month of
Raman.
245
Allh (Exalted is He) has told us in the Qurn:

Be careful to observe your prayers,
and [especially] the middle prayer,
and stand obedient to Allh. (2:238)
fi ala -alawti
wa -alti l-wus:
wa qm lillhi qnitn.
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Concerning the five

nights granted by Allh
(Almighty and Glorious is He)
to the Chosen One [al-Muaf]
llh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has conferred five special

nights upon the Chosen One [al-Muaf] (Allh bless him and
give him peace), namely:
1. The Night of the Miracle and the Supernatural Skill [Lailat
al-Mujiza wa l-Qudra].246
This is the night referred to in the words of Allh (Exalted is He):
The Hour has drawn near and
the moon has been split in two. (54:1)
iqtarabati s-satu
wa nshaqqa l-qamar.
In the case of Moses [Ms] (peace be upon him), the miraculous

splitting of the sea was brought about by the stroke of his staff. In the
case of Muammad (Allh bless him and give him peace), on the other
hand, the miraculous splitting of the moon was brought about by the
mere pointing of the finger of the Chosen One [al-Muaf] (Allh bless
him and give him peace).247 It is therefore preeminent in the whole
domain of the Prophetic miracles [mujizt], the working of wonders
[ijz], and the exercise of supernatural skill [qudra].248
246 The term mujiza (plural: mujizt) is applied to a miracle performed by a Prophet [nab], and
is distinguished from the karma performed by a saint [wal] or righteous person [li]. As defined
by the Islmic theologians, a mujiza is an event at variance with the usual course of nature,
produced by one who lays claim to the office of a Prophet, in contending with those who refuse
to acknowledge his claim, in such a manner as renders them unable to produce the like thereof.
(See: E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art. JZ.)
247 In his famous commentary [tafsr] on the Qurn, al-Baiw says: Some say that the
unbelievers demanded this sign of the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace), and so the
moon was split in two; but others say it refers to a sign of the coming Resurrection.
248 In Vol. 1, pp. 25053, the author (may Allh be well pleased with him) has told us:
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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2. The Night of the Response and the Summons [Lailat al-Ijba

wa d-Dawa].
This is the night on which a company of the jinn urged their people
to respond to the summons of Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and
give him peace). In the words of Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
And when We turned toward you
a company of the jinn,
who wished to hear the Qurn,
they said:
O people of ours! Respond to Allhs
summoner and believe in him.
(46:2931)
wa idh arafn ilai-ka

nafaran mina l-jinni
yastamina l-Qurn
ql
y qawma-n ajb diya llhi
wa min bi-hi.
3. The Night of the Decree and the Adjudication [Lailat al-ukm

wa l-Qaiyya].
This is the night referred to in the words of Allh (Exalted is He):
We have sent it down
on a blessed night
surely We are ever warning
in which every firm decree
is made distinct. (44:3,4)
inn anzaln-hu
f lailatin mubrakatin:
inn kunn mundhirn:
f-h yufraqu
kullu amrin akm.
4. The Night of Nearness and Closeness [Lailat ad-Dunuww wa lQurba].

This is the Night of the Heavenly Ascension [Lailat al-Mirj]249 of the
Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace), the Night of which
Allh (Exalted is He) was speaking when He said:
Glory be to the One who carried
His servant by night
from the Sacred Place of Worship
to the Far Distant Place of Worship,
the precincts of which We
have blessed, that We might show
him some of Our signs!
Surely He, only He is the
All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. (17:1)
subna lladh asr

bi-abdi-hi lailan
mina l-Masjidi l-armi
ila l-Masjidi l-Aqa lladh
brakn awla-hu
li-nuriya-hu min yti-n:
inna-hu
Huwa s-Samu l-Bar.
5. The Night of Peace and Salutation [Lailat as-Salm wa t-Taiyya].

This is none other than the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr], of which
249
inn anzaln-hu
f Lailati l-Qadr.
The Night of the Heavenly Ascension [Lailat al-Mirj] is also known as the Night of the
Heavenly Journey [Lailat al-Isr].

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wa m adr-ka
m Lailatu l-Qadr.


min alfi shahr.
In it the angels
on every errand.
wa r-Ru f-h
bi-idhni Rabbi-him
min kulli amr.
Peace it is, until

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
wa la-qad ra-hu nazlatan ukhr

inda Sidrati l-Muntah.
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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
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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This explains why, as we have learned from a traditional report:

The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) was seriously
concerned about the prospects for his Community, so Allh (Exalted
is He) said to him: O Muammad, do not worry, for I shall not remove
members of your Community from the lower world, unless I have
conferred upon them the spiritual degrees of the Prophets [darajt
al-Anbiy]. In the case of the Prophets (blessings and peace be upon
them all), the angels came down to each of them in turn, bringing them
the Spirit [R], the message [risla], the inspiration [way], and the
charismatic gift of grace [karma]. I shall likewise send the angels down
to your Community, on the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr], with the
salutation of peace [taslm] and mercy [rama] from Me.
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On the characteristic features

that indicate the arrival of the Night of Power
[Lailat al-Qadr].
s for the characteristic features that indicate the arrival of the

Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr], they are present in a night when
the atmosphere is comfortable, the sky is jet-black, and the temperature
is neither hot nor cold. We may also quote this anonymous saying on
the subject:
It is a night in which no barking of dogs can be heard. When the sun
rises on the following morning, it appears as a disk without rays, rather
like a copper bowl [ast].
As for the marvels and wonders of the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr],
they are revealed to those who possess the qualities of spiritual development and sainthood [arbb al-qulb wa l-wilya], to those who are
committed to worshipful obedience [ahl a-a], and to whomever
Allh wishes among those of His servants who are true believers
[muminn]in accordance with their spiritual states [awl], their
allotted portions [aqsm], and their degrees of nearness to Allh
(Almighty and Glorious is He).
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Concerning the ritual prayer called lt at-tarw:

how it was practiced in the time of the Prophet
(Allh bless him and give him peace),
and how it came to be more strictly
observed during the Caliphate
of Umar ibn al-Khab
(may Allh be well pleased with him).
he ritual prayer called alt at-tarw 258 was originally instituted

as an occasional and voluntary practice, to be observed in accordance with the exemplary custom [sunna] of the Prophet (Allh bless
him and give him peace). After he had performed it in congregation on
one night [in the month of Raman](some say two nights, while
others say three)the believers expected him to join them again, but
he did not emerge from his apartment when the next night came
around. In order to explain his behavior, he told them later: If I had
come out to join you, it would surely have been imposed upon you as an
obligatory religious duty [la-furiat alai-kum].
It was eventually established as a regular congregational practice
[throughout the month of Raman], but not until the days of the
Caliphate of Umar [ibn al-Khab] (may Allh be well pleased with
him). This accounts for the fact that it is often attributed to the Caliph
Umar, on the grounds that he was the first to organize its performance
along these lines.
The following tradition [adth] is particularly relevant to this topic,
since it has been transmitted from isha, the Mother of the Believers
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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[Umm al-Muminn] (may Allh be well pleased with her), who is

