"Ramadan Spiritual Sustenance"
Hadith of the Day Daily ’Istiftā’ Daily Prayers of the Month The Lamp of Guidance
Hadith of the Day
الامام الصادق علیه السلام:
نَومُ الصائمِ عِبادَةٌ، وصَمتُهُ تَسبيحٌ، وعَمَلُهُ مُتَقَبَّلٌ، ودُعاؤهُ مُستَجابٌ
Al-Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) said:
A fasting person’s sleep is worship, his silence is glorification of Allah, his good deeds are accepted, and his supplication is answered.
Al-Faqīh, v. 2, p. 76, no. 1783
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Daily ’Istiftā’
If a person becomes Junub before the fajr Adhan in the month of Ramadan, should he/she perform Ghusl before the fajr Adhan or is there any other way?
He/she should perform Ghusl and if there is an obstacle for Ghusl then he/she must perform Tayammum.
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Daily Prayer of the Month
Ramadan 7th
A Commentary on the Supplicatory Prayer of Ramadan 7th
The supplicatory prayer of Ramadan 7th is as follows:
اللهُمَّ اعِنّى فيهِ عَلى صِيامِهِ وَقِيامِهِ، وَجَنِّبْنى فيهِ مِنْ هَفَواتِهِ وَ اثامِهِ، وَارْزُقْنى فيهِ ذِكْرَكَ بِدَوامِهِ، بِتَوْفيقِكَ يا هادِىَ الْمُضِلّينَ
“O’ Lord! Help me in this day to fast and keep prayer vigil at the night, keep me from slipping into sins and transgressions, and grant me the opportunity to constantly remember You, by your tawfiq, O’ Supreme Guide of the astray!”[1]
The most important points made in the supplicatory prayer of Ramadan 7th are as follows:
The explication of the results of being granted success (tawfiq) in performing religious rites by Allah; revisiting the key role of the month of Ramadan in self-purification; explaining the concept of “Dhikr” and the ways to remain steadfast in it; and a des c r i p tion of the relationship between guidance and the divinely-granted tawfiqs.
* True Fasting and Night Prayers through Divinely-granted Success (tawfiq)
Undoubtedly, performing the obligatory religious duties, including prayers and fasting, in the best way is not possible except through divinely-granted tawfiq.[2] When one views the world from this perspective, one will never become proud of one’s faith and the acts of worship they performe but will always feel indebted to Allah and His Prophet (s) for having guided them.[3]
This will bring them to engage in all acts of worship with love and would readily hurry to do whatever they know constitutes an instance of obeying Allah.[4] This is because they know that the fact that they are now on the path of obeying Allah is due to His guidance which was brought down and promoted by His Prophet (s).
Moreover, they also are aware of the fact that they being able of performing successfully all acts of worship is yet another blessing bestowed upon them by Allah, and as such, they will be even more grateful for being able to obey their Lord![5]
Consequently, if one does not feel delighted when performing their acts of worship, they need to take a moment and consider what they have done. Perhaps this negative feeling is due to the abundant sins that one has committed, sins which have contaminated their souls to the extent where one no longer feels the delight of worshipping one’s Lord. One needs, therefore, to repent of one’s sins in order to be granted the tawfiq to perform their religious duties in the best way once again.[6]
* The Month of Ramadan, a Golden Opportunity for Self-purification and Self-discipline
The moral training program which the people are to follow in the month of Ramadan has been designed in a way where it purifies both one’s body and soul of the impurities of sins.[7] This is why fasting in this month has been referred to as a “shield against sins and divine punishment” in the Islamic traditions.[8]
This is also why, after legislating fasting in the month of Ramadan as an obligatory religious duty, the holy Quran adds that this law has been legislated in order for the people to be pious.[9] In other words, it explains that the philosophy behind fasting in this month is learning to keep away from sins, governing oneself, and suppressing the rebellious carnal desires through this calculated Islamic abstinence.[10]
* The Essence of Dhikr
Dhikr or the remembrance of Allah does not involve merely calling out His name verbally and constantly praising and glorifying Him. Rather, it is to be extremely attentive to His greatness, remembering with all our hearts how immensely wise and powerful He is and how He observes everything and everyone at all times. Undoubtedly, such a remembrance is the origin of all the positive movements toward any goal that is considered good in nature.[11]
Moreover, such a remembrance is an effective means in attracting the divine blessings toward oneself which will, in turn, safeguard one from slipping into sins and transgressions.[12] It is, in effect, the most effective deterrent against sins and moral vices.[13]
* The Best Way to Attain the Status of Ceaseless Dhikr
Without doubt, Dhikr is effective when one perseveres in it and engages in it tirelessly and at all times.[14] However, this is not possible except through love and extreme affection which are, in turn, attained through perseverance in the face of hardship and difficulties.[15]
Such perseverance in remembering Allah will revitalize the heart and the soul and give one spiritual insight. It is through such insight that one will be able to see what is truly right and what is truly wrong and will also be able to clearly discern what assists his progress toward eternal felicity and what threatens it.[16]
* The Relationship between Guidance and the Divinely-granted Success (tawfiq).
