✨An Andalusian Ramadan Advice
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. He obligated fasting on the believers and he ordained night prayer for those who strive. And He opened the doors of goodness for those seeking more virtue. And he distinguished the righteous deeds for those with insight. And he made the worldly life an arena for the competitors. We praise Him for bestowing upon us the right religion and the wise ordainments. We are grateful for the wellbeing and prosperity. And we ask Him for forbearance in affliction and adversity. He is the Most Generous. He is the Lord of the Worlds. The benefactor of all the creation.
Fater (35) 3: O mankind, remember the favor of Allah upon you. Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the heaven and earth? There is no deity except Him, so how are you deluded?
His Prophet ﷺ guided us to our religion, delivered our book, explained our Shariah, and urged us to do what benefits us, warned us of what harms us, and was warner and a bearer of glad tidings. He left us upon a path of brightness whose night is like its day. No one will deviate from it but the one who is doomed.
Be conscious of Allah Almighty in this noble month and obey Him. And increase in doing righteous deeds in it. For it is for the believers a season of deeds and an increase in Iman (faith) and consciousness of Allah. So it is incumbent upon every wise person to strive in it. And adhere to reciting the Quran and visiting mosques. And forsake gatherings of slander and falsehood. And the displays of indecency, sin and enmity. And to leave “he said, she said”.
And whoever does not abandon falsehood and action in accordance with it, Allah has no need that he should abandon his food and drink. [alBukhari 1903]
800 years ago, Qurtubah fell into the hands of the crusaders. And the Muslims of Andalus were killed, tortured and exiled because of their religion. And a group who secretly practiced their religion remained. They performed the Islamic rituals discreetly. And they advised each other in this regard. And they passed it on to their children so that the rituals would not perish among them. And one of the most important rituals that they looked after was fasting the month of Ramadan. They used to seek out the entry of Ramadan by sighting the crescent. And they used to inform one another discreetly regarding the start of this noble month. And they used to be very discrete about their fasting and performance of the taraweeh prayer away from the eyes of their enemies. Nevertheless, documents were preserved from their history indicating their advice to one another in this regard. And their scholars used to write books that reminded them of fasting, advising them to strive hard in Ramadan and pointing out the different types of righteous deeds. And they used to pass these letters and books discretely without being noticed. Because if they were discovered they would be executed after being tortured horrendously.
And this is the text of an Andalusian advice that was written by an Andalusian to his Muslim brothers advising them to fast and perform righteous deeds in Ramadan. We will relate it to you after many long centuries from when it was written. To be proud of Islam and to remember the great who safeguarded their religion in spite of being subjected to terror and horrors. So that this advice is a reminder for us and we are, by the grace of Allah Almighty, basking in security and prosperity. And in a place where the rituals of Islam are proudly displayed. And so that the reward of this Andalusian advice will go to its author while he is in his grave. And so that he knows that the advice that he wrote to his brothers, for which he sacrificed, was among the Andalusian heritage preserved by Allah Almighty. And it reached us after a long period. And so that we learn steadfastness on our religion from those men who were steadfast upon their religion. And they were discrete about their rituals and they advised each other to truth. For indeed steadfastness on the truth is learned just as Iman (faith) is learned.
The Andalusian guide said advising his brothers:
The month of Ramadan – Oh my brothers – Is a month of purifying the bodies from the sins – a comprehensive purification. And it is the month of goodness, forgiveness and bestowal from Allah Almighty. And it is the month of helping the poor and honoring the guest. And a month in which the doors of gardens are opened and the doors of the fires are closed. And the devils are chained. And it is the month of security and Iman (faith) and reading Quran. In it, the Masjed’s of the Merciful are illuminated. And the wayfarer is honored. And in it, kindness is shown to the sick.
