Ramadan 2025 | The Power of Prophetic Prayers

By Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed — 14th Ramadan / March 14, 2025

May Allah accept our ibadah of this blessed day of Jum'ah. May Allah allow this time we're spending together in the masjid between Asr and Maghrib. Alhamdulillah, we participated in the Salah 'alan-Nabi ﷺ, prayed Salah al-Jum'ah, and now we're getting a chance to share a few words and reflect on this blessed month and the blessed du'as of this month, and then conclude with du'a.

This is something we ask Allah to inspire us with — the best of du'as to make that are most relevant for all of us. We ask Allah to inspire us with the best of words that will be relevant to our own situations. Ya Allah, whatever we hear and whatever we speak, allow us to put it into practice, and save it from becoming a means of a hujjah and a proof against us. Ameen.

The Hadith of Tasbih Fatimah

This is a hadith that I'm sure all of us have heard countless times. Nonetheless, it is important for us to remind ourselves and keep on hearing it until it becomes solid in our lives. This is a hadith regarding Fatimah — the background of what we call Tasbih Fatimah.

The hadith is related by Imam Bukhari. The hadith mentions that Fatimah was complaining of the effects of housework on her hands — she had to rotate the mill in order to pound the grains to make flour, which would leave blisters on her hands and take a real physical toll on her. The Prophet ﷺ had received some prisoners from an expedition, so she went to ask him for a servant. She did not find him at home, however she found Aisha there. She told her: "I came looking for my father — let him know when he comes that I came." So when the Prophet ﷺ returned, Aisha radiAllahu anha informed him that your daughter Fatimah had come.

The Prophet ﷺ then came to them. Ali ibn Abi Talib is the narrator of this hadith. He says: the Prophet ﷺ came towards us —

"We had gone into our beds to sleep." He says:

"I stood up to welcome the Prophet ﷺ as he entered the house." Those houses were smaller than the smallest room in our homes. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Stay, stay in your place, don't get up."

He sat between them — between his daughter and his son-in-law, right in between the two —

"Until I could feel the coolness of his feet on my chest." Then he said:

"Shall I not teach you something better than what you had come to ask me earlier in the day?" And look at the right place, at the right time — he is teaching them while they are in their beds. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3113; Sahih Muslim, Book 48, Hadith 80)

"When you both go to bed: say اللهُ أَكْبَر 34 times, say سُبْحَانَ اللهِ 33 times, and say الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ 33 times — and this will be much more beneficial for you than any servant."

The Prophet ﷺ as a Murabbi

The Prophet ﷺ was a murabbi — a spiritual educator and guide. The role of a murabbi is like that of a doctor: to look at the situation, assess it, and then give a treatment and medicine appropriate for the patient. A doctor is not supposed to just push whatever medications he has on hand regardless of the patient's actual condition. Instead, his responsibility is to see who is coming, what exactly is the problem, use his wisdom and knowledge to figure out the appropriate solution, and then give a prescription for that.

There is no such thing as one stick for everyone, one rule for everyone — that doesn't work. There are specific situations a person is coming from, and it is important for a person to understand that.

Welcoming People to Islam

There are too many stories of this. More recently, one of the scholars wrote about an incident: a person wanted to become a Muslim. He was a Hindu. After a while, it was found out that he refused to accept Islam and left. When Mawlana Shah-e-Tani asked what happened, they said that the people he encountered — who were not real doctors — told him straightforwardly the do's and don'ts of Islam. When this person heard "you can't drink," he said: "I'm an alcoholic — there's no way I can live without this. I have to have this." And they said, "These are the rules, this is what it is." He said: "I thought this deen will change my life, but if the expectation is that I must give this up before I come — I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Now that sounds straightforward, but think about it: how many people would say the same thing? A guy wants to become Muslim, he says he doesn't want to give up drinking — many people would say, "I'm sorry, when you decide to give up drinking, come back. When you complete a course at Alcoholics Anonymous, then show up and we'll give you the Shahada." But that's not the right approach.

