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September/October 2007
Ramadan Gift Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Blessings to the light of our Lord, the doctor of hearts, the intercessor of sinners, the mercy of Allah upon the universe, our Master Muhammad; and blessings to his enlightened family and companions and all his saints, including our Master Hadrat Nureddin Jerrahi. May Allah's blessings be upon all of them. May Allah's peace, blessings, mercy, compassion and love be upon the people of Muhammad, and upon my children in Americas. Allah Most High says: "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed to you, as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn patience". (Surah Baqarah, 183)
When you read or hear "O you who believe" (ya ayyuha-lladhina) be aware, because what follows are Allah's words to you. Whoever you are, and whatever state you are in, you must obey what Allah asks of you directly. In that word ya -- "O" -- is a holy sound coming from beyond the hidden realm; it is your name being called. And the ayyuha is a sign that the Almighty is addressing you, with whom He is familiar, with whom He has met and talked in the Universe of Souls. And when He addresses you with the greatest praise as mu'min - "you who believe" -- He is calling unto His beloved with whom He shares the secret, known both to Him and to you. It is as if Allah Most High calls unto you, saying, "O My pure and beloved servant, who keeps his heart and his essence cleansed and ready only for Me, and with whom I share My secrets and who shares his secrets with Me."
In "fasting is prescribed for you" the word as-siyam, fasting, means a state of denial, withdrawal from things which one is used to: eating, drinking, lovemaking, and above all, from sinning. "As it was prescribed to those before you" means that fasting applies to all believers before from Adam {as} who, when he was sent from Paradise to this world, turned black from the harsh rays of the sun, to which he was unaccustomed. Gabriel {as} asked him if he would like to be relieved of this state, caused by the effects of the material world, and regain the whiteness of his holy body. To accomplish this, he had to fast the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth of the lunar month. On the thirteenth, one third of his body became white; on the fourteenth, two thirds of his body became white, and on the fifteenth, his whole body regained its purity. The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the Arabic months are called ayyam-I bayd -- the white days -- because of this.
Our Master, the Beloved of Allah {saws), told Hadrat `Ali {ra} that Gabriel {as} had brought him from Allah the great gift of fasting those three days every month, and that he would be rewarded by ten thousand years of fasting for the first day, thirty thousand years for the second day, and a hundred thousand for the third day. When Hadrat `Ali {ra} asked if that gift was only for him, the Messenger of Allah said, "O `Ali, this gift is for you and for those believers who will follow your path and your example," thus indicating to us the Sufis (purifyers of soul) who follow the tariqah `Aliyyah.
Our beloved Prophet {saws} says, "O my people, the holy month of Ramadan, which contains a night which has more good in it than one thousand nights, is close. Allah Most High made fasting during the day an obligation and made the worship in its night voluntary for us. When someone abides with one prescribed obligation during this month, it is as if he has fulfilled seventy obligations outside of this holy month". "The holy Ramadan is the month of patience. Patience is half of faith. The reward of patience is Paradise. During this month, worries leave the believers; their sustenance increases. The ones who feed the believers who fast are forgiven their sins, and are saved from the Fire, even ".
"The beginning of Ramadan is the manifestation of Allah's mercy; the middle is His forgiveness; the end is safety from Hellfire". "Do four things during Ramadan: Remember Allah and recite the holy phrase la ilaha illaL-Lah as often as you can; remember yourself and repent for your sins as much as you can, and recite astaghfiru Llah; ask from Allah His Paradise, and take refuge in Allah from His Hellfire.
"Whoever feeds someone who is fasting during Ramadan will be refreshed from the fountain of Kawthar on the Day of Judgment, and throughout eternity he will not thirst." In another hadith, our beloved Prophet {saws} says, "All the doors of Heaven and Paradise open on the first night of Ramadan, and stay open until the last night. "For each prostration of the Muslims who pray during the nights of Ramadan, Allah registers seventeen hundred rewards. For each one who prays He builds a palace out of red ruby in Paradise. That house has a thousand bejeweled doors, and there is a pair of golden wings hanging above each door.
"When you fast on the first day of Ramadan, Allah forgives all the sins you may commit until the last day of Ramadan, and still forgives other past sins equal to those. For each day of fasting, seventy thousand angels will pray for your forgiveness from morning until night. "Allah will give you a tree in Paradise for each prostration in your prayers, such an immense tree that if you travelled a hundred years on horseback, you would not pass out of its shade."
