Introduction to Ahadith

It goes without saying that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has left us with two powerful sources for the improvement of the individual, the society and for the nations, those are: the Holy Quran and ahadith. The Quran was revealed to the Last Messenger (peace be upon him) through the angel Gabriel. The ahadith show us the diversities a single person can have, and the ways these diversities may be used to produce an optimal performance, where the performance is exemplary for future generations. This was one of the main tasks of the Last Messenger (peace be upon him), to guide humanity on the right path.

Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a son, a husband, a father, an advisor, a warrior, a leader, a judge and most important of all, he was the Seal of the Prophets - the last messenger of Allah. A man with such a character and such a vast field of responsibility is indeed deserving of biographical study, and through the ages, biographical researches have been carried out. 

The collection of ahadith is the result of these researchers. The study of ahadith is a science itself. To mention some branches within the study of ahadith, there is the science of Asma'ul Rijal (the science of study of the life-history of 500,000 narrators), the science of Mustalih al-Hadith (the science of classifying a hadith as authentic or weak), the science of Gharib al-hadith (the study of the linguistic origins of the difficult words used in ahadith). 

I have mentioned only three different sciences though this list can extend to over 100. This again indicates the immense importance of ahadith and the importance of understanding them.

The main source of ahadith can be found in six sahihs (NOTE C) These six sahihs are:

Sahih al-Bukhari

(d. 256 A.H. = 870 C.E.)

Sahih Muslim

(d. 261 A.H. = 875 C.E.)

Sunan Ibn Majah

(d. 273 A.H. = 887 C.E.)

Sunan Abu Dawud

(d. 275 A.H. = 888 C.E.)

Jami al-Tirmidhi

(d. 279 A.H. = 892 C.E.)

Sunan al-Nisai

(d. 303 A.H. = 915 C.E.)

A.H. = After Hegira C.E. = Christian Era

HADITH ON FASTING

Abu Huraira related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. Whoever prays during the nights in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. And he who passes Lailat al-Qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven (Bukhari, Muslim).

• Abu Huraira related that Rasulullah said: If anyone omits his fast even for one day in Ramadan without a concession or without being ill, then if he were to fast for the rest of his life he could not make up for it (Bukhari).

Quraan and hadith on Mothers

The Quran

1. "We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth" (46:15).

2. "Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: ‘My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood' "(17:23-24).

3. "We have enjoined on man and woman kindness to parents; but if they (either of them) strive (to force) thee to join with Me anything of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not'" (29:8).

The Quran and Hadith on Ramadan

THE QURAN ON FASTING

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious).

(Fasting) for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (i.e. an old man, etc.), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a poor person (for every day). But whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast, it is better for you if only you know." (2:183-84)

"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). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan), he must fast that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number (of days which one did not fast must be made up) from other days.

How To spend our life as per hadeeth

Bismillah hirrahmaanirraheem

In the name of Allah the most compassionate the most merciful

Hadhrat Salmaan reports that on the last day of Sha'baan the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) addressed them and said, "Oh people, there comes before you now a great month, a most blessed month in which lies a night more greater in Virtue than 1,000 months; (LAYLATUL-QADR). It is a month in which each day should be observed by fasting, this has been made obligatory by the Almighty Allah."

The blessed month of Ramadan is here and what better time to change ones self for the better and get closer to Allah. This is a time where we should all align every aspect of our lives to that of Islam and so this article aims to do just that. From when we first awaken to when we go to sleep at night. This can also be applied to the rest of the year.

In this most blessed month of Ramadhaan ALL good deeds are multiplied:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever draws near to Allah during it (Ramadaan) with a single characteristic from the characteristics of (voluntary) goodness, he is like whoever performs an obligatory act in other times. And whoever performs an obligatory act during it, he is like whoever performed seventy obligatory acts in other times.” – Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, no. 1887.

Forty Hadees Regarding the Month of Ramazan

Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: "Those people from amongst my ummah, who memorize forty hadith (traditions) pertaining to those issues of religion, which they are in need of, Allah shall resurrect them on the Day of Judgment as jurisprudents and scholars." (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 2, pg. 156; Al-Ikhtasaas, pg.2)

Hadith No. 01
Why the name 'Ramazan'?
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: "Surely, the month of Ramazan has been named so because it scorches away the sins." Kanz al-Ummal, H: 23688

Hadith No. 03
Ramazan: The Month of Revelation of the Holy Quran
Imam Reza (A.S.) has said: If one asks, "Why is it that the fasts were made obligatory exclusively in the month of Ramazan and not in the other months?" it would be said, "(this is) because the month of Ramazan is the month in which Allah, the Exalted, had revealed the Holy Quran." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 18, pg. 190

