The Month of Shawwal and Six Days of Fasting

Fasting in Shawwal

Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) stated that:

“Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan, and then follows it by (fasting) six days of Shawwal, it is as though he has fasted the whole year.” (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)

Usama (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated about fasting in Shawwal that: “He used to fast in the haram (forbidden) months. Messenger of Allah told him: “Observe your fast in the month of Shawwal. Thereafter he left fasting in the forbidden months. Besides, he never left fasting in Shawwal till his death.” (Ibn-i Maja)

Sufyan Sawree (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated about the importance of fasting in Shawwal that:
“I have dwelled in Makkah al-Mukarramah for three years. A Meccan used to come to Haram al-Sharif, circumambulate the Kaaba, perform prayer and thereafter give salutations to me and leave. Then, I met him. One day he called me and said: “When I die, you yourself wash me, perform my prayer and bury me. That night, don’t leave me and spend the night in my grave. Inspire me “tawhid” (oneness of Allah) at the time of the questions of Munkar and Nakir. I accepted to do his wills and did as he said. I spent the night in his grave.

That night, when I was in a half awake half asleep state I heard a voice saying “O Sufyan! I don’t need your protection and your inspiration any more. “I asked: “How did you reach this blessing?”

He replied me: “This blessing is because I performed my Ramadan fasting and added six days from Shawwal.” At that time I woke up.

I couldn’t see anyone by me. I took wudhu, prayed, slept; in this way I saw (the same dream) three times. (So) I knew that this is not a satanic dream, it is a divine dream. Then I left the grave and prayed:

“O my Lord! Make me succeed in fasting in the holy month of Ramadan and the six days of the month of Shawwal.” Allah (swt) made me succeed. ” Amin!

(source: http://askaquestionto.us/question-answer/blessed-days/importance-of-fasting-in-the-month-of-shawwal)

How to collect the gold coins?

Fasting as much as you can during the months of Rajab and Sha'ban is the first prerequisite for getting ready for Ramadan. Being spiritually uplifted and well prepared is extremely important.

Ramadan, the month of treasure, is ready and awaits you, for you to collect as much treasure as you can. If you are not sure how to do this quickly and efficiently, here are some easy tips for you...

In order to get the maximum reward in this month, try to share these tips with your friends and perhaps learn some others from them.

 1. Clean up your time: 

a) Techno-free Ramadan: 
Don’t forget, technology is the best time killer. Try to minimize your techno-related activities. If you are used to posting on Facebook, have a short break or at least have a 15 minute time limit, and try to spend less time on the internet and computer. Keep your mobile on silent mode and decrease your chat and SMS on the phone. Inform your friends that you’ll be less active during this month.

b) Cooking: Try to cook simple things during Ramadan, as this is a month of ‘ibadah & Qur’an, not a month of food. There are some husbands who push their wives to cook different varieties of food, and sisters often have to spend their time in the kitchen due to many visitors. In any case, keep a tape of Qur’an, or a nice lecture from a respected sheikh in the kitchen, and listen to it while you are busy in the kitchen, or keep your tongue moist with dhikr.

The King's Open Treasury Day

In a far distant country lived an old man. During his lifetime, he had many opportunities to save some money for his old age, but he failed to do so. He was given bounty upon bounty, and considerable richness throughout his life, yet he was unfortunate in that he spent all his wealth in vain due to his bad habits and friends. At the end of the day, he was in the red and had no wealth, but owed many people money. He was trying to survive on very little and still had to pay his debts. Over the course of time, he realized that it would be impossible to persuade people to wait any longer for their money. He was broke and had no hope.

One day,when he was feeling low, he heard the king's announcement being proclaimed all over the streets. His majesty’s royal treasury was going to be open to the public for thirty days at specific times for his subjects. The generous king wanted his citizens to come and collect coins from the treasury. When he heard the news, he thought his ears were deceiving him, so he asked his neighbours and they confirmed that it was true. Yes, his time had come. His ears did not deceive him; the king wanted his subjects to take as much as they could from the treasury. The event was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

He felt extremely happy and so off he went. He told his other hard-up friends and invited them to the treasury to join him. Unbelievably, the treasury was

Health Guidelines for Ramadhan

This article provides useful advice on how to avoid some common problems encountered in Ramadan. If followed, it would enable one to fast comfortably and enjoy fully the spiritual benefits of Ramadan.

During the holy month of Ramadan, our diet should not differ very much from our normal diet and should be as simple as possible. The diet should be such that we maintain our normal weight, neither losing nor gaining. However,  if one is over-weight, Ramadan is an ideal time to normalize one's weight.

Merits of Dhuʻl-Hijjah: What to do for this month?

FASTING IN DHU'L-HIJJAH

It is Sunnah to fast the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, especially the day of `Arafah, for those who are not performing Hajj. This is confirmed by the following hadiths:

1. Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting on the day of `Arafah is an expiation for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it. Fasting the day of `Ashurah is an expiation for the year preceding it." (Reported by "the group," except for Al-Bukhari and At-Tirmidhi)

2. One of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah’s Messenger used to fast the [first] nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, the day of `Ashurah, and three days of each month." (Reported by Abu Dawud).

Just Try At Least Once

This was a nice experience for me to re-enjoy the nice and blissful dinner table in my hometown. Yesterday was the first day of Ramadan. Coming home hungry and thirsty, waiting for adhan and contemplating during the meal, thinking about the poor, the needy, the homeless and the others on Ramadan… The blessed month of mercy… I am writing these lines at the second day of Ramadan on sahoor time before fajr.

It is not that hard to imagine how non-practicing Muslims or non-Muslims would think about

Disasters, why Muslims?

Hot dishes and tasty meals with nice and warm atmosphere in our house… Relatives are coming and children are playing. It is about to break fasting.
Suddenly...We hear the heart-wrenching disaster news in Pakistan.