1. Ramadhaan – A Date with Dr. Zakir
Episode 1
Let’s Welcome Ramadhaan
(Duration - 48 minutes)
Yusuf Chambers: Dear brothers and sisters in Islam and humanity
Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh! May the peace,
blessings and mercy of Allah be upon you all. And welcome to this,
the first in the series of interviews and question and answer
sessions regarding Ramadhaan entitled, Ramadhaan – A Date with
Dr. Zakir.
I am your Host Yusuf Chambers, I myself would be interviewing Dr.
Zakir Naik and asking him your questions regarding important
topics to do with Ramadhaan. Ramadhaan has a very special place
in my own heart. 16 years ago after a struggle of more than 10
years, I stumbled upon Muslims deep in the worship of Allah during
this blessed month, Ramadhaan. After struggle of more than 10
years I went through Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Materialism,
Socialism and many other „Isms‟ that you and I wouldn‟t even
recognize even if I tried to tell you, you wouldn‟t recognize them
Subhaan Allah.
Now Brothers and Sisters during this blessed month of Ramadhaan,
Allah reveled the last testament, His last Testament to mankind, the
Quran. And the Quran is still with us. Can you imagine this? This is
why this month of Ramadhaan is so special to the Muslims…not just
the Muslims but non-muslims. Indeed I came to Islam during this
blessed month for when I encountered Muslims that were not
practicing their Deen and then suddenly they started practicing in
that one month I felt obliged to look in to the books of Islam and
search for the truth. I found the truth and a few days later I started
fasting, a few days later I took the Shahadah Alhamdulillah this
blessed Islam is just too good for people to overlook.
Brothers and sisters Ramadhaan, the month of mercy, the month of
forgiveness, the month when the blessed Quran was reveled to
Prophet Muhammad (saws), this series of programmes is so
incredibly important for you and for me to make sure we observe
and we watch. In this programme as I said, I will be your Host
Brothers and Sisters and I will be joined every single day by a
person who you do not need much of an introduction to.
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2. His acumen and his profession originally he is a medical doctor,
trained as a medical doctor and once he told me that he considered
himself to be a medical doctor, doctor of the human body. Latterly
he explained to me that I became a doctor of the human soul and
this is obviously with reference to the fact that Quran & Sunnah has
entered his heart and he had felt the need to give Da‟wah upon
that. For the last 11 years my dear brothers and sisters, he has
delivered over a thousand lectures on the international arena on
television, print based media, radio and he is the author of many
important books on the topic Comparative religion and Islam. His
critical analysis and his ability to quote verbatim from many
religious scriptures the world over being all of the major religions in
the world my dear Brothers and Sisters, is on parallel. Therefore he
is a resource for humanity and I furthermore would suggest that
without further to do I should invite him to join us,
Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik.
Yusuf Chambers: Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa
Barakatuh!
Dr. Zakir: Walaikum Asaalam Wa Rehmatullahi Wa Barkathu!
Yusuf Chambers Kaif Halak?
Dr. Zakir: Allah Barak fi
Yusuf Chambers Alhumdulillah, please have a seat.
Dr. Zakir: JazakAllahu Khairan..Shukran
Yusuf Chambers: Dr. Zakir is there any information that you need
to impart to the viewers of Peace TV before we start this long series
of interviews and Question and Answer session regarding
Ramadhaan – A Date with Dr. Zakir.
Dr. Zakir: Alhumdulillah, Was Salaatu Was Salaam Aala Rasoolillah
Wa Ala Aalihi Wa Ashaabihi Wa Ajma‟een, Amma Baad.
A‟uzu billahi minash shaytan nir-rajeem, Bismillah hirrahman
nirraheem.
Rabbish rahli Şadri Wa Yassir Li „Amri Wa Ahlul `Uqdatam Min
Lisaani Yafqahu Qawli.
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3. Before we start this long series of episodes, Ramadhaan – A Date
with Dr. Zakir, I would like to make my position very clear that I
consider myself to be a student of knowledge, I consider myself to
be a Talib-e-ilm, I don‟t consider that I am a scholar to give Fatwas,
as far as Islamic ruling is concerned. And as far as this topic on
Ramadhaan there are various issues and there are various
differences of opinions as far as different scholars are concerned…
as far as the different schools of thoughts are concerned.
Since there are only 4 verses in the Quran dealing directly with
Ramadhaan that‟s Surah Baqarah ch. 2 verse no. 183, verse no.
