THE ISLAMIC MONTHS A detailed treatise on the merits, virtues and practices for the months of the Islamic year Cytol BUEN pI pales AL-HAFIZ IBN RAJAB AL-HANBALI Rahimahullah Translated by Mahomed Mahomedy \) iclalli Sil lo ‘Dar Al-Kotod AFiImiyan eTitle : THE ISLAMIC MONTHS ay tatl alas | LSI Classification: Virtues - Asceticism Author : Al-Hafez ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali ghia ay cyl dabLatl: tga! Editor : Mahomed Mahomedy (aan dace: Glaall Publisher : Dar Al-Kotob Al-limiyah - Beirut agp — alll oS gla pat Pages 592 Soo er, | ee § Year 2014 A.D - 1435 H. Molded) dia 2 Printed in: Lebanon OL: delle = Edition :+* AM: dadatt : z= ‘Copyrights baught from ZamZam Publishers Karachi - Pakistan Dar Al-Kotob Imiyab ‘Ei by Mohamed Ali Beydoun WT! eeut- Lebanon Aramoun, al-Quebbah, Dar Al-Kotob Al-lmiyah Bldg Tel : 4961 5 808 B10/11/12 fax 4961 5 804813, TR Po.Box: 11-9424 Beirut-Ledanon, SO iyad abSoloh Beirut 1107 2290, 978-2-7451-7653-0 2-7451-7653-6 Rahal 28s an aatgane BAW OAAVAT/Y ela SAU o Ansa ost Thee WARY Ege YETTA peeghall oy 5 rah sales@al- brine ate Exclusive rights by © Dar Al-Kotob Al-lImiyah Belrut-Lebanon No part of this publication may be translated,reproduced cistibuted in any form or by any rmeansor stored ina database or retieval system without the prior wsten permission of the publisher. Tous dos exkshementéseés& © Dar ALKotob AHImiyah Beyout Liban Toute resentation én radon ou eproction mméme paelepa tous procs en tus paysate sans arson ralbl sane par édeures ict et xposeaitle contenant es ousted. BeaLad js pine AS BMA sn ae Ep ae a J ed sigs Soa PigeeeSIl le IE! gl cps Maple ans ol Ips gf SLs aS path ips cad Se cayTABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS... Islamic Abbreviations or Terminologie: BIOGRAPHY OF IBN RAJAB. His name and titles ... His birth and demise His teachers His students His journeys for the sake of knowledg: His intellectual positior His written works INTRODUCTION... Salah and fasting and their Attachment to the Sun THE MERIT OF REMINDING ABOUT ALLAH ¢ MUHARRAM-THE MONTH OF ALLAH. THE MERIT OF MUHARRAM AND ITS Section one: the merit of optional fast. Section two: the merit of the night sala THE MERIT OF THE DAY OF ‘ASHURA’. Virtues of the day of ‘Ashdara’ ON THE RETURN OF PILGRIMS, Signs of an accepted he SAFAR RABI‘AL- THE BIRTH OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH ALSO ON THE BIRTH OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH & 156 THE DEMISE OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH RAJAB The Injunctions OF satal Rajab4 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE 15tH OF SHA‘BAN Fasting on the 15th of Sha‘bai FASTING AT THE END OF SHA‘BAN THE MERIT OF FASTING. The reason for multiplication of rewards The reasons for Allah 4% saying: "Fasting is for Me" The benefits of abstaining from desires through fasting...... 269 THE MERIT OF GENEROSITY AND RECITING THE QUR‘AN IN RAMADAN. The benefits of the Messenger's #€ generosity in Ramadan THE MIDDLE TEN DAYS AND THE SECOND HALF OF RAMADAN THE LAST TEN DAYS OF RAMADAI Waking up the family for night worship The Messenger of Allah #8 used to tighten his loincloth. The Messenger of Allah 2 used to delay eating till dawn (sahar)..... The Messenger of Allah used to bath between the maghrib and ‘isha salahs Seclusion (i‘tikaf).... THE LAST SEVEN NIGHTS OF RAMADAN BIDDING FAREWELL TO RAMADAN SHAWWAL FASTING THE ENTIRE MONTH OF SHAWWAL AND FOLLOWING RAMADAN WITH SIX FASTS OF SHAWWAL Fasting the entire month of Shawwal The benefits of fasting habitually after Ramadan . THE MERIT OF HAJJ. The two types of jihad Remembrance of Allal categories of virtue during hajj. Abstention from sins is one of the things which perfect the virtue of hajj the greatestTABLE OF CONTENTS 5 The pilgrim must abstain from the unlawful The pilgrim must abstain from ostentation.. WHAT TAKES THE PLACE OF HAJJ AND ‘UMRAH DHU AL-QA‘DAH DHU AL-HIJJAH.. THE MERIT OF THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF DHU AL- HIJJAH.... Section o1 he merit of