Heartfelt greetings on the arrival of the holy month of Rajab and the blessed birthday of his holiness, Imam Mohammad bin Ali Al-Baqir (peace be upon him) in the threshold of his highness Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) and the followers of the school of Ahl Al-Bait (peace be upon them).

Enlightening Words

* قالَ الاْمامُ الباقر علیه السلام: إذا أرَدْتَ أنْ تَعْلَمَ أنَّ فیكَ خَیْراً، فَانْظُرْ إلی قَلْبِكَ فَإنْ كانَ یُحِبُّ أهْلَ طاعَةِ اللّهِ وَ یُبْغِضُ أهْلَ مَعْصِیَتِهِ فَفیكَ خَیْرٌ وَ اللهُ یُحِبُّك، وَ إذا كانَ یُبْغِضُ أهْلَ طاعَةِ اللهِ وَ یُحِبّ أهْلَ مَعْصِیَتِهِ فَلَیْسَ فیكَ خَیْرٌ وَ اللهُ یُبْغِضُكَ، وَالْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ أحَبَّ۔

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: “If you wish to know if there is good inside your existence or not, focus on your inner being. If you love the people of worship and obedience and dislike the sinners and wrongdoers, then you have good in your existence and Allah (s.w.t.) loves you. But if you dislike the worshippers and obedient servants and love those who commit sins and wrongdoing, then there is no good inside you and Allah (s.w.t.) envies you. Every man will be raised and resurrected with the one whom he loves and befriends.”

(Wasail Al-Shia, v. 16, p. 183, Hadith 1).

* قالَ الامامُ الباقر علیه السلام: مَنْ ثَبَتَ عَلی وِلایَتِنا فِی غیْبَةِ قائِمِنا، أعْطاهُ اللهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ اَجْرَ ألْفِ شَهید مِنْ شُهَداءِ بَدْر وَ حُنَیْن؛

Imam Mohammad Baqir (peace be upon him) said: “One who remains steadfast and firm on his belief and devotion towards us, the household of infallibility and purification, during the occultation of the Imam of his time (may Allah hasten his reappearance), Allah (s.w.t.) will grant him the rewards and remuneration of thousand martyrs from the Battles of Badr and Hunayn.”

 (Ithbat Al-Hudat, v. 3, p. 467).

* قالَ الاْمامُ الباقر علیه السلام: مَنْ دَعَا اللهَ بِنا أفْلَحَ، وَ مَنْ دَعاهُ بِغَیْرِنا هَلَكَ وَ اسْتَهْلَكَ۔

Imam Mohammad Baqir (peace be upon him) said: “One who invokes Allah (s.w.t.) through our medium, shall succeed, and one who invokes Him without the medium of us, the holy Prophet’s household (peace be upon them), he will be disappointed and destroyed.”

(Amaali Sheikh Tusi, v. 1, p. 175).

Acquire provision from the first night and day of Rajab.

First Night of Rajab

The first night of Rajab is a holy night and the following rites are recommended in it:
First: At the sight of the new moon, it is recommended to say the following supplicatory prayer:

اَللّهُمَّ اَهِلَّهُ عَلَیْنا بِالاْمْنِ وَالاْیمانِ وَالسَّلامَةِ وَ الاْسْلامِ رَبّى وَ ر َبُّكَ اللهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ؛

“O Allah, cause it (i.e. the moon) to appear carrying for us security, faith, safety and Islam. Your and my Lord is Allah, the Glorified and Majestic.”

It has been also reported that when his eyes fell on the new moon of Rajab, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) used to say the following:

اَللّهُمَّ بارِكْ لَنا فى رَجَبٍ وَشَعْبانَ وَبَلِّغْنا شَهْرَ رَمَضانَ وَاَعِنّا عَلَى الصِّیامِ وَالْقِیامِ وَحِفْظِ اللِّسانِ وَغَضِّ الْبَصَرِ وَلا تَجْعَلْ حَظَّنا مِنْهُ الْجُوعَ وَالْعَطَشَ؛

“O Allah, (please do) pour out Your blessings upon us in Rajab and Sha’ban. Make us attain Ramadan and help us observe fasting, perform acts of worship, suppress our tongues (from saying anything improper), and cast down our eyes (against what is forbidden for us to look at). Do not make our share of Ramadan only hunger and thirst.”

