The significance of the holy month of Ramadan by Maulana Mohammad Siddiq Fiji
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
(May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you)
(2:183)يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you
as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint.
Ramadan is the most precious month in the Islamic calendar (Hijri) and
it is obligatory for the Muslims to fast in the holy month of Ramadan.Ramadan also transliterated Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan,is the ninth month
of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide.This annual
observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts
29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon, according to
numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.
The word Ramadan
comes from the Arabic root ramiḍa or ar-ramaḍ, which means scorching heat or dryness. Fasting is fardh(obligatory) for
adult Muslims, except those who are suffering from an illness, travelling, are
elderly, pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic
or going through menstrual bleeding.While fasting from
dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids,
smoking, and engaging in sexual relations with one's spouse. Muslims are also
instructed to refrain from sinful behavior that may negate the reward of
fasting, such as false speech (insulting, backbiting, cursing, lying,
etc.) and fighting. Food and
drink is served daily, before dawn and after sunset. Spiritual rewards (thawab) for
fasting are also multiplied within the
month of Ramadan. Fasting during
Ramadan typically includes the increased offering of salat (prayers) and recitation of the Quran.
Here are some interesting and quick points that shows the importance of Ramadan in Islam.
- § Allah has made fasting this month the fourth Pillar of Islam
- § Allah revealed the Quran in this month
- § Allah has made Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of Decree/Power) in this month, which is better than a thousand months
- § Allah has made fasting Ramadan and spending its nights in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward a means of forgiveness of sins
- § In this month, Allah opens the gates of Paradise and closes the gates of Hell, and chains up the devils
- § Every night Allah has people whom He redeems from the Fire
- § Fasting Ramadan is a means of expiation for the sins committed since the previous Ramadan, so long as one avoids major sins
- § Fasting in Ramadan is equivalent to fasting ten months
- § Whoever prays Qiyaam in Ramadan with the Imaam until he finishes, it will be recorded for him that he spent the whole night in prayer
- § Umra’h in Ramadhaan is equivalent to Hajj
- § It is Sunnah to observe I’tikaaf (retreat for the purpose of worship) in Ramadan
- § It is Mustahabb in the sense of being strongly recommended in Ramadan to study the Quran together and to read it to a great deal
- § It is Mustahabb in Ramadan to offer Iftaar to those who are fasting
Repentance: If Not In Ramadan, Then When?
“The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the
Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.
So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is
ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you
ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the
period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps
you will be grateful”. [2:185]
Whenever the orbit turns and another month of Ramadan
approaches, happiness and joy return to the Ummah, for with it comes two of the
greatest gifts of Allah(swt) namely the fasting month of Ramadan and the
celebration of the revelation of Al Qur’an (in the blessed night: Al-Qadr). It
is appropriate that every Muslim should receive the blessed month of Ramadan
with repentance, sincerity, resoluteness and earnestness. He/she should make
the intention to perform extra acts of devotion and worship therein, including
the Night Prayer (qiyam), recitation of Qur’an, and abundant charity to the
poor and needy.
Imagine for a moment that it’s raining. It is pouring, in fact.
And imagine that you are inside your house, watching as it falls. But imagine
that there is something very different about this rain. It is unlike any other
you’ve ever seen. On this day, it is not raining water. It is raining something
much more precious to you. Imagine that on this day it is raining hundred
dollar bills.
What would you do? What would happen in your neighborhood on
that day? What would happen in the world? Would we not run outside, falling all
over ourselves, competing to gain as much of the raining money as we can? Would
we not stand outside all night to gather as much as possible?
We would do this for money because money is precious. But
imagine for a moment that it was raining something priceless. Not thousand
dollar bills, not trillions, but the mercy of Allah subhana wa ta`ala (exalted
is He), a currency that no human currency could even measure.
The Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
said, “Ramadan has come to you. (It is) a month of blessing, in which Allah
covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers
prayers. In it, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts
about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the
unfortunate one is he who is deprived in (this month) of the mercy of Allah,
the Mighty, the Exalted.” [Narrated by Tabarani]
The month of Ramadan has excellences over the other months, as
is testified to by the Qur’an and Sunnah, and out of these I will bring to
attention the following virtues:
1. It is the month of the Qur’an, with regards to revelation and study.
“The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Qur’an.”
