PRAYER OF SYAIKH ABDUL QADIR AL-Jilani RA WELCOME THE NOBLE MONTH OF RAMADHAN

The month of Ramadan 1444 H will arrive in a few days. Every believer must always wait for his arrival, and rejoice in entering it with various practices of obedience. In welcoming the month of Ramadan, some salafus shalih scholars and scholars have taught and carried out certain practices. They firmly believe that Ramadan is the most noble month, therefore entering it must be with noble deeds as well. 

The month of Ramadan is a glorious month in which Muslims fast and perform Taraweeh prayers. This month is the month of faith, the month of the Koran, the month full of light, the month full of forgiveness, the month for human repentance, the month for faith, the month for sincerity. These various glories are awarded to Muslims who can achieve them. At least at the beginning of Ramadan, we pray that this glory can be maximized. 

There is a hadith contained in the book Durrotun Nasihin Fil Wa'zhi Wal Ershad, by Ash-Shaykh 'Uthman bin Hasan bin Ahmad Syakir Al-Khaubawi Rahimahullah (died in 1824 AD) explains the following:

مَنْ فَرِحَ بِدُخُولِ رَمَضَانَ حَرَّمَ اللهُ جَسَدَهُ عَلىَ النِّيْرَانِ

"Who is happy with the entry of the month of Ramadan, Allah will forbid his body to go to hell." (Narrated by Imam An-Nasai Rahimahullah died in 915 AD in the Grand Mosque of Makkah). 

So great and glorious is the month of Ramadan, that just to welcome it, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has guaranteed us safety from the fires of hell. Moreover, the month of Ramadan is a month full of blessings. Various prayers must be said frequently, such as the following prayer:

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُمَّ أَهِلَّهُ عَلَيْنَا بِالْأَمْنِ وَالْإِيمَانِ، وَالسَّلَامَةِ وَالْإِسْلَامِ، وَالتَّوْفِيقِ  لِمَا تُحِبُّ وَتَرْضَى، رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكَ اللَّهُ. 

Allahu Akbar, O Allah, make the new moon for us by bringing security and faith, safety and Islam, and bringing taufik who guides us towards what You love and You are pleased with our Lord and your God (O month), is Allah." (HR. . Imam Ahmad bin Hambal Rahimahullah died in 855 AD in Baghdad Iraq; Imam Ad-Darimi Rahimahullah died 869 AD, Muscat, Oman). 

Meanwhile, in welcoming the glory of the month of Ramadan, Shulthanul Auliya' Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani radliyallahu anhu (died February 21, 1166 AD in Baghdad, Iraq), advised Muslims to leave all sins and immediately repent to Allah subhanahu wa ta'alaas follows:

وقد قال صلى الله عليه وسلم "من صلى عليّ واحدة صلى الله عليه عشرا" فينبغي لكل مؤمن لبيب أن لا يغفل في هذا الشهر بل يتأهب فيه لاستقبال شهر رمضان بالتطهر من الذنوب والتوبة عما فات وسلف فيما مضى من الأيام فيتضرع إلى الله في شهر شعبان ويتوسل God bless youفساد قلبه ويداوى مرض سره ولا يسوف ويؤخر ذلك إلى غد

"The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa said: 'Whoever prays once for me, Allah will bless him ten times.' Therefore, a smart believer does not neglect this month (Sha'ban). In fact, he must prepare himself this month to welcome the month of Ramadan by purifying himself from sins and repenting for the good that he missed in the past days. He should submit to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the month of Sha'ban and make tawasul through Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, the owner of the month of Sha'ban so that he can repair his inner damage and treat spiritual ailments without delaying and postponing until tomorrow, "(Syekh AbdulQadir Al-Jailani, the book of Al-Ghuniyah; Beirut, Daru Ihyait Turats Al-Arabi : 1996 AD / 1416 H; first printing, juz I, page 246). 

There is an interesting quote from the book 'Ghunyah Li Thalibil Haq' by Shaykh Abdul Qodir Al-Jailani radliyallahu anhu:

إِذَا كَانَ أَوَّلُ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَان نَظَsp. (من كتاب الغنية لطالبي طريق الحق، للشيخ عبد القادر الجيلاني)

"When the first night of the holy month of Ramadan has come, Allah Ta'ala will surely look at His servant with the sight of His Mercy. If the servant is seen by Allah Ta'ala with the sight of His Grace, surely this servant will not be tortured forever. "

Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in his book Al-Ghunyah li Tholibi Thoriq Al Haq (juz 2 page 367) mentions a good greeting read every day every month of Ramadan, the following reading:

Peace be upon you عَلَيْكَ يَا شَهْرَ الصِّيَامِ

Peace be upon you عَلَيْكَ يَا شَهْرَ الْقِيَامِ

Peace be upon you

Peace be upon you عَلَيْكَ يَا شَهْرَ الْقُرْآنِ

Peace be upon you عَلَيْكَ يَا شَهْرَ الْأَنْوَارِ

Peace be upon you

Peace be upon you

Peace be upon you عَلَيْكَ يَا شَهْرَ التَّائِبِيْنَ الْعَابِدِيْنَ

Peace be upon you عَلَيْكَ يَا شَهْرَ الْعَارِفِيْنَ

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا شَهْرَ الْمُجْتَهِدِيْنَ

Peace be upon you عَلَيْكَ يَا شَهْرَ الْأَمَانِ

كُنْتَ لِلْعَاصِيْنَ حَبْسًا وَلِلْمُتَّقِيْنَ أُنْسًا

Peace be upon you, Allah, mercy and blessings be upon him

وَالْمَحَارِيْبَ الْمُتَعَطِّرَةِ ، وَالْعَبَرَات\

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِمَّنْ قَبَّلْتَ صِيَامَهُ وَصَلَاتَهُ ،وَبَدَّلْتَ سَيِّئَاتِهِ بِحَسَنَاتِهِ ،وَأَدْخَلْتَهُ  بِرَحْمَتِكَ جَنَّاتِكَ ،وَرَفَعْتَ دَرَجَاتِهِ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ

"Greetings to you, O month of Ramadan. 

Greetings to you, O month of qiyam (the month for establishing Tarawih prayers). 

Greetings to you, O month of faith. 

Greetings to you, O month in which the Qur'an was revealed. 

Greetings to you, O bright moon. 

Greetings to you, O month full of forgiveness. 

Greetings to you O month (to raise) degrees and safety from low degrees. 

Greetings to you, O month for those who repent and worshipers. 

Greetings to you, O month of those who are wise. Greetings to you, O month of those who are serious. 

Greetings to you, O safe month. You are a prison for those who commit immorality and pleasure for those who are pious. 

Greetings to the lamps that shine, the eyes that are awake, the tears that keep falling, the mihrabs that are fragrant, the tears that are spilled, and the breath that rises from a despicable heart. 

O Allah, make us people whom You accept fasting and prayer for, whom You replace bad with good, whom You enter into Your heaven with Your grace, and whom You raise in rank with Your grace, O Most Merciful Essence."

We read the prayer above, at the end of the prayer after mentioning the glory, this prayer contains a request that the fasting and prayer that is done be accepted and can replace all mistakes with good. In addition, this prayer contains that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will allow us to enter His heaven and elevate our degrees with the grace of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. 

Al-Imam Al-Hafidz Zainuddin Abu Al-Faraj Abdurahman ibn Syihabuddin Ahmad ibn Rajab ibn Abdurrahman ibn Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Al-Barakat Mas'ud Al-Baghdadi Ad-Dimasyqi Al-Hanbali or Ibn Rajab Rahimahullah (died July 14, 1393 AD in Damascus, Syria) mentions the testimony of a scholartabi'ut Tabi'in Imam Mu'alla bin Al-Fadhl Rahimahullah, who said:

"In the past, friends, for six months before Ramadan, they prayed that Allah would bring them together with the month of Ramadan. Then, for six months after Ramadan, they pray that Allah will accept their charity during Ramadan." (Kitab Lathaif Al-Ma'arif Fima Li Mawasim Al-Ami Min Al-Wadhaif). 

As for the prayer readings to welcome the month of Ramadan 2023, it is mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam, which was narrated by Imam At-Thabarani Rahimahullah (died 918 AD, Isfahan, Iran) and Imam Ad-Dailami Rahimahullah (died 19 Rajab 509 H / 15 December 1115 M) from the path of Imam Yahya binAbi Katsir Rahimahullah said, this reading includes a prayer from the pious Salafus Ulama:

O Allah

"O Allah, save me (from illness and other old age) for the (worship) of the month of Ramadan, save ( sighting of the new moon) of Ramadan for me, and save me (from immorality) in the month of Ramadan."

According to As-Sayyid Prof. Dr. Muhammad bin Alawi Al-Maliki, there is another prayer read by the Salafus pious scholars, according to him, this prayer is read in order to be given the gift of getting the night of lailatul qadar, namely:

O Lord, O Lord, O Lord

Allahumma innaka afuwwun karim tuhibbul afwa fa'fu 'anna. Allahumma inna nas'alukal afwa wal afiyah wal mu'afataddaimah fid diini wad dunyaa wal aakhirah. 

“O Allah, verily You are Forgiving and You love to forgive, so forgive us. O Allah, I truly ask You for forgiveness and health and continuous maintenance in matters of religion, this world and the hereafter."

Finally, I hope that this month's Ramadan fasting will be able to make us superior and qualified individuals so that in the following months we will be able to actualize the greatness of Ramadan properly. 

Wallahu A'lam