Second: It is highly advisable to bathe oneself at the first night of Rajab.

Third: It is recommended to visit the shrine of Imam Al-Husain (peace be upon him).

Fourth: It is recommended to offer, after the obligatory Maghrib prayer, a twenty unit prayer and to recite in each unit Surah al-Fatiha once and Surah al-Tawheed once, and to separate between each couple of units with Taslim. Whoever offers this prayer, his family members, property, sons, and he himself will be kept saved from harm, rescued against the grave torture, and pass the Sirat as swiftly as lightning without being called to account.

Fifth: After the Isha’ Prayer, it is recommended to offer a two unit prayer in the first unit of which Surah al-Fatiha should be recited once, Surah al-Inshirah (No. 94) recited once, and Surah al-Tawif recited three times. In the second unit, Surah Al-Fatiha, al-Inshirah, al-Tawheed, al-Falaq and Al-Nas should be recited once each. After Taslim, the following litany should be repeated thirty times:

لا اِلهَ اِلا اللهُ

There is no god save Allah.

Similarly, Salawaat on Holy Prophet and his Progeny (peace be upon them) should be recited thirty times.

The reward of this prayer is that whoever offers it, will have all his sins forgiven and will return as sin-free as the day of his birth.

Imam Jafar bin Mohammad Al-Sadiq (peace be upon them) said: “Imam Ali (peace be upon him) used to devote himself to acts of worship in an exclusive way at four nights,

1. The first night of Rajab

2. The Middle night (i.e. fifteenth) of Sha’ban;

3. The Eid al-Fitr Night (i.e. the first night of Shawwal)

4. The Nahr night (the tenth of Dhul Hijjah).”

Imam Mohammad Al-Taqi (peace be upon him) is reported to have recommended the following supplicatory prayer at the first night of Rajab after the Isha’ Prayer:

اَللّهُمَّ اِنّى اَسْئَلُكَ بِاَنَّكَ مَلِكٌ وَاَنَّكَ عَلى كُلِّشَىْءٍ مُقْتَدِرٌ وَاَنَّكَ ما تَشاَّءُ مِنْ اءَمْرٍ یَكُونُ اَللّهُمَّ اِنّى اَتَوَجَّهُ اِلَیْكَ بِنَبِیِّكَ مُحَمَّدٍ نَبِىِّ الرَّحْمَةِ صَلَّى اللّهُ عَلَیْهِ وَآلِهِ یا مُحَمَّدُ یا رَسُولَ اللّهِ اِنّى اَتَوَجَّهُ بِكَ اِلَى اللّهِ رَبِّكَ وَرَبِّى لِیُنْجِحَ بِكَ طَلِبَتى اَللّهُمَّ بِنَبِیِّكَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَالاْئِمَّةِ مِنْ اَهْلِ بَیْتِهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَیْهِ وَعَلَیْهِمْ اَنْجِحْ طَلِبَتى؛

“O Allah, I beseech You in the name of Your being the King, having absolute power over all things, and whatever matter You want to happen shall happen. O Allah, I turn my face towards You asking You in the name of Your Prophet, Mohammad, the Prophet of Mercy (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Household). O Mohammad! O Messenger of Allah! I seek your intercession for me with Allah, your Lord and my Lord, so that He may respond to my request. O Allah! I beseech You in the name of Your Prophet Mohammad and the Imams from his household, peace be upon him and them, to respond to my request.”

You may then mention your requests.

