Ramadan – The Month of Virtues and Blessings
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Sunday, 15 August 2010
Ramadan
It is noteworthy that the month of Ramadan is a
blessed month and an opportunity for every Muslim to draw near to Allah,
increase his morality and spirituality and to gain abundant reward. In
this regard, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, president of the Fiqh Council ofNorth
America, states:
Almighty Allah says, (Your Lord does create and choose as He pleases …) (Al-Qasas 28: 68)
Allah is the Creator of everything visible and invisible. Everything
in the heaven and earth belongs to Him and serves Him. Allah is also the
Creator of time and space. As Allah chose some persons to be His
Prophets and Messengers, and as He chose some places to become the
sacred spots on this earth, similarly He also chose some time to become
the sacred time. The sacred personalities teach us about Allah, His
will, His rules and commands. The sacred places and times remind us
about Allah’s special favors and blessings. In Islam we worship only
Allah. We neither worship any person other than Allah, not any space or
time. But certain spaces and times inspire us and motivate us to do good
things. One of those important and sacred moments for us is Ramadan. It
is a special month and a special time. Allah says in the Qur’an:
(The month of Ramadan is that in which was sent down the
Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, with clear signs for guidance and the
criterion (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present
(at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any
one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up)
by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to
put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed
period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye
shall be grateful. When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed
quite near: I listen and answer the call of every caller when he calls
Me. Let them listen to My call, and believe in Me; so that they may be
guided aright.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 185-186)
The blessed month of Ramadan is a great time and a beautiful time as
well. We thank Allah that He is giving us another occasion to witness
this blessed time in our life. May He help us to benefit from this
season of virtues and blessings and may He grant us His love, mercy and
forgiveness now and forever, Ameen.
Ramadan is a great month. This is the month of the Qur’an, and in
this month is the Night of Qadr, which is better than one thousand
months. Allah chose this month and a particular night in this month to
grace humanity with His Final Testament, His Last Message, the Qur’an.
The moment of this revelation became a sacred moment, and that time and
month became an eternal time for us. Allah chose this time, and He has
filled it with His countless blessings. In this month we have a greater
urge and desire to do good deeds. This month becomes the month of
virtues and blessings for us. This is the month about which the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and
rebellious jinns are put in chains and the doors of hell are closed,
none of them remains open. The doors of heaven are open and none of them
remains closed. And a caller calls, ‘O seeker of goodness, come
forward, and O seeker of evil, desist. And Allah has many (in this
month) who will be freed from Hell.’ This announcement is made every
night.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, Hadith no. 618)
Ramadan is meant for our moral and spiritual training and for the
purification of our bodies, minds and souls. This is an annual training
program for all believers. It is a special time to get closer to Allah
and to seek His blessings and bounties. It is a time to learn taqwa
(God-fearing), piety, self-discipline and patience. It is a time to give
more charity and become more generous. It is a time to seek Allah’s
forgiveness and to forgive each other. It is a time to be thankful to
Allah for His gifts and bounties and especially His gift of iman.
I urge you, my brothers and sisters, do not miss any day of fasting
and do not miss any moment of the blessed month of Ramadan. This is a
very precious time and Allah will give us many benefits if we use it in
the proper way.
Let us keep the following things in our mind when we observe this month:
1. Intention: Remind yourself again and again that
you are fasting in obedience to Allah. Be sincere in your intention. You
want Allah to accept your fasting. The Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) said: “Whosoever fasts in Ramadan with faith and seeking Allah’s reward, all his past sins are forgiven.” (Al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 37)
2. Sunnah: Observe the Sunnah in fasting. Take the
suhur meal a little before dawn and end your fast at sunset. As much as
you can, try to fast as much like the Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) fasted. There was no prayer better than his
prayer and no fast better than his fast. Try to follow his way of
fasting. That is the most acceptable way of fasting to Allah.
