Degrees of Fast observers at Sahri and Iftar; and a prescription for those times

Haj Mirza Javad Agha Maliki Tabrizi

Fast observers from the point of view of their intention (niyyat) for eating at dawn (sahri) and fast breaking (iftar) may be classified as follows:

1. Those who do not make any special intention for eating sahri and iftar and simply eat to enjoy the food taste as well as to make up for the hunger during the fasting.

2. Those who eat sahri and iftar with the intention of enjoying the food taste and make up for the hunger, but at the same time with the intention that eating sahri and iftar are recommended (mustahab) and help a person in his worshipping.

3. Those who eat sahri and iftar because, it is recommended, Allah likes it, and it helps a person in worshipping, but in addition to that also pay due regard to special etiquette and instructions about sahri and iftar - etiquette such as recital of Holy Qur'an, engaging in special supplications before, after, and during sahri and iftar, and praising and thanking Allah (the Glorious, the Exalted).

Special Etiquette
One of the most important etiquette and instruction is the recital of Surah al-Qadr (Power) before taking sahri and iftar as well as recital of the illustrious and illuminated supplication:
"Allahuma rabb al-nur al-'adheem" (Allah is the possessor of great illumination)
which has been given in the book of Iqbal written by the most esteemed and famous scholar Sayyid ibn Taoos.

About this supplication it has been narrated from Imam al-Sadiq [a] that the Holy Prophet [s] has recommended recital of this prayer to Commander of the Faithful [s] Imam 'Ali [a] and said that Archangel Gabriel came to me and said:
"Whoever in the Holy Month of Ramadhan before iftar recites this prayer, Allah answers his prayer, accepts his prayer and fasting, grants his ten requirements, forgives his sins, removes his grief, makes his heart at ease, grants his wishes, makes his deeds to ascend upward with the deeds of prophets and righteous saints, and on the Day of Judgement brings him to His presence with a face illuminated like bright moon."

Suluk-i Arifan; Haj Mirza Javad Agha Maliki Tabrizi

6 guidelines on Akhlaq

Hammad b. `Authman narrated, 
‘I was in the presence of Abu Abdillah [al-Sadiq] (a), when a man said to him,
‘May Allah make you well, you mentioned that Ali b. Abi Talib (a) would wear rough clothes, wear a shirt that was worth four dirhams, and other things like that. But we see you are wearing good clothes!’
[He said], ‘The Imam replied to him,
‘Ali b. Abi Talib (a) wore that in a time in which it would not be disapproved, and if he would wear those clothes today he would be defamed for it. Therefore, the best clothing of every time is the clothing of the people [of that time]. However, when our al-Qa’im [the awaited saviour Imam al-Mahd?, may Allah hasten his appearance] reappears he will be wearing the clothes of Ali (a) and will follow his way of life.’
[al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 444, no. 15]

Imam al-Hasan (a) said,
‘There are twelve things that every Muslim should know about the table [manners]; four are mandatory, four are recommended, and four are general manners. The mandatory are: knowledge [of the food], to be content with it, mentioning the name of Allah [before it], and offering thanks to Him [afterwards].
The recommended acts are: ablution before eating, sitting on one’s left side, eating with three fingers, and licking the fingers [after the meal].
And the general manners are: eating from the closest spot to you, taking small bites, chewing well, and rarely looking at people’s faces [while eating].’
[Wasael al-Shi`aah , v. 16, p. 539, no. 1]

The Prophet (s) said, 'Gabriel continuously advises me about brushing teeth, that I really thought he would lay it down as an obligation.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 76, p. 126, no. 2]

Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, ‘Three things cause weight gain and three others cause weight loss.As for those that cause weight gain – excessive use of the bathhouse, smelling sweet fragrance and wearing soft clothing. And as for those that cause weight loss, they are: eating too many eggs, fish and unripe dates.’[al-Khisal, p. 155, no. 194]

Imam al-Kazim (AS) said,
‘Man should not leave one day without perfuming himself, and if he is not able to do that, then he should perfume himself every other day, and if he cannot do that, then he should do so every Friday without fail.’
[al-Kafi, v. 6, no. 4]

