The Camel’s Gratitude by Imam Afroz Ali

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

Gratitude: [grat-i-tood, -tyood]–noun; the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful.

Some words, simple as it may sound, are not as simple in reality and (most) dictionaries just don’t suffice. ‘Gratitude’ is such a word. In fact, the subject of this essay is not the English equivalent, but the Arabic word - Shukr – its original form and derivatives, and most importantly its degrees. Yes, gratitude has attitude, let alone a very comprehensive meaning, thankfully!

Putting our dictionaries aside, let us journey into nature. Consider a camel in the middle of the Australian Simpson desert (we have more camels in Australia than in Arabia. Australia exports camels to Arabia. Sorry for the side tracking, but be thankful for the additional information!). It is truly a miracle for such a large (and cutely boisterous) animal to forage and survive in the harshest of environments on planet earth. What is more profound is that it will forage for food and produce milk, most often with a very full udder (camels are known for their super-efficient bodies. I side track again, but I am certain you are grateful for the extra bits and pieces of information!). In abundance and in scarcity, it is the most reliable and greatest (in amount) provider than bovines. Well-documented properties of camel’s milk include:

• Ten times more iron than cow’s milk
• Three to five times more vitamin C than cow’s milk
• Rich in B vitamins
• High in imuno-globins (note- not goblins)
• Very high in protein
• Minerals
• Low in fat – 1.8-2% fat compared to 3.5-4% in cow’s milk
• Much lower in cholesterol
• Anti-bacterial properties
• Anti-inflammatory properties

That is pretty good for a desert roamer.

And do not worry; I have not side tracked into animal husbandry. All of this information is very important… crucial in fact, in order to understand shukr, or gratitude.

When the she-camel’s udder is full with milk, it is said to be shakar. The operative word is “full”, or “in abundance”, and which we will return to later. The camel with such full and wholesome udder is called shakira, despite the fact is it had only a small share of herbage and pasture to forage on and feed itself with.

The meaning of shukr lies in the entire process of the camel finally giving milk. The camel takes from the praiseworthy bounty of herbage, seeming to the eye scarce and insufficient, takes from it what it needs to sustain itself, but yields a significantly more praiseworthy gift called milk, that benefits everything else- its young as well as human beings. Its sincerity only sees abundance in what others see scarcity; its selflessness sees benefit from it for others in what others see profit for themselves. As a shakira, the camel manifests altruistic benefit. Its gratefulness for existence is seen and experienced in it using the bounties to produce beneficial result over and beyond its self.

Shukr is more than being thankful or grateful; in fact that would be seen as self-indulging and greed. Shukr is only gratefulness if from what one receives out of the beneficence of another, that the recipient utilise it only in ways that is pleasing to the benefactor, primarily that the recipient would utilise such a favour in a beneficial and good manner over and beyond himself. As such, gratefulness carries the condition of unconditional charity from what one receives, after thanking the benefactor. Thus, Shukr has an inward and outward reality; the outward being using the tongue to thank and using the limbs to effect unconditional and beneficial altruism.

The inward reality is a lot more complex. But before that, the use of the tongue to thank the benefactor is also an important element of shukr (unfortunately it is frequently the only aspect of it that is acted upon or known to most).There are three essential forms of the outward reality of shukr.

• One must verbalise one’s gratefulness; to say thank you, truthfully.
• One must acknowledge the beneficence of the benefactor by utilising the gifts appropriately.
• One must commend and praise the benefactor for their beneficence they so generously gave, and to do so frequently.

Shukr therefore rests on five foundations.

• Humility in the recipient towards the benefactor, rather than have a selfish expectation.
• The recipient to have sincere love for the benefactor shown in limbic action, rather than intent of exploitation.
• The benefit in the gift to be acknowledged by the recipient, rather than unchecked abuse.
• The recipient to praise the beneficence of the benefactor, rather than heedlessness.
• The recipient to verbalise thankfulness and praise, rather than silence and concealing it.