good deeds during these day Section two: The merit of the ten days of Dhd al over the ten days of other months THE MERIT OF THE DAY OF ‘ARAF. OF SACRIFICE The merits of the day of ‘Arafal The causes of salvation and forgiveness on the day of ‘Arafah... Sins which prevent forgiveness and salvation THE DAYS OF TASHRIQ. THE END OF THE YEAR. The advice of Abd Bakr iddiq to ‘Umar Reasons for the prohibition of desiring death SEASONS OF THE SOLAR YEAR Two categories of people with regard to wealth SUMMER... Creations which remind us of the Hell-fire WINTER .... The highest attributes of [man Performing ablution in the middle of the night .. The merits of winter... REPENTANCE BEFORE DEATH Different categories of people with regard to repentanceIslamic Abbreviations or Terminologies Muslims use certain expressions when mentioning Allah, His Messenger, and the companions. These expressions show the reverence Muslims have for Allah and the respect for the Messenger and the companions. They have been abbreviated as follows: = After the Prophet is mentioned. It stands for "Salla Allahu.. alaihi wa Sallam" which means Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him. = After one of the companions of the prophet is mentioned. It stands for "Radiya Allahu ‘Anhu", which means may Allah be pleased with him. Radiyallahu ‘anha = After one of the female companions of the Ibn, b. Bint prophet is mentioned. It stands for "Radiya Allahu “Anha", which means may Allah be pleased with her. = After more than one of the companions of the prophet are mentioned. It stands for "Radiya Allahu ‘Anhum", which means may Allah be pleased with them. Exalted is He. = It stands for "Allaihi as Salam", which means Peace be upon him. = It signifies son of. = It signifies daughter of.In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful BIOGRAPHY OF IBN RAJAB His name and titles He is Hafiz ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab - his grandfather’s name is ‘Abd ar-Rahman and he was named “Rajab” because he was born in the month of Rajab — ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Abi al-Barakat Mas‘td as-Salami al-Baghdadi. He adopted Damascus as his place of residence. He belonged to the Hambali schools of jurisprudence and followed the pious predecessors in his course, beliefs and conduct. He is well-known by the name Ibn Rajab al-Hambali. In fact, he is rarely known by any other name. When this name is taken, it most certainly refers to none other than him. Most ‘ulama’ are of the opinion that his title (laqab) is Zayn ad- Din (the embellishment of religion). He was also given other titles which make reference to his memory and knowledge. For example, al-Hafiz (one who has a good memory), al-‘Umdah (a person possessing excellent qualities), al-Muhaddith (a proficient Hadith scholar) and al-Qudwah (a person who is worthy of emulation). His kunniyyah (agnomen) is Abd al-Faraj. He shares this agnomen with Shaykh Aba al-Faraj ibn al-Jauzi, as stated by al- Hafiz in his biography from adh-Dhayl. This agnomen is also shared by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Muhammad ash-Shirazi al-Baghdadi ad-Dimashqi who was the imam of the Hambali school in Syria. His birth and demise The biographers differ greatly as regards the year of his birth. It is said that he was born in 706 A.H. but this is a mistake because it was the year in which his father, Ahmad ibn Rajab, was born. The preferred opinion is that he was born in 736 A.H. in Baghdad. He passed away in 795 A.H. in Damascus in the month of Ramadan. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar states in ad-Durar al-Kaminah that he passed away in Rajab. Allah #% knows best. He would have thus passed away at the age of sixty. He was buried in al-Bab as-Saghir graveyard next to ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Muhammad ash-Shirazi. Ibn -7-8 Biography of ibn Rajab Nasir ad-Din said: “The person who dug the grave of Ibn Rajab related to me that Shaykh Zayn ad-Din ibn Rajab came to him a few days before his demise and said: ‘Dig a grave for me over here’, and he pointed to the spot where he is presently buried. I dug the grave and when I completed digging it, he went inside and lied down. He liked the grave and said: ‘This is good.’ By Allah, I did not think anything about it until he was brought dead after a few days. I placed him in that grave and covered him up in it.” His teachers Ibn Rajab rahimahullah had many teachers. We shall list a few by way of example. [The names are left in their original Arabic]. chet I ey gp dead pt ot Qt Gael oy 1 ae Led el ell oy gar Le Gael eg 2 TAB oy dares poe ol on dll Le oe pala) gy dere eel ILS tH 3 CSN Cl) Gobe Sibel ery ee bly LI! Gap Sd aja te gl deol as 4 a Cr Carle Gl gee) pow hy dill ell GabtII abl Le Ge ey Qt 6 ey Sete ly tell GLSI g erlend yp dearer Gueecll ge os off SS ace Ny esl) on atl op deme gp does al UT Srna et 8 eee flaw SAM Syl bell gM yy gle hb Wt La opt yey 9 tell Bal Le ee oh EA SE oly Bpaall slul 28 ye Lely .10 Spee) Syerdl ASL SUSI telex oy pathy! oy dowsBiography of ibn Rajab 9 Ct Hl kill ALU dees gy all Le gy Gey lll Jee ett IT Geek (ale ol gow) ae sa yhall naa! QI GUKS oy Le dew pf bibl 12 vada dhe 15 aly) SLAs GH JI Le gy deo Get 13. SIN pelt it ot Ge ee tll cle Gaim of Great 14 ede Go OLE ae Jet il! 2 MII Se pol gy al be gl po Sed Coy gy! Ldbdl tx atl ges 15 Aa pg t3 ll Bball ale Gees bee oy AST Gey yl as de p28 ok Go poll LL abba at le Gry gil dats Ls .16 Ae Coy yl Lab Of op Cristi ab Le pet LBS Le ce Joss Aad eel PLM Gt BL ge orld 28 only cle 3 eat pai op petlel Gree Qual Le etl Cig eee pee 17 veel sla! lo drelend gp teres ey Good gy pail pl AKI unolt Gti -18 gael uk Gy ptt Att pod o Lic! sail spread gala Gol Geesel oe sae Grill dlr 2lall JL etl 19 Ibn Rajab rahimahulléh had many other teachers. He himself wrote their biographies in his book, Dhayl Tabaqat al-Handbilah. His students [The names of these are left in the original Arabic]. pe ul seed Aw glad dere oy gle et be ast 1 bel gy deal gy jae Getl hed cell till pee Ne on Ge tee tl geod Boba Gaal BLE Gers yy dene abl Le yt Qt pth dbodt 2 Grass 6 Al geod! soul deal yy deo Sues! Atl 5S RB10 Biography of ibn Rajab BB) th Gy roll paerdl cee oy WE Gy dere poll &tI 6 Boral SLA! Gaim yf Gabel lp le yy dere oy ee Qt 7 Bil ob Seta gles! pow deoee oy deol oy abl pai gp toot pill ttl 8 sree heed gpl ub Abel pb gle yl dl te gy Dlke a5 at 9 Dace og ar Nhe gediall at gh pred as 10 PSI BE Gael Geol Gpedd doee oy ere ob gl egey 1 Sol gee ll gle gy oer oe de tll 12 eed ALU petal ae gy ded gy deol gy teow Guill ped 13 : . : = ghee! gilt geld dees oy he oy foetal cent etd 14 His journeys for the sake of knowledge Travelling for the sake of knowledge was one of the salient features of the people of knowledge and a means which no student could do without. The students used to compete with each other in undertaking as many and as distant journeys as possible. This is because it was a means to listen from the scholars of different lands, and learn narrations and sciences from them. Ibn Rajab rahimahullah commenced his journeys for the sake of knowledge from an early age. He travelled with his father to several lands and benefited from the ‘ulamd’ of those places. In this way, he acquired lofty permissions [to narrate Hadith] while at the same time benefiting from the ‘ulamd’ of Baghdad and listening to them while he was still a young boy. He was thus engrossed in seeking knowledge and listening to the scholars from a young age. He travelled to various places and benefited greatly from them. He travelled to Damascus on two occasions: the first with his father, and the second time when they shifted and settled down there. While in Damascus, he attended the lessons of many of its scholars, some of whom were mentioned previously. He also travelled to Egypt after he reached the age of maturity,Biography of ibn Rajab 11 and met many scholars under whom he studied. He then travelled to Nablis and then to Jerusalem. These journeys had a major impact on his life. His intellectual position Ibn Rajab rahimahullah attained a lofty position