On the Night of 'Eid-ul-Fitr'

Eid & Divine Forgiveness

When Ramadan comes to an end, we get the night of Eid - Lailatul Jaa’izah, that is to say, the night of retribution. On the morning of Eid, Allah (swt) sends the angels to earth, where they take up positions shouting in a voice that all except humans and Jinn can hear: “O Ummah of Muhammad (pbuh), come forth from your houses towards a Lord that is noble and gracious, who grants much and pardons the major sins.”

When the people proceed for the Eid prayer, Allah asks the angels : “What indeed is the reward of that employee who had rendered his services?” 

The angels reply: “O Lord and Master, it is only right that he should receive his reward in full for his services.” 

Allah then says: “I call you to witness, O My angels, that for their having fasted during the month of Ramadan, and for their having stood in prayer by night, I have granted to them as reward My pleasure and have granted them forgiveness.”

Addressing His servants, Allah says: “O My servants ask now of Me, for I swear by My honour and My greatness, that whatsoever you shall beg of me this day in this assembly of yours for the needs of the Hereafter and this world, I shall grant you. By My honour I swear, as long as you shall obey my commands, I shall cover your faults. By My honour and by My greatness do I swear that I shall never disgrace you among the evil-doing ones and disbelievers. Depart now from here, you are forgiven. You have pleased Me, and I am pleased with you.”

The angels upon seeing this great reward bestowed by Allah upon the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) on the day of Eid (Eid-ul Fitr) become greatly pleased and happy.

*** O Allah count us also among those fortunate people, Ameen. ***

Beyond Ramadan: 'Strive to Remain with Allah'

For this last Friday in the month of Ramadan (30^th day of Ramadan/ 15 June 2018), I would like to give some advices (for you all) to follow so that these Ramadan days are not wasted and that the good habit developed during this blessed month remains (strong as ever). First of all, after Jumu’ah prayer, read 2 cycles of additional prayer (A 2-Rakat Nawafil Salat). In the first cycle, after the Surah Al-Fatiha, read the Surah Al-Ikhlaas 10 times and in the second cycle after the Surah Al-Fatiha, read the Surah Al-Kafirun 3 times. And after the prayer, read the Darood Shariff 10 times.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said: “The supplications of a faster are never rejected.” This is because the heart of the faster is in a state of repentance. In fact, he has reached close to Allah and has obeyed Him. He has abandoned his food and drink for fear of Allah, his King, his Sustainer and Supreme Donator. The faster has restrained his desires in obedience to the Lord of the Heavens and Earth.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said: “Supplication is worship.” Thus, if you see a servant (of Allah) seeking charity (i.e., the charity/ mercy of Allah) by praying a lot, doing long prostrations with lots of duas, then know that he/ she is close to Allah and trust (and confiding) in Him.

The companions (Sahaba) asked: “O Messenger of Allah, is our Lord near to us, so we can secretly talk to Him, or is He far, so we should call upon Him (loudly)?” Thereupon Allah the Almighty revealed this verse: 

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.” (Al-Baqara 2: 187).

Moreover, the Messenger of Allah has said: “Truly, you do not call to one deaf or absent, but truly to One who hears and sees; and He is with you; and He to whom you pray is nearer to you than the neck of your camel (riding beast).”

Allah (swt) requires us to ask of Him, to call upon Him. Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors.” (Al-Arraf 7: 56).

In another verse of the Quran, Allah says: “Your Lord says: Call upon Me and I will respond to you. Verily, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell in humiliation.” (Ghafir 40: 61).

The Larger Meaning of 'Eid-ul-Fitr'

For the Muslim believer, Allah (God Almighty) has given him two great celebrations, moments of joy (Eids) in his life: Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. Whereas the Eid-ul-Adha is the Eid of Sacrifice, commemorating the great sacrifice of Prophet Abraham (as), the Eid-ul-Fitr commemorates the intense sacrifices which the Muslim believer has done for His Lord (Rab) during the fasting month of Ramadan.

MUNIR A. AZIM

HAZRAT IMAM MUHYI-UD-DIN

JAMAAT UL SAHIH AL ISLAM

If fasting has been prescribed by the Lord of the World (Rab’ul Aalamin) as a way to draw His sincere believers to Himself, to enable them to get Himself as reward, Allah has also given them a day of rejoice for fasting a whole month for Him. This day is the Eid-ul-Fitr, and is filled with extraordinary blessings for the Muslim believers who truly and sincerely complied with all requirements of the fasting days of the holy month of Ramadan.

Fasting in Ramadan is not like fasting any other day. It has certain restrictions and limitations which if followed, opens the door of Divine Pleasure. If fact, God Almighty draws closer to such people and pours down His mercy and love upon them. That is why also, all true Ramadan fasters strive to acquire the intense blessings of this month because of the Most Cherished Treasure (i.e. Allah) they shall acquire at the end of their fasting.

