Merits of Rajab and Fasting in it
[A translation of a chapter on the month of Rajab in Nuzhat al-Majālis wa Muntakhabun Nafā-is by ash-Shaykh ‘Abdur Rahmān ibn ‘Abdissalām as-Saffūriy ash-Shafi’iy
Translation by Ahmed Nibras and Hasbullah Shafi’iy]
The Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gaylānī, may Allah be pleased with him, said in al-Ghunyah:
On the first night of Rajab, it is said:
إلهي تعرض إليك في هذه الليلة المتعرضون وقصدك القاصدون وأمل معروفك وفضلك الطالبون ولك في هذه الليلة نفحات وجوائز وعطايا ومواهب تمن بها على من تشاء من عبادك وتمنعها عمن لم تسبق له منك عناية وها أنا عبدك الفقير إليك المؤمل فضلك ومعروفك فإن كنت يا مولاي تفضلت في هذه الليلة على أحد من خلقك و جدت عليه بعائدة من عطفك فصل على محمد و آله وجد علي بطولك ومعروفك يا رب العالمين
“O Allåh, to You the applicants apply this night, to You the aspirants aspire, and for Your gracious bounty and beneficence the seekers look in hope. You have special favors [nafaHāt] to bestow this night, and prizes and gifts and presents. You will bestow them upon whomever You choose from among Your servants, and You will withhold them from those who are not ready to receive Your providential care [‹inåya]. Well, here am I, Your servant who is sorely in need of You, hoping for Your gracious bounty and beneficence! If it pleases You, O my Master [yå Mawlåya], to bestow Your grace this night upon one of Your creatures, and if You will be so generous as to grant him a favor out of Your kindness, then bless Muhammad and his family, and let me enjoy Your superabundance and beneficence, O Lord of All the Worlds [yå Rabba’l-‹Álamn]!”
The first night of Rajab is considered amongst the nights in which the du’ā is accepted as mentioned in ar-Raudah.
As-Subkiy mentions in his Tabaqāt that one of the noble men (of piety, righteous conduct and spiritual status) asked Allah for al-wafā* on the first night of Rajab.
[*al-Wafā could be understood as the fulfilment of what one has pledged to Allah Most High as mentioned in the 23rd verse of Sūrah al-Ahzāb.]
I saw in (the book) al-Barakah a hadīth transmitted from the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم that he said, “Who fasts on the first Thursday of Rajab, it will then be upon Allah to make him enter the Garden.”
Benefits of this month
1. It is transmitted from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that he said, “Who utters a hundred times every day the phrase Subhānal Hayyil Qayyūm during the first ten days of Rajab, and during the second ten days Subhānallāhil Ahadis-Samad a hundred times each day, and during the third ten days Subhānallāhir-Raūf a hundred times, its reward will be such that no describer will be able to describe it.”
2. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is reported to have said, “Verily Rajab is the month of Allah and Sha’bān is my month, and Ramadān is the month of my ummah. Who fasts for one day in the month of Rajab with faith (īmānan) and sacrificing his desires expecting Allah’s reward on the Day of Judgment (ihtisāban) has become worthy of Allah’s greatest pleasure and of residing in the highest Garden called Firdaus; who fasts two days in the month, his reward will be multiplied, each increase being the magnitude of the mountains of the world; who fasts three days, Allah will place between him and the Fire a trench the length of which will be equivalent to the duration of a year’s travel; who fasts four days, will be freed from trials, madness, illnesses that cause the limbs to be cut off, leprosy and from the trails of the False Messiah (al-Maseeh ad-Dajjāl); who fasts five days will be safe from torments in the grave; who fasts six days, will be raised from his grave with a glowing countenance that will be brighter than the full moon at night in the middle of the month; who fasts seven days, the seven doors of Hell (Jahannam) will be closed for him; who fasts eight days in the month – and take note that there are eight gates of Paradise (Jannah) – each gate will be opened for him for each day he fasts; who fasts nine days, will rise from his grave calling out Lā ilāha illallāh and his face (and direction thenceforth) will not avert to anything other than the Garden (Jannah); who fasts ten days of the month, Allah will place for him on the Sirāt (the bridge that will have to be crossed on the Day of Judgment to enter the Garden) a comfortable spread for every mayl of the Sirāt to rest upon before continuing (and we have mentioned before that each mayl is four thousand steps); who fasts eleven days of the month, he will not see anyone better than him except one who had fasted the same or more than him; who fasts twelve days, Allah will clothe him with two suits of clothing each better than the Dunyā; who fasts thirteen days, a table spread will be placed for him under the Throne and he will dine therein while mankind will be in a state of great anxiety and distress; who fasts fourteen days Allah will grant him what no eye has seen and no ear has heard and what no heart of man has conceived; who fasts for fifteen days, he will be given to stand on the Day of Judgment at the place of standing reserved for those who are safe (from all fear, grieve and worry); who fasts for sixteen days, he will be (amongst) the first to visit ar-Rahmān, gaze upon Him, hear His speech; who fasts for seventeen days, a resting place will be erected for him on the Sirāt where he can rest (and take his time while crossing the bridge); who fasts eighteen days, will rub shoulders with Ibrāhīm alayhissalām in his domed pavilion; who fasts nineteen days Allah will build a palace for him facing the palace of the Prophets Ibrāhīm and Ādam alayhimassalām (and in another version found in the Ghunyah: “he will greet them with salām and they will greet him with salām” and the one who has recorded this narration said, “perhaps this explains the preceding statement “rubbing shoulders with Ibrāhīm, Allah knows best”); who fasts twenty days in the month, a caller will call out from the samā’ ‘O servant of Allah! As for whatever has passed, Allah has forgiven you, so resume anew in (good) actions for the time that is left for you.”
Shaykh ‘Abdal Qādir al-Gaylānī has mentioned all of the above in his al-Ghunyah. An-Nawawiy has mentioned in his Adhkār concerning weak narrations that it is recommended to act upon them.
3. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “Whoever fasts (any) two days of Rajab, all those who describe the rewards of Allah in the Samā (i.e. the angels) and the earth will not be able to describe the noble position this person has attained with Allah!”.
And he صلى الله عليه و سلم also said, “Honour the month of Rajab and Allah will honour you a thousand more times on the Day of Judgement. And whoever takes a bath in the beginning, middle and end of Rajab (with the intention of honouring the days of this month) his sins will leave him (as when dirt leaves one when one washes himself) and his state will be (as pure) as when his mother gave birth to him."
Ali رضي الله عنه said, “Fasting on the thirteenth day of Rajab is equal to fasting three thousand years, and fasting on the fourteenth day of Rajab is equal to fasting ten thousand years and fasting on the twentieth day of Rajab is equal to fasting a hundred thousand years. The same (reward) will come to him for fasting on the white days of every month (known as الأيام البيض).
The Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “The superiority of Rajab over all the other months is like the superiority of the Quran over all other speech.”
The Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “Whoever fasts one day of Rajab, it will be like he had fasted for forty years”.
The Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “Whoever fasts ten days of Rajab, Allah will make for him two shining wings adorned with pearls and rubies, with it he will be able to fly like a lightning over the Sirat (on Yawm Al Qiyamah).
The Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “There is a palace in the Garden which none but those who observed fast in the month of Rajab will be able to enter.”
The Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم also said, “There is a river in the Garden called Rajab, which is intensely whiter than milk, cooler than ice and sweeter than honey. Whoever fasts a day of Rajab, Allah will give him to drink from that river.”
Abū Dardā radiyallahu ‘anhu reported that the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “Whoever fasts a day of Rajab, it is as if he had spent a lifetime in servitude to Allah by fasting in the days and praying during the nights. When a man fasts the month of Rajab, he will be called from the sky, “O Wali (Friend) of Allah, who has been granted the highest honor!” At the time of his dying, he will be given a drink. He will die without thirst, he will enter his grave without thirst (handsome and fresh) and he will return to Jannah without thirst (handsome and fresh). Abū Dardā added that “the highest honor” is to see Allah’s Noble Countenance.
