The Virtuous Shaykh ʿAbdul ʿAzīz ar-Rajihī -May Allāh preserve him- said:
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ used to give glad tidings to his companions on the arrival of the month of Ramadān. As narrated by Abū Hurairah -May Allāh be pleased with him-, he would say:
“There has come to you Ramadān, a blessed month, which Allāh has enjoined you to fast. In it the gates of Heavens are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and every devil is chained up. In it is a night which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.”
Reported by Imām Ahmad & an-Nasā’ī
The scholars have said: This hadīth has the basis on which people congratulate one another in the month of Ramadān.
Source: https://t.me/shrajhi/2119
. منة الرحمن بالجامع في المخالفات الواقعة في شهر رمضان
Minatu-Rahman (The Favor of The Bestower of Mercy) -A Compilation of Common Mistakes that Occur in the Month of Ramadan
✒By Shaykh Muhammad ba Jamaal (حفظه الله)
🌔 Mistakes After Entering the “New” Moon of Ramadan🌒
✳️ المبالغة في التهاني بقدوم شهر رمضان، كقول بعضهم لآخر: (شهر مبارك), أو (كل عام وأنتم بخير), أو نحو ذلك مما يسمي عندنا (بالمشاهرة), وهذه التهنئة والمبالغة فيها لم تنقل عن رسول الله ﷺ ولا عن أصحابه.
❇️ Going to extremes in congratulations regarding the entering of the month of Ramadan. Like the statement of some of them to others: (Ramadan Mubarak, Blessed Ramadan), or (Happy new year) or the likes of these sayings. These greetings and the exaggeration in spreading them cannot be traced back to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ nor his companions.
✳️وأما قول الحافظ ابن رجب في كتابه”لطائف المعارف” (ص ١٤٨) نقلاً عن بعض العلماء عند حديث سلمان الفارسي رضي الله عنه خطبنا رسول الله في آخر شعبان فقال: “أيها الناس إنه قد أظلكم شهر عظيم, شهر مبارك، شهر فيه ليلة خير من ألف شهر” هذا الحديث أصل في التهنئة بشهر رمضان. اه
❇️ And as for the statement of Al-Hāfidh Ibn Rajab in his book, “Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif” (148 pg.):
The hadith of Salman Farasi (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us a speech in the last part of Sha’ban where he said, ‘Oh people, there approaches you a great month, a blessed month (Ramadan). A month which contains a night better than a thousand months.’
Then he (Ibn Rajab) conveyed on the authority of some of the scholars the saying that this hadith is the basis of giving mutual greetings for arrival of the month of Ramadan.”
✳️ فهذا القول مردود من وجهين:
الأول: أن الحديث ضعيف، ضعفه غير واحد من أهل العلم:
١- العقيلي في “الضعفاء” (٣٥/١) وقال: قد روي من غير وجه ليس له طريق ثبت بين.
٢- والحافظ الذهبي في”الميزان” ترجمة إياس بن أبي إياس وقال: منكر.
٣- والحافظ ابن حجر في”إتحاف المهرة” (٥/ ٥٦٠-٥٦١).
٤- والعلامة الألباني في”السلسلة الضعيفة” (٨٧١) وقال: منكر.اه
٥- وشيخنا يحيى بن علي الحجوري في “تحقيق وصول الأماني بأصول التهاني” (ص٥١) وقال: ضعيف جدًّا.
الثاني: أنه على فرض صحته فليس فيه التهنئة والزيارات من هنا إلى هنا، وإنما غاية ما فيه الإخبار بأن رمضان شهر مبارك – وهو كذلك-، وهو أمر يقوم الخطباء والوعاظ والمدرسون به، ففيه كفاية إذا عن التهنئة المحدثة، والزيارة من أجلها.
This statement (of Ibn Rajibs’) is refuted from two aspects:
Firstly: The hadith is weak, more than one of the people of knowledge have declared it to be weak.
1. Al-Uqailee in his book: “The Weak Ones” (Vol. 1, pg. 35) and he said: ‘It has been narrated from other chains and it doesn’t have a clear, authentic path (chain of narration).’
2. Al-Hāfidh ad-Dhahabee in his book, “The Scales” under the biography of Iyaas bin Abi Iyaas, he (Ad-Dhahabee) said: ‘It (the afore mentioned hadith) is Munkar (a category of da’eef/weak).’
3. Al-Hāfidh Ibn Hajr in the book “Ithaafal Mahrah” (Vol. 5 pgs. 560-561).
4. Al-Alaamah Al-Albani in the book “Silsilah Daeefah” (pg. 871) and he said: ‘It is Munkar.’
5. And our Shaikh Yahya al-Hajooree in his checking of the book “Wusool al Amanee bi Usool at-Tahaani” (pg. 51) and he said: ‘It is extremely weak.’
Second: If we were to say, for arguments sake that it (the afore mentioned hadith of Salman al-Farisi) is authentic, it does not contain that the Prophet ﷺ gave congratulations nor preformed visits from here to there, but rather all the hadith shows is that He ﷺ informing that Ramadan is a blessed month – and it is – and informing of that is something which preachers and teachers do, so that suffices the rest of us from innovated congratulations and special visits just for that purpose.
✍🏽 Translated by:
Abu Yusuf Bilal ibn Howard Robinson
