The weak ahadith which have become widespread amongst the people, at every level, are very many, to the point that very few manage to mention anything authentic - despite its being plentiful also.

May Allah have mercy upon the Imam 'Abdullah Ibn al-Mubarak who said: "There is sufficiency in the authentic ahadith so there is no need for what is weak." So let this Imaam be our example, and let us stick to the authentic and pure knowledge.

From the weak ahadith which people commonly quote concerning Ramadan are:

1. "If the servants knew how great Ramadan was, then they would wish that Ramadan lasted all year. Indeed Paradise is decorated for Ramadan from the start of the year till the next year..." and it is a long hadith.

2. "O people a very great month has come upon you, a month containing a night better than a thousand months. Allah has made it an obligation to fast in it, and standing in prayer in its night is a supererogatory action. Whoever seeks nearness to Him with a good deed in it will be like one performing an obligatory action in other months... It is a month the beginning of which is a mercy, the middle is forgiveness, and its end is a granting of freedom from the Fire..." It is also a long hadith and we have quoted the most well-known parts of it.

3. "Fast and you will be healthy."

4. "He who abandons fasting during a day of Ramadan without a valid excuse, or illness - then even if he were to fast for ever it would not make up for it."

These are four ahadith which have been declared weak and unreliable by the scholars, yet we still hear them and see them every day in the blessed month of Ramadan in particular, and at other times. It is apparent that some of these ahadith contain parts whose meaning is correct and established in our Shari'ah in the Book and Sunnah. However, this on its own does not allow us to attribute to Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) that which is not established authentically from him.