184, verse no. 185 and verse no. 187. There are indirectly a few
verses but directly only 4 verses so most of the rulings are based on
the Hadith and some scholars have used Da‟if Hadith, some have
used Moudhu Hadith, some have used Sahih Hadith so as far as
what I will be answering it will basically be the views of the few
scholars. Only I will be selecting those scholars who I feel have
quoted on the base of Quran and Sahih Hadith so it may not agree
with some of the viewers‟ view which they‟re used to. Our opinion
should always based on Quran and Sahih Hadith when required I
may give the difference of opinion of different scholars and I will
name the scholars if required. Most of the times I will not name but
I‟d like to make it very clear at the outset that all the answers as far
as Ramadhaan issues are concerned, none of them are my own
answers, they are basically some of the other scholars who have
said and I will try my level best to name the scholars whenever
required so that no one feels that I am trying to give my own
opinion but I always believe that the answer should be based on
Quran and Sahih Hadith so that I try my level best and InshaAllah
as far as possible whenever I quote a Hadith I will try and give the
references whether from Sahih Bukhari or Sahih Muslim the Vol. no.
as well as Hadith no. so that people can, you know, check it up and
as far as possible the hadith I will be quoting will be authentic and
similarly with the verses of the Quran ands that‟s my normal
method of giving replies so that people whenever they get the
answer, they get from the authentic sources, Quran and Sahih
Hadith. And whatever right or good that comes out from my mouth
will be from Allah (swt) and whatever wrong and mistakes that
come from my mouth, will be from my side and from the side of the
Shaitaan.
So I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed and I pray to
Allah (swt) that may this series be beneficial for all of us including
the viewers, InshaAllah.
Yusuf Chambers: Ameen…Jazak Allah Khair.
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4. Now to the show… This show comprises of 2 separate parts. The
first part would be a live interview between myself and Dr. Zakir
Naik regarding the topic, a chosen topic about Ramadhaan and the
second part will be your questions answered by Dr. Zakir Naik on
the particular topic of the day, Alhamdulillah. Brothers and Sisters
I‟d like to review the list of the topics that we‟d be discussing
InshaAllah over the next 32 days. And by the way brothers and
sisters you may be wondering that why on earth we‟re covering 32
days? Are we strange? No we are not strange. In actual fact we are
so concerned about all the brothers and sisters, all in different parts
of the world that of course that Ramadhaan occurs a slightly
different days one day here and the difference. So we‟re covering all
the world and all the Muslims, InshaAllah. May Allah accept it from
us, InshaAllah.
Alright! Without further to do lets go through the list brothers and
sisters.
The first day topic no. 1, Episode no. 1 will be “Let‟ welcome
Ramadhaan starts today”
The second episode: “Common Errors committed by the Muslims
during Ramadhaan”
The Third: “Introduction to Ramadhaan”
The Fourth: “When is fasting obligatory and exempted”
No. 5: “Acts that invalidate the Fast and acts prohibited during
fasting”
No. 6: “Acts permitted during fasting”
No. 7: “Acts recommended and Discouraged during Fasting”
No. 8: “The Suhoor and Iftaar”
No. 9: “Objectives of Fasting”
No. 10: “Benefits of Fasting”
Episode no. 11: “Ramadhaan, the month of repentance”
And 12: “Ramadhaan, the month of supplications”
No. 13 and 14: “Qiymul Layl, Part 1 and 2”
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5. No. 15 that‟s almost.. well that‟s half way through Ramadhaan
brothers and sisters: “Ramadhaan the month of the Quran Part 1”
No. 16: “Ramadhaan the month of the Quran Part 2”
17: “Zakaah – Part 1”
18: “Zakaah – Part 2”
19: “Zakaah – Part 3”
No. 20: “Laytul Qadr”, InshaAllah just in time in the last 10 days of
Ramadhaan where you could try and find that auspicious night.
No. 21: “I‟tikaaf”
No. 22: Episode no. 22 “Ramadhaan, the month of self-
improvement and Islah – Part 1”
and followed by on the 23rd “Ramadhaan, the month of self-
improvement and Islah – Part 2”.
And the third day after that episode 24 “Ramadhaan, the month of
self-improvement and Islah – Part 3”
Episode 25: “Ramadhaan, the month of self-improvement and Islah
– Part 4”
Episode 26: “Da‟wah to non-muslims in the month of Ramadhaan”
Episode 27 is “Qadha fast, Fidhiya and Kafara fast”
Episode 28 is “Sighting of the moon”
Episode 29 is “Zakaat ul Fitra”
Episode 30 is “Ed ul Fitr”
And Episode 31 is “Voluntary fast and prohibited fast”
And finally last but not least Episode 32 “From this Ramadhaan until
the next”
Dr. Zakir particularly what are your comments on the selection of
these topics?
