Islamic literature on Ramadan offers a fascinating window into how Muslim scholars have documented and celebrated this sacred month. Ramadan is not only revered as the month in which the Qur’an was revealed and key battles such as Badr, al-Qadisiyyah, and Ain Jalut were fought, but it also inspired a vast body of works. These classical texts cover a wide range of subjects—including crescent sighting, fasting rulings and etiquettes, the virtues of Ramadan, Taraweeh and Qiyam (night prayers), Laylat al-Qadr, and i’tikaf—reflecting the spiritual, legal, and historical dimensions of Ramadan. Over time, these texts have formed an extensive traditional library that continues to influence Islamic thought and practice.

These works either compile the hadiths and narrations related to it, explain its virtues or objectives, or clarify the issues on which there is disagreement—such as the method for sighting the crescent, the number of rak‘ahs for the night prayer (Qiyam), how to determine Laylat al-Qadr, the permissibility of performing i‘tikaf outside the three mosques, and similar matters.

As a result, a vast traditional library has been formed, one so extensive that it is nearly impossible to count its contents—either because some of these works have become lost (especially those written during the early period of writing) or because the subject of Ramadan and its issues are dispersed among other Islamic works (such as books on jurisprudence, treatises, summaries, and timetables), in addition to the individual works dedicated solely to it.

Scope and Criteria for the Selected Works

This article introduces a selection of works related to the blessed month of Ramadan based on the following criteria:

Direct Relevance: Only texts directly related to Ramadan are included.

Traditional Islamic Literature: Works dating from the early documentation period until approximately the 13th century AH.

Topical Organization: Texts are organized into topics such as crescent sighting, fasting, virtues of Ramadan, night prayers (Qiyam and Taraweeh), Laylat al-Qadr, and i’tikaf, presented in chronological order.

Crescent Sighting

These works deal with how to sight the crescent, its rulings, and related matters. Among them are:

  • “Ijab al-Siyam Laylat al-Ighmam” by Judge Abu Ya‘la al-Farra (d. 458 AH), mentioned by his son Abu al-Husayn in al-Tabaqat.
  • “Hukm Ighmam Hilal Ramadan” by Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH), noted by Ibn Rajab in al-Dhayl.
  • “Khilasat al-Aqwal fi Ma‘rifat al-Waqt wa Ru’yat al-Hilal” and “al-Manhal al-‘Adhbu al-Zalal fi Hall al-Taqweem wa Ru’yat al-Hilal”, both by Ahmad ibn Rajab ibn Taybugha al-Majdi (d. 850 AH), an astronomer from Cairo with valuable contributions to the field.
  • The poetic work “Rasf al-Lu’āl, fi Wasf al-Hilal” by Imam Jalal ad-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH), a poem composed by him—with several additional verses added by Salah ad-Din al-Safadi.
  • The treatise “Bara’at al-Istihlal” by Abd al-Rahman ibn Isa ibn Murshid al-Amri (d. 1037 AH), a manuscript in which he devised a method for determining the first appearance of the crescent throughout the ages, organized into three chapters and a conclusion.
  • “Mulha Lutifa wa Manha Sharifa fi Kayfiyyat Ithbat Shahr al-Siyam” by Ibn al-Jawhari (d. 1215 AH).

Fasting: Its Rulings and Etiquettes

These works address everything related to fasting—from hadiths and narrations to rulings and objectives. Among them are:

  • “al-Siyam” by Abu Yusuf al-Qadi (d. 182 AH), in which he compiled the hadiths related to fasting. This work is lost but was mentioned by Ibn al-Nadim in his catalog.
  • “al-Siyam” by al-Husayn al-Marwazi (d. 246 AH), a hadith collection on fasting compiled by its author, noted by Haji Khalifa in Kashf al-Zunun; this work is also lost.
  • “Tahreer Ahkam al-Siyam” by Abu al-Hasan ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Baghdadi (d. 518 AH), another lost work mentioned by the author of Hadiyat al-‘Arifin.
  • “Tahsil al-Maram fi Tafdil al-Salah ‘ala al-Siyam” by Muhammad ibn Talhah al-Nasibi (d. 652 AH), a manuscript whose composition was prompted by a debate in the court of Sultan al-Nasir Salah al-Din regarding the preference between prayer and fasting. The discussion continued for a while and required the consultation of a scholar to resolve it.
  • “Maqasid al-Sawm” by al-‘Izz ibn Abd al-Salam (d. 660 AH), a printed work divided into ten chapters.
  • “Hifz al-Siyam ‘an Fawt al-Tamam” by Sheikh Taqi al-Din al-Sabki (d. 756 AH), which discusses whether a fasting person who utters something (such as insults or backbiting) that nullifies the fast loses the completeness of his fast; this topic is addressed in three issues.
  • “Ithaf Ahl al-Islam bi Khususiat al-Siyam” by Ahmad ibn Hajar al-Haythami (d. 974 AH), a published work divided into four sections: the first on the virtues of fasting, the second on its rulings and related matters, the third on expiation and compensation, and the fourth on the ruling regarding fasting outside of Ramadan.
  • “Manahij al-Kalam ‘ala Ayat al-Siyam” by al-Suhaymi (d. 1178 AH), a manuscript housed within the al-Azhar library.

Virtues of Ramadan

This category includes many books and treatises, as Muslims have long been keen to mention the virtues of days, months, and lands—and several of these works focus on Ramadan. Among them are:

  • “Fadl Ramadan” by Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281 AH), in which he compiled hadiths and narrations concerning the characteristics and virtues of Ramadan; it contains sixty-three hadiths and is published.
  • “Fadail Shahr Ramadan” by Ibn Shahin (d. 385 AH), organized into four sections, each collecting the prophetic hadiths related to its topic; this work is also published.
  • “Kitab al-Fadail” (i.e., the Virtues of the Month of Ramadan) by Abu Mukhtar ibn Mahmoud al-Zahidi (d. 658 AH), in which he mentions that he enumerated the virtues of Ramadan and found them to be ten.
  • A poetic composition on “Fadail Ramadan” by Abu al-Irshad al-Ajhuri (d. 1066 AH), consisting of 266 verses, on which Ibrahim al-Saqqa (d. 1299 AH) later added commentary.