So we observe that there are three parts of shukr: the two outward that we have already discussed in length- the manifestation in the limbs (beneficial altruism) and the tongue (thankfulness). The third, the inward, is the manifestation in the heart, this being the pillar of the entirety of shukr. Without its manifestation in the heart in a specific way, the outward manifestations are futile and even hypocritical.

ALTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

The depths and heights of shukr is beholding a profound state of awe-inspiring consciousness of the benefactor. Its reality is not in the beneficence at all, but in the benefactor. Heedlessness of the benefactor is ungratefulness, regardless of how well what was granted to the recipient was used.

We need to return to the camel! The critical point of definition in shukr in relation to the she-camel’s (shakira’s) udder , is its fullness with milk. The fullness, the abundance, the significance in quality and quantity is known as shakīr. It is used to describe a tree with corpus amounts of healthy fruit, or the abundance of shoots that arise from a plant, e.g., banana saplings. Another use of the term to refer to this huge abundance is when it rains extremely heavily (shakīr as-samā’). Essentially, this foundational meaning is the crux of the word (all Arabic words have a foundational meaning, which is upheld in the various derivatives of the word). As such, because of the praiseworthiness of this entire essence of the word which is underpinned by the understanding of fullness- the true reality, the heart, of shukr, the recipient being copious and abundant in his praise of the benefactor. Why? Because nothing else matters! If one is constant in their love and praise of the one who is giving, then one is assured of such a benefactor’s everlasting generosity…. everlasting beyond this material world.

Such a benefactor is our Lord, God The Exalted, The Owner of all that is and free of any need of them, from whom all we receive is received from.
Praise be to such a Generous, Kind, Compassionate, Ever-Providing, Protecting and Nurturing Lord! He, Sublime is He, is immeasurably Generous that in being Generous (for He is the Owner and Sovereign of everything), He Himself is Grateful that the recipient will bring about benefit from such gifts. He assuredly declares:

Indeed, those who recite the Book of God and establish prayer and spend out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, can expect a profit that will never perish – That He may give them in full their rewards and increase for them of His bounty. Indeed, He is Forgiving and Most-Grateful!
[Qur’an 35:29-30]

Our Generous Lord, free from all need, is Grateful! O recipient, humble yourself! Oh your Lord bestows you with another Blessing, simply because you the recipient of the first Blessing praised your Lord for it (by saying Alħamdulillah- All praise is for God)!

And He reminds us:

If you are grateful, I will surely increase you in blessings…
[Qur’an 14:7]

But, as mentioned earlier, heedlessness of the Benefactor is truly heedlessness, and our Merciful kindly reminds us in the verse that continues from the preceding mentioned:

…but if you are ungrateful, then indeed My Punishment is undoubtedly severe!
[Qur’an 14:7]

And He, Exalted is He, lets us know that this Station of those who truly are thankful are sadly but a few:

And only a small number from His servants are grateful.
[Qur’an 34:13]

And know that His Favours, His Blessings, is innumerable:
And if you tried to numerate the Blessings of God, you would never be able to count them.
[Qur’an 14:34 and 16:18]

CERTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

The reality of shukr therefore is not in merely acknowledging and thanking the benefactor for what he gave (although that is one significant part of it), but in the complete awe and acknowledgement of the Giver. It is one thing to thank someone for giving you a particular thing or a number of things (which is the first level of shukr), and it is completely another to fully and completely acknowledge the very one who gave it you, for really that is what truly matters (the ultimate and highest level of shukr known as hamd). You would not possess what was given to you, if the Original Possessor did not graciously give it you in the first place! In shukr one recognises the gift and through which one recognises the gifter. In hamd one recognises the gifter regardless of when, how and what was given! Al-ħamd, The entirety of praise, therefore is worthy for and belongs to the Sustainer and Owner of all that exists, God The Exalted.

Alħamdulillah!

