Ramadan in Holy Prophet’s Words
In this sermon, the last messenger of God highlighted some features and virtues of Ramadan.
He said in this sermon:
Ramadan is a month in which people have been invited to the banquet of Allah;
The Night of Qadr, which is better than one thousand months, is in this month;
God has made it Wajib (obligatory) to fast in this month and made staying awake and praying at night in this month equal to the prayers of 70 nights in other nights;
Anyone who does good deeds with aim of Taqarrub (getting closer to God) will have the reward of someone who has done 70 Wajib deeds;
This month is a month of patience and the reward for patience is paradise;
This month is the month of Muwasat (benevolence) and sympathy, one in which God multiplies the substance of His servants;
Whoever invites a fasting believer to Iftar (breaking fast), even if it is with some milk or a few dates, he will be awarded by Allah the reward of manumitting a salve as well as a forgiveness of all his past sins.
Ramadan is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness and whose end is granting of prayers and getting free from the fire of hell.
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According to another sermon from the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that has been narrated by Imam Ali (AS), Ramadan is “the month of Allah has come toward you bringing divine blessing, mercy and forgiveness. In the sight of Allah, this month is the best month and its days are the best days and its nights are the best nights and its hours are the best hours. And this is the month in which you have been invited to the banquet of Allah. And in this month, you are made of those people whom Allah respects and honors.
Your breaths in it (the month of Ramaḍan) are glorification (of God) and your sleep in it is worship and your deeds are accepted in this month and your prayers are responded in this month.
You may thus ask Allah with sincere intentions and pure hearts that He will guide you to observing fasting (properly) and to reciting His book (Al-Qur'an), verily, the true miserable is he whom is deprived of Allah's forgiveness in this magnificent month.
And as you feel hunger and thirst in this month, you should remember the hunger and thirst of the Resurrection Day.
And Give alms to the poor and the needy among you and respect those who are older than you and have mercy upon those who are younger than you and esteem your ties with your relatives. And keep your tongues and cast down your looks from all that which is unlawful for you to gaze, and close your hearing against all that which is unlawful for you to hear.
And treat kindly the orphans among you so that yours will be treated kindly.
And repent to Allah from your sins and raise your hands toward Him with supplications at the times of your prayers, for these times are the best hours, in those, Allah looks at His servants with mercy – He will respond to their prayers, answer their calls and receive their supplications.”
In this sermon, the Prophet (PBUH) also urged long prostrations, giving Iftar to fating believers, being kind to one’s servants, doing good to orphans, visiting relatives, saying Mustahab (recommended but not obligatory) prayers, and reciting the Quran.
Asked by Imam Ali (AS) about the best deed in this month, the Prophet (PBUH) referred to avoiding Haram action.
