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`Arfajah
said "We were with `Utbah
ibn Farqad while he was discussing
Ramadan. A companion of the
Prophet 
entered upon the scene. When
`Utbah saw him, he became
shy and stopped talking. The
man [the companion] spoke
about Ramadan, saying "I heard
the Messenger of Allah
say during Ramadan: "The
gates of Hell are closed,
the gates of Paradise are
opened, and the devils are
in chains. An angel calls
out: 'O you who intend to
do good deeds, have glad tidings.
O you who intend to do evil,
refrain, until Ramadan is
completed. [Ahmad and
an-Nasa'i]
The
Messenger of Allah
said : "When Allah created
Paradise and Hell-fire, He
sent Jibreel [Gabriel] to
Paradise, saying: Look at
it and at what I have prepared
therein for its inhabitants.
The Prophet
said: So he came to it
and looked at it and at what
Allah had prepared therein
for its inhabitants. The
Prophet
said: So he returned to
Him and said: By your glory,
no one hears of it without
entering it. So He ordered
that it be encompassed by
forms of hardship, and He
said: Return to it and look
at what I have prepared therein
for its inhabitants. The
Prophet
said: So he returned to
it and found that it was encompassed
by forms of hardship. Then
he returned to Him and said:
By Your glory, I fear that
no one will enter it. He said:
Go to Hell-fire and look at
it and what I have prepared
therein for its inhabitants,
and he found that it was in
layers, one above the other.
Then he returned to Him and
said: By Your glory, no one
who hears of it will enter
it. So He ordered that it
be encompassed by lusts [or
desires]. Then He said: Return
to it. And he returned to
it and said: By Your glory,
I am frightened that no one
will escape from entering
it. [at-Tirmithi and al-Hakim
among others].
Therefore, when you know,
that fasting subdues the
desires and reduces their
severity, and that it is
these desires and lusts
that lead to Hell Fire,
then you will see how fasting
comes between a fasting
person and Hell Fire and
you will rush to fast in
Ramadan and after Ramadan
in the best possible way.
Al-Qur'an rather talks about
the reward of fasting and
there are verses which general
meaning infers that those
who obey Allah will be saved
from Hell, and fasting is
a form of obeying Allah.
We will leave the verses
that talk about the reward
to the section related to
Paradise. However, the Ahadith
of our beloved Prophet Muhammad
,
are clear in this regard;
Abu Said al-Khudri reported
that the Messenger of Allah
,
said: "No servant fasts
on a day in the path of
Allah except that Allah
removes the Hell Fire seventy
years further away from
his face." [Bukhari
and Muslim] Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri
relates that the Messenger
of Allah
said : "Fasting is a
shield with which a servant
protects himself from the
Fire" [Ahmad, Sahih]
`Uthman Ibn Abil-`Aas relates
that the Messenger of Allah
said : "Whoever fasts
a day in the way of Allah,
Allah places between him
and the Fire a trench like
that between heavens and
the earth". [at-Tirmithi
and at-Tabarani, sahih]
Abu Huraira narrated that
Allah's Messenger
said : "When the month
of Ramadan starts, the gates
of the heaven are opened
and the gates of Hell are
closed and the devils are
chained." [Bukhari]
The Messenger of Allah
said : "When it is the
first night of Ramadahn
the evil devils are chained.
The gates of Fire are locked-
not a single gate is opnened,
and the gates of Paradise
are opened- not a single
gate is locked, and a caller
calls out :'O seeker of
good come forward, and O
seeker of evil withhold,
and there are many whom
Allah frees from the Fire
- and that is every night.
[at-Tirmithi, Ibn Majah,
and Ibn Khuzaimah : Hasan]
Abu Hurairah reported that
the Prophet
climbed upon the mimbar
(pulpit) and said: "Aameen
[O Allah grant it], aameen,
aameen". So it was said,
"O Messenger of Allah ,
you climbed upon the mimbar
and said : "aameen, aameen,
aameen"? So he said :"Jibraa'eel,
`alaihi assalam, came to
me and said, 'Whoever reaches
the month of Ramadan and
does not have [his sins]
forgiven and so enters Fire,
then may Allah distance
him, say aameen". So
I said "aameen". [Ibn Khuzaimah,
Ahmad and al-Baihaqui :
Sahih]
Jabir relates
that the Messenger of Allah
said :"In every day and
every night, during the
month of Ramadan, there
are people to whom Allah
grants freedom from the
Fire, and there is for every
Muslim a supplication which
he can make and will be
granted". [al-Bazzaar,
Ahmad and Ibn Majah; Sahih]
In the famous hadith of
Mu`ath ... I said O Messenger
of Allah
, tell me of an act which
will take me into Paradise
and keep me away from Hell-Fire.
He said: you have asked
me about a major matter,
yet it easy for him for
whom Allah Almighty makes
it easy. You should ...,
You should fast in Ramadan
.... Then he (the Prophet
)
said : Shall I not show
you the gates of goodness
? Fasting is a shield ...[at-Tirmithi]
We
pray to Allah to make for
us this Ramadan a shield
from Hell Fire.
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