The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) once left the
house in the middle of the night, in the month of Raman. He went
out to pray in the mosque [masjid], where he led the people in the
performance of a ritual prayer [alt]. When the next night came
around, however, there were so many people present that the mosque
could hardly accommodate the entire congregation, so he did not leave
home to join them, although he did go out later, in time for the dawn
prayer [alt al-fajr]. Then, once he had performed the dawn prayer, he
turned toward the people and said to them:
I was well aware of your situation this past night, but I was afraid that
the nighttime ritual prayer [alt al-lail] might be made incumbent upon
you as an obligatory religious duty, and that you would prove to be
incapable of fulfilling such an obligation.
isha, the Mother of the Believers [Umm al-Muminn] (may Allh
be well pleased with her), then went on to say:
The Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) would always
encourage the believers to observe the practices of wakefulness and
worship that enliven the nights of Raman [f iy Raman], but
without commanding them to regard such observance as a matter of
strict injunction [azma]. The moment came when Allhs Messenger
(Allh bless him and give him peace) was destined to conclude his
earthly life [tuwuffiya], and the same approach was then adopted
throughout the Caliphate of Ab Bakr, the Champion of Truth
[a-iddq] (may Allh be well pleased with him), and on into the early
period of the Caliphate of Umar [ibn al-Khab] (may Allh be well
pleased with him).
Al [ibn Ab lib] (may Allh be well pleased with him) is reported
as having said:
Umar [ibn al-Khab] (may Allh be well pleased with him) would
never have taken such a serious interest in these tarw prayers, if it had
not been for a certain saying [adth] of the Prophet (Allh bless him and
give him peace), which he happened to hear from me.
By making this statement, Al [ibn Ab lib] (may Allh be well
pleased with him) prompted his listeners to ask: What is that saying
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[adth], O Commander of the Believers [Amr al-Muminn]? So he

responded by telling them: Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and
give him peace) once said, in my hearing:
Around the Heavenly Throne [Arsh], Allh (Exalted is He) maintains an
area called the Enclosure of Sanctity [arat al-Quds],259 which consists of
radiant light. So many are the angels within its confines, that none but Allh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) could ever add up their total number. These
angels are utterly devoted to the worshipful service [ibda] of Allh (Exalted is
He), and they never take a single moment to relax. When the nights of the
month of Raman come around, they ask their Lord for permission to descend
by turns to the earth below, where they perform the ritual prayers [yullna]
together with the children of Adam. Whenever any member of the Community
of Muammad is touched by them, or touches them, that person will experience
such blissful happiness and good fortune that he will never again feel miserable
or suffer distress.
As soon as Umar ibn al-Khab (may Allh be well pleased with

him) heard me repeat these words, he exclaimed: Since we are specially
entitled to receive this blessing, we must be better prepared! He then
proceeded to organize the congregational observance of the tarw
prayers,260 and it was he who established the practice of performing them
[throughout the month of Raman] as a regular traditional custom.
As we know from another traditional report, Al ibn Ab lib (may
Allh be well pleased with him) went out in the first part of a certain
night in the month of Raman. Then, when he heard the Qurn
being recited in the mosques [masjid], he exclaimed: May Allh fill
the tomb of Umar with light, as Allhs mosques are illuminated by the
recitation of the Qurn!261
According to a somewhat differently worded version of this traditional report, Al ibn Ab lib (may Allh be well pleased with him)
passed by the mosques, and he noticed that they were bright with lamps,
while people were performing the tarw prayers, so he exclaimed:
259 In most English-Arabic dictionaries, the meaning given for arat al-Quds is simply
Paradise. For other terms derived, like quds [sanctity, holiness], from the three-consonant root
qds, see note 256 on p. 123 above.
260 According to A.J. Wensinck, who cites the authority of al-Bukhr:
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!
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.
Ab Dharr al-Ghifr262 (may Allh be well pleased with him) is

We performed some of our ritual prayers together with Allhs
Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace). When the twentythird night [of Raman] came around, he kept vigil with us, and led us
in the prayers, until the first third of the night had passed. Then, when
the twenty-fourth night came around, he did not leave home to join us.
On the twenty-fifth night, he came out and led us in prayer until the
first half of the night had elapsed, at which point we said to him: If only
you would grant us your presence for the rest of this night of ours,
that would be really good! To this he replied (Allh bless him and
give him peace):
If someone keeps vigil and prays in the company of the Imm, until the Imm
takes his leave, that person will be credited with having kept vigil for one whole
night [kutiba la-hu qiym laila].
He did not lead us in prayer on the night of the twenty-sixth. Then,

when the night of the twenty-seventh came around, he kept vigil with
us once again, only this time he brought his family along to join the
congregation, and he led us in prayer until we were afraid that we might
miss the moment of salvation [fal].
When someone asked what he meant by the moment of salvation
[fal], Ab Dharr al-Ghifr (may Allh be well pleased with him)
said: The last opportunity to partake of the sar [the final meal before
the commencement of daytime fasting during the month of Raman]!
262 See
note 23 on p. 18 above.
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On why it is considered preferable to perform

the tarw prayers in congregation, and to recite
the Qurn in a clearly audible voice in the course
of their performance. On when and why the
recitation of the Sra of the Clot of Blood
[Srat al-Alaq] is recommended.
t is considered preferable to perform the tarw prayers in

congregation [jama], and to recite the Qurn in a clearly audible
voice [jahr] in the course of their performance, because this is how the
Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) performed them during
those nights of the month of Raman.
As for the initial performance of the tarw prayer, this should take
place on the night preceding the glow of the first morning to dawn in
Raman, because that night is actually one of the nights of the month
of Raman, and because the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him
peace) acted accordingly.
The nightly performance of the tarw should begin after the
obligatory prayer [alt al-far]263 has been followed by [a customary
prayer of] two cycles [rakatain] with a ritual salutation [taslma]264 at the
end of the second cycle, because this is how the Prophet (Allh bless
him and give him peace) went about it.
The tarw prayer consists of twenty cycles [raka]. At the conclusion of each set of two cycles, the worshipper sits and performs the
ritual salutation [taslma]. There are five pauses for rest [tarwt] in
the whole performance, since there is one pause [tarwa] after each
set of four cycles.
Whether he is praying alone, or as leader [imm] of the congregation,
263 The obligatory prayer referred to here is the late evening prayer [alt al-ish], the last of the
five daily prayers, which is customarily followed by a voluntary prayer of two cycles [rakatain].
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or as one who is following such a leader,265 the worshipper must

formulate his intention [niyya] at the beginning of each set of two cycles
[rakatain]. In other words, he must say to himself: I am about to
perform two cycles of the customary tarw prayer.266
At the appropriate point in the first cycle, when the tarw prayer is
performed on the first night of the month of Raman, the recommended Qurnic recitation consists of the Opening Sra [al-Ftia]
and the Sra of the Clot of Blood [Srat al-Alaq], which reads:
Recite:
In the Name of your Lord who created,
created man from a clot of blood.
iqra
bismi Rabbi-ka lladh khalaq:
khalaqa l-insna min alaq.
Recite: And your Lord is the Most

iqra wa Rabbu-ka l-Akram:
Generous, who has taught by the Pen,
alladh allama bil-Qalam:
taught Man that which he did not know. allama l-insna m lam yalam.
No indeed; Man does exceed
the proper bounds,
in that he regards himself
as self-sufficient.
kall inna l-insna

la-yagh
an ra-hu
staghn.
Surely unto your Lord is the return.
inna il Rabbi-ka r-ruj.
Have you seen him who forbids

a servant when he prays?
a-raaita lladh yanh

abdan idh all.
Have you seen if he is

on the [path of] guidance,
or if he is enjoining dutiful devotion?
a-raaita in kna
ala l-hud
aw amara bit-taqw.
Have you seen if he denies