First Day of Rajab

The first day of Rajab is a holy day on which the following rites are advisable:

1. It is advisable to observe fasting on this day. According to narrations, Prophet Noah (a.s.) embarked on the Ark on such a day; he therefore ordered his companions to observe fasting. Hence, whoever observes fasting on this day, Hellfire will move away from him for a distance of one year’s walk.
2. It is highly advisable to bathe oneself at the first night of Rajab. In this respect, some scholars have reported the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) as saying, “Whoever receives the month of Rajab and bathes himself in the first, middle, and last of it, will be released from all of his sins to return as pure as the day of his birth”.
3. It is also recommended to visit the tomb of Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) on this day. Sheikh Tusi (r.a.) has narrated on the authority of Bashir al-Dahhan that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “Whoever visits (Imam) al-Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.) on the first day of Rajab, Almighty Allah will forgive him all his sins”.
4. The Prayer of Salman Al-Farsi (May Allah be pleased with him): On the first of Rajab, it is advisable to offer ten units of this prayer separating each couple with a Taslim. In each unit, one should recite Surah al-Fatiha one time, Surah al-Tawheed three times, and Surah al-Kafiroon three times. After Taslim, it is recommended to raise the hands up and say the following litany:

لا اِلهَ اِلا اللّهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَریكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ یُحْیى وَیُمیتُ وَهُوَ حَىُّ لا یَمُوتُ بِیَدِهِ الْخَیْرُ وَهُوَ عَلى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدیرٌ اَللّهُمَّ لا مانِعَ لِما اَعْطَیْتَ وَلا مُعْطِىَ لِما مَنَعْتَ وَلا یَنْفَعُ ذَاالْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ؛

“There is no God save Allah, the One and Only Who has no partner. To Him is the kingdom and to Him is all praise. He gives life and causes to die while He is Ever-living and never dies. In His hand is the good and He has power over all things”.

The following litany should be said thereafter:

“O Allah, verily, none can ever divest him whom You decide to give, none can ever give

him whom You decide to deprive, and nothing can ever stop that which You decide.”

Then, one should pass his hands over the face and submit his requests.

Excerpts from the Message of Grand Ayatollah on the Occasion of the Arrival of Rajab.

In the name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.

        Peace be upon the month of Rajab; Peace be upon Rajabiyyoon (the people of Rajab), Peace and blessings be upon the ones who observe fast; Divine forgiveness and mercy be upon those who perform E’tekaaf; Peace be upon you honorable men who have responded to the call of “Aynar Rajabiyoon” (where are the people of Rajab), who are sitting near Allah’s table of mercy and benefitting from His endless bounties. You must feel proud of yourselves and glorify this great success and thank Allah (s.w.t.) in return.

         Which worldly pleasure can be compared with these states of spiritual pleasures? Where are those people who are after the materialistic luxuries and the inappropriate joys of this world which are mixed with sins and quick-ending pleasures? Where are the kings and the sons of kings? Is it possible to ascertain a materialistic value for attaining the proximity of Allah (s.w.t.) and acquiring the high position of humanity? Never, indeed never! This is where one should recite this holy verse of Quran with contemplation and concentration: “O you who have faith! Answer Allah and the Apostle when he summons you to that which will give you life.”

Indeed! This is the actual life and a life filled with spirituality, purity of soul, self-purification and proximity of Allah (s.w.t.).

         We will prepare ourselves to perform the religious duties and obligations and say to the Prophet of mercy, Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his progeny): In this duration, when your twelfth noble son, Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) is living in occultation, all of us – especially the youth and ones who observe fasting – declare with all our might that like a brave and valiant soldier, we will support the rich teachings of the Holy Progeny (peace be upon them) and consider ourselves obligated to invite the people of our society towards good deeds and stop them from performing bad deeds, will fight against the distortions and deviations that have entered the religion, and will safeguard this honor until the reappearance of the Guardian of time, Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance).

          Respected people of the community! Consider these moments precious and pray for yourselves and others, for the deliverance of the Islamic nations from the hands of the enemies of Islam, for the success and victory of Muslims all over the world, and for the Relief of the Great Remainder of Allah (s.w.t.) – May Allah (s.w.t.) hasten his Relief and bring his arrival time closer and regard us among his supporters and warriors. Amen! O Lord of the Worlds!

Lotfullah Saafi

1429 Hijri.

Laylatur Raghaeb – A Night of Desires.

