Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq narrated to us, saying that Aḥmad b. Muḥammad al-Hamadānī narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAlī b. al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī b. Faḍḍāl, from his father, from Abī’l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā عليه السلام, from his father, Mūsā b. Jaʿfar, from his father, al-Ṣādiq, Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad, from his father, al-Bāqir, from his father, Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, from his father, the Master of the Martyrs, al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī, from his father, ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, the Master of the Successors عليهم السلام, who has said: “The Messenger of Allāh صلى الله عليه وعلى آله delivered a sermon to us one day, in which he said: “O’ people, indeed the month of Allāh has come to you with blessing, mercy, and forgiveness, and it is the most favoured month in the sight of Allāh. Its days are the most favoured days, its nights are the most favoured nights, and its hours the most favoured hours. It is a month in which you are invited to be Allāh’s guests and one in which Allāh has made you the people of honour. Your breaths in the month of Ramaḍān are glorification (of Allāh), your sleeping is worship, your deeds are accepted, and your supplications answered. So ask Allāh, your Lord, with earnest intentions and pure hearts, that He grant you success in fasting for His sake and in recitation of His Book. Indeed, the wretched is he who is debarred from the forgiveness of Allāh in this great month. Remember with your hunger and your thirst during the month of Ramaḍān the hunger and thirst that will ensue on the Day of Reckoning. Be charitable to your paupers and your destitute ones, respect your elders, be merciful to your youngsters, keep relations with your kin, and guard your tongues. Turn the other cheek to that which is impermissible to look at with your eyes or hear with your ears. Have compassion upon the orphans of people so that they may have mercy upon your orphans, and repent to Allāh for your sins. Raise your hands to Him in supplication in the times of your prayers, for it is the best of hours, in which Allāh عز وجل looks upon His servants with mercy, answers them when they invoke Him, responds to them when they call upon Him, and rejoins them when they supplicate to Him. O’ people, your souls are held hostage by your deeds, so pay their ransom by seeking forgiveness, and your backs are weighed down by your burdens, so free them with long prostrations. Know that Allāh—may His remembrance be exalted—has sworn by His grandeur that He will not punish those who pray and prostrate, nor will He terrify them with the Fire on the Day on which men will be made to stand before the Lord of the Worlds. O’ people, he who helps a fasting believer break their fast in this month is, in the eyes of Allāh, like someone who frees a slave and has earned forgiveness for what has already passed of his sins.” It was said: “O’ Messenger of Allāh, not all of us are capable of that.” He عليه السلام continued: “Fear the Fire, even if it is by means of a split date. Fear the Fire, even if it is by means of a drink of water. O’ people, he among you who improves his character during this month will have a means of safe passage upon the Bridge on the Day when feet upon the Bridge will shake (having found no firm grounding). Whoever lightens the burden of that which his right hand possesses will have Allāh lighten his accountability. Whoever restrains the evil of his hands in this month, Allāh will restrain the wrath of His hands on the Day he meets Him. Whoever honours an orphan during this month, Allāh will honour him on the day he meets Him. Whoever keeps ties with his kin, Allāh will keep ties between him and His mercy on the Day he meets Him, while whoever cuts ties with his kin, Allāh will cut ties between him and His mercy on the Day he meets Him. Whoever performs voluntary prayers will have absolution from the Fire written for him. Whoever fulfils an obligation in this month will have the reward of seventy obligations fulfilled in any other month. Whoever abundantly sends salutations upon me in this month, Allāh will make the Scale heavy (with good deeds attributed to him) when the Scales will be light (for everyone else). Whoever recites one verse of the Qurʾān in this month will be rewarded with the likeness of completing the entire Qurʾān in any other month. O’ people, the gates of the Paradisiacal realms are opened to you in this month, so ask your Lord not to shut them to you, while the gates of the Fires of Perdition are shut to you, so ask your Lord not to open them to you. And the devils are shackled, so ask your Lord not to let them gain mastery over you.” Amīr al-Muʾminīn عليه السلام reported that he [stood up—according to some manuscripts—and] said: “O’ Messenger of Allāh, what is the best action to do in this month?,” so he replied: “O’ Abā’l-Ḥasan, it is to abstain from that which Allāh has prohibited.” Then he began weeping. I said: “Why are you weeping, o’ Messenger of Allāh?,” so he replied: “O’ ʿAlī, I weep for what will be facilitated against you in this month. It is as if I am with you, as you pray to your Lord, while the most wretched among the first and the last, the brother (in perdition) of he who hamstrung the she-camel of Thamūd, shall strike you on your head between your “horns” with such a strike that stains your beard with blood.” Amīr al-Muʾminīn is reported to have asked: “O’ Messenger of Allāh, will that happen while I am secure in my religion?,” so the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله replied: “(Aye, it will happen while) you are secure in your religion.” He عليه السلام continued: “O’ ʿAlī, whoever kills you has killed me, and whoever despises you has despised me, and whoever insults you has insulted me, because you are from me as if you are my own soul, and your spirit is from my spirit, and your clay is from my clay. Indeed, Allāh تبارك وتعالى has created you and I in particular, chosen you and I in particular, and selected me for prophethood and you for Divine leadership/imāma. So whoever disputes your imāma has disputed me in my prophethood. O’ ʿAlī, you are my successor, the father of my offspring, my daughter's husband, and my caliph presiding over my community in my lifetime and after my death. Your commands are (truly) my commands, and your prohibitions are (truly) my prohibitions. By He Who sent me forth with prophethood and made me the best of creatures, you are the decisive argument of Allāh upon His creation, the safekeeper of His secrets, and His caliph presiding over His servants.”