If Ramadan is both a sweet and sour trial for the believer, Eid-ul-Fitr comes as a liberation from all limitations imposed by God Almighty during the blessed month and it also acts as a reminder and an encouragement for him to pursue the same good habits till the next Ramadan and this, till the end of his temporal life. Thus, Ramadan is a month of intense training for the physical, moral and spiritual growth of the believer. Every Ramadan is meant as a training for his body, mind and soul to rid themselves from all darkness and to greet light with open arms. All negativity, all stress, all evil-mindedness, and all intrinsic and extrinsic problems of the believer fade away to let in pure divine light which gives him a most needed boost for his very own well-being and that of his family, friends, neighbours, his environment and society as a whole. Everybody shall be at peace with him when he is himself at peace. And if evil try to get in the way, the peacefulness, serenity and the spirit of goodness he has developed and/ or acquired during that month makes him strive to combat it by peaceful means and with Divine Succour.

'Lailat-ul-Qadr': Times of a 'Khalifatullah'

In the evocative language of the Qur'an, the descent of Divine revelations take place on 'Laila-tul Qadr': the 'Night of Destiny'. When people grope in the darkness of spiritual despair, the Divine Mercy unfolds itself in the form of a Blessed Soul. Hence, the life and times of a Divinely-raised renewer of Faith among the Muslims can be described as a period of Divine Blessings.  As we have recently noted in another post, the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as) specifically linked the coming of a Khalifatullah in every century with the spiritual concept of Laila-tul Qadr. In his book “Victory of Islam”, the Promised Massih (as) clearly stated that the Khalifatullah appears to rouse people to spiritual consciousness and that angels descent with him- through revelations, they enable him to provide a living testimonial to the vitality of Islam in that age. 

As the Divinely-raised "Muhyi-ud-Din" and "Khalifatullah" of this era, Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius is the most qualified spiritual commentator on matters of Divine verities in our times. On the blessed occasion of the 27th of Ramadan (1439 AH) today, we are reproducing an important Friday Sermon of 03 June 2011, wherein Hadhrat Saheb (atba) profoundly explained the relevance of 'Laila-tul-Qadr' to the blessed advent of Divine Elects in every era, also keeping in view the blessed writings of the Promised Massih (as) on the theme.

Read the extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“By the grace of Allah, one of my sincere disciples called my attention on the fact that the Promised Messiah (as) draw the people’s attention to the coming of a Khalifatullah, especially when he speaks about the period of a Khalifatullah as a Laila-tul-Qadr (Night of Decree, of blessings) and that when the Caliph of Allah comes down to earth, he comes down accompanied with the light of Allah which thereafter the sincere people who surrounds the Khalifatullah receive. 

By the grace of Allah, the Promised Messiah (as) has in other others say he has come to earth in the mantle of a Khalifatullah, but that which is much more surprising is that he has already said that not only in his time there shall be one (a Khalifatullah), but this Khalifatullah shall come in confirmation of his (the Promised Messiah’s) truthfulness. It is this Khalifatullah who shall come in conformity with his words and he shall come in confirmation of his truth like the Promised Messiah (as) came in confirmation of the prophecy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), where the Prophet of Allah (sa) said (while putting his hand on the shoulders of Salman Farsi) that when faith shall go to the Pleiades, then there shall come someone from Persian descent shall bring it back.

'Zakaat' in Islam

Zakaat is a pillar of Islam and an obligatory act of charity ordained to every eligible Muslim. It is an act of devotion and an effective form to achieve social justice. It is also one of the five pillars of Islam and prescribed in the Holy Quran and in the Hadiths. The root of the word Zakaat in Arabic means blessing, growth, purity or improvement. The word Zakaat refers to the part of the wealth prescribed by Allah to be distributed among the categories of people described by Allah in Surah At-Taubah (Chapter 9, verse 60) and the Hadiths. Zakaat is an act of worship that purifies the wealth and soul of Muslims.

 

The purification of wealth means the mobilization of goods for financial growth and justified distribution (equal repartition of wealth). Purification of the soul means liberation of the Muslim’s heart from hatred, jealousy, selfishness, and greed.

 

Technically speaking, Zakaat is a fixed proportion that is withdrawn on an annual basis from the wealth and distributable profits and given to beneficiaries of this fund (as indicated by the Quran and Sunnah) for the well-being of Muslim society. Zakaat is calculated on the net balance after the Muslim has deducted his expenses for personal, family and other purposes (necessities). At the end of the year if the Muslim is in possession of 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver or the cash equivalence or article of commerce he must pay Zakaat on it at 2.5% tax, also applicable to agricultural products and livestock.

