New to Islam01st June 2011‘The Merits of the Month of Rajab’&‘The Rights of Brotherhood’ with Shaykh Amin Buxton : New to Islam01st June 2011‘The Merits of the Month of Rajab’&‘The Rights of Brotherhood’ with Shaykh Amin Buxton
Merits of Rajab : Merits of Rajab Rajab is one of the four sacred months. It stands alone, unlike the other three which come together. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha`bān is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.” The fact that it is the month of Allah means that it is worthy of veneration, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself would venerate it. When the month entered he would seek its blessings, saying:
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا في رَجَبٍ وَ شَعْبَانَ وَ بَلِّغْنا رَمَضَانَ
“O Allah bless us in Rajab and Sha`bān and enable us to reach Ramadan!”
Merits of Rajab : Merits of Rajab Rajab is the key to the months of goodness which follow it. For that reason Imam Abu Bakr al-Warraq said: “in the month of Rajab you sow the seeds, in Sha`ban you irrigate them and in Ramadan you reap the harvest.” He also said: “Rajab is like a wind, Sha`ban is like a cloud and Ramadan is like rain.”
Rajab was the month in which the Prophet’s blessed parents were married, and the month in which Sayyida Amina became pregnant with the Best of Creation (peace and blessings be upon him). Most of the scholars say that the Isra’ (Night Journey) and the Mi`raj (Ascension) took place on the 27th night of Rajab. This was the night on which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) received the greatest ennoblement that a created being ever received from Allah.
The First Night of Rajab : The First Night of Rajab It is recommended to turn to Allah in the first night of Rajab.
It has been narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are five nights on which du`ā’ is not rejected: the first night of Rajab, the fifteenth night of Sha`bān, Thursday night, the night before `Eid al-Fitr and the night before `Eid al-Nahr (al-Adha).” Sayyiduna `Ali, may Allah be well pleased with him, used to allocate extra amounts of time for worship on four nights - the first night of Rajab, the nights before the two `Eids, and the 15th night of Sha`bān.
Rajab, the Month of Seeking Forgiveness : Rajab, the Month of Seeking Forgiveness The best way of preparing the heart to receive divine gifts is purification and repentance. For this reason the scholars say that Rajab is the month of seeking forgiveness, whereas Sha`ban is the month of sending peace and blessings upon the Prophet, and Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an. Thus it is recommended to seek much forgiveness in Rajab.
Good Deeds in Rajab : Good Deeds in Rajab The reward of our good actions is multiplied in the sacred months, so it is recommended to do as many good deeds as possible. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended fasting at least some days in each of the sacred months. Some of the Companions, among them Sayyiduna `Umar and his son `Abdullah and al-Sayyida `A’isha, liked to make `Umrah in Rajab.
At the same time bad deeds are also more serious in the sacred months so we must do our utmost to avoid any wrongdoings.
A sacred month is similar to a sacred place. It is recommended to bathe and purify oneself before entering the haram of Mecca and while in it one is more conscious of the weight of one’s actions. Likewise with a sacred month – we try to enter it in a state of purity and we try to maintain that purity throughout through doing good and avoiding evil.
The Rights of Brotherhood : The Rights of Brotherhood “My love is guaranteed for those that love each other for My sake” (Hadith Qudsi)
Allah says: Hold fast all together to the Rope of Allah and do not be divided among yourselves; remember Allah’s favour upon you; for you were enemies, and He united your hearts, so that by His favour you became brothers. You were on the brink of the pit of the Fire and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make His signs clear to you that you may be guided. (3.103)
Allah created between mankind relationships and dependencies and the Qur’an and Sunnah teach us the limits and rights involved in each relationship.
The relationship between one Muslim and another is that of brotherhood:
The believers are nothing less than brothers to one another (49:10)
The Prophet said (peace and blessings be upon him): "The believers in the love, mercy and compassion they show one another are like the body. If one part of it suffers from an ailment the rest of the body complains of insomnia and fever."
The Rights of Brotherhood : The Rights of Brotherhood He said (peace and blessings be upon him): “Five things are amongst the rights the Muslim has over his brother: returning the greeting, responding to an invitation, attending the funeral prayer, visiting the sick, invoking the mercy of Allah upon the one who sneezes and then praises Allah.”
“None of you will enter Paradise until you believe, and none of you believe until you love each other. Shall I not show you that which spreads love amongst you? Spread peace amongst yourselves.”