[the truth] and turns away?
Is he then unaware that Allh sees?
a-raaita in kadhdhaba
wa tawall.
a-lam yalam bi-anna llha yar.
No indeed; if he does not desist,

We shall seize him by the forelock,
a lying, sinful forelock.
kall la-in lam yantahi

la-nasfaan bin-niya:
niyatin kdhibatin khia.
Then let him call upon his henchmen!

We shall call on the guards of Hell.
fal-yadu ndiya:
sa-nadu z-zabniya.
No indeed; do not obey him, but bow

down low, and draw near [to Allh].
(96:119)
kall l tui-hu wa sjud

wa qtarib.
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

Ab Abd ar-Ramn Mudh ibn Jabal ibn Amr ibn Aws al-Khazraj (d. A.H. 17 or 18).
One of the earliest believers, he became a learned and active Companion.
269 The term witr [lit., odd number] is used to denote the ritual prayer, consisting of an odd number
of cycles, that is performed after the late evening prayer [alt al-ish] and before the dawn of day
[ub]. The number of cycles is usually three, five, or seven, but may be as many as thirteen.
Performance of the witr prayer is considered customary [sunna] by most traditional authorities,
with the exception of Imm Ab anfa (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him), who took a
stricter view. According to the anaf school [madhhab] of Islmic jurisprudence [fiqh], the
observance of the witr prayer is classed as necessary [wjib]. (See: A.J. Wensinck, art. WITR in
Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam; and: Thomas Patrick Hughes, Dictionary of Islam, art. WITR.)
268
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cycle [raka] of the witr prayer, the recommended Qurnic recitation

is the Sra of the Most High [Srat al-Al], which reads:
Glorify the Name of your Lord
the Most High who created,
and then shaped, and who
determined, then guided;
and who brought forth
the pasturage, then turned it
into rust-colored stubble.
sabbii sma Rabbi-ka l-Al:

alladh khalaqa fa-saww:
wa lladh
qaddara fa-had:
wa lladh akhraja l-mar:
fa-jaala-hu
ghuthan aw.
We shall make you recite

[O Muammad]
so that you shall not forget
save that which Allh wills.
He surely knows what is spoken aloud
and that which is kept hidden;
and We shall ease your way
unto the state of ease.
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.
Successful is he who purifies himself,

and remembers the Name of his Lord,
and then performs the prayer.
But you prefer the life of this
lower world,
although the Hereafter is better
and more lasting.
qad aflaa man tazakk

wa dhakara sma Rabbi-hi
fa-all.
bal tuthirna l-ayta
d-duny
wa l-khiratu khairun
wa abq.
Surely this is in the ancient scrolls:

the scrolls of Abraham and Moses.
(87:119)
inna hdh la-fi -uufi l-l

uufi Ibrhima wa Ms.
fa-l tans
ill m sha llh:
inna-hu yalamu l-jahra
wa m yakhf.
wa nuyassiru-ka
lil-yusr.
In the second cycle [raka] of the witr prayer, the recommended

Qurnic recitation is the Sra called the Unbelievers [Srat al-Kfirn],
which reads:
Say: O unbelievers,
I do not worship what you worship,
and you are not worshipping
that which I worship;
qul y ayyuha l-kfirn:

l abudu m tabudn:
wa l antum bidna
m abud:
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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.
In the third cycle [raka] of the witr prayer, the recommended

Qurnic recitation is the Sra of Sincere Devotion [Srat al-Ikhl],
which reads:
Say: He is Allh, One!
Allh, the Everlasting Refuge!
He does not beget,
nor was He begotten;
and there is none
comparable unto Him.
(112:14)
qul Huwa llhu Aad:

Allhu -amad:
lam yalid:
wa lam ylad:
wa lam yakun la-hu
kufuwan aad.
The postponement of the witr is recommended on the grounds that

the Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace) established this
sequence for the performance of the prayers [during the nights of the
month of Raman].
Subject to disapproval is the practice of inserting supererogatory
devotions [tanafful] between each set of four cycles in the tarw prayer.
It is also considered reprehensible to perform the tarw prayer in two
different mosques.270
According to one of the two accounts [of the anbal doctrine on the
subject], the same stricture applies to the performance of supererogatory
prayers [nawfil] in congregation, immediately after the tarw prayer
has been concluded, because this amounts to relentless tagging
[taaqqub],271 which is a reprehensible practice [makrh] in the view of
Imm Amad [ibn anbal]272 (may Allh the Exalted bestow His mercy
upon him). This practice was certainly frowned upon by Anas ibn
Mlik273 (may Allh be well pleased with him), for, as we know from
traditional reports, he would take a slight nap, then wake up and
270
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.
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perform as many voluntary devotions [nawfil wa tahajjud] as he saw fit,

and then resume his dozing for a while. Besides, it is vigil in the first part
of the night [nshiat al-lail] 274 that Allh has commended most highly,
and that He has mentioned specifically, for He has told us:275
[Keeping vigil in] the first part
of the night
is more potent in impact
and more certain where speech
is concerned. (73:6)
inna nshiata llaili

hiya ashaddu waan
wa aqwamu ql.
According to the second of the two accounts [of the anbal

doctrine], the practice described above is classed as permissible [jiz],
rather than reprehensible [makrh]. It is nevertheless preferable
to allow an interval to elapse, in view of the fact that Umar [ibn
al-Khab] (may Allh be well pleased with him) is reported as having
said: You claim that the best of the night is the last part of it. Well,
let me tell you, the time when you get some sleep is more agreeable, as
far as I am concerned, than the time when you are all up and awake!
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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Some concluding remarks concerning

the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr],
and concerning the month of
Raman as a whole.
n the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr], as Allh (Almighty and

Glorious is He) has told us:
The angels and the Spirit
come down. (97:4)
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)
salm: qawlan min

