Introduction by Ḥabīb ꜥUmar ibn Ḥafīẓ (God preserve him)

Rajab is one of your best months so increase within it seeking forgiveness [istighfār] and perfect your approach towards God ﷻ.

Our Master ꜥAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (God be pleased with him) used to allocate time for worship on the first night of Rajab. It is a special night amongst all the nights about which has been mentioned that supplications within it are answered.

It has been authenticated that the Prophet ﷺ used to fast some days of Rajab. He ﷺ used to honour it, venerate it and magnify his month.

In a ḥadīth it was mentioned, ‘Increase in seeking forgiveness [istighfār] in Rajab; for truly God emancipates people from the Fire every hour within it.’ It is a must that we increase in seeking forgiveness, and make true our turning to God [tawba] within Rajab.

This month of Rajab is the month of sowing seeds: that of seeking forgiveness and turning to God the Exalted, and having a true resolve of moving closer to Him, and checking in on our relatives and neighbours, and giving our share of charity, and fasting some part of Rajab, even if it be only three days, if not more, and whoever is able to sacrifice a sheep for God the Exalted in Rajab (then do so); for it is known as the ꜥatīra.

Be joyous in your obedience of God and increase in it much (in this month). But be careful that Rajab enters while you have insistently cut off your family ties, and it turns into a curse upon you. You will then lose all success in Shaꜥbān and Ramaḍān. ‘Woe is he who reaches Ramaḍān and has not been forgiven.’ [1] Be wary that you spend the nights of Rajab and you have placed worry and grief in the mind of either your mother or father after the Creator of the Universe entreated us to ‘Give thanks to Me and your parents.’ [2]

Rajab, the Sacred Month of God

Know, that Rajab is a special month, and worship within it entails an awesome reward; especially that of fasting and seeking forgiveness (from God) [istighfār], repentance [tawba] from the heavy sins that one carries, and in its first night, one’s supplications [du`āʾ] are answered.

The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There are five nights within which no supplication is rejected, (they are): the first night of Rajab, the night of mid-Shaꜥbān, Friday Night [1], the night of (ꜥĪd) al-Fiṭr, and the night of Slaughter [naḥr].’ It was brought forth by Imām as-Suyūṭī, God have mercy on him, in his text al-Jāmiꜥ, narrated from Ibn ꜥAsākir and Abī Umāmah, may God be pleased with him.

And in its 27th night, the Prophet ﷺ performed the Night Journey, as is famously known.

Rajab is a Sacred Month that has been singled out, as God ﷻ has said, “Verily, the number of months to God are twelve in God’s Book, the Day He created the Heavens and the Earth; from them, four are sacred.” These four (sacred months) are Dhuʾl-Qiꜥdah, Dhuʾl-Ḥijjah, Muḥarram and Rajab. So, from the Sacred Months, three of them follow directly after each other and one is separate [2] (that month being) Rajab.

In the early days of Islam’s conception, fighting was forbidden in the Sacred Months, but this was abrogated by God’s ﷻ Saying, ‘So, fight the polytheists wherever and whenever you may find them.’ The sacredness of Rajab remains standing with the multiplication of acts of obedience within it, and increasing the magnitude of acts of disobedience, may God ﷻ protect us from them.

Rajab is God’s ﷻ Month of Out-pouring; those who repent are drenched in mercy, and the Lights of Acceptance overflow over all creation.

It used to be called (the Month of) Deafness, because within no one would hear the sound of fighting.

It is also called (the Month of) Stoning, because the enemies and demons are pelted with (figurative) stones until they are unable to harm any Friends of God ﷻ [awliyāʾ] or Righteous people [ṣāliḥīn].

The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Rajab is the Month of God’s ﷻ, Shaꜥbān is my month, and Ramaḍān is the month for my Community [ummah].’ It was brought forth (by Imām as-Suyūṭī) in al-Jāmiꜥ.

