[Hadith]
عَنْ اَبِیْ ھُرَیْرَۃَ رَضِیَ اللّٰہُ عَنْہُ عَنْ رَّسُوْلِ اللّٰہِ ﷺ قَالَ: اِذَا کَانَتْ أَوَّلُ لَیْلَۃٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ صُفِّدَتْ الشَّیَاطِیْنُ وَ مُرِّدَۃِ الْجِنُّ وَ غُلِّقَتْ اَبْوَابُ النَّارِ فَلَمْ یُفْتَحْ مِنْھَا بَابٌ وَ فُتِحَتْ اَبَوَابُ الْجَنَّۃَ فَلَمْ یَغْلَقْ مِنْھَا بَابٌ وَنَادَیٰ مُنَادٍ: یَا بَاغِیَ الْخَیْرِ اَقْبِلْ وَ یَا بَاغِیَ الشَّرّ اَقْصِرْ وَ لِلّٰہِ عُتَقاً مِنَ الْنَّارِ، وَذٰلِکَ فِیْ کُلِّ لَیْلَۃٍ۔(رَوَاہٗ اِبْنِ مَاجَۃ فِیْ بَابِ مَا جَاء فِیْ فَضَلِ شَھْرِ رَمَضَانَ، صحیح سنن ابن ماجہ للالبانی، الجزء الاول ، رقم الحدیث:۱۳۳۱([TranslationEn]
Hadrat Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has said, “When the first night of Ramadan comes, the satans and the rebellious Jinn are chained, the doors of hell are closed and not one of them is opened (during the entire the month of Ramadan); the doors of Paradise are opened and not on of them is closed (the entire month of Ramadan); and a crier calls, ‘Those who desire what is good, come forward, and those who desire evil refrain from it’, and many people are freed from Hell by Allah, and that happens every night.”[/TranslationEn][/Hadith]
Explanation:
Since Ramadhan is the blessed month for earning rewards and virtues, the obstacles on Allah’s way are removed in it. Despite of it, if a person is deprived of earning virtues or does not receive Allah’s mercy through abstaining from the evil deeds, it is nothing but his own fault.
اِذَا کَانَتْ أَوَّلُ لَیْلَۃٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ صُفِّدَتْ الشَّیَاطِیْنُ وَ مُرِّدَۃِ الْجِنُّ : The reason the blessed month of Ramadhan carries much excellence is that it solely aims at training a man in refraining from sins and evil acts. It is for this purpose that Satans are tied with shackles so that it becomes easier for a person to avoid sins and he faces no trouble in this regard. The prime reason a man can’t abstain himself from involving sins is that he becomes accustomed to them due to being involved in this practice for eleven months without fail. As a result, he does no tend to correct himself even in Ramadhan i.e. he niether observes fast nor recites the Holy Qura’n abundantly nor does he offers Taravih. It is for this reason that he can’t avoid himself from sins nor correct himself.
وَ غُلِّقَتْ اَبْوَابُ النَّارِ فَلَمْ یُفْتَحْ مِنْھَا بَابٌ وَ فُتِحَتْ اَبَوَابُ الْجَنَّۃَ : Opening the doors of Paradise and closing the doors of Hell may be taken in its real sense. But, it may also mean that, since, the blessed month of Ramadhan is held in greatest importance by the Muslim community, they are normally inclined towards piety and become prepared to earn each and every kind of virtue and try their best to abstain from each and every kind of sins. Thus, in a sense, these virtues amount to be the doors of Paradise and sins as the doors of Hell. Here, this point also must be kept in mind that Paradise and Hell is not something imaginary, rather their existence is real and they also have many doors. This fact is also substantiated with Prophetic Tradition narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.T.A.), he reports the Holy Prophet ﷺ saying, “One who spends two things in the way of Allah, he will be called by angels in Paradise through its doors saying: ‘O Allah’s slave! This is a good door.’ Then, the one mindful of Salah will be called through the door named ‘the door of Salah’. As for one who is Mujahid, he will be called through the ‘door of Jihad’. As regard to one who kept fast regularly, he will be called through ‘the door of Rayyan’. Hearing it, Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.T.A.) asked, “My parents be sacrificed upon you, o Messenger of Allah! I do not care either who will be called through which door, but, what I want to know is that is there anyone who will be called though all the doors?” The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Yes! And I do hope that you will also be one of them.” (Bukhari, Kitabul Al-Siyam, Babul Rayyan Li-Saimeen)
وَنَادَیٰ مُنَادٍ: یَا بَاغِیَ الْخَیْرِ اَقْبِلْ: “And a crier calls, ‘Those who desire what is good, come forward, and those who desire evil refrain from it.” The reason for this announcement for hastening to earn virtues and abstaining from sins is so that the Muslims become rather mindful of earning virtues and abstaining from sins, and, thus, get abundant share from the blessings of fast.
One of the extraordinary characteristics of the blessed month of Ramadhan is that during each night (of Ramadhan) Allah, the Almighty free (some) people of Hellfire. (Ibne Majah, the excellence of the blessed month of Ramadhan)
However, Ramadhan is a month in which the Holy Quar’an was revealed. It is a month which has special mercies and blessings of Allah. It is a month to be kind to each other. It is a month allowing a man to enter Paradise and get a license of being free from Hell-fire. This month of fast is, in fact, a universal spring for remembering Allah, reciting the Holy Qura’n, offering optional deeds and giving alms and charity – so to speak – a spring for observing almost every kind of worship through which every Muslim of the world gets satisfaction of heart and coolness of eyes by receiving its part proportional to his faith and piety.
May Allah, the Almighty shower upon us the blessings of Ramadhan and His mercy! (Ameen!)