The first Thursday night of the month of Rajab is named Laylatur Raghaeb, which means the night of desires.

On this great night, through offering its specific prayers and expressing repentance and powerlessness before Allah (s.w.t.) and seeking Mercy from the threshold of Allah, we may quicken our steps towards the path of our Friend and request Allah, the Most-beneficent, the Most-merciful, to grant our wishes.

We must request Almighty Allah (s.w.t.) to hasten in the Relief of our Master, Imam Mahdi (may our lives be sacrificed on him).We must request Almighty Allah (s.w.t.) that during the long and difficult period of occultation and anticipation, not a single deviation occurs in our faith and certainty. We must request Almighty Allah (s.w.t.) to help us remain firm and steadfast in our religion, and on the path of obeying His ultimate Guardian, Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance). We must request Almighty Allah (s.w.t.) for reforming the affair of His Guardian and the followers of his holiness. We must request Almighty Allah (s.w.t.) for all that we desire.

Has He not promised the answering of prayers by saying:

“When My servants ask you about Me, [tell them that] I am indeed nearmost. I answer the supplicant’s call when he calls Me.”

Thus, we must call Him with the cognition of His mercy, benevolence, beneficence, knowledge and unbounded power, and must know that He is near us, extremely near.

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Importance of offering the prayer of the First Thursday night of Rajab (Laylatur Raghaeb)

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny) has recommended an immensely significant prayer on this night whose reward is abundant: numerous sins will be forgiven due to this prayer and requests will be answered.

Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said:

By the One in whose hand is my life, no servant or maid among the servants and maids of Allah (s.w.t.) will offer this prayer but that Allah (s.w.t.) will forgive his sins even if they were like the froth of ocean, and same in number as sand and in weight as mountains and in quantity as the leaves of trees; and on the day of Judgment, seven hundred people from his own relatives, all worthy of Hellfire, will be interceded by him.

Whoever offers this prayer, on the first night inside the grave, the Almighty will send the reward off this prayer in the best, enlightened and eloquent form. When inquired, will reply, ‘‘My Beloved,, glad tidings to you that you have found salvation from every hardship and horror..’’When asked,, ‘‘Who are you?’’ ‘‘By God I haven't seen any one more beautiful than you,, I haven't heard a word sweeter than yours,, or a fragrance better than you?’’ In reply, ‘‘I am that prayer which you offered on the eve of the first Friday of the month of Rajab. I have come to you to be your companion in this loneliness, to remove from you your fright and horror. Be lest assured that my shelter will be with you until the blowing off the Horn off the Day off Judgment. So, be happy, for you shall never be deprived of goodness”.

Method of offering this Night’s Prayer

One should observe fasting on the first Thursday in Rajab. Between the Maghrib and Isha’ Prayers, one should offer a twelve unit prayer, each couple of which is separated by Taslim (i.e. the concluding part of a ritual prayer). In each unit, one should recite Surah Al-Fatiha once, Surah Al-Qadr three times and Surah Al-Tawheed twelve times. After accomplishing the prayer, one should repeat the following invocation of blessings seventy times:

اَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِىِّ الاُمِّىِّ وَعَلى آلِهِ

O Allah, (please do) send blessing on Mohammad, the Ummi Prophet, and upon his Household.

Then one should prostrate himself and repeat the following litany seventy times:

سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ رَبُّ الْمَلائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحِ

Glorified (is He), Holy (is He), the Lord of the angels and the Spirit.

Then, one should raise the head from prostration and repeat the following supplicatory prayer seventy times:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَتَجاوَزْ عَمّا تَعْلَمُ اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِىُّ الاَعْظَمُ

O my Lord, (please do) forgive (me), have mercy (upon me), and overlook (my wrongdoings) that You know. Surely You are the Highest, the Greatest.

One should then prostrate himself again and repeat the following litany seventy times:

سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ رَبُّ الْمَلائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحِ

Glorified (is He), Holy (is He), the Lord of the angels and the Spirit.

Then, one may pray Almighty Allah for granting his needs for they will be surely granted, God willing.