4. Thaubān رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم passed by some graves and began weeping. He said, “Thaubān! the people in these graves are being punished and I asked Allah to make it light for them. O Thaubān! If they had only fasted a single day in the month of Rajab and had stood up in worship during its night, they would not have suffered this punishment.” So I asked him, “O Prophet of Allah, the punishment of the grave could have been prevented with the fast of a single day and worship during a single night?” He said, “Yes, and verily by Him in Whose hand is my soul, there is no Muslim man or woman who fasts a day of Rajab except that Allah will write for him the reward of spending an entire year, fasting its days and standing its nights in worship.
He صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “ A caller (on the Day of Reckoning) will call out from Allah – O you who constantly fasted in Rajab, enter Jannah and be near Allah!”
I saw in the Tabaqat of Ibn al-Subkiy that Al-Bahi weakened the hadīth which prohibited fasting in Rajab. Then Al-Shafi’i stated in (his days known as) al-Qadīm (his earlier rulings before he settled in Egypt) that he considered it makrūh to fast a whole month other than Ramadān only so that an ignorant person does not consider it obligatory. However, if someone still does it, then he has still done (nothing but) good.”
The Shaykh ‘Izz al-Din bin Abd al-Salam رضي الله عنه said: “Whoever forbids fasting in Rajab is ignorant, and what has been narrated concerning it is that it is desirable (mustahabb) to fast during the sacred months, which are Rajab, Dhu al-Qa`dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram, and that (Muharram) is the best of them. It appears in Ziyādat al-Raudah ‘an (a commentary of the book) al-Bahr*, that the best of the (sacred months) is Rajab, but it is not so. Rather, what is in al-Bahr itself is that the month of Muharram is the best of the sacred months. If someone says to his wife, “You will be divorced in the beginning of the (four) sacred months,” while he is in the north, the divorce takes effect in the beginning of Muharram according to the scholars of Kūfā, while according to consensus, the divorce takes effect in the beginning of Dhul Qa’dah.
[*Not sure what these two books are.]
5. It will be said on the Day of Judgement, “Where are the Rajabiyyūn or the people of Rajab?” Then a light will appear from the Veil, and Jibreel, Mikaeel and Israfeel will follow it until the people of Rajab will attain completion by that light and they will be led (by that light) to reach the station that had been specially prepared for them, and they will fall in prostration (sujūd) to Allah. It will then be said to them, “Raise your heads now, you have fulfilled this duty in the Dunyā; journey now to reach your stations of glory!
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Rajab is the month of Allah” He was asked about its meaning and he said, “Because it is a month for forgiveness, Allah forbade spilling of blood (in it) and Allah granted Tawbah to His prophets and saved His Awliyā from His enemies. Who fasts in this month will be entitled to three things – Forgiveness for all that had passed, protection from the sins for what remains of his life, and the third is that his thirst will be quenched on the Great Day of Reckoning. One among the people listening said, “I am too weak to fast all of it.” He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Fast in its beginning, middle, and end (days), then you will get the reward of one who fasted the entire month.”
6. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about what should someone who was unable to fast during Rajab do. He said, “let him give a loaf of bread every day in charity”. He was asked in return, “what if the person does not have the means to do that as well?” Then the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: let him say –
سبحان من لا ينبغي التسبيح إلا له سبحان الأعز الأكرم سبحان من له العز وهو له أهل
[Subhana Man La Yanbaghee at-tasbeehu Illa Lahu, Subhan al-A’azz Al-Akram, Subhan Man Lahul Izzu wa huwa lahu ahlun]
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى الله عليه وسلم said: When the first night of Rajab comes, Allah, ‘azza wa jall, reveals on that night to my followers that He will forgive the sinners, honor those who repent, bring those who remember Him closer to Him, and He will be close with those who struggle (in earning His pleasure). So, whoever rises up that night for prayer, the dawn will find him completely forgiven and whoever fasts the entire month of Rajab, Allah Almighty will call him and say: “My dear one, you have fulfilled your duty to Me, so now ask Me! By My Glory and Majesty, rest assured that I will not return your du’ā unanswered! You are next to Me, under my ‘Arsh! You are distinguished with My Love over My other creatures. You generously offered your service to me and I give you glad tidings, there is now no barrier between you and Me.” This is narrated in the book Rawd al-Afkār from Kitāb an-Nūr.
