Fadail Ramadan li-Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Salaf
Fada'il Ramadan (Virtues of Ramadan) is a hadith treatise by the Baghdadi scholar and educator Ibn Abi al-Dunya (208–281 AH / 823–894 CE) that compiles Prophetic traditions and early narrations concerning the merits of fasting, prayer, and devotion during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Overview and Structure
The work is part of Ibn Abi al-Dunya's extensive corpus of thematic treatises devoted to asceticism, pious deeds, and ethical conduct. Structured as a compilation of reports transmitted with chains of narration (isnad), it brings together marfu' hadiths attributed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ alongside athar from the Companions and early Successors.
Among the teachers and transmission authorities through whom Ibn Abi al-Dunya relates reports in the text are Muhammad ibn Sulayman Luwayn al-Asadi, Abu Khaythama Zuhayr ibn Harb, Khalaf ibn Hisham, Shuja' ibn Makhlad, and his own father, Muhammad ibn 'Ubayd.
Contents and Themes
The treatise covers the distinctive virtues, practices, and spiritual rewards associated with the month of Ramadan:
- Virtues of the Month and Fasting: Prophetic reports announcing the arrival of Ramadan as a blessed month in which the gates of Paradise and heaven are opened, the gates of Hellfire are closed, and devils are chained. It records narrations promising forgiveness of past sins for observing fasting and the night vigils with faith and anticipation of reward ( من قام رمضان إيمانًا واحتسابًا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه ), as well as the proclamation of the heavenly herald: يا باغي الخير أقبل ويا باغي الشر أقصر ("O seeker of good, come forward; O seeker of evil, desist").
- Night Vigils and Congregational Prayer: Early reports detailing the communal night prayers (tarawih and qiyam) instituted during the caliphates of Umar ibn al-Khattab and Ali ibn Abi Talib, including the number of rak'ahs (twenty rak'ahs with three rak'ahs of witr), the organization of Quran recitation, and intervals of rest (tarwihah) between units of prayer.
- Practices of the Early Generations: Narrations illustrating devotional customs, such as 'A'isha having her servant lead her prayer in Ramadan while reciting directly from the physical copy of the Quran (mushaf), and Successors like Thabit al-Bunani and Humayd al-Tawil performing ritual washings and applying perfume during the twenty-third and twenty-fourth nights of the month.
- Supplications and Acts of Devotion: Traditions regarding the pre-dawn meal (suhur), the virtues of remembrance (dhikr) and charity, and the Prophetic supplication upon breaking the fast: ذهب الظمأ، وابتلت العروق، وثبت الأجر إن شاء الله ("The thirst has gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is confirmed, if God wills").
Transmission and Editions
The treatise was preserved in manuscript collections, including a copy held in the Laleli collection (MS 3664/12) in Istanbul, Turkey. It has been consulted and cited by later hadith scholars and compilers in their discussions of Ramadan and voluntary deeds. A critical edition was prepared by Abd Allah ibn Hamad al-Mansur and published by Dar al-Salaf in Riyadh in 1415 AH (1995 CE).
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