It is virtually impossible for man to find immunity against the temptations of Satan and to flee from slipping into transgressions without the divinely-granted success and guidance. This is because Satan’s temptations and ambushes are very dangerous and almost indiscernible by ordinary human powers. Therefore, one can hope to find immunity against Satan’s plots and ambushes only through Allah’s mercy and grace because, as the holy Quran reminds us all “Whomever Allah guides, he is the [rightly] guided … [17]”.[18]
Furthermore, the reason why in the final phrases of the supplicatory prayer of Ramadan 7th Allah is called the “Supreme Guide of the astray” and we ask Him to “grant us success” is that no one can find guidance on his own and without the divinely-granted tawfiq. However, it should be noted that going astray is a product of man’s own misdeeds and has nothing to do with Allah.[19]
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The Lamp of Guidance
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SHIA- PART 4
Tradition
«... عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ سُلَیْمَان، عَنْ أَبِیهِ قَالَ: کُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِی عَبْدِاللهِ(علیه السلام): إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَیْهِ أَبُوبَصِیر... فَقَالَ: یَا أَبَامُحَمَّد لَقَدْ ذَکَرَکُمُ اللهُ فِی کِتَابِهِ فَقَالَ: (اِنَّ عِبَادِی لَیْسَ لَکَ عَلَیْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ) وَاللهِ مَا أرَادَ بِهَذَا إِلاَّ الأَئِمَّةَ(علیهم السلام)وَشِیعَتَهُمْ، فَهَلْ سَرَرْتُکَ یَا أَبَامُحَمَّد؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاکَ زِدْنِی ...»
Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān has narrated that his father said: ‘I was with Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) when Abū Baṣīr arrived (while breathing heavily) he then sat down in the gathering. The Imam (‘a) turned towards him and said: ‘Are you upset?’ Abū Baṣīr replied: ‘I have become old and weak, and breathing has become difficult for me; I am at the verge of leaving this world.
'Yet, what is worse than all this is that I am worried about what will come after death and I am unsure of my destiny’. When the Imam (‘a) heard this, he said to him: ‘Why do you say such things when you are the pride of the Shia (community)’. The Imam (‘a) then began to describe the virtues of the Shias and whenever he finished describing one of these virtues, he would ask: ‘Has this made you happy?’ Abū Baṣīr would reply: ‘Yes it has, please tell me more…’
The Imam (‘a) said: Oh Abū Baṣīr, Allah has referred to you the Shias in the Quran and has said: ‘Indeed, as for My servants you [O’ Satan!] do not have any authority over them…’ I swear by Allah that by ‘His servants’ Allah meant none other than the Imams (‘a) and their Shias (followers). Did this make you happy oh Abā Muḥammad?’ ‘Abū Baṣīr replied: ‘Yes, please tell me more…’’
Commentary
There are a series of questions which the youth have with regard to Satan and it is necessary for us to examine and answer these questions. They are as follows:
Question 1: Why has Allah created Satan, while he is obviously a force of great trouble and evil in this world? He misguides human beings, preventing them from attaining felicity, whereas man has been created to attain felicity.
Answer: Allah did not create Satan in his current evil form and Satan was initially created as a good being. He was in fact so pious and worshipful that he attained the ranks of the angels and those nearest to Allah. However, he went astray, willfully, through his own undue sense of self-importance, arrogance, and envy. Finally, due to following his carnal desires and his undue and unquenchable desire for eminence and glory he fell from the high rank he enjoyed and became the evil Satan known to everyone today. The Quran has stated the following with regard to this incident: ‘… he refused and acted arrogantly, and he was one of the faithless.’ It was due to this arrogance that he lost his faith and fell from his high position near Allah.
[1] The New Mafātīḥ, p. 813.
[2] The Message of Imam Amir al-Mu’minīn (‘a), vol. 7, p. 296.
[3] Tafsīr-i Nemūneh, vol. 22, p. 218.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] The Story of the Companions: a Series of Exegetic Discussions by G. A. Makarem Shirazi, p. 46.
[7] A Selection of Tafsīr-i Nemūneh, vol. 1, p. 164.
[8] Ibid, p. 513.
[9] Al-Baqarah, 179.
[10] Religious Q&As, p. 268.
[11] Ethics in the Quran, vol. 1, p. 360.
[12] Islamic Ethics as Reflected in Nahj al-Balāghah [based on the Sermon of Muttaqīn], vol. 2, p. 241.
[13] Ethics in the Quran, vol. 1, p. 360.
[14] Islamic Ethics as Reflected in Nahj al-Balāghah [based on the Sermon of Muttaqīn], vol. 2, p. 241.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Ethics in the Quran, vol. 2, p. 346.
[17] Al-A‘rāf, 178.
[18] Tafsīr-i Nemūneh, vol. 7, p. 17.
[19] The Message of the Quran, vol. 3, p. 329