Rabbin Ram.
By the same token, it is also conceivable that He will bestow the

salutation of peace, here in this lower world, upon those righteous
servants of His [ibdi-hi l-abrr]:
unto whom the reward most fair
has already gone forth from Us.
(21:101)
alladhna sabaqat la-hum

min-na l-usn.
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In other words, it is conceivable because the blessings of providence

[inya] and felicity [sada] have already been conferred by Him, in the
eternity without beginning [fi l-azal], upon those who are extinct to the
creation [fnn ani l-khalq], existing in perpetuity with the Lord [bqn
bir-Rabb], and steadfastly reliant on the Truth [mumainn ila l-aqq].
When the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr] comes around, there will
not be a single spot on earth that does not have an angel upon it, either
bowing down in prostration, or standing erect, as he offers prayers of
supplication on behalf of the believing men [muminn] and the believing
women [mumint]. There will be no exceptions, apart from any church
[kansa], or any synagogue [ba],276 or any temple dedicated to the
worship of fire, or any temple dedicated to the worship of idols, or
certain places where people dispose of their filthy trash.
Those angels will dedicate every moment of their night on earth to
offering prayers of supplication on behalf of the believing men [muminn]
and the believing women [mumint]. As for Gabriel (peace be upon
him), he will not leave any believer, male or female, without giving him
[or her] the greeting of peace and shaking him [or her] by the hand. To
each and every one of them, he will say: If you are in a state of
worshipful obedience, peace be upon you, in the form of the approval
and favor you deserve! If you are in a state of sinful disobedience, peace
be upon you, in the form of forgiveness! If you are in a state of sleep,
peace be upon you, in the form of contentment! If you are in the grave
or tomb, peace be upon you, in the form of refreshment [rau] and sweet
perfume [rain]!
This, according to one interpretation, is the import of the words of
Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
On every errand: Peace.
(97:4,5)
min kulli amrsalmun.
Another interpretation has been expressed as follows:

The angels will surely convey the greeting of peace to all worthy
practitioners of worshipful obedience, but they will not offer that same
276 In an earlier chapter of the present work, there is some evidence to suggest that Shaikh Abd
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
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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
Peace be upon you, O month of the ascending steps

of Paradise and of salvation from the descending steps of Hell!
as-salmu alaiky shahra d-darajt wa n-najti mina d-darakt
Peace be upon you, O month of the worshipful penitents!
as-salmu alaiky shahra t-tibna l-bidn
Peace be upon you, O month of those who know
from spiritual experience!
as-salmu alaiky shahra l-rifn
Peace be upon you, O month of those who exercise
discriminating judgment!
as-salmu alaiky shahra l-mujtahidn
Peace be upon you, O month of safety and security!
as-salmu alaiky shahra l-amn.
You are a prison for disobedient sinners, and for the truly
devout you are a place of comfort.
Peace be upon the lamps and lanterns that shine so bright! Peace be
upon the sleepless eyes, and upon the streaming tears! Peace be upon
the illuminated niches [marb] in the mosques, and upon the tears
that are spilled and shed! Peace be upon the sighs that arise from hearts
that are aflame!
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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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Concerning zakt al-fir279

[the special alms-due that becomes payable
immediately after the end of the month
of Raman].280
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)
qad aflaa man tazakk

wa dhakara sma Rabbi-hi
fa-all.
Let us therefore consider how these words of His may be interpreted:

1. Successful is he [qad aflaa]:
In this context, success [fal] can be understood to mean either the
attainment [fawz] of the Garden of Paradise, along with salvation [najt]
from the Fires of Hell in the Hereafter, and from disasters and afflictions
in this world; or prosperity [yumn] and good fortune [sada] in this
worldas the happy outcome of worshipful obedienceand permanent
survival [khuld] in the Gardens of Paradise in the Other World.
Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has also said:
Successful are the true believers.
(23:1)
qad aflaa l-muminn.
In other words, they are fortunate [suid].

2. Successful is he who purifies himself [qad aflaa man tazakk]:
279 For a satisfactory understanding of the points discussed in this subsection, it is important to be
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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That is to say, successful is he who is enabled to achieve the state of

purity [wuffiqa liz-zakt], and to cleanse his faith [mn] and his
devotion [taqw] of all sinful stains. There can be no success [fal] for
anyone who fails to become purified. Allh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) has told us:
Surely the guilty are never successful.
(10:17)
inna-hu l yufliu l-mujrimn.
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

According to this interpretation, the verb tazakk relates to the Alms-due [Zakt] that
constitutes one of the Five Pillars of Islm. (See Vol. 1, pp. 1719.)
284 This is presumably Qatdas contemporary, A as-Sulam/as-Sulaim (may Allh bestow His
mercy upon them both), a man renowned for his extreme piety. According to some accounts, his
sense of shame before Allh (Exalted is He) was so intense that he felt unable to raise his head
toward heaven. He died in A.H. 121.
282
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According to Ab Sad al-Khudr285 (may Allh be well pleased with

him): The expression: and remembers the Name of his Lord [wa
dhakara sma Rabbi-hi] refers to the affirmation of Allhs Supreme
Greatness [takbr].286 As for: and then performs the prayer [fa-all],
this means: and then goes out to celebrate the Festival [al-d], and
performs the ritual prayer [with the congregation in the mosque].
Wak ibn al-Jarr (may Allh bestow His mercy upon him) offered
this instructive comparison:
The alms-due called zakt al-fir, as it relates to Raman, is like the
prostration to compensate for forgetfulness [sajdat as-sahw], as the latter
relates to the ritual prayer [alt].
The point he was making may be explained as follows:
When Allhs Messenger (Allh bless him and give him peace)
prescribed payment of the alms-due called zakt al-fir as an obligatory
religious duty, he intended it to provide the keeper of the fast [im]
with a cleansing instrument, by which to rid himself of moral defects.
In other words, it gives the keeper of the fast an opportunity to redress
the imbalance in his account, by compensating for the deficiency that
has entered into him through indulgence in various forms of misbehavior,
such as idle gossip [laghw], lewdness and sexual harassment [rafath],287
telling lies [kidhb], backbiting [ghba], slanderous defamation [namma],
consuming substances of dubious legality [shubuht], and eyeing attractive temptations [mustasant].
The post-Raman alms-due [fira] 288 has thus been established as a
means of making atonement for bad habits such as these, and of
completing and repairing ones observance of the fast. It may fittingly
be compared, therefore, to repenting ones sins and seeking forgiveness
for them, and also to bowing down in prostration [sujd] as an atonement for lapsing into forgetfulness [sahw] during the ritual prayer. It
seems highly likely that this act of prostration has been prescribed in
order to spite the Devil [Shain], since he is the cause of the lapse into
forgetfulness. We may safely assume that repentance of sinful offenses,
285
286 The affirmation of Allhs Supreme Greatness [takbr] is expressed by declaring:
Allhu Akbar
[Allh is Supremely Great!] These words are pronounced at the beginning of every ritual prayer
[alt].
288 In this context, the term fira is simply a shorter synonym of zakt al-fir.
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and payment of the post-Raman alms-due [fira], have likewise been