And who not only set example for us regarding the nature of and how to praise but himself praises his Lord the most? None other than the one sent as the mercy to all creation, the Beloved of God The Exalted, the one who is most praised himself- Muhammad, upon whom be the everlasting peace and blessings of God The Glorious!

The name of the Final Messenger of God, lovingly known as Muhammad, comes from the root word meaning praise; Muhammad means “the one most praised”. Yet, his more formal name is Ahmad, which means “the one who praises the most”- a cycle of praise that is never ending, praise thy Lord!
The deeply conscious state of the Beloved Messenger, upon whom be peace and blessings of God The Exalted, regarding his Lord can be understood from this historical record. The Prophet once was crying in his night-vigil prayer, and later his wife, ‘A’isha, may Allah be well pleased with her, said, “What are you crying about given Allah has forgiven you what has proceeded and proceeded you?” He replied, “Should I not be a grateful servant?” [Hadith recorded in Bukhari and Muslim, and by others] He was preoccupied through the night praising his Lord in prayer not only for what his Lord bestowed upon him, but simply because he recognised the utter Magnificence of his Lord.

Praise thy Lord, I say!

Know that our state of being has degrees. For some, what they receive keeps them self-centered for they assume such material possession as the ends, and they are in utter loss, and we seek refuge with our Lord. For others, what they receive is consciously sought as a means where they struggle against their temptations to be self-centered, and aspire to utilise it in accordance with what pleases the Benefactor, and they show great promise for their everlasting felicity. Then, there are those who are not concerned with the means because they know it is not the gift but the Generous Giver that is the Beginning and the End, The Cause of all means, and so they are preoccupied in beholding such an Exalted Lord in praise and acknowledgement. Their outward limbs are busy extracting good for others from the bounties bestowed upon them (‘amilus-śāliħāt) and the tongue busy in remembering and acknowledging the Benefactor (dhikr) and their inward heart is busy in beholding their Lord in loving praise (al-ħamd).

It is for this exalted reason, that beholding The Benefactor in full and loving praise is the highest station, over and beyond one’s striving to hold the virtues of patience, material detachment and fear of wrongdoing against one’s Lord. This is because there is nothing intended or expected by grateful praise for personal gain in its essence. Patience seeks from its manifestation the overpowering of one’s passion and desire because they fail him, and fear is a whip that drives the fearful to the intended Stations of praiseworthiness in the first place. And material detachment is escapement from the preoccupation regarding fodder and possessions that keeps one away from god The Exalted.

But as for gratefulness, loving and continuous praise, then the intended end is the One for whom is all praise. It is for that reason it does not cease in Paradise but that praise of God, The Exalted, is everlasting. It is for this reason God, The Exalted, says:

And the last of their call will be, “Praise be to God ,The Lord of all creation.
[Qur’an 10:10]

Every other virtuous trait aims to bring us to the Station of praising in deep gratitude of our Lord, yet true and sincere praise itself leads every virtuous trait. It is for this reason, that the beloved Messenger, upon whom be peace and blessings of God The Exalted, said, “The one who says Subhān Allah (Glory to Allah), then for him is ten rewards. And the one who says La ilāha illallah (there is no deity to worship, except God), then for him is twenty rewards. And the one who says Alħamdulillah (all praise belongs to God), then for him is thirty rewards.” [Hadīth recorded by Ahmad]. Do reflect yourself (for this is not the place for further lengthy explanation!), that the blessed reward of the first two equals the last!

Praise of The Benefactor, The Beneficent, Exalted is He, in ultimate truth suffices; it is for this reason our erudite and rightly guided Scholars have always commenced speech by saying - Alħamdulillah, wa kafa – All praise belongs to God, and that is sufficient (to state)!