The scholars have said, ‘Rajab is the month of seeking forgiveness, Shaꜥbān is the month of sending prayers upon the Preferred Prophet ﷺ, and Ramadan is the month of the Qur’ān.’

So, strive, may God ﷻ have mercy upon you, in Rajab, for it is the season of (religious) trade, and organise well your time within it for it is the time of organising, whosoever considers themselves a trader. The season has arrived, and whoever is ill with the burdens (of sins), here has come the medicine.

A Small Formula of Seeking Forgiveness

Wahb ibn Munabbih (God ﷻ be pleased with him) said:

All of the rivers of the world visit Zamzam in the month of Rajab out of reverence for this month. And I have read in the Revealed Scriptures of God ﷻ, that whosoever seeks forgiveness from God ﷻ in Rajab in the day and night, raising their hands and supplicating seventy times:

Transliteration

rabbiʾghfirlī waʾrḥamnī wa tub ꜥalayya

English Translation

“Lord! Forgive me, have mercy on me, relent towards me”

the Fire (of Hell) will not touch their skin.’

I summarised all of the above from ‘A gift for the brethren in reading about the return of Rajab, Shaꜥbān and Ramaḍān’ [3] authored by the Erudite Scholar al-Fashnī, may God ﷻ have mercy on him – so be sure to take a look at it, for it is definitely with regards to this chapter, greatly invaluable.

Supplication for the First Night of Rajab

Shaykh ꜥAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī’s Supplication for the First Night of Rajab

It was mentioned by my master, the Lordly Spiritual Pole, the Shaykh ꜥAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, may God ﷻ sanctify his secret in his book, ‘al-Ghunya’:

‘Whosoever wishes may supplicate with this supplication on the first night of Rajab:

Transliteration

Ilāhī taꜥarraḍa laka fī hādhal-layl il-mutaꜥarriꜥḍūna wa qaṣadaka al-qāṣidūna wa ammala faḍlaka wa maꜥrūfak aṭ-ṭālibūn wa laka fī hadhal-layli nafaḥātun wa jawāʾizu wa ꜥaṭāyā wa mawāhibu tamunnu bihā ꜥalā man tashāʾu min ꜥibādika wa tamnaꜥuhā man lam tasbiq lahul-ꜥināyatu minka, wa hā anā dhā ꜥabduk al-faqīru ilayk al-muʾammalu faḍlaka wa maꜥrūfaka, faʾin kunta yā mawlāya tafaḍḍalta fī hadhihīl-laylati ꜥalā aḥadin min khalqika wa ꜥudta ꜥalayhi biꜥāʾidatin min ꜥaṭfika faṣalli ꜥalā Muḥammadin wa āli Muḥammadin wa ṣaḥbihi, wa judd ꜥalayya biṭūlika wa maꜥrūfika yā rabb al-ꜥālamīn.

English Translation

My Lord, those who have made their presence have all gathered for You, and those who have You as their purpose, seek You, and those who ask from You, hope in Your Graciousness and Goodness. You are the Possessor of Gifts and Awards on this Night, and Divine gifts and blessings; You bless with it whosoever You wish from Your servants, and deny those who have not yet received Your Assistance.

Here I am! Your slave who is in need of You! Who hopes in your Graciousness and Your Goodness!

If You have, O my Master, graced someone from Your creations, and generously provided them with Your continuous Kindness…so send benedictions of prayers upon our Master Muhammad ﷺ and his Family and Companions, and show me Your generosity, with Your Divine Patience and Goodness, O Lord of all creation!

Imām ꜥAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib’s Supplication for the First Night of Rajab

Our Master ꜥAlī, may God ﷻ be pleased with him, would specify for himself a private time of worship in four times during the year and they were on the First Night of Rajab, the Night of ꜥĪd al-Fiṭr, the Night of ꜥĪd al-Aḍḥā, and the Night of Mid-Shaꜥbān.