among the ‘ulamd’ of his time and even among those who differed with him in his madhhab and programme. All those who wrote his biography praise him and do not speak of anything which is disparaging. The only criticism levelled against him is that he used to issue legal verdicts based on the verdicts of Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah. But these criticisms were very few. His intellectual position can be gauged from reading his life history, the opinions of the ‘ulama’ about him, and the books which he wrote. His student, Ibn al- Lahhaém said about him: “He is our shaykh and imam, the ‘alim, the erudite scholar, the unique, the hafiz, the shaykh of Islam, the solution to problems, the clarifier of confusions, the last of the noble predecessors, the unique person of his time and era, Abi al-Faraj ibn Rajab al-Hambali. May Allah 3 be with him, and may He shower everyone with His blessings, favours and kindness.” All those who wrote his biography described him with noble qualities and an enviable position as regards his religiosity, juridical school, and condition. In like manner, he was from among the imams who were practical in their lives, ardent worshippers, advisers to people, and abstentious. He possessed numerous merits, he was a reliable scholar, firmly entrenched in knowledge and literature, wrote famous books, and possessed the knowledge of many beneficial sciences. His written works [These are left in the original Arabic]. lye Glas Ley pil sll piel HES plat ot GF UM ke! cl Aul SY CLs shld Goby OS oe I peed DLL axl sb Yb ety yl Jal OEY LIS Gabs DAwRBHRE12 Biography of ibn Rajab DUBY) a ae le Sy LY yt QL «7 OEM By tt 8 cl gdl glo Joy lly SL ye sel palling pti 10 pol egal ale 11 oe edly Cte" rpley ade al he IS ye BYE Byte! SI! 12 els gay Clas! pW LS SiN 31 all 8 Eptssl 13 woplillagd 3 14 a ell as on pe one ie 16 spl lb 3 OF opal ploy ale all gle all Jus of ads ALS rglll thd...clae JS abel sabes land dle J pling 19 Dbale OLB le ewe es 20 ell gh ete ct -17 -18 OU Coll ewe co 21 gle pl fle cpt 22 C3 Ube geal fos J au 23 Be 45 By ay Ot JF Ob eS) GES are CH GL .24 +Cikadl Obs cells eal ge Gi 25 AS ple le GLI phe fad .26 ge Y aad! sel By sf gall sel) .27 Lda WLS gay Gyles lL) .28In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful INTRODUCTION We seek the assistance of Allah #¢. O Allah! Send salutations and peace to our master, Muhammad, his family and his Companions 4. My inspiration to do good is solely from Allah 4. I place my trust in Him and I turn to Him alone. All praise is due to Allah the sovereign, the one who has control over all things, the mighty, the over-powering, the turner of hearts and eyes, the one who establishes matters as He wills and likes, and the one who imposes the day over the night and the night over the day. He cast a veil over the night so it became dark in order to provide rest and concealment. He provided light to the lamp [sun] of the day so it illuminated it for movement and spreading out in the land. He appointed the days and nights in order to apportion times for work and calculate ages. He subjugated the sun and moon which move according to a set pattern and course. They follow each other in the milky way according to a set pattern. He made them signs through which the times for the days, nights, months and years of this world are calculated. It is through them that the times for salah, zakah, hajj, fasting, and opening of the fast are established. This is an established proof which leaves no ground for excuses, and demonstrates the absolute wisdom of the all-wise, all-knowing, and all-powerful Allah. I praise Him and the sweetness of praising Him increases with repetition. I express gratitude to Him and His bounties on the one who is grateful to Him are sent down in torrents. