Bismillah.
Do not miss the fast of 27th Rajab
It has been reported by Qāsim b. Yahyā from his grandfather al-Hasan b. Rāshid, that Imam Ja‘far b. Muhammad (a) said: do not abandon the fasting of the 27th Day of Rajab, for it is the day on which the prophethood was bestowed upon Muhammad (a); and its reward is equivalent to [fasting for] sixty months for you.” (Al-Sadūq, Al-Faqīh 2:90; Hurr al-‘Āmilī, Wasā’il, H 13808) In another Hadith, Al- Rayyān b. al-Salt narrates that when Imam Abū Ja‘far II (al-Jawād) (a) was in Baghdad, he fasted in the middle of Rajab and on the 27th Day of Rajab, and so did his entire clan of [Banī] Hāshim. (Al-Tūsī, Misbāh 2:814; Wasā’il H 10196). Taken from Academy for Learning Islam, Forty Hadith: Rajab & Sha ‘bān, Hadith No. 16)
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وَلَا تَقْعُدُوا بِكُلِّ صِرَاطٍ تُوعِدُونَ وَتَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ وَتَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا
And do not lie in wait on every road to threaten and bar those who have faith in Him from the way of Allah, seeking to make it crooked.
(Sūrat al-A‘rāf No. 7, Āyat 86)
The verse above quotes Prophet Shu’ayb ‘alayhis-salām, who was sent as a messenger to the city of Midian. The disbelieving leaders of Midian would obstruct those seeking to visit Shu’ayb by lying in wait along the various roads leading to his home. They would intercept Shu’ayb’s visitors and attempt to dissuade them from following him. This behaviour is reminiscent of Satan’s vow, mentioned earlier in the same sūrah, where he declared that he would ambush God’s servants on the straight path to prevent them from traversing it.
قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
He said: As You hast caused me to remain disappointed I will certainly lie in wait for them in Your straight path. (Q 7:16)
Before examining a modern example of how Satan erects barriers in our lives, it is worth understanding who Prophet Shu’ayb was. Shu’ayb was a descendant of one of Prophet Lūt’s daughters. After Lūt’s community, including his wife, was destroyed by God’s punishment, he returned to Hebron with his daughters. On the suggestion of Prophet Ibrāhīm (a), Lūt (a) married his daughters to followers of Ibrāhīm from his own tribe. These clansmen, along with Ibrāhīm and Lūt, had earlier migrated from Iraq to Palestine.
Shaykh Rizwan Arastu, in his work God’s Emissaries: Adam to Jesus, has emphasized that Muslims should reject the indecent narrative about Lūt’s daughters found in the Bible. Instead, the fact that they were saved from God’s punishment alongside their father highlights their righteousness and worthiness of praise. When Lūt offered his daughters to the sinful community of Sodom, as referenced in multiple Quranic verses (Q 11:78 and 15:71), it should be understood as an effort to encourage the depraved people to reform. His willingness to marry his daughters to anyone intending to abandon their sinful ways and return to decency demonstrates his desire to guide them toward righteousness.
There are many barriers Satan places on the path of those striving to follow the straight path. A prominent obstacle today is the distraction of social media. Social media consumes vast amounts of time and often entices individuals toward worldly pleasures. God has endowed us with the potential to achieve endless spiritual and intellectual growth, but this requires dedication and effort. A believer must allocate time to seek knowledge, engage in worship, interact with fellow believers, and serve their family and community. However, if countless hours are wasted daily on binge-watching videos or aimlessly scrolling through websites, how can such noble aspirations ever be realized? Moreover, much of the content on these platforms is inappropriate and can lead individuals toward sin.
We pray to Allah ‘azza wajall to strengthen our resolve to use our time wisely and in service to Him. May He grant us the discipline to regulate and control our use of technology, ensuring that it neither leads us to sin nor wastes our valuable time.
Sources: Sh. R. Arastu, God’s Emissaries Adam to Jesus.
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