[Qur’an, 2:185]
On the authority of Ibn `Abbas: Angel Gabriel used to meet the
Prophet (peace be upon him) every night in Ramadan and used to study Qur’an
with him.
[Bukhari:Book 4:Volume 54: Hadith 443]
2. It
is the month of seclusion.
Abdullah Ibn `Umar said, “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) used to seclude himself for the last ten days of
the month of Ramadan.”
[Bukhari:Book 3:Volume 33: Hadith 242]
3. It
is the month of generosity.
Ibn `Abbas said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
used to be at his most generous in Ramadan.”
[Bukhari:Book of revelation]
4. It
is the month of standing (in voluntary night prayer).
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) said, “Whoever stands (in voluntary night prayer) during Ramadan,
with faith and in expectancy of reward, his previous sins are forgiven him.”
[Bukhari: Book of taraweeh]
5. It
is the month of the compulsory fast, because of Allah’s
saying, (meaning):
“So, whoever among you witnesses the month should fast.”
[Qur’an, 2:185]
A terrible error prevalent among people is to talk about Ramadan
just as they talk about the obligation of fasting, as if Ramadan and fasting
are synonymous, each carrying the meaning of the other and not anything more
nor less. Yet, fasting is one of many acts of worship in Ramadan.
Many reports have been narrated from the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) explaining the distinction of Ramadan, of which I have
selected the following:
“The month of Ramadan has come to you; a month of goodness and
blessing.”
[Ibn Khuzaymah]
“The Master of the Months is Ramadan, and the Master of the days
is Friday.”
[Ibn Khuzaymah]
“Whoever fasted Ramadan with faith and in expectancy of reward,
his previous sins are forgiven him.”
[Bukhari and Muslim]
“When Ramadan comes, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates
of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.”
And in a narration from Nasa’i, the following words are added:
“and a caller calls out every night: ‘Oh seeker of Good, draw
near! Oh seeker of Evil, desist!'”
If a person loves someone, say a father loves his child. How
does a child realise that his father loves him/her? The answer is simple. It’s
not only the words but actions of the father that make the child realise that
his/her father loves him/her. Likewise, a Muslim has to love Allah not merely
by words but by actions also. He has to get himself more closer and closer to
Allah(swt). When a believer truely loves his creator, his creator also loves
him. The best of actions by which Allah (swt) loves his slave is “Repentance”.
Repentance is an act of worship and closeness to Allah before
being a means of recanting mistakes, rather it is one of the greatest and
dignified acts of worship, it leads to the love of Allah Almighty as He has
said:
…Truly, Allâh loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and
loves those who purify themselves… [Surat Al-Baqarah V:222]
RECEIVING RAMADAN WITH REPENTANCE
One of the graces of Allah towards His slaves is that He has
made frequent for them seasons of good, where He has varied the types of the
acts of worship. Season that come to them each year, when a person indulges in
amusement with children and money, and forgets his Lord, and disrupts the
rituals of his religion, is being drawn to the devil,so he practices all kind
of sins during his heedlessness and slumber. So, Ramadan comes to awaken him
from his slumber, to lead him to his creator and to invite him to renew his
repentance. Ramadan deserves repentance to be renewed in it, as in it good
deeds are multiplied and sins are erased, and slips are reduced and ranks are
raised, for whomever who is worthy of this, for he who knows Ramadan well, and
who performs the due acts of worship to Allah faithfully and diligently.
Though, repentance in islam is not time-fixed. A person can
repent at any time,place. It is from the mercy of Allah that He accepts the
repentance of His slave at any time of day or night and He overwhelmingly
rejoices over it though it does not benefit Him, the Almighty. But looking at
the countless blessings, mercy of Allah (swt) in the holy month of Ramadan,
one’s hope of being forgiven in this blessed month is at its peak. When Ramadan
comes, doors of mercy are kept open by Allah(swt). But it needs from people to
commit to the demands of Allah. Isn’t this blessed month special. Allah gives
you countless bounties. Going through various hadiths, one gets to know how
much Allah swt offers his slaves…
Let me present some of them. One’s sins are forgiven, one will
be saved from hell fire, angles say peace. Fasting is a shield with which a
servant protects himself from the Fire, fasting will intercede on ones behalf
on the day of judgement. On the Day of Judgement, “Fasting will say: O My Lord
I prevented him from food and desires so accept my intercession for him.”