Imam al-Sadiq (AS) was asked how to determine the most rightful person to lead the congregation, to which he replied,
‘Verily the Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The person who recites the Qur’an the best [i.e. with correct pronunciation] should lead them, and if they all recite similarly, then the one who migrated [from Makkah to Medina] the earliest, and if they all migrated around the same time, then the oldest from among them, and if they are all the same age, then the most knowledgeable from among them with regards to the prophetic practice and the laws of jurisprudence. No one from among you should lead a man in prayer in his own home, nor a man of authority within the sphere of his authority.’
[al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 376, no. 5]

An Important Rule Often Neglected 27

A Code of Practice For Muslims in the West : Eating & drinking » Questions and Answers
Fatawa of Ayatullah al Uzama Syed Ali al-Husaini Seestani


191: Question: We are unaware of the ingredients of food sold in shops in Western countries: it might be free from those ingredients that are forbidden to us or it might contain them. Are we allowed to eat such items without looking into their ingredients, or inquiring about them? Or is that not allowed to us?


Answer: It is permissible [to eat such food] as long as it is not known that it contains meat, fat, and their derivatives that are forbidden to us.

An Important Rule Often Neglected 23

Islamic Laws: Fasting » Ascribing lies to Allah and His Prophet
Fatawa of Ayatullah al Uzama Syed Ali al-Husaini Seestani

1757. Fasting is Mustahab on every day of a year except those on which it is haraam or Makrooh to observe a fast...Fasting is also recommended on 27th of Rajab - the day the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) declared his Prophethood.


If a person observes a Mustahab fast, it is not obligatory on him to complete it. In fact, if one of his brethren-in-faith invites him to a meal, it is Mustahab that he accepts the invitation and breaks the fast during the day time even if it may be after Zuhr.

Salawat Sweetens Honey

Once the Holy Prophet (s) was sitting with Amir al-mu’minin 'Ali (a) in the middle of a garden, which contained many trees, and was very fertile.
A bee came towards them and started circling above them for quite some time...


The Holy Prophet (s) addressing 'Ali ('a) said: Indeed this bee has made us his guests today. It said to me: I have placed for you some honey in that specific place. So send your brother Amir al-mu’minin to the place so that he may bring the same.
Thereupon Imam 'Ali ('a) stood up and brought the honey.


[Then] the Prophet (s) addressing the bee said:
O bee, surely your food is from the roses of flowers, and that is bitter [in taste]; so how does it change into sweet honey?
The bee replied: O Messenger of Allah, surely the sweetness of the honey comes from the blessing of mentioning your blessed name and the name [s] of your pure progeny; when we draw the nectar of the flowers we are inspired to invoke blessings upon you and your infallible progeny three times; therefore when we eat, the mention of salawat  turns our honey sweet.
[Khazinat al-Jawahir was lama’aat al-Anwaar, p. 586]

Ayatollah Tabrizi's secret to Ayatollah Isfahani

Ayatollah Muhammad Husain Isfahani known as Kompani was an outstanding Muslim Jurist and philosopher of his time.  In a letter to Ayatollah Tabrizi - known as ‘The Beauty of Wayfarers’ - he requested him to write a practical prescription for his spiritual perfection.
I quote parts of the prescription from my teacher Ayatollah Hasan-Zadeh (pictured) who quoted it from his teacher Allamah Tabatabaei:

“ … The beneficial way in knowing the self is to endeavour in reducing your animality by the following disciplines:
1. Reducing your meals in that you don’t have more than two meals a day and not to have meat more than two or three times in a week.
2. Reducing your sleeping hours in that you don’t sleep more than six hours.
3. Endeavour in safeguarding your tongue and abstaining from heedless people. These three will be very helpful in reducing the animality of man.

As for accelerating and reinforcing your spirituality:
1. Have permanent grief of the heart (not facial) in fear of not reaching your destination.
2. Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and Fikr (to think and ponder) as these two are the wings of flying to the heaven of knowledge. As for the Dhikr, the Dhikr of Yunusiyah (Laa Elaaha Ellaa Ant Sobhanaka Enni Konto Mena dhalemin) in the morning and at night is very much experienced and brings about many blessings. The minimum times of reciting it is 400 times. As for the Fikr for a beginner the best is to ponder upon death.”

Ayatollah Hasan-Zadeh, 1001 Words, Word 301