We need to return to the camel! It is irrefutably manifest that Shakira is in outward gratitude, for it does not stop to transfer the benefit of the bounties upon it beyond itself. This is a conditional proof of shukr, i.e., gratefulness in truth. And I am certain that if its heart spoke, it would be in constant beat of praise of its Lord that has given it existence to know such a Unmatched, Unique, Generous and Magnificent Lord. It will be shown that it is not concerned about how much milk it produces to give away and how much it withholds for selfish store. It will be seen that its foraging of herbage is not for personal profit but a means of acknowledging its Lord that it is doing what it was asked to do. A camel does not go on holiday discharging its responsibility in a chain of complex existence, nor does it one day stop to be a camel. Similarly, observe the miracle of a bee- it is mentioned in the Qur’an not because it provides any scientific proof for the production of honey in which there are ways to get cure for the human (a very self-centered assumption, although the bee’s honey does have all such blessings), but because it is proof that it is in constant focus on what the Provider, its Creator, has given it as blessings- an acute sense of direction, speed, teamwork and much more. By being in such grateful praise of its Lord (obedience through its outward limbic function) it produces sweetness unmatched. You see, the bee is not concerned about the quality of its honey. In fact what the human relishes in the delicious taste of honey, is in truth the bee’s regurgitated vomit! These wonderful creatures are in submission to their Lord, in completeness and only then do they produce nutritious milk and sweet honey. Submission, prostration and bowing is due to the praise of God, The Most High. He says:

Do you not see that to God prostrates whatever is in the heavens and on the earth- the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the moving creatures and many from among the humans?
[Qur’an 22:18]

The camel has taught us gratitude, shukr, through its essence of existence (something the human-made dictionary could not possibly do), so be grateful for all bounties of your Lord, for they are Signs to be interpreted to know your Lord. The bee’s and our camel, Shakira’sgratitude is a superior lesson for the human to reflect on and learn from in order to ascend to the angelic levels the human can ascend to in their true praise of their Lord, through insightful discernment (which itself is a Bounty from our Lord. O the cycle of praise!).

Do you not also see that God, The Exalted, reveals that everything non-human are in such state of praise through humility before their Lord, except humans (only many, but not all are in such humble presence)?

Praise your Lord in truth and in sincerity. Without the three parts and the five foundations, our claim to be shākir is just that- an unfulfilled claim and heedless state of self-engrossment. Know that ungratefulness and disbelief share the same word – kufr. Ungratefulness is a slippery slope to utter loss, whilst gratefulness is a journey to your Lord. So, praise thy Lord, in truth!

Alħamdulillah, wa kafa!

May this reach you all in the best state of health and iman. Ameen.

Alhamdulillah, this blog has grown steadily over the past year. At the request of several mentors and friends, I’ve decided to move to the site from http://allahcentric.wordpress.com to http://www.allahcentric.com.

I will no longer be posting on this site so if you liked this blog, feel free to move to the new site and subscribe to that one.

Lastly, we’re looking for writers in a variety of different areas. If you’re interested in posting articles, feel free to contact me at abuturab82 AT gmail DOT com.

Please remember us in your duas.

May Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) grant you all tawfeeq and tayseer. Ameen.

wassalam

Khuram

Women In Islam Inc cordially invites you to its 10th Anniversary of the Dr. Betty Shabazz Award Ceremony at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, June 26, 2011 at 3pm.

Honorees Include: Tayyibah Taylor, Azizah Magazine; Yvette Clarke, Congresswoman, 11th District; Faiza Ali, Community Activist; Kayhan Irani, Artivista, and Aliya Latif, ICNYU

Special performances: Sumayya Ali, The Raskol Khan, Yacouba Sissoko

Purchase tickets ($35) http://drshabazzawards.eventsbot.com/

(If you are unable to attend, please consider donating the cost of one or more tickets.)

About Women In Islam,Inc.

Women In Islam Inc., New York City’s oldest Muslim women’s rights non-profit, is an organization of professional and social activist Muslim women who are dedicated to the empowerment of women through knowledge and practice of Islam. Its mission is to advance the spiritual and intellectual development of women to empower them as dynamic participants in civil society and as advocates for human rights and social justice.

