“Verily the best of women are those who are most content with little.”
This tradition is recorded:—
“An unknown person came to the Prophet, and said,—‘O Muhammad, instruct me in Islām!’ The Prophet said, ‘Islām is, that thou bear witness there is no God but God, and that Muhammad is his messenger; and be stedfast in prayer, and charitable; and fast during the month of Ramdān; and make a pilgrimage to the Kaaba, if thou have it in thy power to go there.’ The man replied, ‘Thou hast spoken true.’ On which we wondered at his questioning the Prophet, and then telling him that he spoke the truth. Then the man said, ‘Instruct me in Imān.’ The Prophet said, ‘That thou believe in God, and in his angels, and in his books, and in his prophets, and in the day of resurrection, and that every virtue and vice is by the will of God.’ The man said, ‘Thou hast spoken true.’ He then said, ‘Inform me in Ih’sān.’ The Prophet said, ‘That thou worship God as if thou sawest him; for though thou dost not see him, know that he seeth thee.’ The man said, ‘Thou hast spoken true.’ He then said, ‘Instruct me concerning the resurrection.’ The Prophet said, ‘I am no wiser than the questioner.’ Omer said, ‘After this, the man departed, and I remained sitting a long time; after which the Prophet said to me, ‘Didst thou know who that person was?’ I replied, ‘God and his prophet know best.’ Muhammad said, ‘Verily it was Gabriel, he came for the purpose of instructing you in your faith.’”
The Ramdān is the ninth month of the Muhammadan year, in which a rigid fast, from daybreak till night, is enjoined to all Musalmāns; the reason assigned for this is, that the Kū’rān began to descend from heaven in this month.
The Kaaba is the square temple at Mecca; that is, the Kibla of the Muhammadans, or place to which they turn their faces when at prayer. The Kibla of the Jews was the Temple of Jerusalem.
“When the month of Ramdān arrives, the doors of Paradise are opened, and the doors of the infernal regions are shut, and the devils are chained by the leg. The person who fasts the month of Ramdān, on account of belief in God, shall be pardoned all his past faults.”
“Keep not fast until you see the new moon; and if the moon be hidden from you by clouds, count the days. Eat at the first dawn of day, because it gives increase of strength for performing the fast.”
The prophet used to say, when he saw the new moon, “O Lord! make the new moon rise upon us, safe from calamities, and firm in faith, and pure in heart, and secure in Islām. Oh, new moon! our Lord, and your Lord, is God.”
“When the darkness of the night advances from the west, and day follows from the western quarter, I mean the sunset, the keeper of fast may begin to eat.”
Those who profess this religion are interdicted from eating and drinking between the dawn and appearance of the stars at night. On the 27th of this month, the Kū’rān began to descend; and every prayer offered up that night will be complied with.