Congratulations!

On this very first evening of Ramadan, so much will be shared about the beauty of what awaits us!

I wonder, if the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was with us today, and had access to social media, what would he have posted this evening about Ramadan?

Well, the following narration really does give us a hint about what he might have said.

On one year when Ramadan had just arrived, he said:

قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَمَضَانُ شَهْرٌ مُبَارَكٌ افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ صِيَامَهُ تُفْتَحُ فِيهِ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ وَيُغْلَقُ فِيهِ أَبْوَابُ الْجَحِيمِ وَتُغَلُّ فِيهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ فِيهِ لَيْلَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ مَنْ حُرِمَ خَيْرَهَا قَدْ حُرِمَ

“The month of Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month, wherein Allah has obligated fasting, where the gates of Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are chained up. Within it is a night that is superior to *one thousand* months! Whoever is deprived of its goodness has certainly been deprived.”

(Narrated by Ahmad)

Yes, had the Prophet (PBUH) been with us, he would have most likely congratulated the Muslims for the gift of a month that many of us are yet to appreciate the weight of!

Imam Ibnu Rajab said: “Some scholars have said:

“This Hadith is a key evidence for the practice of congratulating one another for the arrival of Ramadan. Why shouldn’t the believer be congratulated when the gates of Paradise have opened? Why shouldn’t the sinner be congratulated when the gates of the hellfire have closed? Why shouldn’t the intelligent be congratulated for a time when the devils are chained? How can this month be compared to any other time?”

(Lataa’iful Ma’aarif)

So, first thing’s first;

To all those who intend to use the month of Ramadan as a month of reformation, serious worship and genuine change, I say to you:

Many, many congratulations.

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Author

  • Ali Hammuda

    Ustādh Ali Ihsan Hammuda is a UK national of Palestinian origin. He gained bachelors and masters’ degrees in Architecture & Planning from the University of the West of England, before achieving a BA in Shari'ah from al-Azhar University in Egypt. He is currently based in Wales and is a visiting Imām at Al-Manar Centre in Cardiff, and also a senior researcher and lecturer for the Muslim Research & Development Foundation in London. Ustādh Ali is the author of several books including 'The Daily Revivals' and 'The Ten Lanterns", and continues to deliver sermons, lectures and regular classes across the country.