To learn more, visit www.womeninislam.org!

Strongly recommend this event to people in New York City to attend this event.

Muslim Consultative Network’s Annual Gala

The Muslim Consultative Network (MCN) works to strengthen and unify the diverse New York City Muslim community through education, collaboration, capacity-building and social justice advocacy. They will be holding their annual gala this weekend and will be giving awards to dedicated Muslim activists who have made a difference in the community.

Tickets will be $100 purchase here: http://muslimconsultativenetwork.ticketbud.com/muslim-consultative-network-s-annual-gala

The proceeds will help support MCN’s youth leadership program, MY NYC and interfaith work for the year.

Keynote: Maria M. Ebrahimji, Co-Editor of I Speak for Myself: American Women on Being Muslim
http://www.ispeakformyself.com/

Special Performance by Dean Obeidallah, award winning comedian and co-founder of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival
http://deanofcomedy.com/

Awards to be presented to:

Nadia Roumani
Founder of American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute

Muslim Foundation of America for the Annual United American Muslim Day Parade
Accepting the award: Ainul Haque

Church of St. Paul and St. Andrews
Pastor K Karpen

B’nai Jeshurun Synagogue
Rabbi J. Rolando Matalon

Sunday, June 12 · 5:30pm - 9:00pm

Turkuaz Restaurant (halal) http://www.turkuazrestaurant.com/

The Travelling Light Series in collaboration with Mishkat Media is proud to present

.:Travelling Light, Travelling Further:.

A monthly commentary on the Ihya Ulum ul Deen of Imam Ghazali These webinars will be your chance to engage deeper with this wonderfully rich spiritual resource, and to ask further questions from the teachers who have contributed to the Travelling Light series. Monthly broadcasts will include a commentary and discussion on one books of the Ihya by Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad, Shaykh Seraj Hendricks and Shaykh Yahya Rhodus. All participants are expected to read the relevant text or listened to the audio on the website. Registered participants will be able to submit questions via email, and only pre-submitted questions will be answered.

Shaykh Seraj Hendricks :: Jewels from Mawlid of Imam al-Barzanji from Cambridge Mosque is Moving on Vimeo.

The first webinar is: Shaykh Seraj Hendricks :: Jewels from the Mawlid of Imam al-Barzanji Sunday 12 June – 1pm PST/4pm EST/9pm GMT/10pm South Africa

Click here to register: http://bit.ly/trvlglite 

Join the Travelling Light Facebook Fan Page

One of the diseases among activists is the constant struggle to change the world rather then engaging in self-rectification. When in the face of oppression and trials, some activists argue that there is no time for self-rectification and the liberation of such and such group of people from impending annihilation is a priority. Rhetoric side, they often set aside the pursuit of beneficial knowledge, sound worship, and righteous living and furthermore look down upon the pious worshipers, the rightly guided scholars, and the saints.

The flaw of this sort of thinking is at multiple levels and it should come to no surprise that activists often feel “spiritually burned out” as what they are promoting as a cure is actually a disease. Firstly, the activist perceives himself as the agent of change when in reality Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) is the agent of change. (“Verily Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves [i.e. their hearts]“). Secondly, the activist fails to properly prioritize their needs and the needs of the community. At the end of the day, the pursuit of worldly power is similar to building a sandcastle along the beach – the tides of eternity will crash down and ultimately wipe away the world – ruler and ruled along with it. The following hadeeth suffices as proof of the importance of the purification of the heart:  ”Allah does not look at your bodies nor your forms, but He looks at your hearts and your actions.”

Ultimately, the purpose of faith is not to dominate others nor to be dominated but to be worthy enough of salvation in the Hereafter and to be honored with the Beatific Vision. As as is stated in the Hikam, “Actions are mere propped up forms what gives them life is the intention contained within it.” The formation of intention takes place in none other than the heart and thus the heart is the locus of the true seeker of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) – the Eternal and All-Powerful. The purification of the heart is an individual obligation (fardh ‘ayn) whereas activism is often a communal obligation (fardh kaffayah). If one is sincere to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala), then the pursuit of a sound heart ought to be the highest priority.

