B i s m i l
l a h i r R a h
m a n ir R a h e e m
Assalamu
Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barkatuh!
Ramadan: The Month of Virtues and Blessings
By - Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
Question:
Dear scholar, As-Salamu `alaykum.
Ramadan is a special month for Muslims.
Would you please shed some light
on its virtues and blessings
and what a Muslim should do
to reap its fruits and get closer to Allah?
Jazakum Allah khayran.
Answer:
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His
Messenger.
Dear
questioner, may Allah reward you abundantly for your keenness to draw
near to Him. We invoke Almighty Allah to enable us to reap the fruits of
the blessed month, accept our acts of worship, and grant us forgiveness
and immunity against the punishment of Hellfire.
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 of North
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)
Source:
www.islamonline.net
Page-URL:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503546240&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FFatwaEAskTheScholar
***
Alahumma
infa`ni bima `allamtani
wa `allamni ma yanfa`uni!
OH
ALLAH! Make useful for me what You taught me
and teach
me
knowledge that will be useful to me!
(Aameen)
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(Aameen)
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