Imam Zainul Abideen's Slave girl says;
The Ima`m spent most his lifetime fasting. When his slave-girl was asked about his worship, she said: "I never brought him food by day." He loved fast and urged (people) to fast. Hence he said: "Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, entrusted the fasting to His angels.( Al-Rawandi, Da'awat, p. 4).
" He, peace be on him, did not break his fast except on the day of the two 'I#ds and other than them when he had an excuse. We will talk briefly about some of his affairs in the blessed month of Ramada`n, which is the month of Allah and of obedience (to Him).
In the Month of Ramada`n
The Ima`m had special affairs in the blessed month of Ramada`n. In it he did all things that drew him near to Allah. The narrators said: "He did all kinds of charity and good. He never said any word except saying: 'Glory belongs to Allah, I ask Allah's forgiveness, and Allah is Great.' When he broke his fast, he said: 'O Allah, if You will do, You do.'(Furu' al-Kafi, vol. 4, p. 88).
His Supplication for seeing the Crescent of the Month Ramadan
He, peace be on him, received the month of Ramada`n with eagerness and desire, for it is the spring of the obedient. When he saw its crescent, he supplicated with this holy supplication, which represents the spirituality of Islam and the guidance of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them. This supplication is as follows:
"Praise belongs to Allah Who guided us to His praise and placed us among the people of his praise, that we might be among the thankful for His beneficence and that He might recompense us for that with the reompense of the good-doers! And praise belongs to Allah Who showed favor to us through His religion, singled us out for His creed, and directed us onto the roads of His beneficence, in order that through His kindness we might travel upon them to His good pleasure, a praise which He will accept from us and through which He will be pleased with us!
And praise belongs to Allah Who appointed among those roads His month, the month of Ramada`n, the month of fasting, the month of submission, the month of purity2, the month of putting to test, the month of standing in prayer, in which the Qur'an was sent down as guidance to the people, and as clear signs of the Guidance and the Separator! He clarified its excellence over other months by the many sacred things and well-known excellencies which He placed therein, for He made unlawful in it what He declared lawful in others to magnify it, He prohibited foods and drinks in it to honor it, and He appointed for it a clear time which He (majestic and mighty is He) allows not to be set forward and accepts not to be placed behind.
Then He made one of its nights surpass the nights of a thousand months and named it the Night of Decree; in it the angels and the Spirit descend by the leave of their Lord upon every command, a peace constant in blessings until the rising of the dawn upon whomever He will of His servants according to the decision He has made firm."`
These brilliant words contain magnifying and honoring the month of Ramada`n and depicting it with the best qualities of which is the following:
1. It is the month of Islam, Hence whoever fasts in it enters the frame of Islam; whoever does not fast in it with knowledge and deliberation does not belong to Islam.
2. It is the month of purity, for therein is the purity of the soul from sins and offenses.
3. It is the month of test; in it the Muslims are tested; in it the obedient are distinguished from the disobedient.
4. It is the month of standing in prayer; this month is the spring of the obedient and the good, for they spend its nights in worship and obedience to Allah.
5. Among the characteristics of this month is that the Holy Qur'a`n was sent down in it, for It was sent down on the Night of Decree, which is the greatest of all its nights, and in which the angels and the Spirit descend by the leave of their Lord upon every command, a peace until the rising of the dawn.
6. Among the characteristics of this holy month is that Allah, the Most High, makes it prohibited for the fasting to have foods and drinks to magnify and honor it. Now, let's listen to another part of this supplication:
"O Allah, bless Mohammed and his Household, inspire us with knowledge of its excellence, veneration of its inviolability, and caution against what You have forbidden within it, and help us to fast in it by our restraining our limbs from acts of disobedience toward You and our employing them in that which pleases You, Hence that we lend not our ears to idle talk and hurry not with our eyes to diversion, we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden and stride not with our feet toward the prohibited, our bellies hold only what You have made lawful and our tongues speak only what You have exemplified, we undertake nothing but what brings close to Your reward and pursue nothing but what protects from Your punishment! Then rid all of that from the false show of the false showers and the fame seeking of the fame seekers, lest we associate therein anything with You or seek therein any object of desire but You!"
The Ima`m, peace be on him, presented the precepts which the fasting should follow in this great month. They are as follows: The fasting should restrain their limbs from what Allah has made unlawful, such as holding back their tongues from lying, backbiting, and slander; holding back their ears from idle talk and falsehood; preventing their hands from theft, aggression against people, and the prohibited. He, peace be on him, also mentioned that the fasting should do good to please Allah, and that their acts should be free from hypocrisy and seeking fame among people, for such acts lead to nothing except the punishment of Allah. After this, let's listen to another part of this holy supplication:
"O Allah, bless Mohammed and his Household, in it make us attend to the appointed moments of the five prayers within the bounds You have set, the obligations You have decreed, the duties You have assigned, and the times You have specified; and in the prayers make us alight in the station of the keepers of their stations, the guardians of their pillars, their performers in their times, as Your servant and Your messenger set down in his Sunna (Your blessings be upon him and his Household) in their bowings, their prostrations, and all their excellent acts, with the most complete and ample ritual purity and the most evident and intense humility!
" He, peace be on him, did not break his fast except on the day of the two 'I#ds and other than them when he had an excuse. We will talk briefly about some of his affairs in the blessed month of Ramada`n, which is the month of Allah and of obedience (to Him).