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6. Dr. Zakir: Alhamdulillah all the topics that we have discussed and
have categorized Alhamdulillah in a different days so that it will
benefit the viewers knowing about the details about the details of
the month of Ramadhaan. And it will also help me in replying to the
question they are going to pose to me because many a times some
of the questions, they will overlap so I will see to it that I reply
specifically on the day that the topic you have asked and I see to it
that I will reply in detail on that specific date. And if its supposed to
be mentioned earlier then may be I will just give a brief comment.
But one point to be noted is that most of these topics, I feel should
be discussed much before the month of Ramadhaan starts. There
may be a few topics which may be discussed any time of the year
for example Voluntary fast, these topics can be discussed any time
of the year. There are some topics like I‟tiqaaf and Layatul Qadr
which should be discussed just before the last 10 days which we‟d
be doing InshaAllah. And some topics like Eid ul Fitr should be
discussed just before Eid. But most of the topics that we‟d be
discussing, they should be discussed before Ramadhaan for
example we will be discussing Iftaar and Suhoor on the 8th day,
we‟ll be discussing things or acts that invalidate the fast on the 5th
day and we will be starting our fast on the 1st day of Ramadhaan.
So it doesn‟t make sense. So actually we should start much before
at least 3 or 4 weeks before the month of Ramadhaan begins.
But I do agree that the reason we are starting from Day 1 of
Ramadhaan is because more of Muslims watch the Islamic
programmes in the month of Ramadhaan than on any other days so
the viewer ship in the month of Ramadhaan is much higher. So
Alhamdulillah, its right that we are starting on Day 1 but it should
be shown again after may be a few months so that it is a
preparation for the next Ramadhaan.
Yusuf Chambers: MashaAllah. well… all the topics Dr Zakir
assuming seem to have been logically positioned and scientifically
chosen by yourself and one thing I do appreciate that we have
added in the first couple of topics Let‟s welcome Ramadhaan so
that‟s very logical that the first day everybody is very keen to you
know go about Ramadhaan in a proper way so that would be very
beneficial for the viewers. And secondly common errors which are
committed by Muslims during this month, the second day. So first
two days are health warnings if you like.
Dr. Zakir: Alright, Alhamdulillah.
Yusuf Chambers: Alhumdulillah. Let‟s go straight into the
questions regarding the preparation. What did Rasoolullah (saws)
do in order to welcome Ramadhaan? What was his preparation for
Ramadhaan?
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7. Dr. Zakir: There is a Hadith which is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari
Vol. no. 3 Book of Fasting Hadith no. 1969,
The wife of the Prophet Hazrat Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with
her, she says that the Prophet, he never fasted any month
completely except the month of Ramadhaan. And in no month did
he fast as many days as he fasted in the month of Shabaan.
So from this Hadith we come to know that Prophet Muhammad
(saws) in order to welcome the month of Ramadhaan he used to
start, he used to prepare himself and fast more in the previous
month that is the month of Shabaan. That was his way how he used
to prepare for the month of Ramadhaan.
And further if you read, it‟s a Sahih Hadith in Tirmidhi ch. no. 50
Hadith no. 3451 which says that
Talha, may Allah be pleased with him, he said on the authority of
his father that his father i.e. his grandfather, he said whenever the
Prophet saw the new moon he used to always pray to Allah (swt)
and say “O Allah bless us in this month” and he used to mention the
name of that month and then say that “Please keep us steadfast in
faith in this month”
This was his way, the Prophet always used to pray to Allah (swt)
whenever he saw a new moon. It wasn‟t specifically only for the
new moon for the month of Ramadhaan but it was for all new
moons whenever he used to see it. And his special way of
welcoming the month of Ramadhaan was that he used to mention
about the coming of this blessed month to the people.
And its mentioned in Musnad Ahmad Vol. no. 2 page no. 230 Hadith
no. 7148 where Prophet Muhammad (saws), he used to tell the
people that
“O people this blessed month is approaching you and Allah (swt)
has ordained for you that you fast in this month and the gates of
heaven will be opened in this month and the gates of hell will be
closed and the devils will be chained. And in this month there is a
night which is better than a thousands months. And if any one is
deprived of Allah (swt)‟s blessing in this month he is truly a
deprived person.”
So here we come to know that this is how Prophet Muhammad
(saws) used to welcome this month and used to tell the good news
of the blessed month to come to all the people.
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8. Yusuf Chambers: MashaAllah. The next question to you is what
should we do when Ramadhaan approaches?
