Ramaḍān is unarguably the busiest month for a devout Muslim since observing it correctly entails performing many acts of worship which includes:

1. Fasting

Allāh said:

فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ

“Whoever sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramaḍān) must fast the month.”
[Al-Baqarah, 2:185]

2. Performing the Tarāwīḥ Prayers

ʿĀʾishah, the mother of the believers, (رضي الله عنها) narrated:

Allāh’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) prayed in the masjid one night, so the people followed him. He also prayed the following night, so more people prayed with him. Even more people gathered on the third or the fourth night, but he did not emerge (from the house). He said in the morning: “I saw what you were doing; however, only the fear of the obligation of the prayer upon you stopped me from emerging (from my house).” That happened in Ramaḍān.¹

3. Giving Charity

Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) relayed: “The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was the most generous person, and he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) became even more generous in Ramaḍān when Jibrīl would meet him (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Jibrīl would meet him every night during Ramaḍān to review the Qurʾān. Allāh’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was more generous than a swift wind.”²

Giving charity includes feeding others which the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) especially encouraged in Ramaḍān. He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever provides ifṭār for a fasting person will receive a similar reward without detracting from the fasting person’s reward in the slightest.”³

4. Speaking Pleasantly to Others

The Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Fasting is not merely abstaining from food and drink; it is abstaining from profanity and vain speech.”⁴

The Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) also said: “When you are fasting, you should not use obscene language nor should you raise your voice. Therefore, if someone reviles you or tries to quarrel with you, you should say: ‘I am a fasting person.’”⁵

The month of Ramaḍān is indeed blessed, for it offers the steadfast worshipper many unbelievable rewards. ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (رضي الله عنه) relayed:

Allāh’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Certainly, there are chambers in Paradise whose outsides can be seen from their insides, and their insides can be seen from their outsides.” A bedouin man stood saying: “For whom are they, O Allāh’s Prophet?” He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied: “(They are) for those who speak pleasantly (to others), fast regularly, feed others, and perform Allāh’s prayer during the night while the people sleep.”⁶

Since these acts are regularly performed in Ramaḍān, Ibn Rajab [d. 795 AH] (رحمه الله) suggested that the Muslim who observes his annual Ramaḍān correctly may attain this unconceivable reward. He said:

All of these acts occur in Ramaḍān, so the believer combines:

1. Fasting
2. Praying
3. Giving charity
4. Speaking pleasantly (to others) since the fasting person is prohibited from using profanity and engaging in vain speech⁷

Therefore, whoever observes his annual Ramaḍān properly can earn himself one of these remarkable chambers in Paradise. May Allāh grant each of us at least one of them.

Endnotes:

[1] Reported by Al-Bukhārī (1129) and Muslim (761) with this wording.
[2] Reported by Al-Bukhārī (2095) with this exact wording.
[3] Reported by Al-Tirmidhī (807), Ibn Mājah (1746), and others, and Shaykh Al-Albānī graded it authentic.
[4] Reported by Al-Ḥākim (1571) in his Mustadrak, Al-Bayhaqī (8385) in Al-Kubrá, and others, and Shaykh Al-Albānī deemed it authentic.
[5] Reported by Al-Bukhārī (1904) and Muslim (1151).
[6] Reported by Al-Tirmidhī (2527) and others, and Shaykh Al-Albānī authenticated it.
[7] Latāif al-Maʿārif, pg. 167.