In the Month of Ramada`n
The Ima`m had special affairs in the blessed month of Ramada`n. In it he did all things that drew him near to Allah. The narrators said: "He did all kinds of charity and good. He never said any word except saying: 'Glory belongs to Allah, I ask Allah's forgiveness, and Allah is Great.' When he broke his fast, he said: 'O Allah, if You will do, You do.'(Furu' al-Kafi, vol. 4, p. 88).
His Supplication for seeing the Crescent of the Month Ramadan
He, peace be on him, received the month of Ramada`n with eagerness and desire, for it is the spring of the obedient. When he saw its crescent, he supplicated with this holy supplication, which represents the spirituality of Islam and the guidance of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them. This supplication is as follows:
"Praise belongs to Allah Who guided us to His praise and placed us among the people of his praise, that we might be among the thankful for His beneficence and that He might recompense us for that with the reompense of the good-doers! And praise belongs to Allah Who showed favor to us through His religion, singled us out for His creed, and directed us onto the roads of His beneficence, in order that through His kindness we might travel upon them to His good pleasure, a praise which He will accept from us and through which He will be pleased with us!
And praise belongs to Allah Who appointed among those roads His month, the month of Ramada`n, the month of fasting, the month of submission, the month of purity2, the month of putting to test, the month of standing in prayer, in which the Qur'an was sent down as guidance to the people, and as clear signs of the Guidance and the Separator! He clarified its excellence over other months by the many sacred things and well-known excellencies which He placed therein, for He made unlawful in it what He declared lawful in others to magnify it, He prohibited foods and drinks in it to honor it, and He appointed for it a clear time which He (majestic and mighty is He) allows not to be set forward and accepts not to be placed behind.
Then He made one of its nights surpass the nights of a thousand months and named it the Night of Decree; in it the angels and the Spirit descend by the leave of their Lord upon every command, a peace constant in blessings until the rising of the dawn upon whomever He will of His servants according to the decision He has made firm."`
These brilliant words contain magnifying and honoring the month of Ramada`n and depicting it with the best qualities of which is the following:
1. It is the month of Islam, Hence whoever fasts in it enters the frame of Islam; whoever does not fast in it with knowledge and deliberation does not belong to Islam.
2. It is the month of purity, for therein is the purity of the soul from sins and offenses.
3. It is the month of test; in it the Muslims are tested; in it the obedient are distinguished from the disobedient.
4. It is the month of standing in prayer; this month is the spring of the obedient and the good, for they spend its nights in worship and obedience to Allah.
5. Among the characteristics of this month is that the Holy Qur'a`n was sent down in it, for It was sent down on the Night of Decree, which is the greatest of all its nights, and in which the angels and the Spirit descend by the leave of their Lord upon every command, a peace until the rising of the dawn.
6. Among the characteristics of this holy month is that Allah, the Most High, makes it prohibited for the fasting to have foods and drinks to magnify and honor it. Now, let's listen to another part of this supplication:
"O Allah, bless Mohammed and his Household, inspire us with knowledge of its excellence, veneration of its inviolability, and caution against what You have forbidden within it, and help us to fast in it by our restraining our limbs from acts of disobedience toward You and our employing them in that which pleases You, Hence that we lend not our ears to idle talk and hurry not with our eyes to diversion, we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden and stride not with our feet toward the prohibited, our bellies hold only what You have made lawful and our tongues speak only what You have exemplified, we undertake nothing but what brings close to Your reward and pursue nothing but what protects from Your punishment! Then rid all of that from the false show of the false showers and the fame seeking of the fame seekers, lest we associate therein anything with You or seek therein any object of desire but You!"
The Ima`m, peace be on him, presented the precepts which the fasting should follow in this great month. They are as follows: The fasting should restrain their limbs from what Allah has made unlawful, such as holding back their tongues from lying, backbiting, and slander; holding back their ears from idle talk and falsehood; preventing their hands from theft, aggression against people, and the prohibited. He, peace be on him, also mentioned that the fasting should do good to please Allah, and that their acts should be free from hypocrisy and seeking fame among people, for such acts lead to nothing except the punishment of Allah. After this, let's listen to another part of this holy supplication:
"O Allah, bless Mohammed and his Household, in it make us attend to the appointed moments of the five prayers within the bounds You have set, the obligations You have decreed, the duties You have assigned, and the times You have specified; and in the prayers make us alight in the station of the keepers of their stations, the guardians of their pillars, their performers in their times, as Your servant and Your messenger set down in his Sunna (Your blessings be upon him and his Household) in their bowings, their prostrations, and all their excellent acts, with the most complete and ample ritual purity and the most evident and intense humility!
Give us success in this month to tighten our bonds of kin with devotion and gifts, attend to our neighbors with bestowal and giving, rid our possessions from claims, purify them through paying the alms, go back to him who has gone far from us, treat justly him who has wronged us, make peace with him who shows enmity toward us (except him who is regarded as an enemy in You and for You, for he is the enemy whom we will not befriend, the party whom we will not hold dear), and seek nearness to You through blameless works which will purify us from sins and preserve us from renewing faults, Hence that none of Your angels will bring for You the kinds of obedience and sorts of nearness-seeking unless they be less than what we bring!"
To be continued...
