A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The night of the first Friday of the month of Rajab or its first night are both known as the “Night of Wishes,” Laylat ar-Ragha’ib , during which is performed swalah ar-ragha’ib .   Its observance was disapproved by Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi ( r.a. ) in his Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadzdzab and Fatawa as based on bathil evidence, and this is also the position of Imam ‘Izz ad-Din ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd as-Salam ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ).   However, the hafizh , Imam Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Abd ar-Raḥman ibn Swalah al-Kurdi ( r.a. ) disagreed with Imam al-‘Izz ad-Din ( r.a. ), and considered the performance of swalah ar-ragha’ib praiseworthy, while Mulla Nur ad-Din Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Sulthan Muhammad al-Hirawi al-Qari ( r.a. ) said in his Asrar al-Marfu’ah regarding this, “The hadits , swalat an-nahar ‘ajma' , even if bathil , nevertheless, its meaning is true.   The same holds about the hadits of the prayers they hav...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The Wahhabis try to prevent the people from treating the night of  Isra’ and Mi’raj  on the 27 th of Rajab and the night of mid-Sha’ban, Laylat al-Bara ’ ah as special.  They claim that honouring these nights are innovations that must not be allowed.  Yet practically all Muslims hold these two nights in high reverence and consider it good, not blameworthy, to celebrate or commemorate them through gathering, feeding the people, reciting Qur'an and sirah , reading ahadits and performing supererogatory prayers.   Wahhabis literature also abounds with condemnations of those who fast in Rajab.  Since the pious fast the three blessed months of Rajab, Sha’ban, and Ramadhan in a row as far back as we can remember, and like to offer extra worship and invocation on the nights of 27 th Rajab and 15 th Sha’ban, we need to confirm that these are recommended in the fiqh of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah , not blameworthy, a...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is the Naqshbandi Haqqani adab for Laylat ar-Ragha’ib , the Night of Desires.   Laylat ar-Ragha’ib is the first Thursday night of Rajab.   It is very important to fast on this day, as the angels gather at the Ka’bah to seek Forgiveness for those fasting.   After breaking fast on Thursday, one performs a 12 raka’at sunnah , done in six sets of two raka’at .   This is a sunnah muthlaq specific to this occasion.   In every rak’ah , after reciting Surah al-Fatihah, one recite Surah al-Qadr three times, and Surah al-Ikhlasw 12 times.   After the salam of the final rak’ah , one recites the following 70 times:   اللهم صل على محمد نبيّ الأميّ و على اله و سلّم   Allahumma swalli ‘alaa Muhammadin Nabiyy al-Ummiiyi wa ‘alaa alihi wa sallim.   O Allah, Send Blessings on Muhammad, the Unlettered Prophet, and on his family   Then one goes into sujud and recites the following 70 tim...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The night of the first Friday of the month of Rajab is known to the angels as Laylat ar-Ragha’ib , the Night of the Granting of Wishes.   It is during this night that is performed the swalah ar-ragha’ib , a sunnah al-muthlaq .   The Thursday night in question, here, is actually Friday by Muslim reckoning since we start the day from maghrib , or sunset.   The angels call it thus because, by the time the first third of the night has elapsed, there will not be a single angel still at large in the heavens, nor in any region of the earth.   They will all be gathered together in the Ka’bah and the area immediately surrounding it.   Allah ( s.w.t. ) will Condescend to Notice that they have assembled there, and He will Say, “My angels, ask Me for whatever you wish!”   Their response to this will be, “Our Lord, the request we wish to make is that You Grant Forgiveness to those who faithfully keep the fast in Rajab.”  ...