Hadith No. 04
Reward for Recitation of the Holy Quran during Ramazan
Imam Reza (A.S.) has said: "Someone who recites one verse from the Book of Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, in the month of Ramazan, is like one who has recited the entire Holy Quran in the other months." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 344

Hadith No. 05
Reward of the Month of Ramazan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) was asked: O' Prophet of Allah! Which of the two months possesses a greater reward, Rajab or the month of Ramazan? Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) replied: Nothing can be compared to the month of Ramazan in terms of reward. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 97, pg. 49

Hadith No. 06
Ramazan: The Month of God
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Shaaban is my month and the month of Ramazan is the month of Allah, The Exalted, and it is the springtime for the poor. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 97, pg. 68

Hadith No. 07
Ramazan: The Chosen Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Surely, Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, has chosen from amongst the months (and granted preference to), the months of Rajab, Shaaban and the month of Ramazan. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 27, pg. 53

Hadith No. 08
Ramazan: The Great Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Surely, the month of Ramazan is a great month. Allah multiplies in it the good deeds, erases in it the sins and elevates in it the ranks. Wasail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 312

Hadith No. 09
Ramazan: The Chief of the Months
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: The month of Ramazan has approached you. It is the chief of all months and the beginning of the year. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, pg. 193

Hadith No. 10
Ramazan: The Beginning of the Year
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: If the month of Ramazan remains safe and sound (with respect to sins), the (entire) year shall remain so (too); the month of Ramazan is the beginning of the year. Wasail al-Shia'h vol.10, pg. 311

Hadith No. 11
Ramazan: The Month of Mercy
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: It (Ramazan) is the month, whose beginning is mercy, its middle, forgiveness and its end, emancipation from the fire (of hell). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 342

Hadith No. 12
Excellence of the Month of Ramazan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: O' People! Surely, the month of God has approached you. The month which, in the eyes of Allah, is the most virtuous of the months. Its days are the best of the days and its nights, the best of the nights and its moments, the best of the moments. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 356

Hadith No. 13
Ramazan: The Best of the Months
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: The best of the months is the month of God - the month of Ramazan - and the heart of the month of Ramazan is the Night of Qadr (Lailatul Qadr). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. pg. 386

Hadith No. 14
The Night of Qadr
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: O' People! Surely, a great and blessed month has enveloped you. A month, in which there is a night, deeds in which are better than of a thousand months. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.96, pg. 342

Hadith No. 15
Gift of Allah's Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Your breath in it glorification (of Allah) and your sleep in it worship (of Allah). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 356

Hadith No. 16
Fasts of the Month of Ramadan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: The month of Ramazan is the month in which Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, has made fasting obligatory upon you. So one, who fasts in this month in a state of belief and with the intention of recompense, shall become free of his sins just as he was on the day when his mother gave him birth. Tahdheeb al-Ahkam, vol. 4, pg. 152

Hadith No. 17
Ramazan: The Month of Spiritual Striving
In his testament to his sons, Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: When the month of Ramazan arrives, exert yourselves, for surely it is in this month that livelihood is distributed, the hour of death is ordained and the arriving for Hajj is decreed. In it is a night, deeds in which are better than deeds in a thousand months. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 66

Hadith No. 18
Ramazan: The Month of Good Deeds
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: This month of yours (Ramazan) is unlike the other months. Surely, when it approaches you, it does so with blessings and mercy and when it turns away from you, it does so with forgiveness of sins. This is a month in which good deeds are multiplied and of goodness accepted. Wasail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 312

Hadith No. 19
Ramazan: The Blessed Month
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: Surely, the month of Ramazan, the blessed month, has come to you. The month, whose fasts Allah has made obligatory upon you. In it, the doors of Paradise are opened up and the Satan's fettered, and in it is the Night of Qadr, which is more virtuous than a thousand months. Tahdheeb al-Ahkam, vol. 4, pg. 152

Hadith No. 20
The Month of Ramazan and Seeking Forgiveness
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: It is incumbent upon you to seek forgiveness and supplicate excessively in the month of Ramazan. As for the supplication, by means of it the calamities are warded off from you, and as for the seeking of forgiveness, it erases away your sins. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 88

Hadith No. 21
Opening of the doors of Paradise
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: In it (the month of Ramazan) the doors of Hell are closed and the doors of Paradise opened. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 363

Hadith No. 22
The Month of Ramazan and Itikaf
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), initially observed the Itikaf (spiritual retreat) during the first ten days of the month of Ramazan. Later, he observed it during the middle ten days of the holy month and finally, he observed it during the last 10 days of the month and then continued to do so in the last ten days (for as long as he was alive). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 16, pg. 274

Hadith No. 23
The Month of Ramazan and Divine Books
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: The Torah was revealed on the sixth day of the month of Ramazan, the Bible, on the twelfth night of the month, the Paslms on the eighteenth night of the month and the Quran on the Night of Qadr. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 157