Imam al-Ghazzali (rahmutallah alayh) in “The Marvels of the Heart” writes:

“The heart is as a  mirror that is surrounded by these factors which exert their influence upon it. These influences reach the heart in uninterrupted succession. The praiseworthy influences that we have mentioned add to the clearness, shining, illumination, and brightness of the mirror so that the clear statement of the Real (jalliyat al-Haqq) shines therein, and there is revealed in it the real nature of the thing sought in religion. To such a heart as this is the reference of the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) in his saying “Whenever God wills good for a man He causes his heart to exhort him”; and in his saying (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) “The man whose heart is his exhorter has a protector from God over him.” This is the heart in which there abides the remembrance (dhikr) [of God]. God, the Exalted said, “Verily in remembrance of God do hearts find rest!” (13:28). 

Further Learning

“The Marvels of the Heart” taught by Shaykh Yahya Rhodus (SeekersGuidance)

http://seekersguidance.org/courses/SPR120

Further Reading

“The Marvels of the Heart” by Imam al-Ghazzali

http://www.amazon.com/Marvels-Heart-Science-Religious-Sciences/dp/1887752315

May Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) make us among the pure hearted, bestow upon us knowledge that benefits, and increase the baraka in our works. Ameen.

BY JUSTIN ELLIOTT

Newt Gingrich has become one of the most vocal Muslim-baiting Republicans in the country, from his call for a federal ban on Shariah to his comparison of the organizers of the “ground zero mosque” to Nazis. But Gingrich’s recent rhetoric represents a little-noticed shift from an earlier period in his career when he had a strikingly warm relationship with the American Muslim community.

As speaker of the House in the 1990s, for example, Gingrich played a key role in setting aside space on Capitol Hill for Muslim congressional staffers to pray each Friday; he was involved with a Republican Islamic group that promoted Shariah-compliant finance, which critics — including Gingrich — now deride as a freedom-destroying abomination; and he maintained close ties with another Muslim conservative group that even urged Gingrich to run for president in 2007.

Gingrich’s changing relationship with the Muslim community mirrors a similar evolution in the Republican Party at large. President Bush won amajority of Muslim votes in 2000, but after Sept. 11 and the subsequent passage of the Patriot Act, the invasion of Iraq, and Abu Ghraib, Muslim Americans shifted to the Democratic column. After Bush — who had at least given rhetorical support to the idea of non-discrimination — left office, explicitly anti-Muslim voices in the GOP became more prominent, most visibly during the hullabaloo last summer about the planned Islamic community center near ground zero.

By Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Islamophobia Production and Re-Defining Global “Security” Agenda for the 21st Century

April 21-22, 2011
All sessions begin at 9 am

University of California, Berkeley
Booth Auditorium, Boalt Law School

Thursday Evening Community Partnership Program
Nihad Awad, CAIR Executive Director
Arzu Merali is Director of Research for the Islamic Human Rights Commission (UK).
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Co-Founder Zaytuna College
Prof. Rabab Abdulhadi, San Francisco State University, AMED Program
Max Blumenthal, the Nation Institute
Dr. Hatem Bazian, UC Berkeley and Co-Founder Zaytuna College
Moderator: Prof. Munir Jiwa, Graduate Theological Union

By the bounty of Allah we will soon be entering the blessed month of Rajab. Rajab is one of the four sacred months. It stands alone, unlike the other three which come together. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha`bān is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.”[1] The fact that it is the month of Allah means that it is worthy of veneration, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself would venerate it. When the month entered he would seek its blessings, saying:

