Question:
Assalamualaikum ustaz. I want to ask a question. Why is it that the rewards of our worships are multiplied during the month of Ramadhan, unlike any other months?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt, wbt.,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Indeed, Allah SWT rewards His slaves who worship Him according to His will, not subject to any rules. Allah SWT states:
وَلِلَّـهِ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُ الْأَمْرُ كُلُّهُ فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
“And to Allah belong the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth and to Him will be returned the matter, all of it, so worship Him and rely upon Him. And your Lord is not unaware of that which you do.”
Surah Hud (123)
Imam al-Tabari commented on the above verse saying that only for Allah SWT is every worship and deed. He will reward everyone according to their deeds in accordance with His will. (Refer Tafsir al-Tabari, 1:235)
Allah SWT multiply the rewards of certain deeds due to the advantages or honour that He has granted them. These honours are as the following:
- The honour of a certain place where the worship is performed. For example, worships performed at the Masjidil Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina are granted greater rewards compared to worships performed in other mosques. This is stated in a sahih hadith, where the prophet PBUH said:
صَلاةٌ فِي مَسْجِدِي هَذَا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ صَلاةٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ؛ إِلاَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ
"One prayer in my Mosque is better than one thousand prayers in any other mosque excepting Al-Masjid-AI-Haram."
Sahih al-Bukhari (1133)
- The honour of a certain time when the worship is performed. An example of this is the honour of worships performed during the blessed months especially in the month of Ramadhan. A person who performs umrah in Ramadhan will be rewarded with the rewards of hajj. This is in accordance with a sahih hadith of the Prophet PBUH, where the Messenger of Allah PBUH said to an Ansar woman:
فَإِذَا جَاءَ رَمَضَانُ فَاعْتَمِرِي ، فَإِنَّ عُمْرَةً فِيهِ تَعْدِلُ حَجَّةً
“So, when the month of Ramadan come, perform Umra, for'Umra in this (month) is equal to Hajj (in reward).” In a narration by Imam Muslim: “the same as performing hajj with me (the prophet PBUH).”
Sahih al-Bukhari (1782) and Sahih Muslim (1256)
- The honour of the person who is performing the worship in terms of his status according to Allah SWT and his piety. For example, Allah SWT honoured the ummah of Prophet Muhammad PBUH from all the other previous nations. Every deed performed by the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH are multiplied by Allah SWT special only for them. (Refer Lathaif al-Ma’arif: 209)
Conclusion
According to the above discussion, we would like to conclude that the great advantages and rewards offered by Allah SWT in the month of Ramadhan is due to the honour Allah SWT has grant it. Allah SWT has chosen the month of Ramadhan, for several significant events in Islam such as the time when the Quran was revealed (nuzul al-Quran), the opening of the city of Mecca (Fathul Mecca), the opening of the city of Andalusia and others. Furthermore, Allah SWT also specifies one night of which it is greater than a thousand nights which is the night of al-Qadr (Lailatul Qadr). Allah SWT states in the Quran:
لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
“The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.”
Surah al-Qadr (3)
Hence, Allah SWT multiplies the rewards of every worship performed in the month of Ramadhan compared to in any other months. May Allah SWT give us all the sahih understanding in the religion and bless us with taufiq and hidayah to perform worship to Him with sincerity, especially in this blessed month of Ramadhan. Amin.
Wallahua’lam.