prescribed with a view to spiting him, because the Devil [Shain] is the
cause of those acts of sinful disobedience, and of all those moral defects
that tarnish the observance of the fast.
May Allh grant refuge, to us and to all the true believers [muminn],
from Satans tricks and snares and pitfalls! May He keep us safe from
the perils and afflictions of this world, and deliver us therefrom, by His
mercy and His gracious favor! mn.
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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
he Festival [of Breaking Fast after Raman] came to be called d

for the simple reason that Allh restores [yudu: yudu] joy and
happiness to His servants on their day of festive celebration [f yawmi
di-him].
Many other explanations have been suggested, including those
expressed in the following anonymous sayings:
It came to be called d for the simple reason that it contains the
benefits [awid] 290 of goodness bestowed by Allh, and the favors of
generous grace conferred by Him upon His servant.
The explanation is that the servant returns [yadu] at that time to
humble entreaty and weeping, and the Lord (Almighty and Glorious is
He) returns [yadu] at that time to the giving of presents and the
granting of gifts.
[When people celebrate the d, it means that] they have returned
[d] to their previous condition from the state of purity [experienced
while keeping the fast].
It signifies that they have returned [d] from obeying Allh
directly [at Allh] to obeying the Messenger [at ar-Rasl] (Allh
bless him and give him peace), from the religious practice that is strictly
obligatory [fara] to that which is customary but not compulsory
289 For a satisfactory understanding of the points discussed in this subsection, it is important to be
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.
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!
According to a traditional report, transmitted on the authority of

291 That is to say, the promise of blissful reward in the Garden of Paradise, and the threat of terrible
torment in the Fire of Hell.

292 Although the second syllable of wad does happen to be d, the word as a whole is derived from
the root wd, which conveys the basic idea of promising.
293 That is to say, the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyma].
295 The b tree is traditionally depicted as having its roots in Paradise, while its leaves and
branches extend downwards toward the earth. According to some accounts, one of its branches
will enter the mansion of each inhabitant of the Garden of Paradise, bearing flowers and ripe fruit
of every imaginable kind.
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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.
This traditional report concludes with the following words of the

Prophet (Allh bless him and give him peace):
The angels will then be very happy, as they welcome the good news of all that
Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will bestow upon this Community, when
its members break the fast they have kept through the month of Ramn.
298
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Concerning four Festivals [Ayd] celebrated

by four peoples [aqwm] in the course of history.
here have been four Festivals [Ayd],299 celebrated by four peoples

[aqwm], namely:
1. The Festival [d] celebrated by the people of Abraham [Ibrhm]
(peace be upon him).
A crucial moment in the life of Abraham (peace be upon him) is thus
described in the words of Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
So he glanced a glance at the stars.
Then he said: Oh, I feel sick!
(37:88,89)
fa-naara naratan fi n-nujm

fa-qla inn saqm.
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 man faala hdh bi-lihati-n

inna-hu
la-mina -limn.
They said: We heard a young man

making mention of them,
and he is called Abraham.
ql samin fatan
yadhkuru-hum
yuqlu la-hu Ibrhm.
They said: Then bring him here

before the peoples eyes,
so that they may bear witness.
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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They said: Are you the one who

did this to our gods, O Abraham?
ql a-anta faalta hdh

bi-lihati-n y Ibrhm.
He said: No; it was this big one

of them that did it. So question them,
if they are able to speak.
qla bal faala-hu kabru-hum

hdh fa-sal-hum
in kn yaniqn.
So they turned on one another,

and said: Surely you are the ones
in the wrong!
fa-raja il anfusi-him
fa-ql inna-kum
antumu -limn.
Then they were utterly confounded,

[and they said]: You know full well
that these [idols] do not speak.
thumma nukis al rusi-him:

la-qad alimta
m huli yaniqn.
He said: Do you then worship,

instead of Allh, that which can
neither profit you at all,
nor do you any harm?
qla a-fa-tabudna min

dni llhi m l yanfau-kum
shaian
wa l yaurru-kum.
Fie on you, and on all that

you worship instead of Allh!
Have you no sense at all?
uffin la-kum wa li-m tabudna

min dni llh:
a-fa-l taqiln.
They cried: Burn him,

and help your gods, if you are
going to take some action.
ql arriq-hu wa nur
lihata-kum in
kuntum filn.
We said: O fire, be coolness

and peace for Abraham!
(21:5969)
quln y nru kn bardan

wa salman al Ibrhm.
The Bosom Friend of the All-Merciful [Khall ar-Ramn] (peace be

upon him) was filled with zeal for the sake of his Lord, so he paralyzed
his hand in the process of shattering the idols [anm], and risked his life
for the friendship of the Lord of all mankind [wilya Rabb al-anm]. His
Lord therefore bestowed upon him the honor of bosom friendship
[khulla],300 caused his hand to become an instrument for restoring dead
birds to life,301 brought forth from his loins the bearers of Messengership
and Prophethood [ahl ar-Risla wa n-Nubuwwa], and made him the
direct ancestor of [Muammad] the Chosen One [al-Muaf], the Best
300 The abstract noun khulla [bosom friendship] s formed from the same Arabic rootkhllas
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.
The following explanation has been offered:

It came to be called the Day of Grace [Yawmu z-Zna] because Allh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) graced [zayyana] Moses and his
people, by causing the destruction of their enemy Pharaoh [Firawn]
and his people.
Seventy-two magicians (some say seventy-three) came out into the
desert, together with Pharaoh and his people, [to challenge Moses
(peace be upon him) and his people]. They brought with them seven
hundred staffs and ropes, and they put quicksilver [zibaq] in the middle
of the staffs, which were intertwined with the ropes. The creatures were
standing out there on the sun-baked ground [ram],303 and the heat of
the sun was extremely intense, so the quicksilver melted and the staffs
caused the ropes to slither about. To the people looking on, they
appeared to be slithering serpents, although they were not really
moving of their own accord.
So Moses conceived a fear
within him. (20:67)
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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It was then that Allh (Exalted is He) said to Moses (peace be

upon him):
And throw down your staff! (27:10)
wa alqi a-k.
So he threw it down, and lo and behold, it turned into an enormous

serpent, as huge as the biggest camel that ever was! It had two eyes that
were ablaze with fire, and the snarling sound it made was truly terrifying.
It bore down upon the products of their sorcery, their ropes and their
staffs, and gobbled them upthat is to say, it devoured them all
completelyyet without being altered in the process. There was no
swelling of the belly, no lessening of mobility, and no increase in either
its length or its breadth.
Then the wizards were flung down
prostrate. (7:120)
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.
In other words: We give credence [addaqn] to Him.