[Ahmad, al-Haakim and Abu Nu’aim, Hasan]. There is a gate to Paradise that is
called ar-Rayyan. Only people who had fasted will enter through it.
When one repents, he makes sure that he keeps himself away from
sins (in whatever form it may be) as far as possible. Fasting eases that task.
During Ramadan, every part of the fasting soul must be restrained. The tongue
must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain
themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take
anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to
idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places.
In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast. Therefore, fasting is
not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person’s body
and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice
self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and
re-focus one’s self on the worship of God.
THE DOOR TO REPENTANCE IS OPEN: WHERE ARE THE REPENTANT?
In Islam there is no mediator between the slave and his Lord, as
is the case in many other religions where the priest or the rabbi decides that
the repentance of a slave is not accepted unless he pays him some money!!
Repentance in Islam is free of charge. Neither a priest nor a
rabbi will count favors against people that they have guided them, Allah,
Glorified and Exalted is the Guide. In Islam everyone is rewarded for his
deeds, no one bears the burden of sins but the doer of them, slaves will not
bear the burden of the sin of Adam, their father, or the sin of anyone else as
in other religions. Some non-Muslims converted to Islam because of this verse:
“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden” [Surat
Fâtir 35:18]
Where are those who have transgressed against themselves by
committing evil deeds and sins? Those who spent days and nights in
disobedience? Those who met the blessings of Allah with ingratitude? And who
opposed Him in His realm? Where are they? Let them repent.
Is there any one of us who is innocent of sin? The answer is a
BIG NO.
We are the sinners, but we hope to be of those who repent,
because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said
“Every Son of Adam is a Sinner, and the Best of Sinners are those who Repent”
[Tirmidhi]
Dear Muslims! Door of repentance is open to all until the sun
rises from the west. It is then that the door of repentance will be closed and
faith will be of no avail to a soul which has not believed before. Safwaan
‘Assaal narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (saw) saying:
“Allah opened a door west side for seventy years for the purpose
of repentance, it will not be closed until the sun will rises from the west.”
(At-Tirmidhee)
HOW DO WE REPENT?
The repentance of the slave is not sincere until he gives up the
sin, and sternly determines never to commit it again. But if he asks
forgiveness by his tongue and his heart is embarking upon committing the sin
and his soul is enticing him towards it, then this is the repentance of a
wicked heart. The tongue repentance is of no benefit for him.
CONDITIONS OF REPENTANCE
Repentance is accepted as long as it is done with:
• Sincerity
• Truthfulness
• Trusting in ALLAH that He forgives sins
• Firm resolve never to go back
• Followed by persistence in righteous deeds. As ALLAH says :
“And verily, I am indeed Forgiving to him who repents, believes
(in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good
deeds, and then remains constant in doing them, (till his death).” [20:82]
Shaqîq Al-Balkhi said:
“the signs of repentance: crying over past sins, fear of falling
into committing sins, abandoning bad companions and adhering by the good
righteous people.”
[Nuzhat Al-Fudalâ’ (The Trip of the Virtuous) / 711]
Are there any of these signs in our repentance? Or are we still
not afraid of sins, nor do we forsake bad companions, but we abandon the good
righteous people, and then afterwards we say: “We repent!! What lie is this? Do
we lie to Allah Almighty and He sees us? O Allah Glorified and Exalted, how
great our sin is! And how little our praise is! So we ask You Allah to pardon
us, and that You accept us with beautiful acceptance, and that You amend what
has become wicked of our hearts, You are the All Hearer, the One who answers
our prayers.
