Ramadan: The Month of Virtues and Blessings
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 suhoor (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)
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from:
http://www.pakistanlink.com/religion.html