Ibn Majah

Benefits and Issues:

➊ One should pay greater attention to performing righteous deeds during the most virtuous days.

➋ All of the last ten days of Ramadan possess virtue; similarly, apart from Laylat al-Qadr, the remaining nights of the last ten are also superior compared to the other nights of Ramadan. Therefore, during these days, one should increase acts of remembrance (dhikr), recitation (tilawah), charity (sadaqah), and other good deeds beyond what one would normally do.

Hadith Commentary:
The meaning of "tightening the waist belt" is that during this ten (nights), you exerted special effort in the worship of Allah, stayed awake yourself, awakened your family members, and remained engaged in the worship of Allah throughout the night.
And all of these actions of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were for the instruction of the Ummah.
Allah the Exalted has stated in the Noble Qur’an: ﴿لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ﴾ (, al-Ahzab: 21)
O you who believe! Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah there is a beautiful example for you; following him is your good fortune.
Although worshipping Allah is always a deed of great reward, worshipping Allah in the last ten days of Ramadan is an even greater deed of reward.
Therefore, in these days, whatever amount of worship can be performed is a valuable opportunity.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The purpose is that the last ten days should be spent in abundant worship. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would separate himself from his wives during these ten days, roll up his bedding, and devote himself earnestly to these nights.
Aishah (radi Allahu anha) narrates:
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would exert himself in the last ten days in a way that he did not exert himself in other days.
(Sunan Ibn Majah, al-Sawm, Hadith: 1767)
The details of this effort and striving are mentioned in the hadith presented by Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah): he would gird himself for worship, enliven the night with worship, and awaken his family for worship.
Zaynab bint Umm Salamah (radi Allahu anha) narrates:
It was the noble habit of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that when only ten days of Ramadan remained, he would awaken every member of the household who had the strength for standing (in prayer).
There is no doubt that purity and elevation of the heart can only be attained when a person’s heart turns away from creation and is directed towards Allah.
Excessive eating, drinking, talking, and sleeping cause the heart to become scattered and heedless; in this blessed month, there is control over all these things that become obstacles in attaining nearness to Allah.
A special feature of this blessed month is that the heart of a person inclines towards Allah and feels the special closeness to that Most Sacred Being.
Although the entire month brings with it Allah’s bounties and blessings, the last ten days are distinguished by particular lights and manifestations; the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would make special arrangements for worship in these last ten days, as mentioned in the aforementioned ahadith.
(2)
Unfortunately, among us, instead of individual worship, collective worship is arranged; on the odd nights, speeches and lessons are held, and the entire ten days are reserved for rounds of the best foods and drinks. There is not even a trace of these things in the noble example of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
We should not waste the precious days and golden nights of these last ten days in sleeping, eating and drinking, or listening to speeches; rather, we should make special arrangements for individual worship.
(3)
There are two acts in these ten days that hold a very high status with Allah: i.e., i‘tikaf (spiritual retreat) and seeking Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree).
It has already been mentioned regarding Laylat al-Qadr that merely staying awake on this night is not worship; rather, being engaged in remembrance and reflection, supererogatory prayers (nawafil), recitation of the Qur’an, and sending blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is worship.
As for i‘tikaf, what are the legal (shar‘i) guidelines regarding it? For this, Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has established a major chapter with great care.
May Allah accept our acts of worship and grant us immense reward in His presence.
Amin

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: In the last ten days of Ramadan, he would observe i'tikaf (spiritual retreat), spend most of the night awake, and in these nights, he would devote even more time to worship than before, and he would also awaken his noble wives (azwaj mutahharat) for night worship. In this way, he would make great arrangements for worship.

The phrase (شَدَّ مِئزَرَهُ) is used in Arabic style and idiom in two meanings:
➊ To keep away from women, as an Arab poet says:
“A people, when they go to war, tighten their waistbands away from women, even if the women are pure from menstruation and postnatal bleeding.”
This means they are such warriors and brave people that in times of battle, they tie their waistbands, i.e., keep themselves apart from women, even if the women are free from menstruation (hayd) and postnatal bleeding (nifas).

➋ To gird oneself with determination for worship and to make great arrangements for worship.

1640. Commentary:

➊ "He would tighten his waist-wrapper" — this is an idiom. The intent is that he would make full preparation for worship, because a person undertaking a long and strenuous task tightens his waist-wrapper well so that it does not become loose in the middle.

➋ Allah, Lord of Might and Majesty, had forgiven all the previous and future sins of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, yet he exerted himself in voluntary prayer with such effort and hardship. We too should participate actively in voluntary worship.

➌ The last ten nights of Ramadan are more virtuous than the other nights.

➍ It is recommended (mustahabb) to wake up one's family for worship as well.

Benefits and Issues:

➊ By "tightening the waist belt" is meant exerting more effort and striving further in worship and good deeds.

➋ If all the nights of the last ten (days of Ramadan) are spent in worship, it is very virtuous; otherwise, one must at least be diligent in worship on the odd nights.

➌ One should also involve family members in acts of goodness so that they too are not deprived of this great reward and may attain high ranks with Allah.

➍ The purpose of staying awake is to be engaged in worship, remembrance (dhikr), and recitation (of the Qur'an). Some people spend these virtuous nights in idle talk, which is an extreme deprivation and misfortune. Especially in mosques, noise and commotion become a source of disturbance for those who are worshipping.

➎ In many mosques, on the odd nights and especially on the twenty-seventh night, there are programs of sermons and speeches, due to which a significant portion of the night is spent in these activities. Similarly, on the occasion of completing the Qur'an (khatm al-Qur'an), sweets are distributed, because of which both children and adults, forgetting worship and recitation and disregarding the etiquette of the mosque, become engaged in noise and commotion. This not only causes inconvenience to those worshipping, but this extremely precious time is wasted in useless activities. It is better to avoid such matters.

569 Lexical Explanation:
The "meem" in «شَدَّ مِنْزَرَهُ» «مِئْزَر» has a kasrah underneath it and the "hamzah" is sakin (quiescent), meaning: he would tie his lower garment firmly. This is actually an idiom indicating that he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would gird himself for worship, exerting great effort, leaving everything else aside and devoting himself to worship. It is also said that, due to worship, he would separate himself from his pure wives.

«وَاَحْيَالَيْلَهُ» means: he would remain awake the whole night in prayer and similar acts, or for most of it.

«وَاَيْقَظَ اَهْلَهُ» means: he would awaken his family from sleep for prayer and worship. *

Benefit:
It is established from this that special attention should be given to worship during the nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. One should also include one’s family members in this, and awaken them during the night. The springtime of a person’s good deeds is Ramadan, and within Ramadan, the last ten days hold a special status.