These supplications are as follows:

Transliteration

Allāhumma ṣallī ꜥalā Muḥammadin wa ālihī maṣābīḥ il-ḥikmata, wa mawālīn-niꜥmata, wa maꜥādin il-ꜥiṣmata, waꜥṣimnī bihim min kulli sūʾin, wa lā taʾkhudhnī ꜥalā ghirratin, wa lā ꜥalā ghaflatin, wa lā tajꜥal ꜥawāqiba amrī ḥasratan wa nadāmatan, warḍa ꜥannī; faʾinna maghfirataka liẓ-ẓalimīna, wa anā min aẓ-ẓālimīn.

Allāhumma-ghfirlī mā lā yaḍurruka, wa aꜥṭinī mā lā yanfaꜥuka, faʾinnak al-wāsiꜥatu raḥmatihi, al-badīꜥatu ḥikmatihi, fa aꜥṭinīs-saꜥatu wad-daꜥatu, wal-amnu waṣ-ṣiḥḥatu, wash-shukru wal-muꜥāfātu wat-taqwā, wa afrigh iṣ-ṣabra waṣ-ṣidqa ꜥalayya wa ꜥalā awliyāʾika, wa aꜥṭinīl-yusra, wa lā tajꜥal maꜥahul-ꜥusra, waꜥmim bidhālika ahlī wa waladī wa ikhwānī fīka, wa man waladanī, min al-muslimīn wal-muslimāti wal-muʾminīna wal-muʾmināt.

English Translation

O Allāh, send benedictions of prayers upon Muhammad and his Family, the guiding lanterns of wisdom, the masters of blessings, the treasures of virtuousness, protect me through them from all evils, and do not take me to account of my negligence, nor on account of my heedlessness, and do not make my end of my affairs a regret nor a torment. And be pleased with me! For verily Your Forgiveness is for the transgressors and I am from the wrongdoers.

O Allāh, forgive me for all that does not harm You, and to give me that which does not benefit You. For truly You are the possessor of an expansive Mercy, possessor of marvellous Wisdom, so give me increase, tenderness, safety and good health, and the ability to be grateful, and pardoning and piety. Make easy upon me fortitude and truthfulness and upon Your Friends. Give me ease! And do not give along with it any difficulties. And do the same for my family and children and those who are my brethren through You! And my progenitors from the believing Muslims, male and female.[4]

Imām al-Ḥaddād’s Istighfār for Rajab

My master, the Erudite Scholar, the Sayyid Ḥasan, son of my Master ꜥAbd-Allāh Bā ꜥAlawī al-Ḥaddād, compiled a supplication of seeking forgiveness [istighfār] and called it the ‘Istighfār for Rajab’ and said about it:

‘Truly, it has many benefits, and abundant spiritual effects’, and it is as follows [5]:

Transliteration

Bismillāhir-raḥmān ir-raḥīm

Alḥamdulillāhi rabb il-ꜥālamīn

Wa ṣall-Allāhu ꜥalā sayyidinā Muḥammadin wa ꜥalā ʾālihī wa ṣaḥbih wa sallim

Astaghfirullāh (3x) wa atūbu il-Allāh mimmā yakrahu-llāh qawlan wa fiꜥlan wa khāṭiran wa nāẓiran wa bātinan wa ẓāhiran.

Astaghfirullāh al-ꜥaẓīm alladhī lā ilāha illā hū al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūma wa atūbu ilayh

Allāhumma innī astaghfiruka limā qaddamtu wa mā akhkhartu wa mā asrartu wa mā aꜥlantu wa mā anta aꜥlamu bihī minnī, antal-Muqaddimu wa antal-Muʾakhkhiru wa anta ꜥalā kulli shayʾin qadīr

Astaghfirullāh dhal-Jalāli wal-Ikrām min jamīꜥ idh-dhunūbi wal-āthām

Astaghfirullāha li-dhunūbī kullihā, sirrihā wa jahrihā wa ṣaghīrihā wa kabīrihā wa qadīmihā wa jadīdihā wa awwalihā wa ākhirihā wa ẓāhirihā wa bāṭinihā wa atūbu ilayh

