Ramadan and the Salaf

What was the state of the righteous predecessors – may Allah be pleased with them and have mercy upon them – in receiving this tremendous month? What was their guidance and what was their state? …

In the name of Allah the Merciful and Beneficent, wa ‘alaykum as salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu. May Allah bless you and bless what you alluded to in these two tremendous questions.

The first question regarding the state of the Salaf in Ramadaan; their state was inscribed in books that were transmitted with trustworthy chains of narrators:

• They used to ask Allah the Mighty and Majestic to allow them to reach Ramadan before it came upon them. They used to ask Allah to allow them to reach Ramadan because of the knowledge they had of the good and wide spread benefit it has.
• After Ramadan had started, they would ask Allah to aid them in practicing righteous actions during it.
• After Ramadan ended, they would ask Allah to accept it from them, as Allah the Might and Majestic says:
  { And those who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their hearts full of fear (whether their alms and charities, have been accepted or not), because they are sure to return to their Lord (for reckoning). It is these who hasten in the good deeds, and they are foremost in them.

• They used to exert all their efforts in practicing righteous actions.
• After completing these actions, they would be afflicted with worry; would their actions be accepted or not? This is due to their knowledge of Allah’s magnificence, and their knowledge that Allah does not accept any actions except those that are sincerely practiced for His Face, as well as being in accordance to the Sunnah of His Messenger.
• They would not ascribe purity to themselves ^[1] for they would fear that their actions would be rendered void.
• Their concern for their actions being accepted would be greater than the effort exerted on the initial actions, because Allah the Mighty and Majestic says:
  {Indeed Allah only accepts from the righteous

• They would free their time in this month for worship, as we have already mentioned, and they would minimize world related activities.
• They would preserve their time to sit in the houses of Allah the Mighty and Majestic.
• They would say to themselves; we shall preserve our fast and not backbite anyone.
• They would bring copies of the Quran and review/study the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic.
• They would preserve their time from being wasted.
• They were not heedless or neglectful, as is the case with a lot of people today.
• They would preserve the night time for the night prayer, and the day for fasting, reciting the Quran and other righteous actions.
• They would not be heedless of one minute of Ramadan, rather not even one second of Ramadan, except that they would practice a righteous action.

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