Then the serpent bore down upon the armed forces of Pharaoh and
his people, and they were routed and took to flight. By some accounts,
as many as fifty thousand of them died.
The story goes on for some considerable length, but we shall leave it
at this point.
3. The Festival [d] of Jesus [s] (peace be upon him) and his people.
Let us begin by quoting these words of Allh (Exalted is He):
When the Disciples said:
O Jesus, son of Mary!
Is your Lord able to send down
for us a table spread with food
from heaven? he said:
Observe your duty to Allh,
if you are true believers. (5:112)
idh qla l-awriyyuna

y sa bna Maryama
hal yastau Rabbu-ka an
yunazzila alai-n midatan
mina s-sm:
qla ttaqu llha
in kuntum muminn.
304
If this were a continuation of the immediately preceding Qurnic quotation (7:120), it

would read in full:
We believe in the Lord of All the Worlds,
the Lord of Moses and Aaron. (7:121,122)
mann bi-Rabbi l-lamn:

Rabbi Ms wa Hrn.
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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)
ql nurdu an nakula min-h

wa tamainna qulbu-n
wa nalama an qad
adaqta-n
wa nakna alai-h
mina sh-shhidn.
Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allh,

our Lord, send down for us a table
spread with food from heaven,
so that it may be a festival for us
for the first of us and for the last of us
and a sign from You.
And provide us with sustenance,
for You are the Best of providers.
(5:114)
qla sa bnu Maryama llhumma

Rabba-n anzil alai-n
midatan mina s-sami
taknu la-n dan
li-awwali-n wa khiri-n
wa yatan min-ka
wa rzuq-n
wa Anta Khairu r-rziqn.
Allh said: I shall indeed send

it down for you.
But if anyone amongst you
disbelieves thereafter,
I will surely punish him
with a penalty such
as I have never inflicted
on any of the peoples of the world.
(5:115)
qla llhu inn munazzilu-h

alai-kum:
fa-man yakfur badu
min-kum fa-inn
uadhdhibu-hu
adhban l
uadhdhibu-hu
aadan mina l-lamn.
But when Jesus became conscious

of their disbelief, he cried:
Who will be my helpers
in the cause of Allh?
So the Disciples said:
We shall be Allhs helpers.
We believe in Allh,
and you must bear witness
that we have surrendered
[unto Him]. (3:52)
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.
We shall now provide an explanatory version of the story, drawing

upon traditional commentaries and reports:305
The Disciples [awriyyn]306 said: O Jesus [y s], is your
Lord able to grant your request, if you ask Him to send down for us a
305 In the passages that follow, the Qurnic phrases and sentences are printed in a bold font, to
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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table spread with food [mida]307 from heaven? He said: Observe

your duty to Allh, and do not ask Him for trouble, if you are true
believers [muminn]! If such a table is in fact sent down, but then, at
some later stage, you deny the truth concerning it, you will be severely
punished.
They said: We wish to eat from it, for we are hungry, so that our
hearts may be at restthat is to say, so that our hearts may feel
comfortable with the faith [mn] and belief [tadq] to which you are
summoning usand so that we may know that you have told us the
truth with regard to your being a Prophet [Nab] and a Messenger
[Rasl]and that we may be witnesses to it, i.e., to the table, in the
presence of the Children of Israel [Ban Isrl] when we return to them.
The Disciples [awriyyn] were those who responded to Jesus
(peace be upon him) when he passed by them in Jerusalem [Bait
al-Maqdis],308 where they were practicing their trade of bleaching
clothes.309 They were twelve men. When Jesus (peace be upon him)
said to them: Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allh?in
other words, Who will assist me, together with Allh, against those
who are guilty of unbelief and tyranny [ahl al-kufr wa -ughyn], so that
I may summon them to the worshipful obedience of Allh, and to the
affirmation of His Oneness [tawd] ?the Disciples said: We shall
be Allhs helpers.
Having made this commitment, they left their familiar way of life and
followed Jesus (peace be upon him), traveling far and wide with him to
whichever part of the earth he directed his steps. Thus they witnessed
all the marvels and miracles [mujizt]310 that he was instrumental in
performing (peace be upon him). Whenever they felt hungry and in
need of food to eat, Jesus would simply stretch out his hand, and extract
from the earth a couple of loaves of bread for each one of them, and
likewise for himself. Gabriel (peace be upon him) would walk along
beside him, showing him all manner of wonders and marvels, supporting
him and helping him to deal with things as they arose.
307 According to most of the classical Arabic lexicographers, the term mida is only applied to a
table that has food on it. A table without food is called a khiwn or khuwn, not a mida. (See:
E.W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, art. MYD.)
309 Authors note: In the Nabataean language, the term awriyyn is applied to those who earn
their living by whitening articles of clothing.
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Jesus (peace be upon him) was constantly demonstrating wonders

and marvels to the Children of Israel [Ban Isrl], but this merely
increased their remoteness from believing him and following him, until
one day five thousand of the Children of Israel [Ban Isrl] came out
to meet him on a road, and joined the Disciples in asking him for the
table spread with food. It was then that Jesus, the son of Mary, (peace
be upon him) said:
O Allh, our Lord, send down for us a table spread with food from
heaven, so that it may be a festival [d] for usfor the first of us and
for the last of us. He was saying, in effect: so that it may be a feast
for those in our own day and age, who have been present to witness the
coming down of the table spread with food, and so that it may also be
a recurring festival [d] for those who come after us. The table will be
a sign from You. And provide us with sustenancethat is to say,
grant us the table spread with foodfor You are the Best of providers,
the Best of all those who provide sustenance.
Allh said: I shall indeed send it (i.e., the table) down for you. But
if anyone amongst you disbelieves thereafterthat is to say, after
it has come down for your benefitI will surely punish him with
a penalty such as I have never inflicted on any of the peoples of
the world.
Then, on a Sunday, Allh sent down for them from heaven fresh fish,
flat bread, and dried dates.
According to some traditional accounts, the table was a portable
leather food-wallet [sufra]311 containing a broiled fish, which had salt at
its head and vinegar by its tail. It also contained five loaves of bread,
with an olive on each loaf, as well as five pomegranates and some dried
dates. Various vegetables, not including leeks, were arranged around
the edges.
According to one account, Jesus (peace be upon him) said to his
companions, while they were sitting in a garden: Does anyone
amongst you happen to have something with him [for us to eat]?
Simon [Shamn]312 came up with two small fishes and five loaves of
bread, and someone else came forward with some kind of barley broth
311 According to the Arabic lexicographers, the term sufra denotes a sheet of leather, which is used
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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As a result of this experience, they had come to have faith in Jesus

