auspicious and blessed month has approached you. In this month, there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ has made it Fard to observe Sawm in this sacred month. To offer (Taraweeh Salah) in its nights is Sunnah. If you do a good deed in this month, it will be equivalent to carrying out a Fard act in any other month and if you perform a Fard act in this month, it will be equivalent to carrying out 70 Fard acts in any other month. This is the month of patience whose reward is Heaven. This is the month of sympathy, and the believer’s sustenance is increased in this month.

In this month, the one who serves a fasting person with something to do Iftar, will be forgiven for his sins and his neck will be freed from the fire of Hell, and he will be rewarded the same as the one who fasted, without any reduction in the reward of the fasting person.’ The companions asked humbly, ‘Ya Rasoolallah صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! Not all of us possess enough money (to present a meal to the fasting person) for Iftar.’ He صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied: Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ will give this reward to the one who offers a sip of milk, a date or a sip of water to the fasting person, and the one who serves the fasting person with a meal so that his stomach is full will be given water from my pond (Kawsar) such that he will never feel thirsty and will enter Heaven.

The first ten days of this month are mercy, the middle ten days are forgiveness and its last ten days are freedom from the fire of Hell. One who treats his slave leniently in this month (by not burdening him with heavy duties) will be forgiven and freed from the fire of Hell. In this month, there are four things which you should do in abundance, two of them will earn the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ for you, and you cannot do without the other two. The two which will earn you the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ are:

1     To testify that there is none worthy of worship other than Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ.

2      To ask for forgiveness.

The two which you cannot do without are:

1     To ask Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ for Heaven.

2      To seek refuge of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ from Hell.

(Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, vol. 3, pp. 191, Hadees 1887)