O people! Fear Allah (pure and exalted is He) and know that this great month, full of merits, which Allah Almighty honored, has begun to rapidly decrease, which means that you must increase. Add more good deeds now, while you can still catch up. Do more righteous deeds, perhaps you will be happy, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), as stated in the hadith,
كَانَ يَجْتَهِدُ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مَا لَا يَجْتَهِدُ فِي غَيْرِهِ
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time.
This hadith was reported by Muslim (1175).
And it was narrated from the mother of the faithful Aisha (may Allah Almighty be pleased with her) that she said:
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا دَخَلَ الْعَشْرُ، شَدَّ مِئْزَرَهُ، وَأَحْيَا لَيْلَهُ، وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ
when the last ten nights began Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) kept awake at night (for prayer and devotion), wakened his family, and prepared himself to observe prayer (with more vigor).
This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari (2024) and Muslim (1174).
He distanced himself from women not because it is impossible to have relationships with women during the nights of Ramadan and the last ten nights, but because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) during these last nights enjoyed communication with his Creator, his Lord, approaching Him. He woke up my family, his household members, so that they prayed, performed prayers, worshiped on these nights, and this is taking care of the family and fulfilling duties before Allah (pure and exalted is He) for your flock, for those whom Allah (pure and exalted is He) entrusted to you.
O servants of Allah! We must follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and pay a lot of attention to the education of our households, our children, especially now, in this month, encouraging them to hasten to the worship of Allah (pure and exalted is He), to obedience to Him, watching watching them worship, explaining and instructing them.
O servants of Allah! One of the great features of this month, the month of Ramadan, is that it is not only a month of fasting (Shakhru s-Siyam), it is a month of night prayers (Qiyam) (Shakhru l-Qiyam). These night prayers are taraweeh prayers in mosques. I say this because there are so many people who neglect this. It’s amazing, O servants of Allah, but we need to strive to perform prayers in Ramadan (qiyamah Ramadan), to perform taraweeh prayers in mosques. Of course, this is after performing the obligatory (fard) prayers, taking care of them, and performing them with the team (in the jama’at). Because there are people who perform taraweeh prayers, but at the same time neglect the obligatory prayers: they wake them up, leave the collective prayer (in jama’at), if they have the opportunity for this, do not perform prayers on time or perform them only when they wake up. And this is a great danger, O servants of Allah! Why? Because Allah (pure and exalted is He) accepts additional deeds (nawafil) only if a person fulfills the obligatory ones (fard). Night prayers (qiyamu l-lail) are always desirable. Allah (pure and exalted is He) praises His servants who pray at night, saying:
وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا
those who spend ˹a good portion of˺ the night, prostrating themselves and standing before their Lord.
Quran, Surah Discrimination, 25:64.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says:
أَفْضَلُ الصَّلاَةِ بَعْدَ الْفَرِيضَةِ صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ
The most excellent prayer after what is prescribed is prayer during the night.
This hadith was reported by Muslim (1163).
So, it is always desirable, but in Ramadan it has a special position, in Ramadan it is especially desirable, because this month is a month, as we said, not only of fasting (syyama), but also a month of night prayers (qiyama). And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) emphasized for us and said:
مَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
He who observed prayer at night during Ramadan, because of faith and seeking his reward from Allah, his previous sins would be forgiven.
This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari (38) and Muslim (759, 760).
O servants of Allah! A person should, if he performs tarawih prayer, perform it to the end together with the imam (until the imam finishes). It is wrong when people say: “I will make eight (rak’ats) with it, and then I will go home and finish the uitr at home.” No, to the end (pray) with the imam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
مَنْ قَامَ مَعَ الإِمَامِ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ كُتِبَ لَهُ قِيَامُ لَيْلَةٍ
Whoever prays Qiyam with the Imam until he finishes, Allah (SWT) will record for him the Qiyam of a (whole) night.
This hadith was reported by Abu Dawud (1375) and an-Nasai (1364), and Sheikh al-Albani called it authentic.
O servants of Allah! It is advisable for men to conduct night prayers in Ramadan (qiyama Ramadan) in mosques. Why? Because this is a clear ritual of Islam. O servants of Allah! The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did this; he and his companions performed tarawih prayer in the mosque. They prayed with him, behind him. He did this for two or three nights, and then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stopped doing this with them. Why? Because he was afraid that Allah (pure and exalted is He) would make tarawih, these night prayers obligatory (fard), so he stopped doing them with them, conducting them. But the companions continued to perform tarawih prayers in mosques, night prayers, they did them in groups, they did them separately, and this continued during the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) until the time of Umar ibn Khattab (may Allah Almighty be pleased with him). He saw that people were performing prayers in groups, in mosques, separately, and decided to revive this sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), so that they would perform prayers in one group (jama’at) behind one imam, and appointed Ubayyah ibn Kaaba (أبي بن كعب) (may Allah Almighty be pleased with him) to perform the tarawih prayer, and everyone began to perform it together in the Mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Is it permissible for women to attend Tarawih prayer? Yes, it is possible, but on condition that there is no temptation (fitnah) either on their part or for them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
لا تَمْنَعُوا إِمَاءَ الله مَسَاجِدَ الله
Do not prevent your women from visiting the mosque.
This hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud (567) and ibn Khuzaimah (1592), Sheikh al-Albani called it authentic.
And this was from the deeds of the righteous predecessors. But women and their husbands, their guardians must remember that a woman must come to prayer, to the mosque, as it should be: in a hijab, covered, so that she is not anointed with perfume, incense, so that she is not overdressed, so that she does not flaunt her decorations. And the sunnah, O servants of Allah, is that women leave prayer immediately as soon as the imam gives the greeting (salaam), and men remain in the mosque for some time.
Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says:
In the lifetime of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) the women used to get up when they finished their compulsory prayers with Taslim. The Prophet (ﷺ) and the men would stay on at their places as long as Allah will. When the Prophet (ﷺ) got up, the men would then get up.
This hadith was reported by al-Bukhari (866).
O servants of Allah! The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spent the first twenty nights of Ramadan praying at night and sleeping, but when the last ten nights of Ramadan arrived, that’s when he rolled up his sleeves, tied his isar tightly, woke up his family and spent the nights in worship, and the companions followed this example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and performed long night prayers during the last ten nights of Ramadan in the jama’at, together. These were long prayers, the imams read the prayer for a long time, so that the worshipers (mamuns) leaned on sticks, leaned on staffs, because the prayer was long, and finished the prayer in anticipation of eating before dawn (suhur), in anticipation of the end of the night. , so that there was very little time left to have time to perform suhoor. Why? Because these are just a few days, these are just a few nights, so great, with such dignity. Will you still have this opportunity to receive them or not?
These ten nights, including the Night of Predestination or the Night of Power (Laylatul-Qadr), about which it is said:
مَنْ قَامَهَا إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِه
Whoever established prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.
This hadith was reported by al-Bukhari (1901) and Muslim (759).
So hear this out! You could say: “I have heard this many times,” but let the heart hear and remember. Allah, your Lord says about it:
خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
“…better than a thousand months.”
Quran, Surah “Predestination”, 97:3.
Imagine: the deeds that you perform during this night are better than the deeds that a person commits for a thousand months! One night is better than a thousand months! A thousand months equal 30 thousand nights. One night is more than 30 thousand nights! One night is more than 83 years of worshiping Allah (pure and exalted is He)! Imagine: a person spends 83 years of their long life completely in worship of Allah (pure and exalted is He)! This is the price of this night – Leylatul-qadr.
When is this night? Without a doubt, it is in the month of Ramadan. Because Allah (pure and exalted is He) said:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ
Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed.
Quran, Surah “Cow”, 2:185.
So, the Quran was revealed in Ramadan, and about the Quran it is said:
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
Indeed, ˹it is˺ We ˹Who˺ sent this ˹Quran˺ down on the Night of Predestination.
Quran, Surah “Predestination”, 97:1.
This means that Laylatul-Qadr is in Ramadan, without any doubt. It is more likely (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) pointed out this) that it is in these last ten nights of Ramadan. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says:
تَحَرُّوْا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ
Look for Lailat-ul-Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.
This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari (2020) and Muslim (1169).
And it is especially likely that it is on odd nights, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
الْتَمِسُوهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ، وَالْتَمَسُوهَا فِي كُلِّ وِتْرٍ
so seek it In the last ten nights on odd numbers.
This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari (2018) and Muslim (1167).
So, it is not known exactly when it is. It is among these ten nights. It is more likely that it is an odd night, but it could be any of these ten nights.
Allah hid from us exactly when. Why? Scolars say that there is great wisdom in this: that you should be diligent during all ten nights, and not just on one night, because if people know exactly which of these nights, then many of them will be lazy and will worship only on this night, and this is a test. Look for it, this great night among these ten nights.
O servants of Allah! Ramadan is a great time. O servants of Allah! Use this time, do one more worship – and I see that we are neglecting this worship – reading the Quran (tilayatu l-Kuran). The reading of the Quran in this month has a special meaning, because the revelation of the Quran began in this month, the month of Ramadan. How many incentives there are for us to read the Quran in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Allah (pure and exalted is He) says:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنفَقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً يَرْجُونَ تِجَارَةً لَّن تَبُورَ لِيُوَفِّيَهُمْ أُجُورَهُمْ وَيَزِيدَهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ إِنَّهُ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ
Surely those who recite the Book of Allah, establish prayer, and donate from what We have provided for them—secretly and openly—˹can˺ hope for an exchange that will never fail,so that He will reward them in full and increase them out of His grace. He is truly All-Forgiving, Most Appreciative.
Quran, Surah “The Creator”, 35:29-30.
Allah will definitely give you a great reward for this. This trade is not unprofitable at all!
