Forty Hadiths on Ramadhan

Introduction:

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: "Those people from amongst my ummah, who memorize forty Hadiths (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 'Ramadhan'?

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: "Surely, the month of Ramadhan has been named so because it scorches away the sins." Kanz al-Ummal, H: 23688

Hadith No. 02

Ramadhan: The Name of God

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: Say not, "This is Ramadhan" and "Ramadhan has departed" and "Ramadhan has arrived" for surely, Ramadhan is one of the names of Allah, The Mighty, the Glorious, who neither arrives nor departs. Surely, arrives and departs that, which is ephemeral, Instead say: "The month of Ramadhan". Al-Kafi, 4, pg. 70

Hadith No. 03

Ramadhan: 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 Ramadhan and not in the other months?

it would be said, "(this is) because the month of Ramadhan 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 Ramadhan

Imam Reza (A.S.) has said: "Someone who recites one verse from the Book of Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, in the month of Ramadhan, 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 Ramadhan

The Holy Prophet (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 Ramadhan? The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) replied: Nothing can be compared to the month of Ramadhan in terms of reward. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 97, pg. 49

Hadith No. 06

Ramadhan: The Month of God

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Shabaan is my month and the month of Ramadhan 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

Ramadhan: The Chosen Month

The Holy Prophet (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 Ramadhan. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 27, pg. 53

Hadith No. 08

Ramadhan: The Great Month

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Surely, the month of Ramadhan 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

Ramadhan: The Chief of the Months

Imam Ali (A.S.) said: The month of Ramadhan 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

Ramadhan: The Beginning of the Year

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: If the month of Ramadhan remains safe and sound (with respect to sins), the (entire) year shall remain so (too); the month of Ramadhan is the beginning of the year. Wasail al-Shia'h vol.10, pg. 311

Hadith No. 11

Ramadhan: The Month of Mercy

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: It (Ramadhan) 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 Ramadhan

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: O' People! Surely, the month of God has approached you. This month that, 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

Ramadhan: The Best of the Months

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: The best of the months is the month of God - the month of Ramadhan - and the heart of the month of Ramadhan is the Night of Qadr (Lailatul Qadr).

 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. pg. 386

Hadith No. 14

The Night of Qadr

The Holy Prophet (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

The Holy Prophet (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

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: The month of Ramadhan 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

Ramadhan: The Month of Spiritual Striving

In his testament to his sons, Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: When the month of Ramadhan 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

Ramadhan: The Month of Good Deeds

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: This month of yours (Ramadhan) 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

Ramadhan: The Blessed Month

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: Surely, the month of Ramadhan, 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 Ramadhan and Seeking Forgiveness

Imam Ali (A.S.) said: It is incumbent upon you to seek forgiveness and supplicate excessively in the month of Ramadhan. 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

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: In it (the month of Ramadhan) 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 Ramadhan and Itikaf

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), initially observed the Itikaf (spiritual retreat) during the first ten days of the month of Ramadhan. 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 Ramadhan and Divine Books

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: The Torah was revealed on the sixth day of the month of Ramadhan, the Bible, on the twelfth night of the month, the Psalms 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 Ramadhan

During the course of a sermon of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) about the virtues of the month of Ramadhan. Imam Ali (A.S.) says: I stood up and asked: O' Prophet of Allah! What is the best deed for this month? The Holy Prophet (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 Ramadhan

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: One who perceives the month of Ramadhan 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 Ramadhan

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: With the advent of the month of Ramadhan, 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 Ramadhan

Imam Baqir (A.S.) has said: Surely, the Fridays of the month of Ramadhan possess an excellence over the Fridays of the other months, just as the Holy Prophet (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 Ramadhan Fasting

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: There is no Mu'min, who fasts for a day in the month of Ramadhan 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

Ramadhan: The Month of Patience

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: And it (the month of Ramadhan) 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 Ramadhan. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 9, pg. 404

Hadith No. 31

Reward of an Obligatory Act

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: (The rewards of) one, who performs in it (the month of Ramadhan) 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 Ramadhan

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: With the advent of the month of Ramadhan, 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 sahari

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: Eat your 'sahari' (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 Ramadhan), 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 the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) say: Every night, in the month of Ramadhan, 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 Jafar (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

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: One who provides iftaar to a Mu'min in the month of Ramadhan, 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 Ramadhan

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) prayed: O' God! Ordain not this month of Ramadhan 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