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا في رَجَبٍ وَ شَعْبَانَ وَ بَلِّغْنا رَمَضَانَ
“O Allah bless us in Rajab and Sha`bān and enable us to reach Ramadan!”[2]

Rajab is the key to the months of goodness which follow it. For that reason Imam Abu Bakr al-Warraq said: “in the month of Rajab you sow the seeds, in Sha`ban you irrigate them and in Ramadan you reap the harvest.” He also said: “Rajab is like a wind, Sha`ban is like a cloud and Ramadan is like rain.”
Rajab was the month in which the Prophet’s blessed parents were married, and the month in which Sayyida Amina became pregnant with the Best of Creation (peace and blessings be upon him). Most of the scholars say that the Isra’ (Night Journey) and the Mi`raj (Ascension) took place on the 27^th night of Rajab. This was the night on which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) received the greatest ennoblement that a created being ever received from Allah.

When one of the pious scholars became ill he said: “I have asked Allah to delay my death until the month of Rajab because I have heard that those that die in that month are saved from the Fire.” Allah answered his supplication and he died in Rajab.

The First Night of Rajab


It is recommended to turn to Allah in the first night of Rajab. It has been narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are five nights on which du`ā’ is not rejected: the first night of Rajab, the fifteenth night of Sha`bān, Thursday night, the night before `Eid al-Fitr and the night before `Eid al-Nahr (al-Adha).”[3]  Sayyiduna `Ali, may Allah be well pleased with him, used to allocate extra amounts of time for worship on four nights – the first night of Rajab, the nights before the two `Eids, and the 15th night of Sha`bān. For this reason the scholars of Tarim hold a special gathering of dhikr on the first night of Rajab and a large mawlid the following morning.

Rajab, the Month of Istighfār


The best way of preparing the heart to receive divine gifts is purification and repentance. For this reason the scholars say that Rajab is the month of seeking forgiveness, whereas Sha`ban is the month of sending peace and blessings upon the Prophet, and Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an. Thus it is recommended to seek much forgiveness in Rajab. Some of the scholars compiled special formulae of istighfar especially for Rajab, among them Habib Hasan the son of Imam `Abullah bin `Alawi al-Haddad.
In Tarim the following formula is read 70 times in congregation immediately after the `Isha Prayer every night in Rajab. The one reading it raises his hands while doing so:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لي وارْحَمْنِي وَتُبْ عَلَيَّ

Transliteration:  “Rabbi ‘ghfir li w’ arhamni wa tub `alayya.”

Translation: “Oh Allah forgive me, have mercy upon me, and grant me repentance.”[4]

Good Deeds in Rajab


The reward of our good actions is multiplied in the sacred months, so it is recommended to do as many good deeds as possible. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended fasting at least some days in each of the sacred months. Some of the Companions, among them Sayyiduna `Umar and his son `Abdullah and al-Sayyida `A’isha, liked to make `Umrah in Rajab.
At the same time bad deeds are also more serious in the sacred months so we must do our utmost to avoid any wrongdoings.
A sacred month is similar to a sacred place. It is recommended to bathe and purify oneself before entering the haram of Mecca and while in it one is more conscious of the weight of one’s actions. Likewise with a sacred month – we try to enter it in a state of purity and we try to maintain that purity throughout through doing good and avoiding evil.
O Allah bless us in Rajab and Sha`ban and enable us to reach Ramadan. Peace and blessings upon the one who guided us to all good and warned us of all evil, our Master Muhammad and his blessed family and Companions and all those that follow his guidance until the end of time.

Taken from Kanz al-Najah wa’l-Surur by Shaykh `Abd al-Hamid Quds and Lata’if al-Ma`rif by Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali. May Allah reward Sidi Amjad Tarsin for the original translation.

[1] Narrated by al-Suyuti
[2] Narrated by Ahmad
[3] Narrated by al-Suyuti

[4] Narrated by Wahb bin Munnabih who said that if someone reads this every morning and evening in Rajab the Fire will not touch his skin.