(peace be upon him), and to believe that he spoke the truth. So they
now returned to their own people, the Jews [Yahd]the Children of
Israel [Ban Isrl], in other wordsand with them they took the
leftover food from the table [mida]. Their own people did not give
them a moment of peace, however, until they had persuaded them to
renounce Islm [submission to the Will of the One Almighty God], to
forsake their belief in Allh, and to deny the coming down of the table
[mida] from heaven. So, while they were sleeping, Allh transmogrified
them into swine [khanzr]. (All of them were adult males; there was not
a boy nor a woman among them.)
A wise man once remarked: This story is about a table [mida] on
which a limited amount of food was placed. A large throng and a
numerous gathering of people came away from it [fully satisfied], and yet
it was still in the same condition. So how about the table of grace
[midat ar-ri], and the dining sheet whereon is spread the mercy [bis
ar-rama] that has neither limit nor end?
As we are informed in the words of one traditional report [khabar]:
Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has no fewer than a hundred
mercies at His disposal. One of these mercies He has already sent down
to the earth, where He has distributed it among His creatures, and this
is what enables them to feel sympathy for one another [yataramn],
and to treat one another with considerate kindness [yataafn]. The
other ninety-nine He has kept back for His own eventual use, His
purpose being to use them for the merciful treatment of His servants on
the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyma].
Another traditional report [khabar] reads as follows:
On the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyma], the All-Majestic
One [al-Jall] (Magnificent is His Majesty) will spread the dining sheet
of glory and honor [bis al-majd]. The sins of the ancients and the
moderns will gather around the edges, while the sheet itself remains
empty, in the hope of catching Ibls314 when he arrogantly trespasses
upon it.
314 Ibls is the personal name of the Devil.
Some Western scholars consider it to be an arabicized

version of the Greek diabolos, but the Arab philologists derive it from the root bls, on the grounds
that Ibls has nothing to expect [ublisa] from the mercy of Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
He is also called ash-Shain [Satan, the Devil], aduww Allh [the enemy of God] or simply
al-aduww [the Enemy]. Unlike the English word Satan, however, ash-Shain is not strictly
speaking a proper name, as A.J. Wensinck points out in his article IBLS in the Shorter
Encyclopaedia of Islam. (See also: T.P. Hughes, Dictionary of Islam, art. DEVIL).
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It would be entirely inappropriate, however, for any intelligent and

rational person to take all of this for granted, and to be deluded by it into
taking unnecessary risks. He must not let himself be carried away by
unduly optimistic expectation, for such folly would doom him to
perdition. Instead of embarking on that perilous course, he must
expend all his effort, and exhaust all his energy, in the earnest endeavor
to fulfill the commandments and observe the prohibitions [decreed by
the Lord], and to surrender all concerns to Allh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). He must make a frequent practice of seeking forgiveness [istighfr] and turning in repentance [tawba], and he must always be
warily on his guard.
No amount of fear and dread should ever cause a believer to despair
of the mercy of Allh, and no degree of optimism should ever induce
him to fall into the commission of unlawful acts, and into negligent
disregard of the commandments. Instead of going to such extremes, he
must find a middle way. As someone wisely put it: If the believers fear
and hope were of equally balanced weight, his fear and his hope would
be like the two wings of a birdand a bird cannot fly with one wing only!
4. The Festival [d] of the Community of Muammad (Allh bless
him and give him peace).
At this point, the fourth Festival [d] is mentioned only in order to
complete the list, since we have already dealt with the relevant details
of the subject, at the beginning of [this section of] the present Discourse.315
315
See pp. 14649 above.
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On the fact that the believer [mumin] and the

unbeliever [kfir] both take part in the Festival
[d], albeit for very different reasons.
he believer [mumin] and the unbeliever [kfir] both take part in

the Festival [d], since each of them has cause to celebrate the
occasion. The believer celebrates it for the sake of pleasing the
All-Merciful [ar-Ramn], whereas the unbeliever celebrates it for the
sake of pleasing the Devil [ash-Shain].
When the believer [mumin] sets out to celebrate his Festival [d], he
wears on his head the crown of right guidance [tj al-hidya]; on his eyes,
the emblem of respect for wise advice [fikrat al-ibra]; on his ears, the
mark of attentive listening to the Truth [istim al-aqq]; on his tongue,
the profession of faith in the Divine Oneness [ash-shahda bit-tawd];
on his heart, intuitive knowledge and certitude [al-marifa wa l-yaqn];
over his neck, the garment of submission to the Will of Allh [rid
al-Islm]; around his waist, the belt of servitude [minaqat al-ubdiyya].
The environment in which the believer celebrates his Festival [d]
consists of prayer-niches [marb], large congregational mosques
[jawmi], and smaller places of worship [masjid]. His adored Master
[Mabd] is the Lord of all servants and creatures, so to Him he addresses
his humble entreaty and request, and the Lord grants him acceptance
and bountiful favor [in the present life], then allows him to dwell [in
the life hereafter] in the Abode of Honor [Dr al-Karma] and the
Gardens of Paradise.
As for the unbeliever [kfir], on the other hand, when he sets out to
celebrate his Festival [d], he wears on his head the crown of abject loss
and error [tj al-khusrn wa -all]; on his ears, the seal of heedlessness
and blockage [khatm al-ghafla wa l-ijb]; on his eyes, the tell-tale signs
of negligence and indulgence in the carnal passions [almat as-sahw
wa sh-shahawt]; on his tongue, the stamp of mischief and alienation
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[khatm ash-shaqwa wa l-ibd]; in his heart, the dismal darkness

of denial and negation [ulmat an-nakara wa l-jud]; around his
waist, the girdle of disunity, mischief and discord [zunnr316 al-furqa
wa sh-shaqwa wa sh-shiqq].
The setting in which the unbeliever celebrates his Festival [d] is the
synagogue [ba], or one of the churches [kanis], or the temple devoted
to fire-worship [bait an-nr]. The objects of his worship are graven
images and idols [al-wuthun wa l-anm], and he is bound for his
ultimate destination in Hell [Jahannam] and the fires thereof.
316
The zunnr, a kind of girdle or waistband traditionally worn by non-Muslims (especially

Christians) was often used by Islamic authors as a symbol of imperfect faith. In the Forty-third
Discourse of The Sublime Revelation [al-Fat ar-Rabbn],* Shaikh Abd al-Qdir al-Jln (may
Allh be well pleased with him) says:
There is nothing to be said until you cut the waistband [zunnr], renew your Islm, truly repent with
your heart, and leave the house of your natural urges [ab], your passions [haw], your existence [wujd],
and your efforts to attract benefit to you and repel harm from you.
(*See p. 278 of the edition published by Al-Baz.)
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On the true significance and character

of the Festival [Id].
he Festival [d] is not really about dressing up in fine new clothes,

eating delicious treats, embracing attractive ladies, and pursuing
carnal pleasures and delights.
In its outward celebration, the Festival [d] is actually meant to
symbolize the acceptance of acts of worshipful obedience; the remission
of sins and mistakes; the conversion of bad deeds into good deeds; the
glad tidings of promotion to higher spiritual degrees; the conferring of
robes of honor, exquisite gifts, presents, and gracious favors; the
expansion of the feelings through the light of faith [mn]; the calming
of the heart through the strength of certainty [yaqn], and through the
signs it has come to recognize; and the pouring forth of the oceans of
knowledge and all kinds of wisdom, from the heart onto the tongue, to
be expressed with fluency and eloquence.
It was on a Festival day [yawm d], as the story is told, that a man once
entered the presence of Al [ibn Ab lib] (may Allh be well pleased
with him, and may Allh ennoble his countenance) and found him
eating coarse brown bread [khubz khushkr]. Today is the day of the
Festival [d], the man exclaimed, yet here you are, eating coarse
brown bread! So he said to his puzzled visitor:
Today is the day of the Festival [d] for someone whose fast [awm]
has been accepted, whose effort has been deemed worthy, and whose
sin has been forgiven. Today is a Festival [d] for us, and tomorrow is
a Festival [d] for us. Every day in which we do not disobey Allh is a
Festival [d] for us.
It is therefore important for every intelligent person to stop focusing
on the external aspect [hir], and not to let it capture his attention. His
perspective on the day of the Festival [d] should be from the standpoint of contemplation and reflection. He should regard the Festival
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[d] as comparable to the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyma].

