Merits of the Month of Ramaḍān

Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-ʿAṭṭār رضي الله عنه narrated to us, saying that Saʿd b. ʿAbd Allāh narrated to him among others, saying that Abū’l-Jawzā Almubna b. ʿAbd Allāh narrated to him among others, saying that al-Ḥusayn b. ʿUlwān narrated to him among others, from ʿAmrū b. Thābit, from Hurmuz al-Ḥaddād, from Saʿd b. Ẓarīf, from al-Aṣbagh b. Nubāta, who narrated: “Amīr al-Muʾminīn, ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib عليه السلام has stated: “There will come upon the people a time when open indecency will be widespread and made prevalent, while that which is sacred will suffer its sanctity being profaned. In this time, fornication will be made known, the wealth of orphans will be deemed permissible (for usurpation), and usury will be consumed. Shortchanging in weights and measures will be commonplace, and wine (al-khamr) will be deemed lawful through association with nabīdh. [1] Bribery will be considered a gift, treachery a sign of trustworthiness, and men will take to resembling women and women men. The bounds of prayer will be taken lightly, and the greater pilgrimage (ḥajj) will be performed for purposes other than Allāh. When that time comes, the crescents will sometimes appear swollen, such that the moon will be seen for two nights, and at other times it will be hidden, such that Ramaḍān will be broken at its beginning and fasted at its end. So beware, beware, for Allāh may seize a person while he is heedless, and beyond that lies a swift death that will snatch people away suddenly, such that a man will wake up in health and be buried by evening, or he will rest alive in the evening and wake up dead in the morning. When that time comes, it will be incumbent to hasten one’s will before calamity strikes and to perform the prayer at its earliest time out of fear that one may die before its end. Whoever among you reaches that time, let him not sleep unless he is in a state of ritual purity (ṭahāra), and if he is able to remain ritually pure in all his circumstances, let him do so, for he will be in a state of constant trepidation, not knowing when Allāh’s emissary will come to seize his spirit. I have warned you and informed you if you are capable of perceiving, and I have admonished you if you accept admonition. So fear Allāh in your private and public affairs, and do not die except as Muslims, for whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers.”