581 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said, “Whoever stands in prayer during Ramadan, motivated by faith and seeking reward, will have his past sins forgiven.” Agreed upon. (1)

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Lexical notes on the ḥadith:
– man: a conditional particle; the verb qāma (“stands in prayer”) is its protasis, and the apodosis is ghufira lahu (“he is forgiven”).
– īmānan (out of faith): an accusative of state, meaning that while praying he believes in Allah, trusts His promise, and acknowledges the virtue of these nights and the immense reward Allah has prepared for acts of worship performed in them.
– iḥtisāban (seeking reward): also an accusative of state, meaning that he seeks his recompense from Allah alone. The noun ḥisbah, with a kasrah on the ḥāʾ, refers to the reward hoped for by the worshiper. Scholars have noted that it is unlikely for the two words īmānan wa iḥtisāban to function as adverbials of purpose or as specification.
– ghufira lahu (he is forgiven): from the root gh-f-r, “to cover”; hence mighfar, the helmet that covers the head. Allah’s forgiveness is His clothing the servant in pardon and veiling his sins.
– min dhanbih (of his sin): connected to the verb taqaddama (“preceded”); it may also be taken as explanatory of what has passed.

Lessons derived from the ḥadith:
1 – “Standing for Ramadan” means enlivening its nights with worship and prayer. The ḥadith establishes the legitimacy of the night prayer in Ramadan. Performing it in congregation in the mosque is authentically reported from the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him); the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) then reached consensus on it during the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him). Muslims have observed it ever since in the form of the tarāwīḥ prayer.