'Lailat-ul-Qadr': The Night of Destiny

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” (Al-Qadr 97: 1-6).

When the month of Ramadan begins, Muslims perform Ibadat (acts of worship) with great enthusiasm to please Allah. The Ibadat made during this month include obligatory acts (Fardh) as well as many voluntary/ additional (Nafl) acts of worship, and the mosques are filled with worshipers, Alhamdulillah. But Insha-Allah, it is essential also that this state of things remain the same even after the month of Ramadan. In this blessed month, the tendency to help the poor and the needy is also great and very important.

The Laila-tul-Qadr

During this month, we get the night of Lailatul Qadr also called, Shabe Qadr (The Night of Power). According to the Hadiths of our beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), the rewards for the Ibadat performed during this night are equal to the Ibadat performed for more than a thousand months and if we calculate all this well and do not make any mistake in our way of counting (our math), so it is equal to 83 years and 4 months. Taking into consideration the length of human life today, it would be impossible for a person to do this great amount of Ibadat during his whole life, even if he does it day and night.

There is a story behind that Night. A person named Samsun (ra) belonging to the Tribe of Israel was a person who made a lot of Ibadat. He used to fight against the infidels and the latter feared him a lot. Allah (swt) had given him such strength that even the army of the infidels had no hold over him to defeat him, or even to wound him. So, in the life of Samsun (ra) there is a very interesting story, concerning his faith (Imaan) in Allah, his courage and the strength he possessed. He was always ready to do Jihad for a thousand months. When the Messenger of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) heard the story about this extraordinary person who belonged to the Children of Israel from the Archangel Gabriel (as), his thought was for his Ummah (his community). He thought that life was short and that we would not have the opportunity to receive the same intensity of blessings bestowed upon Samsun (ra) for his devotions and loyalty for a thousand months.

Allah (swt) therefore accepted the desire of His Messenger and granted to Him and His Ummah (community) a great favour; such favour that the other Ummat (communities) did not receive; such a favour with an extraordinary prescription, that is, the Lailatul Qadr, the Night of Power. It was during this very night that the Holy Quran was revealed, that is to say, the pure revelations of Allah on His beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh).

'Laila-tul- Qadr': Rise of a 'Mujaddid'/ 'Khalifatullah'

In the Muslim spiritual imagination, the month of Ramadan is deeply embedded as the sacred month of Fasting for the sake of God Almighty. The month also reminds us about the advent of Divine revelations on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and the sacred birth of the Holy Qur'an! Indeed the Holy Qur'an itself acknowledges that it was in the blessed nights of Ramadan that the very first verses began to be revealed on the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa). The Holy Book says: “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).” [2:185] “Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'an) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree).” [97:1].  "Truly, We revealed it in a blessed Night"(44:3). 

Distinguished lexicographers and Qur'an scholars have noted that wherever the Qur'an speaks of "Lailah", it has a deep connection with the descent of Divine revelations. The saints of Islam had noted the profound connection of "Lailat-ul-Qadr" with the advent of Muhaddith (recipient of Divine revelations), "Khalifatullah" (Caliph of God) and Mujaddid (Divine reformer) in every era of Islam. The Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian also sought to educate and remind the Muslims of his era about the significance of 'Lailat-ul-Qadr' and the deep spiritual verities of Surah Al Qadr, especially with regard to the raising of great spiritual souls in every era of Islam as 'Mujaddid', 'Muhaddith', 'Khalifatullah', etc. 

Reproduced below are the words of Hadhrat Massih Maoud (as) from one of his books, Fateh-e-Islam: 

“Allah gives glad tidings to the faithful in Surah Al Qadr that His prophet and His revelation descended from the heaven during the period of Laila-tul- Qadr (the Night of Decree).

Every Muhaddath and Mujaddid who is commissioned by Allah always appears during the Night of Decree. 

Do you understand what is meant by the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree or the Laila-tul- Qadr is the name of a night when spiritual darkness reaches its ultimate gloom. That gloom, metaphorically, demands a light from heaven for its dissipation. This night is symbolically called the Night of Decree. In fact, it is not a night, but a period, which is referred to as a ‘night’ because of its intense darkness. 

One thousand months is the approximate life span of a human being. It is also a period after which normal human senses ceases to function. The elapse of a period of one thousand months, following the demise of a Prophet or his spiritual successor also signals the commencement of a ‘night’ of darkness. This ‘night’ triggers fervour in the heavens and the seeds of the birth of one or more reformers (Mujaddidin) is stealthily sown. Thus such a Mujaddid or prepare to emerge at the head of the new century. The following verse is also an indication by Allah towards this phenomenon:

           

  “The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months”.  (Surah Al Qadr, 97:4) .