Then he proceeds in his advice, teaching his brothers what they ought to do saying:
Oh beloved brothers: When the month of Ramadan comes upon us, it is mandatory that your limbs fast from the sins and mistakes just as your stomachs fast from food. And it is mandatory upon you just as you break your fast at night by taking food, that you show gratitude for Allah Almighty’s bounties upon you. And that you spend the nights praying just as you spend the days fasting.
And in another version he says:
Servants of Allah. Capitalize on this month, for with Allah Almighty it is a great month. And Allah Almighty promised His servants a great reward in it. And He promised them with the forgiveness of the sins and freedom from the fire. So oh servant of Allah, capture all the good in this blessed month. And do not spend its days in backbiting, slandering and ill speech. And do not let laziness prevent you from praying at night. And beware not to break the fast on the prohibited. And no one should think that fasting is simply a person refraining from eating, drinking and intimacy with his wife. Rather he must learn that it is necessary that his eyes, ears, arms, legs and all his limbs fast. And you must know that the fasting of the eyes is not looking with them at the prohibited. And to not look at a Muslim man or woman with an eye of arrogance, contempt or intimidation. And the fasting of the tongue is to abstain from lying and vain talk. And to avoid backbiting, slander and foul speech. And the fasting of the ears is to not use them for hearing evil and eavesdropping on people. And the fasting of the hands is not to use them for harming any of the believers. And not using them to take what is not your right. And to use them for pleasing Allah Almighty. And the fasting of the feet is that you do not walk with them to hurt anybody and to not use them except for what pleases Allah Almighty. And it is necessary that all your limbs fast from the prohibited. And to rally all your organs for deeds for which they was created by Allah Almighty. And in this manner you will get the complete reward for your fasting by the permission of Allah Almighty. And if you do otherwise, it is feared that the reward of your fast will be lost.
And in another version he urges them to fast six days of Shawwal saying:
Indeed whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days (of fasting) from Shawwal after the first day passes, and this is the day of Eid, it is like the one who fasts the entire year.
Thus concludes the text from the Andalusian guide, May Allah Almighty have mercy upon him and forgive him and for those believers with him who were steadfast on their religion. And forgive us and our parents and all Muslims-the alive and those who have passed. Indeed He is Near, All Hearing, Answering.
Oh Muslims: In the message of the Andalusian guide to his Muslim brothers who were discrete in their religion, is the greatness of Iman (faith) if it enters the heart. And that the believer when he holds on to his Iman and is genuine with Allah, will be helped by Allah Almighty to establish his religion no matter how difficult it is to establish the rituals of his religion.
These amazing stances that were preserved in the Muslim history mandate us to be grateful for what Allah Almighty bestowed upon us of fasting and praying in security and tranquility. And displaying the rituals of Islam without fear or apprehension.
And it is necessary for us to adhere to our religion, defend it, call to it, advise in it and be steadfast on harm encountered for it.
And we are in the beginning of Ramadan. So let us strive in performing the righteous deeds in this noble month. And let us take the lesson from the Andalusian advice to his Muslim brothers who were practicing their religion privately. And let us benefit from what he said to them. And let us show Allah Almighty goodness from ourselves in this blessed month. For the fasting is unparalleled. And Allah said in the Hadith Al Qudsi:
Fasting is for me and I shall reward for it. [A man] gives up his desires, his food and his drink for my sake. Fasting is a shield. The one fasting has two joys- a joy when he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord. And the smell that comes from the mouth of the fasting person is better before Allah than the fragrance of musk. [alBukhari 7492]
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of faith and seeking the reward from Allah, his previous sins will be forgiven. And whoever prays in the night of the decree (laylat al-qadr) out of faith and seeking the reward from Allah his previous sins will be forgiven. [Abu Dawood 1372]
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
Whoever prays at night during Ramadan out of faith and seeking the reward from Allah, his previous sins will be forgiven. [Abu Dawood 1371]
May Allah Almighty makes among those who fast and pray at night out of faith and seeking the reward.
Ref:
أرسلها على تطبيق الواتساب