Abu Sa’eed said: I entered upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم on the first day of Rajab and he asked me: “O Abā Sa’eed, which day is most abundant in its goodness, and which day is the greatest in its blessings? I said, “Which day is that O dear Nabi of Allah”. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: Jibreel informed me that when the first night of Rajab arrives Allah would command an angel to call out “Ah! The month of repentance has arrived! Blessed are those who seek forgiveness from Allah in it!”
And he صلى الله عليه وسلم also said: Whoever fasts on the first day of Rajab, Hell will be far away from him to the measure of space between the samaa and the ard.
On the authority of Ibn Mas’oud رضي الله عنه the Prophet said: “Whoever fasts three days of Rajab and spends the nights in worship will get a reward the like of someone who fasted for three thousand years each night standing in worship, Allah will forgive him seventy major sins for each night and fulfill seventy needs for him at his moment of death and also fulfill seventy needs for him while he is on the Sirāt (on the Day of Judgement).
7. I saw in al-Ghunya of the Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Al-Gaylani, radiyallahu ‘anhu, that the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “The month of Rajab is a great month! For one who fasts a day of it, Allah writes the reward of fasting three thousand years.
On the authority of Sahl ibn Sa’d, the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Rajab is one among the Holy months. During it, Allah carried Nuh in the ark and so he (Nuh) fasted and instructed those who were with him to fast. Allah saved them from drowning and cleansed the earth from Kufr (Disbelief in Allah) and Tughyān (serving others besides Allah).
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also taught: “For one who does Sadaqah in the month of Rajab, Allah will distance hell fire from him as much as a crow will fly continuously from its first flight until old age reaches it and it dies.”
On the authority of Sulayman who said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “If one fasts in the month of Rajab, it will be like he fasted for a thousand years and freed a thousand slaves, and if someone gives Sadaqah in Rajab, it will be like he gave a thousand Dīnār (gold coins) in Sadaqah. Allah will write for him a thousand good deeds for each strand of hair on his body. He will raise the person a thousand degrees and wipe off a thousand of his sins. And for each day that he observes fast Allah will write for him the reward of sadaqah as well (as if he had given sadaqah) and in addition to that (He will write for him the reward of) a thousand Hajj, a thousand Umrah, and Allah will build for Him a thousand palaces in Jannah.”
8. Adam عليه السلام said: “Oh my Lord! Please tell me which time and day is the dearest of all to You.” Allah replied to him: “The most beloved day to me is the middle (15th) of Rajab, so whoever draws close to me on the middle day of Rajab with fasting, Salāh and Sadaqah, he does not ask Me for anything except that I will grant it to him, and he does not ask for forgiveness except that I forgive him. O Adam! Whoever spends the middle day of Rajab in fasting, in Dhikr, protecting his chastity, and giving Sadaqah from his wealth, there is no reward for him except the Garden.”
The Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم said – “Whoever fasts in the middle of the month of Rajab, it will be equal to fasting thirty years”. The author of ‘Uyūn Al Majālis said, “The middle night of Rajab is the night when Allah spoke to Musa, and raised Idrees to the Samaa. On this night, Allah tells the angels who are responsible for the records of His servants, ‘Inspect their records and replace every sinful deed with a good one.’”
9. Muqātil رضي الله عنه said – “ Allah Almighty created a white land behind the mountain Qāf which is filled with angels. Each angel has a flag on which is written Lā ilāha illallāh Muhammad Rasūlullāh. They gather every night of Rajab and seek forgiveness for the followers of Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم .
And the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم taught that Rajab is one among the Holy months, its days are written on the doors of the six realms of the Samā. So if a man fasts a day of Rajab and completes his fast sincerely with Taqwā of Allah, the door will be closed after it is said, “Oh Allah, forgive this one who serves you.” But if he does not complete his fasting sincerely with Taqwā of Allah, he will not be forgiven. And it will be said, “You have tricked yourself.”
10. Wahab ibn Munabbih said, “I read in some of the books of Allah ‘azza wa jall, that whoever seeks Allah’s forgiveness in the mornings and evenings of Rajab seventy times, Allah will forbid the hellfire from his body.”
Ali رضي الله عنه said that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Increase seeking Allah’s forgiveness in the month of Rajab, for verily Allah frees people from the Fire at every moment in the month, and Allah has cities which no one can enter, except those who observed fast in Rajab.”
Ibn ‘Abbās رضي الله عنه said, The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Whoever says between Zuhr and ‘Asr during the days of Rajab, Sha’bān and Ramadān –
أستغفر الله العظيم الذي لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم وأتوب إليه توبة عبد ظالم لا يملك لنفسه
ضرا ولا نفعا ولا موتا ولا حياة ولا نشورا
[Astaghfirullāhal ‘Azeem Alladhee alā ilāha illā huwal Hayyul Qayyūmu wa atūbu ilayhi tawbata abdin zālimin la yamliku li nafsihi Dzarran walā naf’an walā mawtan, walā hayātan walā nushuraa]
Allah reveals to the two angels who are entrusted with that persons records to burn the bad deeds recorded in the pages of his book of deeds.”
In another narration it is mentioned that Allah says in every night of Rajab, “Rajab is My month and every servant is Mine, and Rahmah is Mine alone, and favors are in My hands, and I am ever forgiving to those who seek My forgiveness in this month and I grant whoever asks Me in this month.”
I saw in the book ‘Uyūn al-Majālis that Rajab is the month of Tahleel (uttering Lāilāha illallāh and remembering His oneness), Sha’baan is the month of Tasbeeh (uttering Subhanallāh or glorifying Him from shirk) and Ramadān is the month of Tahmeed (uttering Alhamdulillāh and other praises of Him)
11. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Whoever fasts on the twenty seventh day of Rajab, Allah will write for him a reward of fasting sixty months.”
Abu Hurairah and Salman al-Fārisiy رضي الله عنهما said – The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “In Rajab there is a day and night that if one fasts on that day and spends its night in prayer, he will get the reward of fasting a hundred years and the reward of praying at night for a hundred years. It is when three days remain in the month of Rajab”. Ash-Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir al-Gaylani mentions it in Al Ghuniyah.
I saw in the Jāmi’ of ash-Shafi’iy in al-Wa’z al-Kāfī – “Whoever fasts on the twenty seventh day of Rajab and gives sadaqah on that day, Allah will write for his fasting the reward of thousand good deeds and the reward of freeing one thousand slaves.
There has also come a narration leading to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that whoever prays in the night of the twenty seventh (of Rajab) two rak’ahs, reciting in each rak’ah Sūrat al-FātiHah and then Sūrat al-Ikhlās twenty times, and after completing the prayer, sends blessings on the Prophet ten times and makes the following du’ā:
اللهم إني أسألك بمشاهدة أسرار المحبين، وبالخلوة التي خصصت بها سيد المرسلين حين أسريت به ليلة السابع والعشرين
أن ترحم قلبي الحزين وتجيب دعوتي يا أكرم الأكرمين
[Allahumma Inne As-aluka Bimushaahadati Asraril Muhibbeena wa bil-Khalwati-llati Khassasta Bihā Sayyidal Mursaleena Heena Usrīta Bihi Laylatas saabi’ wal ‘Ishreena An Tarhama Qalbee alHazeena Wa Tujeeba Da’watee Ya Akramal Akrameen]
Allah will answer all his Du’ā, and hopes for more of his Du’ā and brings his heart alive on that day when hearts die.
The Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “There is no believing man or woman who prays thirty Rakahs in this month, reciting in each Rakah Sūrah Al Fatiha, then Sūrah Al Ikhlas three times and Sūrah Al Kafirun three times, except that Allah will wipe out his sins and grant him a reward of having fasted the entire month and include him among those who are observant of Salah in the coming year and raise for him every day the deed of a martyr, and if he fasts the entire month and performs this Salaat (of thirty rak’aat), Allah will save him from the fire and make Jannah obligatory for him.
12. The messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “Do not be careless on the first Jumu’ah night in the month of Rajab. It is what the angels call Laylat Al-Raghaa-ib. It is called like that because when one third of the night passes, there will not remain any angel in the Samāwāt and the earths except that they gather in and around the Ka’bah. Then Allah Almighty will look at them and will tell them “Oh my angels, ask me whatever you wish.” Then they say, “Oh Allah, our need from you is that you forgive those who continuously fasted in Rajab.” Then Allah will tell them, “I have done that.”
Anas narrated – I met Mu’ādh and asked him from where he was coming. He said he was coming from the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم. I asked him, “What did he say?” He said – the Messenger said, “Whoever fasted a day in the month of Rajab seeking by it the Countenance of Allah, he will enter Jannah.” So I went to the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Mu’ādh narrated to me such and such.” He صلى الله عليه و سلم replied, “He (Mu’ādh) has spoken the truth. I said that! I said that! I said that!”
The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم also said, “Whoever relieves a believer of distress in the month of Rajab, Allah will grant him in Jannatul Firdous a palace which will stretch out to as much as the eye can see.”
13. Īsā عليه السلام passed by a mountain and saw it glowing and glistening with light. So he asked Allah, “O My Lord, please cause this mountain to speak to me.” The mountain said to him, “O Ruhallāh! What is it that you want?” Īsā replied, “Tell me about yourself.” The mountain said, “There is a man inside me.” Īsā said, “O Lord, kindly bring him out.” Then the mountain parted, revealing an old man with a handsome face. He said, “O Īsā! I am one from the people of Mūsā. I asked Allah for a long life so that I can reach the time of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and become part of his nation. I have spent six hundred years worshipping Allah Almighty in this mountain.” Īsā said, “O Lord, is there anyone on the face of the earth more honorable to you than this (man)?” He, Almighty, said, “O Īsā, one who fasts a day in the month of Rajab from the followers of Muhammad is more honorable in My sight than this man.”
NOTES
1. Rajab is of three letters – Rā, Jeem and Bā. Rā is for Allah’s Rahmah, Jeem is for His extensive generosity (Joud), and Bā is for His Goodness (Birr).
2. Rajab is called al-Asabb (the most outpouring) because mercy pours down in it. It is also called al-Asamm (the Deaf/Silent) because wars cease during this month and no clanging of weapons is heard.
It is said that when the month of Rajab ends, it is raised to Allah and Allah Almighty asks it about the actions of His servants, and the month of Rajab remains silent. Then He asks it a second time, and it remains silent. Then He asks it a third time, and it continues to remain silent. Then it says, “O Lord, you commanded your servants to conceal others and your Prophet Muhammad, صلى الله عليه و سلم called me deaf, therefore I am deaf, to their disobedience of You, for I hear only their obedience.
It is also called “Rajab,” and its derivation is from Tarjeeb which is Ta’zeem or glorification. Rajabtu ash-shay, means to glorify something. Its name is also Rajm with the letter meem, because the devils are stoned in this month so that they do not harm the believers.
3. Rajab is for forgiveness of sins and Sha’bān for the covering of faults and flaws (sitr al-‘uyūb), Ramadān for hearts to become enlightened with nūr (tanweerul qulūb). It is said that Rajab is singled out for forgiveness from Allah and Sha’ban for intercession (of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Ramadān for multiplying good deeds. It is also said that Rajab is the month of repentance (Taubah), Sha’bān is the month of love (Mahabbah), and Ramadān is the month of closeness (Qurbah) and Allah knows best!