The Prophet said (peace and blessings be upon him): "Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices one to another; do not hate one another; do not turn away from one another; and do not undercut one another, but be you, O servants of Allah, brothers. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he neither oppresses him nor does he fail him, he neither lies to him nor does he hold him in contempt. Taqwa is right here-and he pointed to his breast three times. It is evil enough for a man to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a Muslim for another Muslim is inviolable: his blood, his property, and his honour."
The essence of brotherhood is summed up in the hadith of Anas:
"None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."
The Rights of Brotherhood : The Rights of Brotherhood Beyond the general brotherhood of Islam is a special brotherhood, a kind of contract which entails special rights and duties.
We see this in the example of the Muhajirun (the Emigrants) and the Ansar (the Helpers) and in the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
those who had settled in the City before them and embraced the faith love those who have sought refuge with them; they entertain no desire in their hearts for what the latter are given, but rather prefer them over themselves, even though poverty became their lot. Whoever saves himself from his own avarice will surely prosper. (59.9)
The Rights of Brotherhood : The Rights of Brotherhood The rights that this special brotherhood or sisterhood demands are numerous.
Among these are:
Sharing one’s wealth
Fulfilling your brother or sister’s needs
Not over-burdening your brother or sister
Seeing him or her as being better than you
Praying for him or her
And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brothers who came before us into the faith, and leave not, in our hearts, rancour against those who believe. Our Lord! You are indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful." (59.10)
“When someone makes du`a for his brother in his absence an angel says: ‘and the same for you.’”
The Prophet said: “On the Day of Judgement Allah will bring forth people on pulpits made of pearls. Such light will be on their faces that the Prophets and Martyrs will envy them.”
At this point a Bedouin knelt and said: “Describe them to us, O Messenger of Allah!”
He said: “They are those that loved each other for Allah’s sake from different lands and tribes who used to come together to remember Allah.”
A Prayer for Our Brothers : A Prayer for Our Brothers O Allah all praise is due to You for the blessing of brotherhood for Your sake and we ask You to send peace and blessings upon the means of that brotherhood our Master Muhammad and upon his family.
O Allah make my ties with my brothers purely for Your sake, acceptable to You and uncorrupted by desiring other than You. Raise us through these ties in Your sight to the highest ranks of those that love each other for Your sake.
O Allah strengthen the love that is between us, make it perfect and pure and make it last forever, unable to be weakened.
O Allah acquaint me with the rights of my brothers and give me the ability to fulfil them.
O Allah I ask You to inspire them with Your guidance in all their affairs and to protect them from all evil inwardly and outwardly in their religion, their bodies, their hearts, their thoughts, their minds and their desires. Protect them from all evil at their end of their lives, and in their graves and in their time in the grave and in the Afterlife, O Lord of the Worlds.
A Prayer for Our Brothers : A Prayer for Our Brothers O Allah make them firm on the path which is pleasing to You and make us constantly hold fast to the rope of obedience to You. Grant us complete taqwa, fear of You and vigilance of You in private and in public.
O Allah make us sincere in our approach to You and make our hopes and that which is beyond our hopes a reality. Grant us Your irresistible support, grant us constant wellbeing and do not busy us with other than You. Give us the ability to honour the covenant that is between us and You. Help us to use our time in that which is most pleasing to You.
O Allah make us those who bring the utmost benefit to the Muslims. Make us amongst those who bring unity to the Ummah and amongst those through whom renewal is brought to the religion. Bring life through us to the elements of the Sunnah of Your Prophet which people have caused to die.
O Allah gather me and these brothers of mine in the shade of Your throne in the company of Your Prophet and take us to his pool, to be given to drink by his blessed hand. Bless us with his companionship in the highest gardens of Firdaus, O Most Merciful and Most Generous.
O Allah make us a group who believe in their Lord, and increase us in guidance and make firm our hearts until the time when You assemble us to gaze upon Your noble countenance, O Most Merciful of the merciful, and send Your peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his family and Companions.
JazakAllah for coming.Please Make Du’a for us and for each other for Allah swt to strengthen our hearts and improve our condition.May Allah swt send peace and blessings upon the Prophet (pbuh), His family and His Companions. : JazakAllah for coming.Please Make Du’a for us and for each other for Allah swt to strengthen our hearts and improve our condition.May Allah swt send peace and blessings upon the Prophet (pbuh), His family and His Companions.