Hadith No. 24
The Best Deed of the Month of Ramazan
During the course of a sermon of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) about the virtues of the month of Ramazan. Imam Ali (A.S.) says: I stood up and asked: O' Prophet of Allah! What is the best deed for this month? Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) replied: O' Abul-Hasan! The best deed for this month is abstinence from that which is forbidden by Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, pg. 190

Hadith No. 25
Losers of the Month of Ramazan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: One who perceives the month of Ramazan and (does not strive in it and hence) is not forgiven, Allah distances him from Himself. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 74, pg. 74

Hadith No. 26
Imam Sajjad (A.S.) and the Month of Ramazan
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: With the advent of the month of Ramazan, Imam Ali Ibn al-Hussain (A.S.) would cease to speak about anything except dua, tasbeeh (glorification of Allah), isteghfar (seeking forgiveness) and takbeer (saying 'Allahu Akbar'). Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 88

Hadith No. 27
Fridays of the Month of Ramazan
Imam Baqir (A.S.) has said: Surely, the Fridays of the month of Ramazan possess an excellence over the Fridays of the other months, just as Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) possesses an excellence over the other prophets. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 69, pg. 376

Hadith No. 28
Seven Excellences of Ramazan Fasting
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: There is no Mu'min, who fasts for a day in the month of Ramazan with the intention of attaining its rewards, except that Allah, The Exalted, grants him seven excellences:

1. The forbidden food that had entered into his body melts away.
2. He moves closer to the Mercy of Allah, The Exalted.
3. Allah expiates his sins.
4. Allah reduces for him the agony of death.
5. Allah protects him from the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment.
6. He is granted pardon from the fire (of Hell).
7. Allah provides him the good and pleasant food of Paradise.

Mustadrak al-Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 7, pg. 395

Hadith No. 29
Ramazan: The Month of Patience
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: And it (the month of Ramazan) is the month of patience, and surely, the reward of patience is Paradise. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 66

Hadith No. 30
Giving Charity
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: Allah shall ward off 70 kinds of calamities from one who gives charity in the month of Ramazan. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 9, pg. 404

Hadith No. 31
Reward of an Obligatory Act
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: (The rewards of) one, who performs in it (the month of Ramazan) a single act from amongst the obligatory (wajib) acts of Allah, would be like (that of) one, who has performed seventy obligatory acts in the other months. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 307

Hadith No. 32
Night of Decree
Imam Baqir (A.S.) said: In the Night of Qadr is decreed every thing - pleasant and unpleasant, obedience and disobedience, birth and death, and livelihood - which would occur during the course of that year, till the next Night of Qadr. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 157

Hadith No. 33
Increase Prayers in the Month of Ramazan
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: With the advent of the month of Ramazan, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) would increase his Prayers (Salaat); I also increase mine and so, (you) increase yours (too). Tahdheeb al-Akhaam, vol. 3, pg. 60

Hadith No. 34
Eating of sahur
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: Eat your 'sahur' (the morning meal before the start of a fast) even if it is (mere) mouthfuls of water, for the blessings of Allah are upon those who eat the sahur. Tahdheeb al-Akhaam, vol. 4, pg. 198

Hadith No. 35
Hunger and Thirst of the Day of Judgment
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: Bring to mind, by means of your hunger and thirst in it (the month of Ramazan), the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 356

Hadith No. 36
The Call of Allah
Abdullah Ibn al-Abbas Ibn Abd al-Muttalib reports that he heard Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) say: Every night, in the month of Ramazan, Allah, The Blessed and The Exalted, calls out three times: Is there one, who seeks from Me, so that I grant him his wish? Is there one, who turns to me in repentance so that I turn to him (in Mercy)? Is there one, who seeks forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him? Mustadrak al-Wasaail, vol. 7, pg. 429

Hadith No. 37
Ghusl (ablution) on Night of Qadr
Imam Musa Ibn Ja'far (A.S.) said: One, who performs the ghusl on the Night of Qadr and remains awake in it (engaged in worship), shall have all his sins forgiven. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 358

Hadith No. 38
Shield of a Believing Servant
Allah, The Mighty and The Glorious has said: The fasts are the shield of the believing servants on the Day of Judgment, just as your weapons shield you in this world. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol.10, pg. 403

Hadith No. 39
Iftaar for Mu'min
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: One who provides iftaar to a Mu'min in the month of Ramazan, shall be granted the reward of liberating a slave (in the path of Allah) and shall have all his previous sins forgiven. And if he did not possess the means to present anything except milk mixed with water, or a drink of sweet water and a date, Allah would grant him this reward. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 317

Hadith No. 40
Farewell to the Month of Ramazan
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) prayed: O' God! Ordain not this month of Ramazan to be the last one for my fasts. But should you ordain it to be so, then make me blessed and leave me not deprived (of Your mercy). Badaabi Az Quran, pg. 398