Ramadhan Reminder – 27

You have 6 hours…

Abu Umaamah (radhiyaAllaahu anhu) reported from the Messenger of Allaah (sallahAllaahu alayhi wasallam) who said:

إِنَّ صَاحِبَ الشَّمَالِ لَيَرفَعُ الْقَلَمَ سِتَّ سَاعَاتٍ عَنِ الْعَبْدِ الْمُسْلِمِ الْمُخْطِئ – أَوْ الْمُسِيء – ، فَإِنْ نَدِمَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ اللهَ مِنْهَا أَلْقَاهَا ، وَإِلاَّ كُتِبَتْ وَاحِدَهً

“The occupier of the left; raises [and holds] his pen for six hours –from the Muslim servant [of Allaah] who has wronged or committed a mistake- ; so if he regrets and seeks Allaah’s forgiveness from it: he returns it back, and if that is not the case; then it is written as one.”

Source: Mu’jam al-Kabeer: 7765, Saheeh Jam’i as-Sagheer: 2097 – Sheikh Albaanee rahimahullah said it is hasan.

Lessons & Benefits:

- Proof that there are Angels scribing the deeds of each one of us.

- Affirmation that there are two different Angels; one on the right [for the good deeds], and one on the left [for the sins].

- The importance of hastening onto the forgiveness of Allaah.

- The great importance of regretting from committing sins – and that it is a large part of- seeking forgiveness and/or repentance.

- The great, encompassing mercy of Allaah: such that we have six hours before the sin is written.

- The great, encompassing mercy of Allaah: such that a sin is only written as one, and not multiplied. While the good deeds are multiplied from ten up to seven hundred times.

Quran: Reading or Memorising in Ramadhan?

Q: What is better in Ramadan – to recite the Qur’an by reading visually or to try memorizing some of its chapters?

A: Your priority is to read the entire Qur’an visually, while also preserving what you have already memorized in order to avoid forgetting it. This is because the entire Qur’an is beneficial for the person to read, as the reader will come across all of the Words of Allah and benefit from the rulings and stories that are contained in its verses. You’ll miss out on all this if you limit yourself only to the chapters that you’d memorize.

By limiting yourself to the specific chapters you memorize, you’ll benefit from them in that your attachment to them will grow. However, this isn’t something you’ll miss out on if you do it at another time because you can recite what you’ve memorized at home, at the mosque, or anywhere else you go.

So, your priority is to make sure you read the entire Qur’an, and then put in extra effort in regards to what you had been memorizing.

Golden Chains

In ‘Sahih Muslim’ (2880), Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah narrated from Zaynab bint Abi Salamah from Habibah from Umm Habibah from Zaynab bint Jahsh that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) woke up one day and said: “Woe to the Arabs from an evil that has come closer! Today, a gap this size has formed in the wall containing Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog),” and Sufyan formed a circle with his fingers to demonstrate what was relayed to him. So, Zaynab asked: “O Messenger of Allah, can we be destroyed while there are righteous people among us?” He said: “Yes, if corruption becomes widespread.”

an-Nawawi commented in ‘Sharh Sahih Muslim’ (9/180):

“This chain of narration contains four female Companions – two of the Messenger of Allah’s wives and two of his step-daughters – narrating from each other in a continuous chain. And it is not known that any other hadith besides this combines four female Companions with each narrating from the other in a continuous chain.”