Let me put a question to you. Say someone who has same-gender attraction comes in, with all of that going on, and says: "I want to become a Muslim." How many people would say, "How dare we give this person the Shahada?" — that would be very wrong. If someone comes and says he is involved in major sins but says "I want to accept Islam," do you think we can allow him? Yes, of course — even though he's committing major sins. He's a non-Muslim who says "I'm addicted to all these sins but I want to become a Muslim." The answer is: find the right scholar, the right guide.

The example here is like the person who killed 99 people — he went to the wrong scholar, who said: "99?! You're out of your mind — there's no tawbah for you." And so he said, "If there's no tawbah, might as well make it 100," and killed him too. He went to the wrong person and ended up in a bigger problem. The right approach would have been to say: "No problem — accept Islam, and afterward you work your way up." Not to say that drinking is permissible — it is impermissible — but you need to understand that action is one thing and aqidah is something else. As long as you regard this as something wrong, Alhamdulillah.

This is what we need to do with anyone who says "I want to accept Islam": focus on the basics. Don't get into the bottom of every single thing he's involved in. How many born Muslims are involved in so much haram? So let's take it on face value — the person wants to accept Islam, mashallah, come through. After that, you give him a beautiful environment where he himself falls in love with the deen, and he begins to feel that something is not right, and he will come and ask himself. This is called tarbiyah.

And I want to add: when giving Shahada to someone, don't go to the other extreme either. The word "accommodating" is a very dangerous, charged word — it is being misused in so many different ways. We cannot change the rules of Islam for anyone. However, if someone is coming in, we say: "Come as you are" — but with the niyyah that you want to change. That is the key.

The Masjid Must Be Welcoming

Today I was at a masjid where they had sixty to seventy non-Muslim kids from a local private Catholic school. None of them had ever been in a masjid. They all came in without their shoes, followed the proper etiquette, sat respectfully, and quietly watched Jum'ah. Sometimes when you have open house tours, they actually have scarves available, and many people email ahead of time to ask about proper attire. This is a normal thing. We're not telling them to become Muslim; they are coming to a Muslim space and they follow the etiquette themselves. They say, "I don't want to be disrespectful." My point is: no-questions-asked, let everyone come to the house of Allah — that is very important. But do not change the deen in order to accommodate people. What's halal is halal, what's haram is haram. We cannot make that which Allah has made haram into halal to accommodate people.

There's no such thing as a "half day roza." Half day fast — that's something kids do when they're starting out. But these are grown men and women involved in sin — they're supposed to take a full day fast. The point is: start somewhere, knowingly that this is not where you're supposed to be, but you've got to get there.

There is a lot of talk around the country of trying to be accommodating to people from all different religious backgrounds — born Muslims or reverts who are having a hard time practicing the deen — and they say our masajid must be more welcoming. There is no doubt our masajid must be as welcoming as the Prophet ﷺ. How could you love the house of Allah more than the Prophet ﷺ? How can anyone claim to have more respect for the house of Allah than the Prophet ﷺ?

The Prophet ﷺ had the famous incident of the Bedouin who came to the masjid. The masjid at that time didn't have walls and doors like we have today — it was just palm tree trunks with palm tree leaves on top, no doors, no walls, no lights. The Bedouin didn't know where the masjid ended or where it began, where the wudu area was, where the bathroom was. So he went and relieved himself right there. The Sahabah, sitting there watching, were naturally enraged — just as many people get upset in a masjid today if kids are running around, or someone comes with low-riding pants, or someone comes in smelling of something they shouldn't.

How do you deal with this situation? We have to go back to the Prophet ﷺ. Let's not claim to be more respectful to the masjid than the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ realized: if I stop him and scream at him, number one it will cause him physical pain from stopping, and number two, wherever he goes the urine will spread and the najasah will become even more widespread. So the Prophet ﷺ said: leave him, let him relieve himself. We should have done a better job meeting people outside and educating them before they come in — give them a proper istiqbal, a welcome: "Thank you for coming to our masjid, how can I help you, what resources can we provide?"