Caption: “Fadail Shahr Ramadan” by Ibn Abd al-Wahid al-Muqaddasi.

Taraweeh and Night Prayers (Qiyam)

A significant portion of the literature on Ramadan focuses on the night prayers, including Taraweeh:

  • “Qiyam Ramadan” by Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi—a lost book classified in the third century; little is known about it except that it is mentioned by the historian al-Maqrizi.
  • “Al-Ikhtilaf wa al-Tarjih al-Waridah fi Salat al-Taraweeh” by Imam al-Sadr al-Shaheed (d. 536 AH), a manuscript.
  • “Ishraq al-Masabih fi Salat al-Taraweeh” by Taqi al-Din al-Sabki, a short treatise on the rulings of the Taraweeh prayer and the gathering of people for it, divided into three chapters. In connection with this topic, al-Sabki also authored a major work entitled “Daw’ al-Masabih fi Salat al-Taraweeh”, in which he detailed the differing opinions regarding Taraweeh—with the evidences for each view and their respective jurisprudential preferences; both works have been printed.
  • “Al-Masabih fi Salat al-Taraweeh” by Jalal ad-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH), a short treatise in which he answers the question, “Did the Prophet perform Taraweeh, i.e., the customary twenty rak‘ahs that are prayed today?”
  • “Iqamat al-Burhan ‘ala Kammiyat al-Taraweeh fi Ramadan” by Abu al-Diya al-Ghaithi al-Shafi‘i (d. 975 AH), a manuscript that has not been printed.

Caption: “Qiyam Ramadan” by al-Hafiz Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi.

Laylat al-Qadr

The sacred night of Laylat al-Qadr has inspired numerous treatises. Key works include:

  • “Sharh al-Sadr bi Dhikr Laylat al-Qadr” by Abu Zura’ (d. 820 AH), a treatise that compiled all the opinions expressed about Laylat al-Qadr along with the evidence for each, arranged according to the signs that indicate it. It was first printed as part of the Majmu‘at al-Rasa’il al-Muniriyyah and later as an independent publication.
  • “Mas’alatan fi Laylat al-Qadr wa Kayfiyyat al-Wahy” (Two Questions about Laylat al-Qadr and the Manner of Revelation), both by Imam al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH).
  • “al-Maqsad al-Sami al-Qadr fima Yad‘u Bihi al-Da‘i Laylat al-Qadr” by Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Bakri (d. 952 AH), a long manuscript of about 130 pages that has not been printed.
  • “Tabyin al-Qadr li Laylat al-Qadr” by Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Tulun al-Salihi (d. 953 AH), which was printed by Professor Muhammad Khair Ramadan Yusuf along with two other treatises.
  • “Sharaf al-Badr bi Diya’ Laylat al-Qadr” by Imam Badr al-Din al-Qurafi, composed in 987 AH, in which he compiled the interpretations of scholars on Surat al-Qadr and organized them into seven aspects, as noted by the author of Kashf al-Zunun.
  • “Inshirah al-Sadr fi Bayan Laylat al-Qadr” by Muhammad al-Amir al-Kabir (d. 1232 AH), a manuscript that has not been printed in the al-Azhar library’s collection; it is an exegesis of Surat al-Qadr in which the author highlights the significance and virtues of that night.

Caption: “Tabyin al-Qadr li Laylat al-Qadr” by Ibn Tulun al-Salihi.

I‘tikaf

Several works discuss the practice of i’tikaf (spiritual retreat) during Ramadan:

  • “Qadar al-Imkan fi Hadith al-I‘tikaf” by Taqi al-Din al-Sabki (d. 756 AH). His son, Taj al-Din Abd al-Wahhab, responded to this work with one titled “Tashhid al-Azhan”, as mentioned by Haji Khalifa.
  • The treatise “al-Qadr al-Musannun min al-I‘tikaf” by Muhammad ibn Hamza al-Aidini al-‘Uthmani (d. 1116 AH), a manuscript.
  • “Tuhfat al-Raki‘ al-Sajid fi Jawaz al-I‘tikaf fi Fina’ al-Masajid” by Abd al-Ghani al-Nabalsi (d. 1143 AH).
  • “al-Insaf fi Hukm al-I‘tikaf” by Muhammad Abd al-Hay al-Laknowi (d. 1302 AH).
  • The treatise “Fadl al-I‘tikaf fi al-‘Ashr al-Akhira min Ramadan” by Mustafa ibn Hussein al-Daghi (date given as q: 13 AH), mentioned in Khizanat al-Makhtutat.

Concluding Remarks

A review of this list of works makes it clear that Muslim scholars have addressed every aspect related to the month of Ramadan and its subsidiary issues—there is not a single matter they have neglected. Their writings are diverse in approach, incorporating jurisprudential, hadith-based, purpose-driven, and miscellaneous perspectives. It is also noteworthy that these works exist in various forms: printed, in manuscript, or lost. As for the printed texts, they amount to less than half of the total, which indicates a significant need for the editing and publication of the manuscript materials. Moreover, many works—especially those from the early centuries—are lost. These texts were known to exist until the 7th or 8th century AH, as attested by scholars such as al-Dhahabi and al-Maqrizi, but were likely lost during the political turmoil that followed the Mongol invasion of Baghdad.

By Fatima Hafiz