Allāhumma innī astaghfiruka min kulli dhanbin tubtu ilayka minhu thumma ꜥudtu fīh

Wa astaghfiruka limā aradtu bihī wajhak al-Karīma fakhālaṭahū mā laysa fīhi riḍā

Wa astaghfiruka limā waꜥadtuka bihī min nafsī thumma akhlaftuka fīhi

Wa astaghfiruka limā daꜥānī ilayh il-hawā min qibal ir-rukhaṣi mimmā-shtabaha ꜥalayya wa huwa ꜥindaka ḥarām

Wa astaghfiruka yā man lā ilāha illā anta yā ꜥĀlim al-Ghaybi wash-Shahādati, min kulli sayyiʾatin ꜥamaltuhā fī bayāḍin-nahāri wa sawādil-layli fī malaʾin wa khalaʾin wa sirrin wa ꜥalāniyatin wa anta nāẓirun ilayya idh irtakabtuhā, wa atayta bihā maꜥ al-ꜥiṣyān, fa atūbu ilayka, yā Ḥalīmu yā Karīmu yā Raḥīm

Wa astaghfiruka min an-niꜥam allatī anꜥamta bihā ꜥalayya fataqawwaytu bihā ꜥalā maꜥṣiyatik

Wa astaghfiruka min adh-dhunūb illatī  lā yaꜥrifuhā aḥadun ghayruka, wa lā yaṭṭaliꜥu ꜥalayhā aḥadun siwāka, wa lā yasaꜥuhā illa ḥilmuka, wa lā yunjīnī minhā illa ꜥafwuk

Wa astaghfiruka likulli yamīnin salafat minnī faḥanathtu fīhā wa anā ꜥindaka muʾākhadhun bihā

Wa astaghfiruka yā man lā ilāha illā ant, subḥānaka innī kuntu min aẓ-ẓālimīn ۞ fastajabnā lahū wa najjaynānu min al-ghammi wa kadhālika nunjil-muʾminīn ۞ wa Zakariyyā idh nādā Rabbahū Rabbi lā tadharnī fardan wa anta khayr ul-Wārithīn ۞ Rabb ighfir warḥam wa anta khayr ur-Rāḥimīn

Wa astaghfiruka min kulli farīḍatin awjabtahā ꜥalayya fī anāʾ il-layli wa aṭrāf in-nahāri, fataraktuhā khaṭaʾan aw ꜥamdan aw nisyānan aw tahāwunan aw jahlan wa anā muꜥāqabun bihā

Wa astaghfiruka min kulli sunnatin min sunani Sayyid al-Mursalīn wa Khātim in-Nabiyyīna, nabiyyika Sayydinā Muḥammadan ṣall-Allāhu ꜥalayhi wa sallam, fataraktuhā ghaflatan aw sahwan aw nisyānan aw tahāwunan aw jahlan aw qillata mubālātin bihā

Wa astaghfiruka yā man lā ilāha illā anta waḥdaka lā sharīka lak, wa anna Sayydinā Muḥammadan ꜥabduka wa rasūluka, subḥānaka yā Rabb al-ꜥĀlamīna, lak al-mulku wa lak al-ḥamdu wa anta ḥasbunā wa niꜥm al-wakīl, niꜥm al-mawlā wa niꜥm an-naṣīr, wa lā ḥawlā wa lā quwwata illā billāh il-ꜥaliyy il-ꜥaẓīm

Yā Jābira kulli kasīr, wa yā Muʾnisa kulli waḥīd, wa yā ṣāḥiba kulli gharīb, wa yā muyassira kulli ꜥasīr, wa yā man lā yaḥtāju ilal-bayāni wat-tafsīr, wa anta ꜥalā mā tashāʾu qadīr, wa ṣall-Allāhu taꜥālā ꜥalā Sayyidinā Muḥammadin biꜥadadi man ṣallā ꜥalayhi wa biꜥadadi man lam yuṣallī ꜥalayh

