Translated by our beloved teacher Shaykh Abdul Aziz Fredericks of Glasgow

(a translation of a section of his Nasâih al-Dîniyâh)

Imam al-Haddad, may Allah shower him with mercy, said:

Know! O gathering of brothers, may Allah ease us and you towards ease and distance us from difficulty and forgive us in the next world and the first one, that Ramadân is a month of mighty status and rank with Allah and His Messenger. It is the master of all months. Allah made fasting compulsory for the Muslims and prescribed it for them. The Exalted said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint,- (al-Baqara 2:183)

In it, Allah descended His Book and made the Night of Power, which is better than a thousand months, among its nights. A thousand months is more than eighty years. Count and contemplate what this Night of Power is – a night that Allah has made greater than this long period. And Allah, The Exalted has said:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ
Ramadhân is the (month) in which was sent down the Qurân, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong).
(al-Baqara 2:185)
And He also said:
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ
لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ
سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ
We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power:
And what will explain to thee what the night of power is?
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah’s permission, on every errand;
Peace! This until the rise of morn!
(al-Qadr, 97:1-5)
He, the Transcendent, made us aware that the Qurân was descended in the month of Ramadhân and then that He specifically sent it down on the Night of Power. The ‘descending’ was in one go from the Sacred Tablet (al-Lahw al-Mahfûz) to The House of Power ( bayt al-‘Izza ) which is in the lowest sky and then it was revealed in portions by Jibrîl (Gabriel) by Allah’s command to His messenger, upon both of them be peace over a period of 23 years. That is the period of Allah’s revelation to His Messenger, upon him be peace, as Allah revealed the Qurân when he was forty years old and he, upon him be peace and salutations passed away when he was sixty-three years old. That is what the critical scholars from the early and later generations have said.

The blessings of Ramdhân
The Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace, said regarding Ramadhân: ‘Ramadhân to Ramadhân, Friday prayer to Friday prayer and compulsory prayer to compulsory prayer cover up what is between them if one avoids the major sins.’
And he, upon him be peace and salutations, said, ‘it is the month of steadfastness (sabr) and the reward of steadfastness is the Garden.’ And he said of it, ‘its beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness and its ending is freedom from the Fire.’
Allah, the Exalted, looks to the Muslims on its first night and He will not punish the one He has looked to and He forgives them on it last night.
Jibril (Gabriel) said to the Messenger of Allah, upon both of them be peace, ‘whoever reaches Ramadhân and is not forgiven in it, may Allah distant him, say “amin”.’ The messenger said, ‘amin’. This is because the means of forgiveness in Ramadhân are greater than in other months and therefore the only one who is prevented from forgiveness is the iniquity of his rebellion against Allah and the enormity of ….. against Allah and he causes distance and rejection from the Allah’s door. We ask Allah form safety from His anger, His punishment and all His tribulations.
It has been related that the doors of the skies are opened as are all the doors of the Garden during Ramadhân. The doors of the fire are locked and the minions of Shaytân are banished to the seas so that they cannot spoil the fast and the standing in prayer of the Muslims. A caller calls on each night of Ramadhân ‘O desirer of good, come forward! O desirer of evil, go away!’
It has also been related that ‘whoever seeks proximity to Allah through a compulsory act will have the reward of seventy compulsory acts. Whoever seeks proximity to Allah through a superogotory act will have the reward of a compulsory act.’ The superogotory acts in Ramadhân are of the status of compulsory acts in other months in terms of reward. The compulsory reward are increased seventy times above those of other months.
And He upon whom be peace and blessings said, ‘whoever fasts the month of Ramadhân and prays the night prayer with faith and sincerity will have his prior sins forgiven. Imân here means believing and ihtisâb means with sincerity. And Allah knows best.

The fast has etiquettes without which the fast will not be perfected.

The etiquettes of fasting
Among the most important is to protect one’s tongue from lies, backbiting and falling into that which does not concern you and protecting your eyes and ears from looking at or listening to that which is not permitted and that which is superfluous.
Likewise one should protect one’s stomach from consuming anything prohibited or doubtful especially when breaking one’s fast. One should make special effort to only break one’s fast with the permitted. Some of righteous predecessors have said, ‘if you fast, take care about what you break your fast with and with whom you break your fast. This indicates the importance of …. And scrupulousness about what breaks one’s fast with.