When he hears the sound of the Sultans bugle [bq] announcing the
advent of the Night of the Festival [Lailat al-d], he should be reminded
of the blast of the trumpet [r] on the Day of Resurrection [Yawm
al-Qiyma]. While most of the people are spending the Night of the
Festival [Lailat al-d] asleep, resting themselves in preparation for
the day of celebration that lies ahead of them, he should remember the
interval of slumber between the two blasts [that will be sounded on
the Day of Resurrection].
On the morning of the Day of the Festival [Yawm al-d], he will see
how the people look, as they come into town from their mansions and
their houses. He will notice the differences in their states of being, and
the variety of style and color in the clothes they wear, for each person
will be dressed in a special outfit and a special set of ornaments. One
person will look happy, while another looks depressed. One will be
riding, while another walks on foot. One will be rich, while another
is poor. One will be in a cheerful mood, while another is in some
kind of distress.
As he surveys this scene, the intelligent observer should be reminded
of the variety there will be among the people present at the Resurrection
[ahl al-Qiyma]. Those who have practiced worshipful obedience [ahl
a-a] will be joyfully happy, while those who are guilty of sinful
disobedience [ahl al-maiya] will be miserably despondent. The truly
devout [muttaq] will be riding in comfort, while the offender who is a
mushrik [one who associates partners with Allh] will be stumbling,
getting tripped and dragged along with his face to the ground, or
walking at best.
As Allh has said (More Glorious is He than any other sayer):
On the day when We shall muster
the truly devout unto the
All-Merciful, in fine style
(19:85)
yawma nashuru l-muttaqna

ila r-Ramni
wafd
That is to say, riding on thoroughbred she-camels.

and We shall drive the guilty
culprits into Hell, like a herd of beasts.
(19:86)
wa nasqu l-mujrimna
il jahannama wird.
That is to say, like a thirsty herd.

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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.
So no soul knows what comfort
is laid up for them secretly,
as a reward
for what they used to do. (32:17)
fa-l talamu nafsun

m ukhfiya la-hum
min qurrati ayun:
jazan bi-m kn yamaln.
As for the condition of someone who is strongly addicted to this lower

world, that person will be in a state of wailing and weeping and terrible
distress. He will be prevented from sharing in the blessings enjoyed by
the people [of Paradise], because of his worldly attachment, his acquisition of unlawful and dubious assets, and his mixed performance where
obedience to his Lord is concerned. He will see his place in the Garden
of Paradise, but he will not be able to reach it, until he has acquitted
himself of the debts and liabilities he has incurred.
As for the unbeliever [kfir], he will burst into loud laments, wailing
and moaning in reaction to what his eyes behold, as he is given a
preview of the kinds of torment that await him, for he will find himself
facing the prospect of chastisement, degradation, perdition, and everlasting existence in the Fires of Hell.
When the intelligent Muslim sees the flags unfurled, and the banners
hoisted to mark the celebration of the Festival [d], he should be
reminded of the angelic flagbearers [ab al-alm] who will appear
when the herald of the All-Merciful [mundi r-Ramn] announces
317
See Vol. 2, note 254, p. 175.
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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)
wa yawma taqmu s-satu

yawmaidhin yatafarraqn.
A host of them will be

in the Garden [of Paradise],
and a hostof them in the Blaze
[of Hell]. (42:7)
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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The Excellent Qualities of Ramadan Fasting

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70

The Seventh Discourse

llh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has told us:

y ayyu-ha lladhna man

y ayyu-ha lladhna man.

See note 74 on p. 40 above.

uttered by someone who is well acquainted [lim] with the person, or

kutiba alai-kumu -iymu

d) When referring to a man who has remained silent and refrained

fa-ql inn nadhartu

As for its observance during the month of Raman, the Fast

That is to say, for the Prophets [Anbiy] and their communities

thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the month. Adam (peace be

See pp. 35760 below.

ache. This resulted in their making a further extension to the period of

Allh (Exalted is He) made it incumbent upon His Messenger,

See pp. 27894 below.

On the diverse opinions held by various experts

he experts have failed to agree on the significance of the term

Some of those experts have declared: Raman is one of the Names

According to another traditional report, this one transmitted by

148 According to Sir Hamilton Gibb:

The first systematic expositions [of Arabic philology] were

Concerning various interpretations of

ccording to a traditional report, Aiyya ibn al-Aswad once had

p. 60 above, we are informed that:

(Allh bless him and give him peace) in a series of installments

and that is a tremendous oath,

that it is indeed a noble Qurn,

inna-hu la-Qurnun karm:

in a Book kept hidden,

which none shall touch

Dwd ibn Ab Hind told someone he knew: I once asked

is star; celestial body; constellation, it can also mean installment.

Next, Allh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has provided a description

Concerning the excellent qualities

haikh Ab Nar [Muammad ibn al-Bann] has informed us, on

According to a traditional report transmitted by al-Kalb, on the

338, and Vol. 2, pp. 4243.

Shaikh Ab Nar [Muammad ibn al-Bann] has informed me, on

Shaikh Ab Nar [Muammad ibn al-Bann] has also informed me,

According to another traditional report, this one transmitted on the

See note 42 on p. 26 above.

Several traditional reports, including descriptions

When people asked: O Messenger of Allh, what kind of a person

This traditional report171 concludes with the following words of the

Shaikh Ab Nar [Muammad ibn al-Bann] has also informed me,

See note 153 on p. 83 above.

On hearing this, a man from [the tribal group of] Khuza

According to another traditional report, transmitted by Qatda175 on

See note 35 on p. 24 above.

According to the same traditional report, the Prophet (Allh bless

According to another traditional report, also transmitted on the

According to yet another traditional report, this one transmitted

According to al-Amash,181 Ab Khaithama (may Allh be well

with him) used to say, at the advent of the month of Raman:

From another traditional report, also transmitted on the authority of

We have been informed by Shaikh Imm Abu l-Barakt [Father of

inn fatan la-ka

that person will receive a guarantee of safekeeping for the whole of

See note 36 on p. 24 above.

On the significance of each of the five