After the Bedouin was done, the Prophet ﷺ himself stood up, took a bucket, and started cleaning. He did not tell anyone else to do it. He said, in effect: this happened on my watch, I'll take care of it. Naturally, the Sahabah — who would rather give their lives for the Prophet of Allah than live — how could they watch him do that? They jumped in and finished cleaning it. And that person? He became a lifelong, devoted follower. That one action, that one display of akhlaq, bought his loyalty more than any one-year program, any summer intensive, any weekend course.

When a man is in need, when a woman is in need, and you provide what they need at that time — trust me, you will have someone who will not only follow the rules but will establish them and be your foot soldier. That's what the deen needs. The deen has a lot of broken hearts. A lot of Muslims are like Bedouins roaming around, disconnected.

There is a discussion of having "third spaces" all over America and Canada. I've been to a few masajid recently where the libraries have been turned into coffee shops. No one comes to read books — but the youth are all there. They tell me and I don't say anything. SubhanAllah — such an environment. The kids are enjoying their lattes and cappuccinos in the community center, and they can hear the Taraweeh coming through the masjid. Good intention, but without true scholarship to guide you — without first figuring out your goal and then working toward it.

Now there is a lot of talk of people saying our masajid are not welcoming enough, so we need to resort to "third spaces" — places that are not the masjid, where the rules and decorum of the masjid are not expected. But guess what — all the Muslim restaurants, coffee shops, malls, and airports are already third spaces. When I go to an airport or a restaurant or a Walmart and it's time for salah, I go to a corner and pray. In one sense, the whole world is a "third space" — the whole world is where we establish our deen wherever we go. May Allah allow us to enjoy this freedom in this country for as many years as possible. Ameen Rabbil 'Alameen.

I understand the problem — many masajid are not welcoming, all over. That is very true and we have to fix it. But we cannot fix it by abandoning the masajid and going somewhere else. Down the line, that is going to be a huge disservice to the house of Allah and to the people running it. If you have a fully fledged hospital with every unit — ICU, burn unit, everything — but the front-facing intake nurse has a nasty attitude, you don't abandon the hospital and go treat yourself at home or in a parking lot with first aid kits from random cars. A hospital is equipped to deal with these situations. You have a problem? Fix the problem. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Do masajid have an issue of not being welcoming? Definitely. Do masajid have an issue of people jumping on others without understanding their situation? Of course, 100%. We have people who, as our ustad used to say, want to be more Muslim than the Prophet ﷺ. A long time ago — around 2013-2014 — a brother came here, he had his tattoos and wore long shorts and a t-shirt for Taraweeh. I met him, and he was in tears — tears of anger. If he had given someone a piece of his mind, that person would have had more than a black eye. I said: "What happened?" He said: "Sheikh, I know how you are, but someone in the congregation gave me dirty looks and said, 'Why don't you cover up your sleeves? Why are you wearing shorts?'" I said: "Brother, I am very sorry. This is not a representation of my community. No one in front of my masjid should ever speak to you like that." I gave him a hug. That was 12 years ago. But alhamdulillah, he knew he could speak with me, and he knew he had an ear that would listen and agree that this is not the way you deal with a person.

Generally speaking, we don't have too much of a problem with this in our community — and if any of you do experience it, don't wait for next year or next month. Come tell me the same day. Tell me who also said it, so we can address it. I don't like giving talks on issues that 99% of the people are not involved in. The reason such people don't listen when they need to is that they think these talks are never for them — and that's why they make such huge mistakes.

The guests of the house of Allah — they are the guests of Allah's house. You always have "customers first." These are the guests of the house of Allah, no matter what the situation. We have to handle it properly. If a person comes in who is intoxicated, guide him to another place, give him some water, take him aside to a calm environment. All masajid have rooms. Take the brother there. He's excited — he's happy to be here, mashallah. Don't call the cops. There have been multiple tragic cases where relatives called the police because of a family member acting erratically, and a fatality resulted. Too many cases — from airplanes to hospitals to traffic stops. That was because no one handled the situation with wisdom.