The Messenger of Allah {saws} says that on the first night of Ramadan Allah looks upon His deserving servants; when Allah's sight falls on His servant, that person will be saved from eternal punishment. Every single day in Ramadan, millions are released from Hell. Paradise is decorated every year in honor of the month of Ramadan. On the first night of Ramadan, under the throne of Allah, a gentle wind, called Masira, blows. The leaves and branches of the trees, the grass and the flowers of Paradise rustle with this wind, producing the most wonderful music.
The inhabitants of Paradise ask Ridwan, the Keeper of Paradise, "What night is this that all Heaven is celebrating?" Ridwan answers, "Tonight is the first night of Ramadan, when all the gates of Paradise are open to those who fast among the people of Muhammad {saws}." Then Allah Most High asks Ridwan to open all the gates of Paradise, and Malik to shut all the doors of Hell. And Allah sends Gabriel {as} to the world to gather and chain all the devils and imprison them deep under the seas so they do not bother the fasts of the Muslims.
Every night during Ramadan, Allah Most High calls thrice to the believers: "Ask for something from Me so that I may give to you. Repent, so that I may readily forgive you. Wish for My Mercy so that I will cover you with My Mercy!" Every single time of break-fast, Allah forgives a thousand times a thousand sinners all over the world, and relieves them from Hellfire. Every Friday and every Friday night, at every hour, Allah saves a thousand times a thousand sinners from the tortures of Hell. On the last day of Ramadan, Allah forgives as many sinners as He has forgiven all during the month among the sinners who fasted.
On the Night of Power, by the will of Allah, Gabriel {as}, leading an army of angels and holding a green flag, descends upon the earth. He erects the flag on top of the Ka`bah and opens his six hundred wings, which cover the East and the West. Then Gabriel {as} orders his angels to go and commune with the Muslims. The angels pass among the believers who are devout, who are fasting, who are praying, and who are busy in Zikrullah. They bless them, hug and kiss them, and give them support so that their prayers are accepted. At sunrise, Gabriel calls them back. The angels ask Gabriel {as} what Allah is going to do to satisfy the believers among the people of Muhammad {saws}. Gabriel {as} answers that Allah has seen them and has sent His Mercy and His forgiveness upon all of them -- except for four kinds of people amongst them.
The Messenger of Allah {saws} has identified these four groups who are not worthy of Allah's Mercy on the Night of Power: -- the drunkards who continue to drink; -- those who are unloving, disrespectful and disobedient to their parents; -- those who cut themselves off and do not visit or care about their relations and friends; -- those who dare to change Allah's religion, and separate themselves from the religion and orthodoxy.On the eve of the Feast of Ramadan, through the night and on into morning, Allah sends His angels to all corners of the world. They stand on each road, as criers of Allah announce in a voice that is heard by the ears of all creation except men and jinn, "O people of Muhammad {sas} come to your Lord, Who is All-merciful and All-generous!"
When the believers leave their homes early in the morning to go to the mosques, the angels hear Allah say, "Be My witnesses, I have given My forgiveness and My love and pleasure as reward for their fasting and praying during the month of Ramadan!" And Allah addresses the believers, saying, "O My beloved servants, ask from Me this morning all that you wish. I promise on My Might and My Glory that I will hide your errors and your wrongs, and will not embarrass you before each other as long as you believe and preserve My codes and wishes. Return to your homes forgiven and cleansed, as you have pleased Me and I am pleased with you." The angels hear this and give each other with great joy the good news of the rewards to the believers....
The Messenger of Allah {saws} gives the good news: "Each good deed my followers do is increased ten to seven hundred-fold, and the reward follows accordingly. Only the reward for fasting is not calculated in this manner. Allah says, "My servant fasts for Me, he denies the pleasures of his flesh, he stops eating and drinking; fasting is a shield against sin, so Mine is the unlimited reward for him; I am his reward. "There are two joys for My servant who fasts: one is the time of break-fast, and the other is (the vision) when he will see his Lord."
Ramadan has five letters in Arabic. The letter R stands for ridwan, Allah's satisfaction; the letter M stands for mahabbah, Allah's love; the letter D stands for diman, Allah's protection and security; the letter A stands for ulfa, Allah's friendship; the letter N stands for nur, the holy Light, the essence, the cause of creation.
Ramadan is our intercessor. May Allah Almighty guide you well in it, bless you with it, and make you live that Night of Power which is worth "more than a thousand months" -- equal to a long life of 83 years and four months....
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