Dr. Zakir: The first thing we should do is we should thank Allah
(swt) for making us witness this blessed month of Ramadhaan once
again. And we have to thank him for his mercy and we have to ask
forgiveness in this month so that all our previous sins will be
forgiven. And we have to thank him for all the “Ni‟mat” He has
given us, all the blessings, all the love, this is the best month.
And Allah (swt) says in the Quran in Surah Baqarah ch. no. 2 verse
no. 185, it says
“Shahru ramadana allathee onzila feehi alqur-anu hudan
lilnnasi wabayyinatin mina alhuda waalfurqan”
which means that “Ramadhaan is the month in which the Quran was
reveled as a guidance for mankind and signs for guidance and
judgment between right and wrong.”
And Allah further says in the Quran in Surah Baqarah ch. no. 2
verse no. 183, Allah says
“Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo” O you who believe “kutiba
alaykumu alssiyamu kama kutiba ala allatheena min
qablikum laAAallakum tattaqoon”
“O you who believe fasting was prescribed to you as it was
prescribed to people who came before you so that you may learn
self restraint”.
The word used here is „tattaqoon’ similar to „Taqwa‟ so that you
learn God consciousness, so that you learn piety, so that you learn
righteousness. So this is the month in which a person can become
more righteous, this is a time when our Taqwa can be the highest.
And this is a month, it is an annual training, it is a sought of an
overhauling of the body how we have that every machinery requires
some sought of servicing may be every 3 months, may be every
year and if you allow me to call the human beings as the best
machinery in the world, doesn‟t it require a servicing or
overhauling? So Ramadhaan is an annual overhauling of the human
body. It is a spiritual and moral training for the human being and it
is a purification of the body mind and soul. This is the month where
we can increase our Taqwa, we can increase our patience and we
can derive the benefits and the guidance from the Quran.
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9. Yusuf Chambers: SubhanAllah! Jazak Allah Khair! Beautiful
answer. Next question, what are your particular words of advice
regarding the…on the occasion of Ramadhaan approaching us?
Dr. Zakir: My advice would be that every Muslim he or she should
make it a point that they should make a resolution that they should
fast each and every day of this blessed month of Ramadhaan. And
we should try and acquire all the benefits of this month and we
should not to waste a single minute in this blessed month on things
which are trivial and try and concentrate as much as possible in
remembering Allah (swt). We should try and look for His mercy, we
have to try and ask for forgiveness, we have to try and seek for His
love and we have to try and increase our piety, our righteousness
and our patience.
And our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said in Sahih Bukhari
Vol. no. 3 in the Book of Fasting Hadith no.1903 our beloved
Prophet Muhammad (saws) said:
“Anyone who does not leave the false action and false speech, Allah
(swt) does not care if he leaves his eating and drinking”
That means if a person does not abstain from false action and false
speech, Allah (swt) does not care if you abstain from food and
drink. That means your fasting will not be accepted unless you stay
away from false action and false speech.
And our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) he also said its
mentioned in Sahih Hadith which is written in Musnad Ahmad Vol.
no. 2 page no. 230 Hadith no. 7148 and it also appears in Sunan
Nasai ch. no. 5 Hadith no. 2106 where our beloved Prophet
Muhammad (saws) said
“O people the blessed month of Ramadhaan is approaching and
Allah has ordained for you that you fast in this month and the gates
of heaven will be opened in this month and the gates of hell will be
closed and the devils, they will be chained, In this month is the
night which is better than a thousand months and if a person is
deprived of the blessings in this month he is truly a deprived
person”
So we have to make it a point that we gain the benefits of this
blessed month.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said it‟s mentioned in Sahih
Bukhari Vol. no. 3 in the Book of Fasting Hadith no. 1901
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said that
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10. “Anyone who fasts in this month with Faith seeking the reward of
Allah (swt) all his past sins will be forgiven.”
That means if he truly with sincerity fasts in this month and seeks
the reward of Allah (swt) all our past sins will be forgiven. Imagine
it is such an easy way to have our sins forgiven of the past.
And our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) also said it‟s mentioned
in Sahih Bukhari Viol. No. 3 in the Book of Fasting Hadith no. 1904
it‟s a very long Hadith which has basically 4 points
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said that
“All the children of Adam, all the deeds that they do are for
themselves except for fasting. Fasting is for me and I will reward
him.
And he further said that Fasting is a shield, it prevents you from sin
and a person who observes the fast he should abstain from
obscenity from yelling and from ignorance and if someone yells at
him or abuses him he should say I am fasting, I am fasting.