3. Wara` (Avoiding everything haram or makruh): Keep your body and mind very clean. Fasting is not just avoiding food and drink. Fasting is to learn how to avoid bad words and bad deeds. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whosoever does not leave bad words and bad actions, Allah does not care if he leaves his food and drink.” (Al-Tirmidhi 641)
4. Qur’an: Fasting and revelation are
inter-connected. Prophet Musa fasted when he received the Torah. Prophet
`Isa fasted when he received the Gospel. Prophet Muhammad fasted when
he received the first message of the Qur’an. Let us do the same thing.
You must fast and spend more time with the Qur’an. Read the Qur’an every
day. Try to finish at least one time the whole Qur’an during this month
by your own personal reading.
5. Prayer or Salah, Du`a’ and Dhikr: Pray on time
and observe all the prayers. Do not ignore the Tarawih or Ramadan night
prayers. Make more extra and voluntary prayers. Do as much worship as
you can. Do more dhikr (remembering Allah) and du`a’ (supplication) for
yourself and for others. Repent and seek forgiveness for yourself and
for others as much as you can. This is the best time for devotion and
seeking Allah’s forgiveness. Seek the Night of Qadr by special devotion
during the last ten nights of this month.
6. Zakah, Sadaqah and Generosity: Ramadan generates
the spirit of giving and sacrifice. When we deprive ourselves of food
and drink we understand and realize well what it means to be hungry and
thirsty. We realize the pain of those who cannot find the basic
necessities of life. Be very charitable and generous. Give more to help
the poor and needy. Contribute generously to useful social and community
projects.
7. Family: Goodness must begin at home. Be very good
to your family, immediate family and the extended family. Spend more
time and quality time with your family members. Try to have suhur
(pre-dawn meal) together. Break your fast together and pray together as
much as you can. Do this more at this time. Ramadan should bring you
closer to each other. Allah’s special mercy comes on the families that
are united, harmonious and peaceful.
8. Good Conduct: Fasting should transform you and
should make you a different person. Try to be extra kind and courteous
during this month. Forget your quarrels and disputes. Reconcile and
forgive. Do not get involved in backbiting, lying, cheating and anything
that is wrong. Be very good to Muslims and to all human beings. Be good
to your friends and neighbors. Let your non-Muslim neighbors and
co-workers know that this is your blessed and sacred time.
9. Tafakkur (reflection): Think, reflect and plan to
improve the moral and spiritual condition of your own self and your
family. Think about any wrong things and sins you might be doing and
decide to correct yourself. Think about any deficiencies you have in
your Islamic observances. Plan to change yourself. Think what you can do
for the Ummah and for humanity to make this world a better place for
everyone. Think about the life after death and the Day of Judgment.
10. Be cheerful and happy: Ramadan is not a time of
mourning or sadness. It is a time of thankfulness to Allah. In a Hadith
it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“When you fast, anoint yourself. Let not the signs of fast be seen on
you.” (Al-Bukahri, Al-Adab al-Mufrad) Do not feel tired and miserable.
Feel alert and relax. Take things easy. This time is for your own good.
Give the greetings of Ramadan to each other and enjoy this beautiful
time.
It is reported in a Hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) gave a sermon about Ramadan to a gathering that met towards
the end of Sha`ban. He said:
“O People, a great and a blessed month is approaching
you. In this month, there is a night that is better than one thousand
months. Allah has made fasting obligatory and prayers at night
commendable during this month. Whosoever will do a voluntary good deed
during this month, it is as if he performed an obligatory good deed at
another time and whosoever will perform an obligatory good deed, it is
as if he performed seventy obligatory good deeds at another time. This
is the month of patience and the reward of patience is Paradise. This is
the month of kindness. In this month the believer’s provision is
increased. Whosoever will give food to a fasting person in this month,
it will bring forgiveness for his sins, will save him from the hellfire
and he shall have his reward while the fasting person will not lose any
of his reward.” (As-Suyuti, Ad-Durr al-Manthur)
- Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
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