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Hazrat Abu Dardah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), who was a Sahaabi with the title of ‘Sahib-e-Sirr an-Nabi’ due to the secret knowledge imparted to him by Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), was once asked by a person about fasting during the month of Rajab. In reply he told the person the following:
“You have asked me about a month that was venerated even by the people of the time of ignorance, in spite of their state of ignorance, and Islam has simply added to the respect and veneration with which it is regarded. If someone has fasted for one day during this month, and if he has done so voluntarily, reckoning on the reward of Allah Ta’ala and motivated by the sincere desire to win Allah Ta’ala’s favour, that fast of his will extinguish the wrath of Allah Almighty and Allah Ta’ala will lock one of the gates by which he might otherwise enter the fire of hell. Even if he were given enough gold to fill the earth, it would not be an adequate recompense for him. Nothing belonging to this world could possibly represent full compensation, which he can only receive on the Day of Judgment.
When evening comes (at the time of Iftaar) he is entitled to receive a positive response to each of ten supplications (Duas). He may take this as an opportunity to pray for some immediate worldly benefit, in which case Allah Ta’ala will grant him his request. Otherwise, good things will be held in store for him, and these will be things of the most excellent quality, such as might be prayed for by a supplicant who is among the Saints of Allah Ta’ala (Awliya Allah).
If someone has fasted for two days, he will be entitled to receive those very same benefits, but he will also be granted an extra reward. This will be equivalent to the reward earned by ten Siddiqeen in the course of their entire lives, however long they may have lived. He will also be entitled to intercede in cases similar to those in which they are entitled to intercede. He will be counted as a member of their group, so that he will enter Jannat together with them, and he will be regarded as one of their close companions.
If someone has fasted for three days, he will be entitled to receive those very same benefits, but as an extra reward Allah Ta’ala will say to him at the moment when he breaks his fast, “This servant of Mine must now receive his proper due. He is now entitled to My Love and My Custodial Friendship. I hereby call upon you to bear witness O My angels, to the fact that I have forgiven him for all his sins.””
Hazrat Abu Dardah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) goes on to explain the blessings right up to thirty fasts, which is too lengthy to include here. However, after hearing about all the blessings of fasting in Rajab, the man then asked Hazrat Abu Dardah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) another question: “Supposing that on each of the days when a person is keeping the fast, the amount available to him for Sadaqah (almsgiving) is barely sufficient to provide him with his basic sustenance, should he still give it away in the form of charity?” Hazrat Abu Dardah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) found this question so utterly absurd that he responded with the following, “Preposterous, preposterous, preposterous! Even if all the creatures of the universe were to pool their resources in an effort to match the reward received by that servant of Allah, they could not produce as much as one tenth of the reward that Allah Ta’ala would bestow upon that servant!” [Ghunyalit Taalibi Tareeqal Haq]
SubhanAllah! What can we say about the blessings of Rajab other than SubhanAllah! Just from three fasts we see how much Allah Ta’ala loves us and wants to bestow His Mercy and Blessings upon us but it is just that we are too lazy to take advantage of such an opportunity. What more can a person ask for apart from Allah Ta’ala’s Love and Custodial Friendship? We are such disobedient sinners, not even worthy of such a blessing, yet it is the Mercy and Kindness of Allah Ta’ala that He wishes to bestow such blessings upon us, even though we are such worthless and ungrateful servants of His. When are we going to wake up from our heedlessness?
Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Zubair (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), the cousin of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has said, “If someone relieves a believer of an anxiety during the month of Rajab, Allah Ta’ala will grant him a palace in Jannat extending as far as the eye can see. Yes indeed, you must honour Rajab, for then Allah Ta’ala will honour you with a thousand generous favours!”
Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has also stated that in the Garden of Paradise there is a river called Rajab, which is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. If someone has fasted for one day during the month of Rajab, Allah Ta’ala will let him quench his thirst by drinking from that river. [Ghunyalit Taalibi Tareeqal Haq]
Hazrat Anas Ibn Malik (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) reports another Hadith in which Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has stated that in the Garden of Paradise there is a palace that no one may enter, with the exception of someone who makes it a frequent practice of fasting during the month of Rajab.
A’la Hazrat Imam Ahle Sunnat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) says that Hazrat Anas (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) has narrated that Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has said, “I was given Prophethood on the 27th of Rajab. Whoever fasts on this day then supplicates at the time of Iftaar it will be the expiation for ten years of his sins.” [Fataawa-e-Razaviyya]
Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has stated that Rajab contains a very special day and very special night which is the 27th. If someone fasts during that day and keeps vigil throughout that night he will be entitled to a reward like that which would be earned by a person who fasted for a hundred years, and who kept vigil throughout all the nights of that period. [Ghunyalit Taalibi Tareeqal Haq]
According to Hazrat Uqba ibn Salaama (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh), Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is reported to have said, “If someone makes a charitable donation during the month of Rajab, the distance at which Allah Ta’ala will keep him from the Fire of Hell will be as great as the distance a raven would cover, if it flapped its wings the moment it was strong enough to leave the nest, and then stayed airborne until it died of old age.” It is said that the raven may live as long as fifty years. [Ghunyalit Taalibi Tareeqal Haq]
SubhanAllah! We see from these narrations the numerous blessings that Allah Ta’ala grants a person during this blessed month. In fact, our Beloved Aaqa (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) also encouraged the Sahaabah to perform optional (Nafl) prayers during Rajab as the blessings for this are innumerable.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq to wake up from our laziness and heedlessness, to make His Ibaadat and to attain His Pleasure so that we may attain His Infinite Mercy and Blessings during this sacred month, Ameen.
