Say, (O Muhammad), “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Surah ‘Imran:33]
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the best example Allah has chosen for us to follow. Without him, we would be drowning in never-ending darkness. He (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) demonstrated to us all of the ins and outs of Islam in our lives. May Allah send peace and blessings on our last messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in Ramadan:
1. Ramadan as a month of strength:
Ramadan is the month of fasting and also a month to be spiritually active on a whole new level. The battle of Badr and Tabook, which brought about the victory of Muslims against disbelievers of Makkah, took place in this month. We spend the days sleeping and resting in Ramadan but our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the pious predecessors took Ramadan as an energy booster.
They participated in battles, served to spread the religion with their hearts and souls; they were not concerned with what food they would be having in iftar, but they competed among themselves in giving charity or feeding a fasting person as much as possible, especially in Ramadan! Our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) himself would be involved in da’wah and counsel other people regarding day –to- day affairs, being an ideal leader of the Muslim ummah.
2. Generosity:
Narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was the most generous of all the people, and he used to be more generous in the month of Ramadan when JIbreel used to meet him. Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) used to become more generous than the fast wind when he met Jibreel. [Bukhari]
Ramadan is the month the companions of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would compete in generosity. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is reported to have The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is reported to have said: “…Whoever draws nearer (to Allāh) 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… ” [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]
3. Suhoor:
Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal that our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) recommended us to eat as it has spiritual benefits in addition to acting as an energy booster. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “The Suhoor is a blessed meal, so do not leave it, even if one of you just takes drops of water, since Allah sends mercy and His Angels seek forgiveness for those who take the Suhoor”. [Ahmad]
Many of us ignore this blessed pre dawn meal, taking it as a lesser act of worship. But our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) highly recommended suhoor as one of the most blessed meals. It is related from Amr Ibn Al Aas (radiAllahu anhu) that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “The difference between our observance of fast and that of the People of the Book is the taking of Suhoor.” [Muslim]
4. Iftar:
The wisdom of Allah (subhanahu wa ta aala) is ever bountiful. He knows that our energy level decreases in the evening so it is recommended to hasten the Iftar. It is reported from Sahl Ibn Sad (radiAllahu anhu) that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “My people will continue doing good deeds as long as they hasten in breaking the fast”. (Bukhari and Muslim). In another narration, He (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) also said, “Allah the Most High says ‘from amongst my slaves, the quicker one is in breaking the fast, the dearer is he to me”. [Tirmidhi]
Our prophet and his companions, simple and non-materialistic as their lives were, did not adorn their table with extra food. They simply broke their fast with dates and water and got on to performing Maghrib. Anas (radiAllahu anhu) reported that, “The Messenger of Allah used to break his fast before offering prayers with some fresh dates, but if there were no fresh dates, he would take a few dry dates and if there were no dry dates he would take a few drops of water”. [Tirmidhi]
5. Night Prayer:
The night prayer of Ramadan is extremely rewarding. It is an emphasized Sunnah, which the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) offered in congregation and the companions conformed to this practice.
Praying during the nights of Ramadan is specially emphasised in the last ten nights. A narration in Muslim states that, A’isha (radiAllahu anha) said: “He (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would strive (to do acts of worship) during the last ten days of Ramadan more than he would at any other time”. It was also a practice of the prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) to observe i’tikaf, in which he isolated himself from people and focused on his relationship with Allah. In a Hadith reported by Abu Hurairah, Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “He who fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven; he who prays during the night in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven; and he who passes Lailatul Qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven”. [Bukhari and Muslim]
6. Relationship with the Qur’an:
The reason for the stress on the Qur’an is that the Qur’an and the month of Ramadan are closely linked with each other. The Qur’an was sent down from the seventh heaven to the first heaven in the month of Ramadan. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for the servant on the Day of Judgment. Fasting will say: My Lord, I prevented him from food and drink during the day, and the Qur’an will say: My Lord, I prevented him from sleep during the night, so give us intercession for him.” [Ahmad and Nasaa’i]
Ramadan is the month to recite, study and reflect the verses of the Qur’an. The Qur’an was sent down to guide people, so it is obligatory to ponder over the meaning of the verses, not just recite it. Studying the Qur’an is more rewarding in Ramadan (especially its nights), than in any other month.
7. Family:
Our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was also conscious about the spiritual values of his family members. Aishah (radiAllahu anha) reported that during the last ten days of Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah would wake his wives up during the night and then remain apart from them [that is, being busy in acts of worship] [Bukhari and Muslim].
The life of the prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is like a vast ocean of knowledge that we strive to follow. Often we are unable to follow his footsteps, because we presume our life is busy. But are we as busy as the Prophet was? He was the leader of the entire Muslim ummah, he preached the deen of Allah and overcame unimaginable obstacles in this path, yet he still managed to worship Allah, give charity and spend time with his family more than anyone else. It is just a matter of priority and what we choose: this life or the next. Remember, the more effort we put into our efforts, the greater the barakah or blessing will be.