The house of Allah needs to be a place where every person feels welcomed. I met a brother yesterday who told me: "My dad never pushed me into the masjid or the deen. But I love this masjid. I want my son to be here all the time." He said: "I built an organic relationship with the masjid. I have friends here" — and he pointed to a group sitting there — "these people smile all the time. These are my friends and I enjoy coming here. Although I don't come from a very religious background, the friendship of these brothers has kept me connected to the house of Allah and has literally changed my life." That's what every masjid needs to be.

If we don't take care of our masajid, you're going to have ten other coffee shops and ten other "third spaces" out there, and the whole ummah will be there, and all that will be left in the masjid is a bunch of elderly senior citizens. So do not criticize someone who is dressed a certain manner. Do not look at someone who has tattoos, or an earring — mind your own business. The reason we look at these people is because we have been blinded — we are not looking at our own flaws and faults. When a person does not look at his own faults, he only sees other people's.

How many revert brothers who cannot remove their tattoos have told me of what horrific experiences they've had during tawaf — the entire ummah sitting there giving them fatwa, while that poor soul has his shoulders exposed because of the ihram. Can you imagine how much harm the ummah is doing? All they can see is a revert brother who cannot remove his tattoos making tawaf — all eyes on him. This is also a deception of Shaytan.

So make our masajid, and all of our men's and women's areas of salah, extremely welcoming. Every one of us needs to be an ambassador of the masjid. Shake hands, welcome, smile. My ustad told me — this was right before Ramadan — he said: "In Ramadan, you will see people who never come to the masjid show up." He said: "Even accidentally, don't say to them, 'Bhai, poora saal kidhar the aap?' — don't ask them where they've been all year round." How often do we say that? "Jum'ah jum'ah — you are a jum'ah jum'ah guy." "Mashallah, you are like the Ramadan ka chaand — aao, aao." All those cheap shots we take at people.

That brother is your friend. He has feelings. You are saying that, but he knows himself. Do you think he doesn't feel guilty? Do you think he doesn't feel guilty that the last time he showed up was last Ramadan — the last jumu'atul wida' of last Ramadan? He knows that. But when we put salt on the wound by reminding him of it, it might seriously be the last time he ever comes to the masjid. And there are too many people out there — for every person who has left Islam, I ask all of you: if you know anyone who has left Islam, please ask them why. I always get the question: "Sheikh, why? Why?" But you ask that question — ask it to your classmates, roommates, friends, ex-Muslims, or those who pretty much live a life like a non-Muslim. Ask them: why did you leave Islam? You will hear stories that will make you cry. Because most of the time, it is the actions of Muslims. Most of the time it is the actions of their immediate relatives — parents, siblings, fellow musallis — and they say: "That's it. I'm never going back to that faith."

What important points we've discussed: the masajid need to be extremely open and welcoming to every member of society, and every musalli must be trained in how to welcome people. We are not here just to do our salah and leave. Our ustad used to say — if someone would not laugh or smile in class, he would say: "What's wrong with you? You've drunk sour milk!" You know what happens when you drink sour milk — what would happen to your mouth? He would say that when people wouldn't laugh at a joke: "What sufi are you being? This is not sufi. Your ustad is saying a joke — smile. You don't have to sit with your mouth open, but be forthcoming." So why, in the masjid, do we zip up and say: "No smile zone"? That's what it looks like in most places — no smoking zone, no smile zone. This is wrong. Force yourself to smile, especially at new people. Sit with them, welcome them, talk to them, and make them feel that they have arrived in the very best of places.

The Lesson of Tasbih Fatimah: A'mal Before Means

So let's finish with this hadith. Aisha radiAllahu anha told the Prophet ﷺ that Fatimah had come. The Prophet ﷺ went to them. As a murabbi, he went and taught them something beneficial for this dunya and the akhirah. He did not want Fatimah radiAllahu anha to immediately resort to material means — a servant. The other homes may be getting servants, but he wants her to take the higher road: learn how to take care of your needs through a'mal.