Allāhumma ṣallī ꜥala rūḥi Sayyidinā Muḥammadin fil arwāḥ

Allāhumma ṣallī ꜥala turbati Sayyidinā Muḥammadin fit-turāb

Allāhumma ṣallī ꜥala qabri Sayyidinā Muḥammadin fil qubūr

Allāhumma ṣallī ꜥala ṣūrati Sayyidinā Muḥammadin fiṣ-ṣuwar

Allāhumma ṣallī ꜥala ismi Sayyidinā Muḥammadin fil-asmāʾ

۞ Laqad jāʾakum Rasūlun min anfusikum ꜥazīzun ālayhimā ꜥanittum ḥarīṣun ꜥalaykum bil-muʾminīna raʾūfur-raḥīm ۞ fa in tawwalaw faqul ḥasbiy-Allāhu lā ilāha illā huwa ꜥalayhi tawakkaltu wa huwa rabb ul-ꜥarsh il-ꜥaẓīm

English Translation

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to God Lord of the Worlds.

O God bestow prayers and peace upon our Master Muhammad and upon his Family and Companions.

I seek the forgiveness of God (three times) for every word, act and thought and every inward and outward action of mine which God dislikes.

I seek the forgiveness of God, the Greatest. There is no deity but Him; the Living, the Sustainer, and I repent to Him.

O God forgive me for what I have done previously, what I will do, what I have done in secret and in private, for my excesses and for that about which You have more knowledge than I. You are the One Who advances people and the One Who holds them back and You have power over all things.

I seek the forgiveness of God, the Possessor of Majesty and Honour, for all my sins and wrongdoings.

I seek the forgiveness of God for every one of my sins: those committed in private, those committed in public, the small and the large, those committed previously and those committed recently, the first and the last of them, outward and inward sins, and I repent to Him.

O God I seek Your forgiveness for any sin from which I have repented and then committed again.

I seek Your forgiveness for any action which I performed initially for Your noble countenance and then something else which is displeasing to You detracted from my sincerity.

I seek Your forgiveness for anything that I have promised to do for Your sake and then broken my promise to You.

I seek Your forgiveness for anything that my caprice has called me to do by taking dispensations in affairs which are dubious, which are in Your sight forbidden.

I seek Your forgiveness, there is no deity but You, O Knower of the seen and unseen, for every wrong or act of disobedience that I have committed in broad daylight or in the darkness of the night, in the company of people or whilst alone, in public or in private, in the knowledge that You were gazing upon me as I committed it.

I repent to You, O Forbearing One, O Most Generous, O Most Merciful.

I seek Your forgiveness for deriving strength from the blessings You have bestowed upon me and then using that strength to disobey You.

I seek Your forgiveness for sins which only You know about and only You can see, sins which only Your forbearance can encompass and from which only Your pardon can save me.

I seek Your forgiveness for every oath I have made and then broken, for which I will be taken to account.

I seek Your forgiveness, there is no deity but You, transcendent are You, truly I am amongst the wrongdoers. “So, We responded to him and delivered him from distress; thus do We deliver those who have faith. And remember Zakariyyā, when he cried to his Lord: “O my Lord! Leave me not without offspring, for You are the best of Bestowers.”

“My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the Best of those who show mercy.”

I seek Your forgiveness for every obligation which You have requested that I fulfil in the day or the night which I have subsequently neglected out of heedlessness, absent-mindedness, forgetfulness or ignorance, and for which I will be punished.

I seek Your forgiveness for every sunnah of the Master of the Messengers, the Seal of the Prophets, Your Prophet our Master Muhammad ﷺ which I have left out of heedlessness, absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, ignorance or not caring.

