The Story of Little Zayd
Welcoming a Special Guest
Adnan Ahmad
It was Sunday, so after offering Fajr salah, Little Zayd slept till late. When his eyes opened, there appeared to be some commotion in the house and faint voices of a conversation could also be heard. Worried, he came out of his room and found Mother moving the sofa and cleaning behind it. Little Zayd looked closely and noticed other things had also been moved from their places. He now realised that the disturbance that caused him to wake up was the sound of furniture being moved here and there.
After having breakfast, Little Zayd went straight to Grandmother’s room.
“Grandmother, what is happening in the house this morning?” enquired Little Zayd.
Grandmother replied, “Cleaning is taking place, my dear, which is a good thing.”
“But Grandmother”, quizzed Little Zayd, “Cleaning is done daily. So, why is there so much of it today? Is a guest arriving?”
Grandmother responded, “Yes, it is as you said. A guest is coming, and preparations are underway to welcome him.”
Little Zayd asked, “Who is it? No one told me anything.”
Grandmother informed him, “Little Zayd, some guests are special; we have to pay attention to when that guest will be arriving at our home.”
“But please, Grandmother”, pressed Little Zayd, “At least tell me now who that guest is? I am getting impatient.”
Grandmother responded, “My dear Little Zayd, that special guest is the blessed month of Ramadan, which is arriving after two or three days.”
Hearing the name of Ramadan, Little Zayd jumped for joy. “Oh yes!” he exclaimed, “Now, I will really enjoy myself. There will be so much joy in the house at suhoor and iftar, and we will have tasty food. But Grandmother, please tell me, why are we cleaning our house for the arrival of Ramadan?”
Answering his question, Grandmother replied, “The second Caliph of the Muslims Sayyidunā ꜤUmar bin al-Khaṭṭāb رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ would say, ‘Welcome to the month which cleanses us.’[1] Because this month purifies us, we clean our house before its arrival. This is so that we can worship and recite the noble Quran in it with full concentration, and keep the fasts with enthusiasm. And oh, look at which book I have in my hand. This is the book Blessings of Ramadan written by our spiritual guide, the leader of Ahl al-Sunnah, Mawlana Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ. I was just reading a hadith in it. I will read it to you as well. Our beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated, ‘Ramadan—a blessed month—has come to you. Allah Almighty has made its fasts necessary for you. In it, the gates of heavens are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed. And in it, the disobedient devils are chained. Allah (Almighty) has a night in it which is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its goodness is truly deprived.’[2]
In another place, the following hadith is mentioned: ‘Indeed, Paradise is decorated for Ramadan from the beginning of the year until the next year.’”[3]
Surprised, Little Zayd asked, “Is Paradise decorated as well?”
“Yes, Little Zayd”, replied Grandmother, “It is. Upon the sighting of the moon for Eid al-Fiṭr, the decoration of Paradise for the next Ramadan begins. The angels decorate it all year. Paradise is already adorned. It is then decorated even more, and by whom? The angels. How wonderful must its decoration be! We cannot even imagine.”
After Grandmother finished her sentence, Little Zayd spoke. “Ok, Grandmother. In that case, I will help mother right now, and together we will give a warm welcome to this amazing guest.”
Grandmother lovingly hugged Little Zayd tightly and said, “Go ahead my son. That would be great!”
As Little Zayd went off, he began to recite poetic words welcoming Ramadan in his beautiful voice.
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