The Supplication of the 18th Day of Ramadan Month

The Supplication of the 18th Day of Ramadan Month

Verse of Purification Ramadān with the Qur an People of the Household (Ahl al-bayt)»إ ن م ا ي ر يد الل ه ل ي ذ ه ب ع نك م الر ج س أ ه ل ال ب ي ت و ي ط ه ر ك م ت ط ه ير ا«(Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.) (Al-Aḥzāb, 33) The word (Indeed) indicates that the noble verse is talking about an exceptional blessing in respect to the Ahl al-bayt (P.B.U.T.). What is meant by (desires) is a creational volition (irada takwini), because Allah s legislative volition is purity for all people rather than just for the Prophet s Household (P.B.U.T.). What is meant by (impurity) is any kind of external and internal impurity. What is meant by (Ahl al-bayt) is not all the household of the Prophet; rather, it is some members of it, whose names are mentioned in both Sunnī and Shī a traditions. This group includes: Alī, Fāṭima, Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn (P.B.U.T.). Question: What is the reason for this selectiveness? And why is this part of the verse not about all the wives of the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) or all his household? Answer: 1. There are traditions narrated from the Prophet s (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) wives, even from Ā īsha and Umm Salama that they asked the Apostle of Allah (P.B.U.H. & H.H.), Are we among the Ahl al-bayt? The Prophet said, No. 2. We read in various traditions that the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) placed a mantle over the heads of these five persons (one of whom was himself) and said, These are people of my household, and did not permit others to enter. 3. In order to prove the restriction of Ahl al-bayt to five people, for six months (or eight or nine months), when the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) passed by the house of Fāṭima (P.B.U.H.) at the morning prayer time, he would say, It is prayer time O Ahl al-bayt! Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification. In Iḥqāq al-ḥaq, more than seventy ḥadīths are mentioned from Sunnī sources about the exclusion of the noble verse to five people; and in Shawāhid al-tanzīl, one of renowned Sunnī books, over one hundred and thirty traditions are related in this regard. (Tafāsīr Nūr al-thaqalayn and Nimūna) In any case, this verse does not include the Prophet s (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) wives, because: They sometimes committed sins. We read in Sūrat al-taḥrīm: The Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) entrusted a secret to one of his wives, she did not keep it a secret and told it to another. The Qur ān called this action a sin, saying, (If the two of you repent to Allah... for your hearts have certainly swerved.) (Al-Taḥrīm, 4) Being the Prophet s (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) wife, Ā īsha started the battle of Jamal against Imam Alī (P.B.U.H.) and then repented; nevertheless, a great number of Muslims were killed in this battle.

Answering Misconceptions 1. Doesn t (purify you) mean that the Ahl al-bayt (P.B.U.T.) had been impure and Allah has purified them? Answer: impurity is not a precondition for purification, because the Qur ān has used the term (purified) for the houris of Paradise, whereas they have no impurity whatsoever. In other words, (purify you) means keeping purified, rather than purifying from previous impurity. 2. If the Ahl al-bayt are only five in number, why is this verse between the verses in relation to the wives of the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.)? Answer: A. The statement, (Indeed Allah desires to ) is revealed separately but when compiling the Qur ān, it had been placed here. B. According to Tafsīr Majma al-bayān, the Arab rhetoricians, poets, and literati had the custom to bring up a new and important subject amidst the ordinary matters to increase its impact. Like for instance, if in the middle of the news, all of a sudden the anchorperson says, Listen to the news that we just received, this kind of speech creates a kind of psychological and publicity shock. Similar to this verse is the third verse of Sūrat al-mā ida, in which the subject about Wilāya, Imamate, perfection of religion, completion of blessing, despair of the faithless, and Divine approval is revealed along with the rulings about the flesh of swine and blood and this kind of incorporation is the secret of preserving the Qur ān from the manipulation of the incompetent. Just as when leaving home, women hide their jewelry amidst the cotton of their pillows! Although the gold and cotton have no relation, this is done to preserve it from the burglars! C. Amid the recommendations made to the wives of the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.), all of a sudden the Qur ān says, Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from the Infallibles (P.B.U.T.) which means O Wives of the Prophet! You are in the same house as are the Infallibles (P.B.U.T.) and you have to be more God-wary. D. The plural masculine pronoun is used about the Ahl al-bayt (P.B.U.T.), which indicates the majority of men, contrary to the statements about the wives of the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.), in ب ي وت ك ن أ ق م ن ع ن ك م ي ط ه ر ك م used. which the plural feminine pronouns have been Belonging to the Family or not In the verse 46 of Sūrat Hūd, Allah states the Noah s (P.B.U.H.) son not belonging to his family, (Said He, O Noah! Indeed He is not of your family. Indeed he is [personification of] unrighteous conduct ) There are many traditions related to us from the Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) and Imams (P.B.U.T.) that begin with this phrase, He is not of us. For instance, the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) said, Anyone who betrays a Muslim is not of us. Or, he said, The one whom people respect out of fear is not of me. Yet, in another tradition, he is quoted as saying, Whoever is not thinking of serving Muslims every morning is not a Muslim. We read in traditions, Verily, the Prophet s (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) friend is the one who is obedient to Allah, although he has no relation to His Holiness; the Prophet s (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) enemy is the one who is disobedient to Allah, although he is one of the close relatives of His Holiness.

The Night of Qadr Among the nights of Ramadan there is one special night, which is better than a thousand months (97:3). Good deeds performed on that single night are equal to those performed over a thousand months. It is the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr), when the Qur'an was revealed. Some Ahadith indicate that the fate of every believer for the coming year is decreed on this night. That is why the Duas for this night ask for special favours in the decree for the year. Believers are encouraged to stay awake the entire night, and pray for blessings and forgiveness. It is the holiest night of the year, and it would be unwise to be heedless of the tremendous benefits of this night. According to Ahadith, Laylatul Qadr is either on the 19th, 21st or 23rd night of Ramadan. More emphasis is laid on the 21st and the 23rd, particularly the 23rd. Common rites for Laylatul Qadr 1. Take a Ghusl preferably near sunset time (wudu also required) and Give/pre arrange for Sadqa/Charity tonight. 2. Recite two Rakats Salat, in every Rakat recite Sura-al-Hamd, and Sura Ikhlaas seven times. After finishing Salat recite 70 times: أ س ت غ ف ر ه للا و أ ت وب إل ي ه I seek the forgiveness of Allah and I repent before Him. It is reported from the Prophet (PBUH) that by the time the reciter will rise from his place Allah will have forgiven him and his parents.

3. Remember your sins & seek forgiveness. Recite 100 times: أ س ت غ ف ر ه للا ر ب ي و أ ت وب إل ي ه I seek the forgiveness of Allah, my Lord, and I repent before Him. 4. The Holy Qur'an should be opened and placed in front, then one should recite as under. الل ه م إ ن ی أ س أ ل ک ب ک ت اب ک ال م ن ز ل و م ا ف يه و ف يه اس م ک ا ل ک ب ر و أ س م اؤ ک ال ح س ن ى و م ا ي خ اف و ي رج ى أ ن ت ج ع ل ن ی م ن ع ت ا ک م ن الن ا O Allah, in the name of this Holy Book sent by Thee, whatever there be in the Book. Including Ism-e- A'azam and Asmaa-e-Husnaa and the things to be dreaded, the things that may be expected and desired, treat me as one of those who are free from Hell fire. 5. Place the Holy Qur'an on one s head and say, الل ه م ب ح ق ه ذ ا ال ق ر آن و ب ح ق م ن أ ر س ل ت ه ب ه و ب ح ق ک ل م ؤ م ن م د ح ت ه ف یه و ب ح ق ک ع ل ی ه م ف ال أ ح د أ ع ر ب ح ق ک م ک O Allah! I appeal to Thee in the name of this Qur'an and the Rooh that was sent along with it, and in the name of the Momin (believer) whose praise is contained in this Book and The obligation that is on them. No one else recognizes the right and truth more than Thee. After this repeat 10 times each: ب ك ي اه للا Allah, For Your sake, O for the sake of Muhammad, for the sake of `Ali, for the sake of Fatimah, for the sake of Hasan, for the sake of Husayn, for the sake of `Ali ibn Husayn, for the sake of Muhammad ibn `Ali, for the sake of Ja`far ibn Muhammad, for the sake of Musa ibn Jafar, for the sake of `Ali ibn Musa, ب م ح ه مد ه ب ع لي ب ف اط م ة ب الح س ن ب الح س ي ن ب ن الح س ي ن ب ع لي ه ب م ح ه ه مد ب ن ع لي ب ج ع ف ر ب ن م ح ه مد ب م وس ى ب ن ج ع ف ر ه ب ع لي ب ن م وس ى

for the sake of Muhammad ibn `Ali, for the sake of `Ali ibn Muhammad, for the sake of Hasan ibn `Ali, ه ب م ح ه مد ب ن ع ل ي ه ب ن م ح ه مد ب ع ل ي ه ب الح س ن ب ن ع ل ي for the sake of al-hujjah. One should then pray to Almighty Allah to fulfill one s desires. ب الح ج ه ة 6. Recite the Ziarat of Imam Hussain (AS). According to Hadith, during Lailatul Qadr an angel proclaims from the Arsh (throne) on the Seventh sky that Allah has forgiven who have visited the grave of Imam Hussain (AS). 7. Recite Duas Jawshan Kabir (1000 names of Allat swt). 8. Keep awake the whole night. Ensure that you dont doze /nap at all. It has been reported that whoever keeps awake during Laylatul Qadr will have all his sins forgiven even if they equal the number of the stars in the sky, the stones in the mountains and are of the quantity of water in the seas. For more duas and rites please visit here.