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, who is one and has no partner. This testimony absolves the heart from polytheism provided it is attested to correctly, and it enables the person who utters it to return to the abode of peace [Paradise]. I testify that Muhammad sg is His servant and Messenger. His forehead is like the full moon — it glitters brightly when it is happy. The ocean is his right hand from which he gives whenever he is asked, and he never fears poverty. Absolute monotheism (al-Hanifiyyah) is his religion — the upright and preferred religion. It was by commissioning him as His Prophet that Allah 4 removed all chains and burdens from his followers. It was -13-14 Introduction through his propagation that Allah 3% exposed the harms of eye- sights and the filth of the eyes. It was through his Shari‘ah that He distinguished between the righteous and the sinners, to the extent that right was separated from wrong. The locks of the hearts were opened, and so knowledge and dignity spread, and the burden of music disappeared. May Allah 4 send salutations to him and his family members who were at the forefront and greatly valued. Salutations to his Companions who were guides in different parts of the world — salutations which convey them to the highest objectives in those lands. And may Allah 4% bestow all of them with peace. Allah % says: “We made the night and the day as two symbols. We then obliterated the symbol of the night and We established the symbol of the day luminous so that you may search for the bounty of your Sustainer, and that you may come to know of the number of years and of the reckoning.” (Sirah Bani Isra’il/al-Isra’, 17: 12) “It is He who made the sun a radiance and the moon a light, and determined for it phases so that you might know the number of years and the reckoning [of time].” (Sarah Yunus, 10: 5) Allah % thus informs us that He attached the calculation of years and reckoning of time to determining phases of the moon. In fact, He attached this to making the sun a radiance, and the moon a light. This is because the year and month are calculated by the moon, while the day and week are calculated by the sun. It is through these two bodies that the reckoning of time is carried out. As for the words “and that you may come to know of the number of years and of the reckoning”: since the lunar month does not need to be counted because it is established between two crescents, Allah #% did not say “that you may come to know the number of months”. A month does not need a number unless the last day of the month is cloudy [thereby preventing the sighting of the crescent]. In such a case, the number will be unanimously completed [i.e. thirty days] except in the case of Sha‘ban if its last day is cloudy. This is specifically in relation to Ramadan, because there are many differences in this regard [whether thirty days will be completed or not]. As for the year, it has to be counted because there is no obvious limit for it through observation. It therefore has to be counted by the number of months. This is especially so bearing in mind that years continue for lengthy periods of time. Allah 8 made a year into twelve months. He says: “The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve, [laid down] in the decree of Allah...” (Stirah at-Taubah, 9: 36) This is equal to theIntroduction 15 number of the signs of the zodiac which, by the movement of the sun, the solar year is completed. When the moon revolves around it, it completes its annual circuit. Allah 4% made the moon the basis of calculation because its appearance on the horizon is not dependent on any calculations. Rather, it is something manifest and seen by the naked eye. On the other hand, understanding the movement of the sun is dependent on calculations and records, Allah % therefore did not impose this onto us. The Messenger of Allah # said: “We are an unlettered nation, we neither write nor calculate. The month is like this, like this and like this.” He indicated with both his hands two times [equalling twenty] and then folded his one thumb the third time [to indicate nine, totalling twenty nine]. He said: “Commencing fasting [in Ramadan] on seeing the crescent and end fasting on seeing the crescent. If the crescent is hidden from you [because of clouds], complete the full number [of thirty].”