And the third point our beloved Prophet said in this Hadith is that I
swear by Allah in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (saws) that
the breath of a faster, the person who fasts is sweeter to Allah
(Swt) than the scent of musk.”
Yusuf: Allahu Akbar!
Dr. Zakir: And we find him saying in this Hadith that there are 2
things when a faster is happy and looks forward to it. The first is
when he breaks the fast and the second is when he meets the Lord,
Allah (swt).
And further its mentioned in the Quran in Surah Nur ch. no. 24
verse no. 31, it says
“O you believe truly have faith in Allah (swt) and seek the bliss.”
That means try and enter Jannah.
Its mentioned in Surah Ahqaaf ch. no. 46 verse no. 13 and 14 that
“Those are the people who worship none but Allah (swt) and they
are steadfast in Faith, the word is „Istiqam‟. They are steadfast in
faith that there is only one Allah and no one else and they shall not
have any fear neither shall they give. Theses are the people who
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11. are the people of paradise. And they shall be rewarded for all the
goods that they have done.”
Yusuf: Allahu Akbar!
Dr. Zakir: So this is the advice for the people that they should take
the best of this month and should not spend time on trivial things
and spend their time in the worship of Allah and remembering Allah
(swt) and asking for forgiveness.
Yusuf Chambers: MashaAllah! Next question is, you have included
to that in some of the beautiful Ahadith you have mentioned just
now but.. ah.. what specific reason is it that Ramadhaan is called
the month of forgiveness or known as the month of mercy?
Dr. Zakir: Yes, as I mentioned earlier that our beloved Prophet
Muhammad (saws) said its in a Hadith of Sahih Bukhari Vol. no. 3
Book of Fasting Hadith no. 1901 our beloved Prophet Muhammad
(saws) said that
“If anyone fasts in the month of Ramadhaan with the proper
intention, with faith and asking reward from Allah (swt), He will
forgive all your past sins”
And this message is further repeated in Musnad Ahmad Vol. no. 3
Hadith no.11524 where its mentioned that
“Any person who fasts in the month of Ramadhaan with the proper
intention seeking the reward of Allah (swt), he will have all his
previous sins atoned.”
And further its mentioned in Sahih Muslim Vol. no. 1 Hadith no. 450
our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said that
“The time between the 5 prayers and the 2 Jumu‟ah‟s and from one
Ramadhaan to the other is the time for expiations of your sins.” It is
the time where you can have all your sins forgiven
And our Prophet Muhammad (saws) also said its mentioned in Sahih
Muslim Vol. no. 4 in the Book of Tawbah Hadith no. 6644 our
beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said that
“Allah (swt) at the night time, a person who asks fore forgiveness,
he forgives the sin for the sin he has committed in the day and
Allah (swt) in the day time, He forgives the sin for a person who
asks for forgiveness for the sins he has committed in the night.”
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12. So this is the best month for forgiveness, the month of Ramadhaan
where you can easily have your sins forgiven because the gates of
heaves open and the gates of hell are closed. Therefore it‟s called
the month of forgiveness.
Yusuf Chambers: Allahu Akbar! No wonder everybody wants to be
active in that month. Now we know why. SubhanAllah. Dr. Zakir
amm… are there any particular activities a Muslim should
concentrate upon during this blessed month of Ramadhaan and of
course we should relate to you the importance of the fact that our
viewers really can gain massive benefit by knowing specific
activities they can get involved in and they can start planning the
Ramadhaan now.
Dr. Zakir: Yes, I believe that this is a very good question because
most of the activities we‟ll be dealing as time goes on in the episode
but just to give a brief outline I will just specify a few important
because the whole answer will take very long..
Yusuf: Yeah..
Dr. Zakir: ..The few important points to be noted is that no. 1 it is
the Niya. The Niya is very important. The Niya of fasting should only
be for Allah (swt). And for a fasting to be accepted the Niya is
important. For making the Niyya is very important without which
the fasting will not be accepted.
No.2 is observing the Sunnah of the fast that we‟ll be dealing in
detail in the next few days but just a point to be noted that one of
the important Sunnah is that we should have Suhoor as late as
possible i.e. just before the break of Dawn, just before Fajr Salaah.
And we should break our fast, have Iftaar as early as possible,
immediately after sunset.
Further more in this blessed month we should be careful and we
should avoid all things which are prohibited, which are Haraam and
all things which are Maqrooh and this is the best opportunity where
a person, if he has certain activities which are against the Shariah
whether it be the Haraam activities or Maqrooh activities this is the
best time he can abstain from it. And that will be a good habit which
InshaAllah he may abstain may be throughout his life
for example if a person is habituated to alcohol if he can abstain
form alcohol from the break of dawn to sunset, he can abstain from
it from the cradle to the grave. Similarly we should take care that
we should abstain from things that are Maqrooh for example it is
Maqrooh to stand and drink water and if you are habituated to that
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13. so see to it that in the month of Ramadhaan while having water we
should sit-down. This is the Sunnah of the Prophet. So it‟s a good
month in which you can abstain from the Haraam activities which
you have been doing may be some of them or the Maqrooh
activities.
Furthermore it‟s a good time where you can implement many of the
Sunnah of the Prophet in your day-to-day life. For example maybe
sporting a beard, many Muslims don‟t have a beard so it‟s a good
month where you can follow the Sunnah of the Prophet. The Sunnah
of the Prophet about the Duas of when you enter the home, when
you leave the toilet, the dua that is there when you are traveling in
your vehicle “Subhaanal-lathee sakhkhara lanaa haathaa wa maa
kunnaa lahu muqrineen. Wa 'innaa 'ilaa Rabbinaa lamunqaliboon”
So this is a good month in which you can adopt as much as Sunnah
as possible so that we can be on the straight path. This is a very
good month where you should see to it that you should offer the
Salaah not only the 5 times Salaah which is the Fard even try and
offer as many Nawafil and Sunnah. And if you are not habituated to
reading in congregation see to it that you get the congregation and
as far as possible go to the Mosque for the Salaah.
In this month we should be particular that you do not miss the
Taraweeh. Many people think and it is a fact that it is a Sunnah but
many people think because it s a Sunnah we can miss Taraweeh.
Taraweeh is a very important Sunnah though its not a Fard but
every Muslim should make it a point that as far as possible they
should attend Taraweeh because the blessing it has. So Taraweeh is
very important which Muslims should never miss. And when we
offer Taraweeh many of us we rush through Taraweeh because we
want to complete the Quran and many of them read the Taraweeh
100 miles per hour. You should read the Taraweeh with patience at
a moderate pace so that the people can understand what is the
command of Allah (swt). And if time permits and if possible you
should try and do I‟tikaaf in the last 10 days and while doing I‟tikaaf
make it a point that you don‟t socialize. Many people make a
mistake of socializing during I‟tikaaf so the whole purpose of I‟tikaaf
is defeated. Furthermore we should do more of dua in this month,
we should do more supplications. This is the month of Dua and we
should do more Dhikr, spend time in remembering Allah (Swt) and
also worshipping Him. This is the month in which we should try and
read as much as Quran as possible besides reciting the Quran in
Arabic, if you know Arabic as a language then there‟s no problem
but if you don‟t know then also read the translation of the Quran in
the language we understand the best. If you understand English,
you read in English, if you understand Urdu, you read in Urdu. Read
it in the language you understand the best. Burt while reciting the
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14. Quran for which you‟ll get Sawab also read the translation of the
Quran so that you can implement on the guidance of Allah (swt).
If possible read the Quran once in every 7 days or at lest read one
Juz everyday so that you complete the Quran at least once in the
full month of Ramadhaan. In this month try and read as much as
Hadith as possible but see to it that you read the authentic Ahadith
and the best book on Ahadith is the book of Sahih Bukhari then is
Sahih Muslim you can read the other Kutube Sittah but read
authentic books on Hadith, read books on the lifestyle and the
Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (saws)
See to it that if you have not given the Zakaat, please give the
Zakaat which is an obligatory charity and every rich person who has
a saving of more than the Nisaab level, more than 85 grams of gold
he or she should give 2.5% of his saving every lunar year in charity
i.e. Zakaat. And many people, they do not calculate the Zakaat
properly. You may get a point that you calculate the Zakaat
honestly and it is better to give little bit more rather than to give
less. So calculate it properly and see to it that you give your
Zakaat. And this Ramadhaan is a month of generosity, it‟s a month
of Sadqa and you get 10 times more reward for your good deeds.
So this is the month where you should give maximum charity and
besides that we should make it a point that during this month we
should be cheerful. Many of the Muslims they look dull, they look
gloomy. You should be cheerful and happy. And we should give
more time to our family. Many a times we neglect our family so we
should see to it that we give more time to our family and do all
these activities collectively. We should also have Husn-e-Suluk to
the people around you that means we should deal with the other
human beings with mercy, with love, with care. If they have done
some mistakes we have to forgive them. It‟s the month of
forgiveness. If you have done something wrong to them ask for
forgiveness. Live with the people around you with love, care and
with affection. We should do „Tafakkur‟ that means ponder on the
things. See to it that you plan your month of Ramadhaan very
properly and see to it that you do not waste not even a minute, not
even a second. This is the month of gaining and this month is the
best month of self improvement also. And besides that we should
also make it a point to do Islah with your other Muslim brothers and
sisters. It‟s also the best month to do Da‟wah that I convey the
message of Islam to the non-Muslims. So it‟s my request to my
brothers and sisters that plan your month efficiently and see to it
that you utilize every second of this blessed month.
Yusuf Chambers: Ameen…Dr. Zakir, Ramadhaan is a month of
opportunities; it‟s a month of blessed opportunities. What are the
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15. conditions that a person needs to have these deeds accepted by
Allah (swt)?
Dr. Zakir: The basic 2 conditions are no. 1 is the intention. It
should only be for Allah (swt) and no one else. Whatever deed you
do, it should only be for Allah (swt) and no one else. This is very
important. If this condition is not met then all your deeds are
wasted.
And Allah (swt) says in the Quran in Surah Bayyinah ch. no. 98
verse no. 5, it says that
“You worship none but Allah (swt).” And you do it only for Him and
for no one else.
It is further mentioned in Surah Insaan ch. no. 76 verse no. 9, it
says that
“We have fed you for the sake of Allah (swt), for the pleasure of
Allah (swt). We do not require nay reward from you, nor do we
require any returns.”
That means if you feed some one, it is for the sake of Allah (swt).
Not seeking a reward or not seeking anything in return. This is a
very important factor that you should note. All your actions should
be for the sake of Alalh (swt) that‟s a very important factor.
And further its mentioned in the Quran in Surah Shooraa ch. no. 42
verse no. 20 that
“If you do a deed for the tilt, for the reward in the hereafter, Allah
(swt) will multiply your reward, your tilt in the hereafter. And if you
do a deed or any action for a reward in this world Allah will give you
the reward in this world but you‟ll have no share in the hereafter.”
Allah repeats that message in Surah Hood ch. no. 11 verse no. 15
to 16 that
“Anyone who seeks the reward in this world or does any deed for
this world and for the glitter of this world, Allah (swt) will surly give
it in this world but he will have no share in the hereafter except fire,
except hell and all his deeds will not be useful in the hereafter.”
So therefore whatever we do should be for Allah (Swt). And the
second caliph of Islam, Hazrat Umar may Allah be pleased with him,
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16. its mentioned in Sahih Bukhari Vol. no. 1 Hadith no. 1, Hazrat
Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, he said that the beloved
Prophet Muhammad (saws) said
“Innamal A‟malu bin neeya”
Which means your deeds are judged on your intention.
And the Prophet further said that all your actions are based on your
intentions and anyone who has migrated for Allah and His Rasool,
he has migrated for Allah and His Rasool. If anyone has done an
Hijra, migrated for the worldly benefits or for marriage he has
migrated for worldly benefits and marriage. So Neeya is very
important.
And this is further repeated in another Hadith in Sahih Muslim Vol
no. 4 Hadith no. 7114 it says that our beloved Prophet Muhammad
(saws) said that
“Allah (swt) says that I am alone sufficient, I do not require any
associate and if anyone does any deed for anyone else as well as for
me I renounce that for the person who he has associated to.”
That means you can‟t do part of the deed for Allah and part for
someone else. You have to do completely for the sake of Allah
(swt), only for him and no one else. Allah does not like anyone
being associated Him. That‟s very important. So this is a basic point
i.e. the Neeya.
The second point to be noted for our deeds to be acceptable is that
our deeds should be based on the Shariah, it should be in
accordance to Allah and His Rasool, accordance to the teachings of
the Quran and teachings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws).
It‟s mentioned in Sahih Muslim Vol. no. 3 Hadith no. 4267 where
our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said that
“If your deeds and actions are not according to our way, according
to the religion of Islam, according to Quran and Sahih Hadith then
that is rejected.”
That means for your deeds to be accepted, it should be according to
the Quran and Sahih Hadith.
And its also mentioned in another Sahih Hadith of Abu Dawud Vol.
no. 3 Hadith no. 4950, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said
that he told the people that
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17. “Follow my example and the example of Khulfa Rashadeen that‟s
the rightly guided Caliphs.”
So if you follow them and cling to it with eyeteeth that means
strongly follow it the Sunnah of the Prophet, “my Sunnah” the
Prophet said that his Sunnah, his way and the way of the Khulfa
Rashadeen that‟s rightly guided Caliphs. So for deeds to be
accepted our Neeya should be only for Allah (Swt) and it should be
according to the Shariah, Quran and Sahih Hadith.
Yusuf Chambers: SubhanAllah! JazakAllah Khair for those
answers. Now, Alhamdulillah, this is a part of the show as we
promised if time permitting we have time to receive some of your
questions related to the topic we would do so and we do have a
little bit of time so Dr. Zakir why is it that Ramadhaan specifically is
put on not only in terms of ..ah.. It being welcomed what about
other months like Hajj, the month of Hajj etc.
Dr. Zakir: The reason we Muslims welcome the month of
Ramadhaan.. all the months in the year are good, Alhamdulillah,
but the reason we specifically welcome the month of Ramadhaan
because Ramadhaan is the month of forgiveness. It is the month as
I mentioned earlier, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) said
that the doors of heaven will be opened, the gates of hell will be
closed and the devils will be changed. So because of this reason,
this month is welcomed and whatever deed we do, it will be
multiplied 10 times. The reward that we get for every deed in this
month is 10 times more because of this and whatever we ask for
forgiveness as our beloved Prophet said that if we fast for the full
month of Ramadhaan wit the true intention and with proper faith
asking reward from Allah (Swt), all our past sins will be forgiven. Its
mentioned in Sahih Bukhari Vol. no. 3 Book of Fasting Hadith no.
1901 so because of this purpose, this month is welcomed so that
we look forward for our sins to be forgiven and for our deeds to be
multiplied, our good deeds to be multiplied that‟s the reason
specifically we Muslims, we welcome this month of Ramadhaan.
Yusuf Chambers: MashaAllah. Next question a quite equal
important actually is about how people welcome Ramadhaan with
certain sayings „Ramadhaan Mubarak‟. Some people say it‟s a Bid‟ah
and others say it‟s a Sunnah, what is your ruling on this?
Dr. Zakir: To welcome month is good Alhamdulillah and our
Prophet always informed that the people about this month and as I
mentioned earlier that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws)
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18. its mentioned in Musnad Ahmad Vol. no. 2 page no. 230 Hadith no.
7148 which is also repeated, it is mentioned in Sunan Nasai ch. no.
5 Hadith no. 2106 that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws), he
used to always tell the people when the month used to approach,
when it used to come the Prophet used to tell in advance
“O people the blessed month of Ramadhaan is approaching you and
Allah (swt) has ordained for you that you fast in this month and the
gates of heaven will be open and the gates of hell will be closed and
the Satan will be chained and in this month is the night of Qadr
which is better than a thousand months and if you will be deprived
of the Sawab, of the blessings you are really a deprived person.”
So the Prophet used to welcome this month. He used to wish other
people. So same way today if you wish others the Prophet said the
blessed month is approaching. If someone says Ramadhaan
Mubarak, this Ramadhaan Mubarak is more often said in the Indian
subcontinent by the Indians, by the Pakistanis because this word
Mubarak, „barka‟ is an Arabic word, barka means blessing and it is
nothing but blessed month but when the Indians and Pakistanis,
when they use the word Mubarak it is more of a sought of
congratulation. When someone passes an examination they say
Mubarak in Urdu which is derived from the Arabic word Baraka so
when Ramadhaan comes they wish Ramadhaan Mubarak. Saying
that it is the blessed month or a sought of congratulating and
wishing each other that the blessed month is approaching. So
according to me its not a Bidaah, you can welcome the month, it‟s a
good thing that they are calling this month a blessed month and
you are informing other people, reminding them that in this month
is a lot of blessing. So according to me it‟s not a Bidaah. But how
you wish, the words you choose that is Muba, that‟s optional. Like in
Indian subcontinent we use the word Ramadhaan Mubarak, in the
Gulf countries they use Ramadhaan Karim so all these words are
good, the holy month or the blessed month or the month of
forgiveness so the choice of words is yours. But the Prophet
Muhammad (saws) he used to say to the people that O people the
blessed month of Ramadhaan is approaching. So I feel people
should wish each other and they should remind each other about
this blessed month.
Yusuf Chambers: MashaAllah. JazakAllah Khair Dr. Zakir Naik that
brings an end to the questions unfortunately we don‟t have more
time otherwise we could answer so many questions we have
received on email from our viewers, Peace TV.
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19. Brothers and sisters, JazakAllah Khair. Its been an absolute
pleasure listening to Dr. Zakir Naik‟s answers today on Let‟s
welcome Ramadhaan.
Tomorrow we‟ll be discussing common errors which were made by
Muslims during the month of Ramadhaan. So I hope you do
understand. Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh!
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