|
Fasting in
Ramadan: Lessons & Moralities
By
Dr.
Muzammil Siddiqi
Allah, Most High, says, “Blessed be He in whose hand is the
Sovereignty, and He is able to do all things. He created death and
life that He may try which of you is best in deed. He is the Exalted
in Might, oft Forgiving.” (Al-Mulk: 1-2)
Also, He says, “It is He who made the night and day to follow each
other for such as have the will to celebrate His praises or to show
their gratitude.” (Al-Furqan: 62)
Life and death and the succession of nights and day have a purpose
and that is to test us and to give us an opportunity to express our
thanks and gratitude to our Creator and Sustainer. The month of
Ramadan comes and goes. We must examine ourselves now and see what
we have learned and achieved during this month. The test of success
of this month lies in the effects it has left upon us as follows:
1. Discipline: We learn in this month how to discipline ourselves
for the sake of Allah. In our morning and evening, we follow a
strict schedule of eating and drinking. We are constantly aware that
even in our such mundane activities as eating and drinking, we must
remain under divine injunctions. We change our habits in our daily
routines because we learn that we are not the servants and slaves to
our habits, but always the servants of Allah. Then after Ramadan, we
have to keep this spirit of discipline in other modes of our life
and must continue with our submission to the commands of Allah.
2. Renewal of Devotional Life: Ramadan renews our enthusiasm for
worship and devotion to Allah. In this month we are more careful of
our daily prayers and have special prayers at night. There is no
religion without prayer and Muslims learn in this month how to
strengthen and deepen their religious life.
3. Renewal of Contact with the Qur’an: Ramadan and the Qur’an
are linked together from the beginning. It was in this month that
this divine message was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace and
blessings be upon him. We are told that the Prophet, peace and
blessings be upon him, was fasting when he received the first
revelation. Fasting prepares the believers' hearts to learn the Word
of Allah. It is the most suitable condition for our spiritual and
mental communication with the Qur’an. The Muslim Ummah pays more
attention to the Qur’an in this month. This renewed contact with
the Qur’an must help us in following its message.
4. Renewal of Identity with the Ummah: Ramadan is not an individual
experience only, but it is an experience in community. The whole
Muslim Ummah fasts together in one and the same month. We identify
with one another in our obedience to Allah. This gives us a new
sense of togetherness and association. Ramadan teaches us that the
Muslim Ummah is the community of piety and devotion to Allah and its
members derive their strength from each other in deeds of piety and
virtue. The bonds that are based on piety and virtue are the
strongest bonds and it is these bonds that prove good for mankind.
The strength of the Muslim community lies in its commitment to the
values of goodness, morality and piety. Ramadan leaves an imprint of
all these values upon the Muslim Ummah.
5. A Fresh Sense of Care and Sympathy: Fasting in the month of
Ramadan helps us to understand the suffering and the pains of the
poor and needy. By our voluntary hunger and thirst we realize what
it means to be deprived of basic necessities of life. Ramadan is
called the month of charity and sympathy. We learn how to be more
kind and generous in this month. Many Muslims also pay their Zakah
in the month of Ramadan.
6. Jihad or Struggle: Fasting in Ramadan and Jihad both of them were
prescribed in the same year, that is, the second year of Hijrah in
Madinah. Fasting prepares for hardships and sacrifice. These are two
important things without which Jihad is not possible. Muslims learn
in Ramadan how to struggle against the forces of evil in their own
selves, in the society around them, and in the world at large.
7. Taqwa: To summarize all the moral and spiritual gifts of Ramadan,
we can say that Ramadan gives us the great gift of Taqwa. Taqwa is
the sum total of Islamic life. It is the highest of all virtues in
the Islamic scheme of things. It means, God-consciousness, piety,
fear and awe of Allah and it signifies submission to Allah and total
commitment to all that is good and rejection of all that is evil and
bad.
|
|