How to Prepare for the Month of Ramadan
A lot
of us yearn to prepare for Ramadan, but we have no idea how to start. Below are
a few tips to insha’Allah (Allah willing) help prepare our minds and hearts for
this upcoming Month of Mercy.
MAKE THE INTENTION
Simple to do, with a powerful impact. Maybe you want to prepare
for Ramadan, but between school, work, family, and your other activities, you
just have no idea how to fit in ‘prepare for Ramadan’ time. Instead of
separating ‘prepare for Ramadan’ from your daily activities, make your daily activities
a MEANS of preparation for Ramadan.
For example, perhaps your mom asked you to pick up your brother
from school on the day you finally had time to read a few extra pages of
Qur’an. Instead of feeling upset as if you have lost a great opportunity to
prepare for Ramadan, make the intention that you are picking up your brother to
please Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala (exalted is He) and prepare for Ramadan by
obeying your mother, helping your family members, building ties of kinship…and
the list continues.
The point is that preparing for Ramadan does not have to be some
magnificent, enormous, extra-special thing that needs to be done at a certain
time of the day. Many of your daily actions can be turned into Ramadan
preparation actions with a sincere intention insha’Allah.
DO THESE EASY-TO-REAP-REWARD ACTIONS
1. Ask Allah to forgive your brothers and sisters. “Whoever
seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing women, Allah will write for
him a good deed for each believing man and believing woman.” [at-Tabarani,
classed as hasan by al-Albani]
2. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah radi allahu ‘anhu (may
Allah be pleased with him) said “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ [peace be upon him]
said: ‘Whoever says subhan Allah wa bi hamdih (praise and glory be to Allah)
100 times, morning and evening, his sins will be erased even if they are like
the foam on the sea.'” [Bukhari, Muslim]
3. If a person says, “Subhan Allah (glory be to Allah),” 100
times, a thousand good deeds are recorded for him and a thousand bad deeds are
wiped away. [Muslim 2073]
4. Remember Allah (swt) when you go shopping. “Whoever enters a
market and says: “Laa ilaha illallah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa
lahul hamdu yuhyi wa yumeetu wa huwa hayyun laa yamoot, bi yadihil khair, wa
huwa ‘ala kulli shayin qadeer.” [There is nothing worthy of worship except
Allah, alone without partner, to Him belongs dominion and praise; He causes
life and death and He is the Living and does not die; in His Hand is all the
good, and He is over all things competent], Allah will write for them a million
good deeds and erase a million bad deeds and raise him a million levels.”
[at-Tirmidhi, classed as hasan by al-Albani]
UP YOUR WORSHIP
To help condition your heart for this blessed month, intensify
your worship before Ramadan begins. Just a small, consistent amount is enough.
The Prophet ﷺ told us: “The deeds most loved by Allah are those done regularly,
even if they are small.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
For example, say I always pray 2 rak’at (units )of sunnah
(compulsory prayer) after ishaa’ (the night prayer) from this day until Ramadan
begins—and even through Ramadan, let me make the intention that I will now pray
2 extra rak’at of sunnah after ishaa’. And every time I pray these extra 2 rak’at,
which are more than what I normally pray, let me remember that I am doing these
with the intention of asking Allah (swt) to help me be prepared to strive and
exert my utmost effort during Ramadan.
This is THE MONTH to ask for EVERYTHING, both related to this
life and the Next. Let us not wait until the last 10 nights to make special
dua, and then once Eid passes realize that we completely forgot about fifty
other things we needed to make dua for. Let’s start making our lists now, and
add to it as more things come our way. Insha’Allah this should help us remember
to make constant du`a’ in this month where dua is accepted, and help our hearts
pour out to the One Who can make those dua happen, subhanahu wa ta’ala. Aim to strive this Ramadan. With a very small amount of effort,
such as just making a small intention or adding a few extra acts of worship, we
pray that Allah (swt) will help our hearts soften and honor us with making it
easy to turn to Him and open up to Him.May Allah (swt) make us of the successful in Ramadan, and make
it easy for us to turn to Him completely and perpetually. Ameen.
MAULANA MOHAMMAD SIDDIQ FIJIMOB:+679 9296464EMAIL: abuabdullahfj@yahoo.com
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