Thank Allah we’ve reached Ramadan
Blessed is the soul that reaches him
When this mâh-ı şerif comes
It gives pleasure to man
In the official records of the Ottoman Empire, the month of Ramadan was referred to with expressions emphasising its religious and spiritual importance such as “şehr-i ramazan-ı şerîf, “şehr-i ramazanü’l-mübarek”, “şehr-i ramazan-ı forgiveness nişân”, “şehr-i şerîf-i gufrân”, “şehr-i mübârek-i sıyâm”.
Our glorious Prophet used to attach great importance to the month of Ramadan. He used to long for Ramadan months in advance. When the month of Rajab entered; “O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us and bring us to Ramadan,” he would pray and express his longing.
The Prophet used to give advice to open the hearts of Muslims and prepare them materially and spiritually for this blessed month.
In this regard, Salman al-Farisi narrates that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recited a sermon on the last day of the month of Sha’ban and said:
“O my Companions! A very great and blessed month (Ramadan) is about to give you shade. Its coming is very near. It is a month in which is the night of Qadr, which is better than a thousand months. Allah has made its fasting obligatory, and the night of its fasting and the performance of the tarawih prayer nafl (supererogatory prayer). Whoever draws near to Allah with a good deed in it, and performs a nafl act of worship in it, it is as if he had performed an obligatory deed in the other months. And whoever does one obligatory deed in this month, it is as if he has done seventy obligatory deeds in the other months. It is the month of patience; the reward for patience is Paradise. It is the month of favour; it is a month in which the sustenance of the believer increases. Whoever makes a fasting person break his fast in it, it will be forgiveness for his sins and he will be saved from Hell, and the one who makes him break his fast will be rewarded with a double of it, without any diminution in the reward of the fasting person…”
The Prophet used to try to do more servitude in Ramadan than in any other month, and he used to say that whoever spent Ramadan fasting and worshipping would have his past sins forgiven.
Our beloved Prophet used to encourage Muslims to worship a lot in this blessed month. He said in this regard: “Here is Ramadan, the month of blessings. Allah’s mercy surrounds you. In that month, mercy descends on the earth in abundance. Sins are forgiven. Prayers are accepted. Allah looks at you competing with each other in goodness and worship, and He is proud of it before His angels. Therefore, endear yourself to Allah with your servitude. The real miserable one is the one who does not get his share of Allah’s mercy in this month.”
In the second year of Hijrah, when the fast of Ramadan was made obligatory, Muslims started to experience the enthusiasm of fasting together. Muslims, who fasted during the day, performed the tarawih prayer, which is special for the month of Ramadan, in the evenings.
The Messenger of Allah was very hospitable. He always had guests at his table. When Ramadan came, he used to invite iftar and encourage his Companions to do the same. He used to give good news that whoever gave iftar to a Muslim would earn as much reward as the reward of the people he gave iftar to. In this regard, he made his Companions, who were upset by saying, “O Rasulallah, we are not rich enough to give iftar,” happy by saying, “This reward is given to the one who gives iftar with a date, to the one who breaks the fasting with water alone, and to the one who offers a little milk.”
Our Prophet used to read the Qur’an more in Ramadan and contemplate on the verses. He would read the verses that had been revealed to him until that time together with Cebrail (Gabriel). This mutual reading of the Qur’an, called Mukābele, still continues as a Ramadan tradition.
Our Prophet used to encourage Muslims to give alms and help each other in Ramadan. When he was asked, “When is the most virtuous charity?” he said, “The charity given during the month of Ramadan”.
Month of abundance and fertilityWhen the month of Ramadan, called the sultan of eleven months, was approaching, the whole Islamic world would start to prepare as if a most precious guest was coming. Weeks before the arrival of Ramadan, Muslims would be in a hurry and they would start a feverish preparation.
Muslims used to interrogate their own nefs first.. They would take the opportunity of Ramadan to correct the points they found wrong or incomplete in themselves. While some would accept Ramadan as the beginning to fulfil the acts of worship that they did not perform or left incomplete, some would decide to leave the bad habits they wanted to leave on the occasion of Ramadan.
On the other hand, an intense preparation would start in the palace, mansions, houses, mosques and tradesmen. Everyone, from the richest to the poorest, would shop as much as they could and complete their needs for Ramadan. This month was greeted with joy by both the official institutions and the people.
Not only the palace staff made preparations for the arrival of Ramadan. Sultans were also personally involved in the preparations for this blessed month. Abdülhamid II used to summon the head of the pantry before the arrival of Ramadan and give orders on the necessary matters. The Sultan would meticulously dwell on the tables and meals to be prepared during Ramadan and the iftar meals to be given to the soldiers he invited to iftar every evening, and he would prepare the food menus himself. He would even take care of the clothes of the table servers who would serve the guests who would be invited to iftar in the Palace. He would order them to be neat and absolutely clean.
In addition to all these preparations, the palace kitchen would distribute foodstuffs such as clarified butter, rice and honey to those in need before Ramadan.
The prominent people of Istanbul would also distribute necessary things for “ramadan” to the poor in various districts of Istanbul during the month of Ramadan.
Abdülkadir Efendi (v.1644), one of the authors of the 17th century, describes an Istanbul Ramadan of his time as follows:
“When the holy month of Ramadan came, there would be abundance of grains and staples in the Âsitâne-i Saadet. The inside of the mosques and minarets would be decorated with lamps. During the tarawih prayers, the mosques would be full to capacity.. His Majesty the Sultan would perform Salat al-Tarawih and Fajr prayers in the New Mosque. Every night, shops in the city would be decorated with oil lamps. Most of the shops would be open until the morning. In Ramadan, there would be cheap prices in the bazaars and markets so that the people of Istanbul could easily meet their needs…”
Time to pray for the country!
With the arrival of Ramadan, the Ottoman Palace used to take on a completely different atmosphere. Enderun students in the selamlik, cariyes in the harem and the ladies of the palace would perform their evening prayers and then break their fast together in joy.
There was no man or woman in the palace who did not pray or fast. The dhikr chants between the tarawih prayers performed in congregation in the Enderun would make the courtyards ring. The Qur’ân al-kerîms recited by the Davudi hafiz would resonate in the domes. This way of life lived in the palace set an example for those close to the palace, those working in the state service and even the whole public. Almost everyone emulated the life in the palace as much as their means allowed.
For this reason, Ramadan is an exceptional month that is longed for by both ordinary people and administrators, and when it comes, it should be evaluated in the best way possible.
So much so that travellers who visited Turkey during this month could not help saying, “It is as if time to pray for the country”.
During Ramadan, the days were filled with visits to dervish lodges and tombs, sermons in mosques, muqabalahs, and preparations for iftar and sahur. The nights, on the other hand, witnessed a very lively and dynamic social, economic and cultural life with Ramadan exhibitions and festivities in the courtyards of selatin mosques, conversations in coffee houses, and visits to dervish lodges and tombs.
In addition to all these, Ramadan enriched religious, social and cultural life as much as possible by hosting numerous events such as iftar feasts, sahur dinners, visits to the Holy City, the Laylat al-Qadr procession, Laylat al-Qadr night, and Eid processions and celebrations.
Today, as a nation, we should endeavour to experience these beauties. I congratulate the Islamic world and our nation on the month of Ramadan and wish it to be auspicious …
REFLECTION
Pray Taraweeh and find happiness
Make zikr and find loyalty
Filled with the light of worship
Thanks be to Allah, Ramadan has come
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil
15th March 2024
Türkiye Gazetesi