This is a big problem. As soon as a situation happens, we run towards means. First, run towards a'mal — and then as you use your means, you also know that Allah is the only one who can make them effective or ineffective. So when you're stuck somewhere, before you pick up your phone to make a call to someone, how about you read لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ a hundred times? How about we read سُبْحَانَ اللهِ and الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ a hundred times, make du'a, and then make a phone call? This is what Rasulullah ﷺ is teaching — to whom? To the one of whom he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3767; Sahih Muslim, Book 44, Hadith 96)

"Fatimah is a part of me — whoever hurts her has hurt me." That beloved daughter — and he is teaching her to turn her attention toward a'mal. This is what we call in our Indo-Pak subcontinent: Tasbih Fatimah. The one who reads this every single night — Allah will put barakah in his sleep and grant him physical strength to take care of all the needs of the household the next day.

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ 33 times, الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ 33 times, اللهُ أَكْبَر 34 times — as has been mentioned in other ahadith as well, reading this after every salah is also recommended. Not only do we get the reward, but Allah will put barakah in our physical and spiritual strength, and all of our needs inshallah will be taken care of.

The Night of Siffin: Istiqamah is the Key

Last but not least, istiqamah — consistency — is the key word. Ali radiAllahu anhu said after this incident of Rasulullah ﷺ coming to their house: we never gave up this tasbih. Never. Never. Never gave up this tasbih.

One of the students asked a good — and remarkable — question: "What about the night of Siffin? On the day of the Battle of Siffin, when you were the general, the warrior, the Ameer ul-Mu'mineen — on that day, did you actually recite this dhikr?"

Ali radiAllahu anhu looked at the person who asked him and said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3113)

"And even on the night of Siffin, I did not leave this dhikr." No matter what happens.

So why, O Ummah of Dar al-Salam, O Ummah of the Muslimeen, O Ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ — why do we run away after salah? Are you really more busy than Ali radiAllahu anhu on the day of Siffin? Do not stand up from your spot until you complete your tasbih. Do not stand up, no matter what is happening. Shaytan is khabith — what he does is make you stand up, make you think: "I'll pray over there." No, you won't. As soon as you get out of the masjid, your mind will go somewhere else. Try your best, in whichever masjid you are in, not to stand up without completing the tasbih.

May Allah accept it on our behalf, and make every one of us such that we never, after this, miss our tasbih — not after salah, and not before going to bed. And may Allah grant us the ability to give the best tarbiyah to ourselves, to our children, to our loved ones, and to anyone and everyone that we come in contact with, in the masjid and elsewhere. And may Allah make all of our masajid extremely populated as well. Ameen.

Du'a

Ya Allah, we ask You to accept this 14th day of fasting. Ya Allah, allow us as we reach our 15th Taraweeh — half of our month — to have whatever good we have done accepted. Allow the remaining half of this month to be spent in an even better manner than the first half. Ya Allah, whatever mistakes were made in these first 15 days of this month, we ask You to please overlook all of that, and allow every remaining minute, second, and day that we have of Ramadan to be spent in the best possible manner.

Ya Allah, have mercy upon the entire Ummah, in this country and beyond. Oh Allah, grant everyone safety and security. Oh Allah, grant all those who are sick — physically, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically — whoever is suffering through any type of sickness, we ask You, Ya Allah, to grant them shifa. Those who have cancer or other critical illnesses, we ask You, Ya Allah, to grant them all shifa.

Those who have passed away from the Ummah — especially our elders, our parents, and our teachers — we ask You, Ya Allah, to grant them nur in their graves, and allow the good deeds that we are doing to be granted to them as a source of sadaqa jariyya for them.

Oh Allah, whatever good Rasulullah ﷺ asked You of, grant us that good. Whatever evil the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from, grant us refuge from that.