I seek Your forgiveness, there is no deity but You, alone without partner, Muhammad is Your slave and messenger. Transcendent are You, O Lord of the Worlds. To You belongs the dominion and all praise. You are sufficient for us, and You are the best disposer of our affairs. He is the best of those who protect and the best of those who assist. There is no strength nor might except in God, the Sublime, the Greatest.

O God, You are the Repairer of every breakage, the Companion of everyone who is alone, the One who brings ease to every difficulty, the One who is not in need of clarification or explanation. You are able to do whatever You will. Bestow prayers upon our Master Muhammad to the number of those who bestow prayers upon him, and to the number of those who do not. O God bestow prayers upon the spirit of our Master Muhammad, upon the earth in which our Master Muhammad is buried, upon the grave in which our Master Muhammad lies, upon the physical form of our Master Muhammad and upon the name of our Master Muhammad.

“There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves, grievous to whom is your burden, concerned (is he) for you; for the believers (he is) full of compassion, merciful. If they turn away then say: God is sufficient for me; there is no god but He. On Him do I rely; He is the Lord of the Awesome Throne. May the prayers and peace of God be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his Family and Companions. All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, in every instant forever, the number of His creation, to His satisfaction, the weight of His throne and the amount of ink of His words.

The Master Supplication of Istighfār

Do not leave aside the Master (Supplication) of Seeking Forgiveness [6] that has been narrated from the Prophet ﷺ, which is:

For the Brothers:

Written in the original formula with the male form of the word for servant.

English Translation

O God, You are my Lord, there is no god but You, You created me and I am Your (male) servant, and I am faithful to my covenant and promise (that I made to You) as much as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my actions. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So, I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.

For the Sisters:

An alternate reading so the sisters can use the female form of the word for servant [7] in Arabic:

English Translation

O God, You are my Lord, there is no god but You, You created me and I am Your (female) servant, and I am faithful to my covenant and promise (that I made to You) as much as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my actions. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So, I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.

A Special Benefit

From the benefits mentioned by Shaykh ꜥAlī al-Ujhūrī (Allāh ﷻ have mercy on him) – as was mentioned in his book ‘Khulāsat al-Athar’ – that:

‘Whosoever recites (the below words) on the last Friday of Rajab, while the Sermoniser is on the pulpit, thirty-five times, will not have his dirhams (i.e. money) cut off that year’[10].

English Translation

Aḥmad is the Messenger of Allāh
Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh

Warning

For those who pray the Prayer of ar-Raghāʾib

Understand well that the Prayer of ar-Raghaʾib mentioned here – a prayer of 12 cycles that is prayed between the Sunset [maghrib] and Night prayer [ꜥishāʾ] on the first Friday night of Rajab – is a blameworthy innovation so do not perform it. Rather, instead of it, pray the Prayer of al-Awwābīn, or the Prayer of at-Tasābīḥ, or any supererogatory prayers separately without a specified number of cycles; and this is what has mentioned before in an earlier part of the book [11].

Section from Page 89

Traditions on the Prayer of ar-Raghāʾib are Fabricated

The Erudite Scholar, Shaykh Zayn ad-Dīn (student of Ibn Ḥajr al-Makkī) in his book “Irshād al-ꜥIbād”, and other scholars like himself from the same School of Thought:

From the reprehensible innovations that negatively affects the one who performs it, and is incumbent on those who are in charge to prohibit its performance, is the Prayer of ar-Raghā’ib, which is twelve cycles of prayers, between the two Night prayers [12] on the first Friday night of Rajab, and the one hundred cycles of prayer on the Night of mid-Shaꜥbān, and the twenty-seven cycle prayer on the last Friday of Ramaḍān with the supposed intention of making up missed obligatory prayers, and the prayer on the Day of `Āshurā’ of two, four or more cycles, and the Prayer of Weeks. As for the Traditions relating to them, they are fabricated and false, and do not be duped by anyone who mentions them.

Footnotes: