"The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur'an was revealed as guidance for mankind and with vivid features of (earlier) guidance and the Criterion (of right and wrong);" (2:185)

The Holy Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa aalihi wa salam) has mentioned the merits of Ramadaan in a large number of ahaadeeth. Some of them are reproduced here:

1) The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, saying, "Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; a month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all."
[Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]

2) Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "When Ramadan begins, the gates of Jannah are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

This is a special distinction of the month of Ramadan during which Muslims become more inclined towards the worship of Allah. They pay greater attention to the recitation of the Qur'an, remembrance of Allah 'azza wa jal, worship, and seeking pardon for sins.

3) It contains a night far better than one thousand months (Lailat ul Qadr).

4) It is a month where Allah has made it obligatory to fast.

5) It is commendable to stand up praying in its nights.

6) An optional act of worship (nafl) in this month has the same reward as an obligatory worship (fard) in other days.

7) Performing an obligatory (fard) act of worship will carry as much reward as the reward of performing seventy obligatory acts of worship in other days.

8) It is a month of patience and the reward of patience is Jannah (paradise).

9) It is a month of sympathy.

10) A month in which the provision for a believer is increased.

11) If someone provides another person with food to make Iftar, it will cause forgiveness to his sins and freeing his neck from hell and he will be awarded the same thawab as the fasting person will be rewarded for his fast, without decreasing his own thawab.

12) The first part of this month is mercy from Allah.

13) The middle part of this month is forgiveness from Allah.

14) The last part of this month is liberation from hell.

15) In this month, you should do four acts frequently : bear witness that there is no God but Allah seek forgiveness from Allah pray to Allah to give you the Jannah seek refuge to Allah from the Fire.

16) It is a month of divine blessing.

17) It is a month of purification, to purify one's soul and heart.

18) It is an opportunity to strengthen one's Imaan.

19) Show Allah the best of deeds from your side, because unfortunate is the person who deprives himself from Allah's mercy in this month.

In another hadith, reported by Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (radiallaahu 'anh) the Holy Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) has said: 'My ummah has been given five characteristic honours in the month of Ramadan which have not been given to any other ummah before:

1. The smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk.

2. Fishes (in the water) keep praying Allah to forgive the fasting persons until they make iftar.

3. In every day of Ramadan, Allah decorates the Jannah and addresses it saying, "It is not too far that my righteous servants shall throw away the burdens (of the worldly life) and shall proceed towards you."

4. The rebellious satans are shackled in this month, and they cannot do in it what they do in other days (i.e. instigating men and women to commit sins).

5. In the last night of this month, they (the fasting persons) are granted amnesty.

In a hadith narrated by 'Ubadah ibn al Samit (ra), the Holy Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is reported to have said: "Ramadan has come to you. It is the month of blessing in which Allah envelops you (with His kindness). He makes His mercy descend upon you, He forgives your sins and accepts your prayers. Allah witnesses you when you race one another (in virtuous deeds) in this month and becomes proud of you before His angels. Therefore, show Allah the best of deeds from your side, because unfortunate is that person who deprives himself from Allah's mercy in this month. "

These ahadith are sufficient to explain the great merits Allah has invested this month with.

Commentary Of The Verse 2:185

As far as the merit of this month is concerned, it has been said that Allah Almighty has chosen this month to reveal Scriptures. Consequently, the Holy Qur'an was revealed in this very month. According to a narration from the blessed Companion Wathilah ibn Asqa' radiallaahu 'anh appearing in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad (ra), the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him said that Abrahamic scriptures were revealed on the first of Ramadan, the Torah on the sixth, the Evangile on the thirteenth and the Qur'an on the twenty fourth of Ramadan. In another narration from the blessed Companion Sayyidna Jabir, it appears that Zabur (the Book of Psalms) was revealed on the twelfth of Ramadan and the Evangile on the eighteenth. (ibn Kathir)

All previous Books mentioned in the hadith cited above were revealed on dates given in their entirety. It is a peculiarity of the Holy Qur'an that it was sent from the Preserved Tablet down to the Firmament of the Earth in one night of the month of Ramadan, all of it. But, it was revealed to the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him gradually during a period of twenty three years.

The night of Ramadan when the Qur'an was revealed was the Night of Power as mentioned by the Qur'an itself when it said: (We have revealed it in the Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power). The hadith cited above places it on the twenty fourth of Ramadan and according to Sayyidna Hasan (ra), the Night of Power falls on the night of twenty fourth which aligns this hadith with the statement of the Qur'an. Should this alignment be unacceptable, the fact remains that the statement of the Qur'an is above everything else, in which case, whatever night is the Night of Power that shall be regarded to be what the Qur'an intends. (Ma'ariful Qur'an)

» Posted by Seifeddine-M on 2nd August 2011

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