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says:
اقْرَءُوا الْقُرْآنَ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ شَفِيعًا لأَصْحَابِهِ
‘Recite the Quran, for on the Day of Resurrection it will come as an intercessor for those who recite It’.
This hadith was reported by Muslim (804).
Therefore, read the Quran a lot, especially now, in this month when it was revealed. Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) every Ramadan and together with him, meeting, went through the Quran from beginning to end, and in the last year of the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) they were together twice. went through the Quran, from beginning to end, for strengthening, for consolidation, for clarification.
O servants of Allah! Our righteous predecessors paid a lot of attention to reading the Quran during the month of Ramadan, inside and outside of prayer. Al-Zuhri, the great imam of the adherents of the Sunnah and the united community (Ahlyu s-Sunnah wal Jama’a), says: “When Ramadan comes, it is the reading of the Quran (tilyawatu l-Quran) and feeding food (feeding those who are fasting iftar) ( it’amu t-t’am)”. There were predecessors who completed the Quran (committed khatm) several times, many times during Ramadan. Therefore, take an example from them, O servants of Allah, by striving to read the Quran this month, and know that reading the Quran has its own rules (adabs).
First, remember – this is very important, do it sincerely, only for the sake of Allah (pure and exalted is He). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says:
اقْرَءُوا الْقُرْآنَ وَابْتَغُوا بِهِ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ قَوْمٌ يُقِيمُونَهُ إِقَامَةَ القِدْحِ يَتَعَجَّلُونَهُ وَلَا يَتَأَجَّلُونَهُ
“Recite, for it is all good; but after you people will come who will straighten it as an arrow is straightened, seeking a reward for it in this world and not waiting for their reward in the next.”
This hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud and Ahmad, and Sheikh al-Albani called it good.
Yes, both tajweed and the beauty of reading – everything is correct, everything is beautiful, but either they want money for it, or fame, so that they can say about him how beautifully he reads, what kind of reader he is, etc.
From the norms, rules of reading the Quran, O servants of Allah, when you read the Quran, reflect on what you read. It was sent down for reflection, for understanding, and not just for reading. May your heart be full of reverence and humility when you read the Quran. When you read the Quran, remember that Allah is addressing you, because this Book is an appeal to you from your Creator, because it is the Word of Allah (pure and exalted is He) (Kalamu Allah).
Another norm for reading the Quran is that it should be read in a state of ritual purity (tahara), because this is respect for the Book of Allah, this is the exaltation of the Book of Allah.
Before you begin to read, you need to resort to Allah (pure and exalted is He) from the shaitan (say isti’aza), because Allah (pure and exalted is He) says:
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
When you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.
Quran, Surah “Bees”, 16:98.
And the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says:
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the accursed Satan, from his madness, his pride, and his poetry
/inni a’udhu bika minash-Shaitanir-rajim, wa hamzihi wa nafkhihi wa nafthihi /
This hadith was narrated by Ibn Majah (808) and Ahmad (3830), Sheikh al-Albani called it authentic.
Should we say “Bismi-Llahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim”? If this is the beginning of a sura, then say, except for one surah – Surah “Repentance” (at-Tauba), there is no “Bismi-Llahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim” at the beginning of this surah.
Another norm, from the rules for reading the Quran, is that you need to try to read it in a beautiful voice, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says: “Allah does not listen to anything as much as he listens to the reading of the Prophet, who reads loudly in a beautiful voice Quran”. But, O servant of Allah, if you are reading the Quran, and other people are praying or reading the Quran near you, then do not raise your voice so as to disturb others, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says:
لَا يَجْهَرُ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ
none of you must recite the Quran more loudly than others.
This hadith was reported by an-Nasai (8091).
Another norm for reading the Quran is to read it measuredly, not to read it at high speed, as if you were reciting or chattering poetry. Allah (pure and exalted is He) says:
وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا
and recite the Quran ˹properly˺ in a measured way.
Quran, Surah “The Shrouded One”, 73:4.
Because this way you will understand the meanings and pronounce the letters correctly. And look what Ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
لَا تَهُذُّوا الْقُرْآنَ، كَهَذِّ الشِّعْرِ، وَلَا تَنْثُرُوهُ نَثْرَ الدَّقَلِ، وَقِفُوا عِنْدَ عَجَائِبِهِ، وَحَرِّكُوا بِهِ الْقُلُوبَ.
وفي رواية: لا تنثروه نثر الدقل، ولا تهذوه هذ الشعر، قفوا عند عجائبه، وحركوا به القلوب، ولا يكن هم أحدكم آخر السورة.
“Do not pour it (the Quran) like sand, and do not chatter it like poetry. Stop (when you hear, read) the amazing things (that are there), set your hearts in motion through it (the Quran) and do not let it be your concern (task) to finish the sura quickly.” You can read quickly, there is no sin, unless you interfere with the pronunciation of words. But if you are already violating, then it is forbidden (haram), because it is a distortion of the Book of Allah (pure and exalted is He).
We ask Allah (pure and exalted is He) to accept our worship from us.
