By Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْءَانُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ... (البقرة 185

Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also Clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong)... (Al-Baqarah 2:185)

Today is the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan. Its beautiful days and nights are with us. God has given us another opportunity in our life to take benefit of this auspicious time. It is a time to renew our commitment to God, to refresh our souls and minds with the Divine words of the Qur'an, to reform our ways and habits and discipline ourselves in the ways of piety and righteousness.

The Month of Ramadan:

All time and space belongs to Allah, but Allah has chosen special places as sacred places, similarly He has also chosen some months, days and hours with His special blessings. Ramadan is a special month. Allah chose this month and filled it with His countless blessings. It is the month of the Qur'an. In this month Allah sent down the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad -peace be upon him- as His mercy and guidance for humankind.

Ramadan is a season of virtues. The possibilities of good deeds increase in this month and the devils find less chance to mislead the true believes especially at this time. It is reported in a Hadith:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا كَانَ أَوَّلُ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ صُفِّدَتْ الشَّيَاطِينُ وَمَرَدَةُ الْجِنِّ وَغُلِّقَتْ أَبْوَابُ النَّارِ فَلَمْ يُفْتَحْ مِنْهَا بَابٌ وَفُتِّحَتْ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ فَلَمْ يُغْلَقْ مِنْهَا بَابٌ وَيُنَادِي مُنَادٍ يَا بَاغِيَ الْخَيْرِ أَقْبِلْ وَيَا بَاغِيَ الشَّرِّ أَقْصِرْ وَلِلَّهِ عُتَقَاءُ مِنْ النَّارِ وَذَلكَ كُلُّ لَيْلَةٍ . (الترمذي 618

The Prophet -peace be upon him- said, "When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and rebellious jinns are put in chains and the door of hell are closed, none of them remains open. The door of heaven are open and none of them remains closed. And a caller calls, ‘O the seeker of goodness, come forward and o the seeker of evil, desist. And Allah has (many) who will be freed from Hell.' This announcement is made every night. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, Hadith no. 618)

Fasting in the month of Ramadan:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ(البقرة 183

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint. (Al-Baqarah 2:183)

It is a command of Allah. Fasting in Ramadan is obligatory upon every adult Muslim who is not sick or on a journey. Fasting in Ramadan was made obligatory in the 2nd year of Hijrah.

Those who miss their fasts in Ramadan due to sickness, journey or women due to their menses should make it up later. Those who are very old or terminally sick and cannot fast should give fidyah (one-day meal to a poor person for every missed fast).

Anyone who neglects the fasting in Ramadan without any acceptable excuse is deprived of Allah's mercy and blessings and he/she commits a great sin.

Fasting in Ramadan brings special blessings of Allah. It brings the Ummah together. It gives a great sense of solidarity and unity to the Ummah.

The Benefits of Fasting:

Fasting is a great religious and spiritual act. Its purpose is to teach us self-discipline, piety and consciousness of Allah. It teaches patience and forbearance. It also teaches consideration, kindness and charity to the poor and needy.

Fasting has two aspects:

1. To leave food, drink and a few other things that the Shari'ah tells us to avoid during fasting.

2. To avoid everything that displeases Allah. To avoid sin altogether and to live the life of Taqwa (God consciousness) always.

Fasting has many benefits:

1. It purifies the soul and is healthy for the body.

2. It teaches self-control.

3. It creates the love of Allah and the awareness of His presence with us.

4. It elevates the human beings from mere animal existence to the angelic existence.

5. It turns away the Shaitan from a person.

6. It increases the sympathy with the poor and needy and increases the feeling of charity and generosity towards them.

7. It motivates a person to do more good deeds.

8. It pleases Allah and it assures us of His forgiveness and Mercy in this life and in the hereafter.

Fasting in Ramadan brings special blessings. The reward of every good deed is multiplied during this month seventy times. Muslims fast together and it gives them a sense of unity and solidarity. We celebrate the month of the Qur'an together and receive encouragement from each other for doing good things.

Let us remember:

This year Ramadan comes at a time of sadness, anger and confusion in the country. We must pray to God to bring peace, harmony and better understanding among all people.

It is also a season of religious holidays of several other faith communities. It is a good time to share this blessed occasion with others. We should invite our neighbors and other non-Muslims around us for evening meal when we open the fast and let us share with them some of the values of our faith.

As we fast together during this month, let us also help the poor and needy. Let us become more charitable. Let us remember our brothers and sisters who are suffering from violence, oppression, hunger and deprivation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir, and in many other lands. Let us pray for them and do whatever we can to send some relief to the poor and needy.

Let us also remember our duties to our own community, our Masjid and Islamic School. Let us support the good work that is going on here.

Let us pray that we receive the real spirit of Ramadan in our lives, in our homes and in our communities. We hope that we shall come out of this month more reformed and purified to live our lives in obedience to Allah. Inshallah, we shall continue living Islam and continue giving its message to the whole world.

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