THE ELEVENTH LETTER OF COUNSEL: ON OBSERVING THE OBLIGATORY FASTS OF RAMADAN
By: Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (RA)
Translated by: Imām Tālūt Dawood (Mexico)
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Sovereign of the Day of Judgment.
From the City of Kawlakh in the final days of Sha'ban, 1356 AH.
{By time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and
advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.} [al-‘Asr].
I counsel all those who obey me to observe faithfully the obligatory fasts of Ramadan about which Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
{O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you
may become righteous} [al-Baqarah, 183].
And He said (Exalted is He):
{The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever witnesses the month, let him fast it} [al-Baqarah, 185].
And it is narrated from him (may Allah bless him and give him peace):
"Islam was built upon five (pillars): bearing witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, performing the prayer, giving the zakah, fasting the month of Ramadan and making the pilgrimage to the House." (Muslim, hadith no. 16)
It is also narrated from him (may Allah bless him and give him peace):
"Whoever preserves three things is a real saint. And whoever neglects them is my true enemy. They are prayer, fasting, and performing ghusl for the major ritual impurity."
And to the one who said to him, "Direct me to an action that would benefit me," he replied:
"You must do much fasting because it has no equal."
And he also said (may Allah bless him and give him peace):
"If one fasts Ramadan, believing it and anticipating its reward, all of his past sins will be forgiven."
And he said (may Allah bless him and give him peace):
"When Ramadan begins, the doors of Paradise are opened, the doors of Hell are locked, and the Shayatin are chained."
And he has said (may Allah bless him and give him peace):
"Whoever gives a fasting person food to break his fast, he will have a reward similar to his, without decreasing his reward in any way."
And:
"Zakat is due upon all things. And the zakah of the body is fasting."
And:
"Fasting is half of patience."
And fasting in some lands is more meritorious than in others, according to the religion's strength or weakness therein. This is indicated by what has been narrated from him (may Allah bless him and give him peace):
"Ramadan in Madinah is better than one thousand Ramadans in any other place. And the Jum'a prayer there is better than one thousand jum'a prayers in any other city."
And it has been narrated from him (may Allah bless him and give him peace):
"The Master of months is Ramadan and the holiest of them is Dhu al-Hijjah."
Thus, obey the commands of Allah and His Messenger. Indeed, the Path of Shaykh al-Tijani (may Allah be pleased with him), upon which we find ourselves, is only following what Allah and His Messenger have commanded and leaving what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. And if one obeys the commands and avoids prohibited things, he is from us. If not, then he is not. Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
{So let those beware who dissent from the Prophet's order, lest fitnah strike them or a painful punishment.} [al-Nur, 63].
Allah! Allah! Allah! Beware of the King of the Earth and the Heavens, in Whose hands are all benefit, harm, good, and evil. And to Him belongs all praise firstly and lastly. I have said what I need to say. Seek forgiveness for yourselves and me. And peace be upon all those who are of us and to us. And may Allah enable us to do that which He loves and what pleases Him. And may He heal our sick hearts by His grace.
Your concerned brother,
Ibrahim b. al-Hajj Abdullah al-Tijani, may Allah treat him and his loved ones gently. Amin
Translated by: Imām Tālūt Dawood (Mexico)