() Salah and fasting and their Attachment to the Sun Allah 3 attached the injunctions of the day - salah and fasting - to the movement of the sun because this too is seen with the naked eye and does not need any calculations and records. Salah is dependent on the break of dawn, rising of the sun, passing of the sun through mid-day, setting of the sun, the shadow of objects equalling the length of the object, and the disappearance of twilight. Fasting is delineated by the extent of the day from the break of dawn till sunset. Allah 4@ says: “and the reckoning”. This refers to the reckoning [and counting] of things which are related to the religious and worldly benefit of people, e.g. fasting, opening fast, hajj, zakah, vows, atonements, number of wives, period of ‘la’,2) period of rental and hiring, end of debt period, and other matters which are dependent on months and years. Allah 4% says: “They ask you about the crescents. Say: ‘They are appointed times for the people and for the hajj.’”” (Sirah al-Baqarah, 2: 189) Allah % says that the crescents are for the calculation of times in general, and specifically mentioned the hajj in order to show its importance. Allah 8 appointed for His believing servants certain duties which they have to carry out by night and day in order to show obedience to Him. Some of these (1) Checked by Al-Bukhari (1913) and Muslim (1080). (2) Annulment of a marriage after the husband’s sworn testimony to have refrained from marital intercourse for a period of at least four months.16 Introduction duties are compulsory, e.g. the five compulsory salahs, while others are optional, e.g. the optional salahs, dhikr (remembrance of Allah 44), etc. In like manner, Allah 4% imposed certain duties on His servants which they have to fulfil in the lunar months, e.g. fasting, zakah, hajj. Some of them are compulsory, e.g. fasting in Ramadan, and the obligatory hajj. Others are optional, e.g. fasting in Sha‘ban, Shawwal, and the sanctified months [Dht al-Qa‘dah, Dht al-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab]. Allah 3 says: “Among them, four months are sacred. This is the straight religion. Therefore, do not wrong yourselves therein.” (Stirah at-Taubah, 9: 36) Allah 4 says: “The months of hajj are few, well known.” (Surah al-Bagarah, 2: 197) “It is the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was revealed.” (Sirah al- Bagarah, 2: 185) Allah % made certain days and nights superior to others. He also made the night of Power (laylatul Qadr) better than 1000 months. He took an oath on the ten nights, and the preferred opinion is that this refers to the first ten nights of Dhd al-Hijah. We will explain this at the appropriate place — if Allah 3 wills. There are, in each of these meritorious seasons, acts of obedience to Allah # through which a person gains proximity to Him. It is during such seasons that Allah 4 has subtle fragrances which He pours onto His servant by virtue of His favour and mercy on him. The fortunate person is thus the one who takes maximum benefit from the meritorious seasons of the months, days and hours, and gains proximity to his Master during those times through acts of obedience. It is likely that some of those fragrances will engulf him and thereby enjoy such good fortune after which he will be secure from the Hell-fire and its burning flames. Ibn Abi ad-Dunya, at-Tabarani and others narrate a Hadith of Abd Hurayrah .: “Seek goodness throughout your lives and seek the fragrances of your Lord’s mercy. Allah 3 most certainly has fragrances of His mercy which He pours onto whomever He wills from His servants. Ask Allah to conceal your private matters and give you security from all which causes you fear.”() At-Tabarani narrates from Muhammad ibn Maslamah: “Allah 3 sends down fragrances [of His mercy] during certain times. Seek these fragrances because if any of you obtains such a fragrance, he will (1) Checked by Al-Baihagi (1121).Introduction 17 never suffer again.”|!) ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir # narrates that the Messenger of Allah # said: “A seal is set on every deed of the day.” Ibn Abi ad-Dunya narrates from Mujahid who said: “Allah 3% says on every single day: ‘O man! I have brought today to you and I will never bring it back to you. Consider, then, what you are going to do in it.’ When the day expires, Allah % folds it up and sets a seal on it. The seal does not break until Allah % Himself breaks it on the day of Resurrection. At the time when the day expires, it says: ‘All praise is due to Allah 4 who gave me peace from the world and its inhabitants.’ The night also says the same thing.” Malik ibn Dinar narrates: “isa #8 used to say: ‘This day and night are two treasures. You should therefore be watchful of what you place in them.” He also used to say: “Do in the night whatever was created to be done therein. Do during the day whatever was created to be done therein.”() Al-Hasan said: “With the arrival of every single day, it says: ‘O people! I am a new day and I am a witness to whatever is done in me. Once the sun sets, I will never return to you until the day of Resurrection.” Al- Hasan also used to say: “O man! The day is your guest and a guest is bound to depart. A guest either praises you or criticizes you. Similar is the case with the night.” Bakr al-Muzani said: “Each time Allah 4 produces a day for the inhabitants of the world, it announces: ‘O man! Make the most of me because there could well be no day for you after me.’ The night announces: ‘O man! Make the most of me because there could well be no night for you after me.’ ‘Umar ibn Dharr used to say: “Do good deeds for yourselves. May Allah shower His mercy on you in this night and its darkness. A cheated person is the one who is cheated of the good of the day and night. The deprived person is the one who is (1) In Al-Kabir (19/233) and Al-Haithami said in Al-Majmaa‘ (10/231):Some of them I didn’t know while those whom I knew were mentioned. (2) Musnad of Imam Ahmad (4/146). (3) Check Al-Hilya (3/296) (4) Check Al-Hilya (2/383). (8) Check Al-Hilya (2/158). (6) Check "Safwat As-Safwa’ (3/249).18 Introduction deprived of the good of the day and night. The night and day have been made means for the believers towards the obedience of their Lord. They have also been made the means for misery for others [non-believers] because they are heedless to their own selves. Revive yourselves for the sake of Allah 4% through His remembrance because the hearts are revived through the remembrance of Allah 4¢.”(!) Aba Masa 4 narrates that the Messenger of Allah # said: “The similitude of the person who remembers his Lord and the one who does not remember his Lord is like that of the living and the dead.”@ Many a person who stands up at night for the sake of Allah 4¢ rejoices by this standing in the darkness of his grave. Many a person who remains sleeping at night shall regret his lengthy periods of sleeping when he sees the honour which Allah % shall bestow to the ardent worshippers tomorrow. You should therefore make the best of the passing hours, days and nights - may Allah # have mercy on you. Da’ad at-Tai said: “The night and day are stations at which people get down at one after the other until this conveys them to their final journey. You should therefore try to present some provision at every station for the next journey. The journey is going to end very soon and it will end sooner than you expect. Take provisions for your journey and fulfil whatever responsibilities you have because it will descend upon you unawares. Ibn Abi ad-Dunya said: Mahmid ibn al-Husein said: dite He py a ely Vow gt els thud ae 2 ed A ely tle aad slic cel Of Hey ie - il, ol bgp jel cl NL eS ob ay he pf 42 Sey Sl eG “Your yesterday passed as a just witness, and it has been followed by a new day. If you make the best of your day, its benefit will come to you. As for yesterday, it is not going to return. If you committed any wrong yesterday, follow it by good (1) Check Al-Hilya (5/108). (2) Checked by Al-Bukhari (6407) and it belongs to him, and by Muslim (211, 779).