|
Ramadan
is the month of blessings and returning to Allah in repentance. Two
months before Ramadan, i.e., in the month of Rajab, the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to pray to Allah to
make him witness the month of Ramadan. He used to say: “O Allah,
bestow Your blessings on us during the months of Rajab and Sha`ban,
and make us witness Ramadan.” The Prophet said that out of his
deep love and appreciation for the rank of the holy month of Ramadan
in the Sight of Allah.
The Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, used, on seeing the
crescent in the beginning of each month, to supplicate Allah,
Exalted and Glorified be He. In this concern, according to an
authentic Saying, Talha Ibn `Ubaidullah, may Allah be pleased with
him, narrated on the authority of his father who quoted his father (Talha’s
grandfather) as saying: “The Prophet used to say, on seeing the
crescent in the beginning of any month, “O Allah, bestow Your
blessings on us during this month, and help us, so that we can
remain steadfast in faith. (O crescent,) Allah is my Lord and yours
too.”
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used also to address
the crescent in the beginning of any month, saying, “You are a
symbol of goodness and guidance; You are a symbol of goodness and
guidance. I believe in Allah who created you. (He said this thrice.)
Praise be to Allah, Who made the month of… (he’d name this
month) pass and made the present month (he’d name it) come.”
Due to such great significance of the holy month of Ramadan, one
should, during this month, prepare oneself to do one’s best in
observing Allah’s teachings; one should return to Allah in true
repentance, for Allah says, {And turn unto Allah together, O
believers, in order that ye may succeed}. (An-Nur: 31)
In fact, one should return to Allah whenever one commits a sin, but
it is, a fortiori, highly rewarding to do so in Ramadan. One should
welcome this month intending to give up falling into sins,
regretting whatever sin one has committed in the past, and
determining not to do it again. One should offer fasting to Allah,
trying to exert one’s utmost to do good deeds, so as to be one of
those whom Allah would accept, forgive them sins, and release from
the Hell in the Day of Judgment.
As for Muslims who indulged into committing sins during certain
phases of their lives, they should not give up the hope that Allah
would forgive them, as Allah never lets down those who seek His
forgiveness. In this regard, Abu Musa Al-Asha`ri, may Allah be
pleased with him, quoted the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon
him, as saying “Allah, Exalted be He, responds at night to those
who seek His forgiveness for the sins they committed during daytime;
and responds during the day to those who seek His forgiveness for
the sins they committed at night.”
A poet says about the merit of Ramadan: “Ramadan is the farm where
soul-purifying seeds are sown. So water such seeds by good deeds.
Bad deeds will cause you loss.’’
The best thing for one to avoid Allah’s punishment on the Day of
Judgment is to regret one’s sins, intending to do good deeds and
surrendering oneself to Allah in good faith. One should offer
fasting and keep vigil in prayer for the Sake of Allah, seeking His
rewards and fearing His punishment.
In fact, fasting was made obligatory on Muslims before ordaining
Jihad (Striving or Fighting in Allah’s Cause). The wisdom behind
fasting is to teach Muslims how to train themselves to be patient
and able to resist temptations and desires. In performing fasting,
believers abstain from satisfying their appetites and base desires;
and in so doing, they let down the Satan and his evil followers.
When a fasting person is insulted or wronged by someone, he holds
back his anger saying, “O I am fasting,” as if one reminds
oneself that one should be tolerant, for one offers fasting to
Allah. If one does so one will be greatly rewarded by Allah. The
holy month of Ramadan is the best of all months. It is the month
when one should train oneself how to be patient and persistent in
combating temptations and desires.
It is the month when all sins are forgiven, and true believers keep
vigil offering prayers to Allah, to gain His rewards, resigning
themselves heart and soul to Allah. It is the month when gates of
mercy are open and evil spirits are chained. The rewards of each
good deed during Ramadan are in multifold in comparison to any other
month. Moreover, in Ramadan, there is the Night of the Divine
Decree, which is better than a thousand months.
Miserable is he who has not been forgiven during this month, due to
his negligence of his religious duties. And happy is he who offers
fasting to Allah in good faith, as Allah will reward him for the
great efforts he has exerted in resisting temptations and desires as
well as enduring the pains of hunger and thirst.
It is desirable for Muslims, during this holy month, to have a work
program. The steps recommended for this program are as follows:
-
one should return to Allah in true repentance; to do so, one
should give up committing sins, regret having committed them, and
resolve never to commit them again;
-
every true Muslim should do good deeds in good faith; he should
never deny others their rights;
-
a good Muslim should teach himself how to be patient for
Allah’s Sake; he should beware not to use his organs of hearing
and sight in doing something unlawful, nor should he take to lying
or swearing;
-
one should keep vigil in prayer, humbling oneself before Allah
and contemplating the wisdom of creation;
-
one should be keen on performing obligatory prayers in
congregation;
-
one should be interested in attending the first row in prayer
and be there from its beginning;
-
one should follow the Prophetic Traditions;
-
one should offer regularly the Taraweeh prayer (Ramadan Night
Supererogatory Prayer; it’s of 8 Rak`ahs at least) and the Shaf`
and Witr prayer (a confirmed traditional act of worship, offered in
3 units;)
-
it’s recommended for a Muslim, if able, to invite one fasting
person or more to have Iftar together;
-
one should give to charity in this special month; we should
remember the poor or needy person every day;
-
paying visits to sick people, keeping ties of kinship, and
attending funerals are all social duties of abundant rewards.
-
one should be keen on reciting the words the Prophet used to
praise Allah with in the early morning and before sunset, bearing in
mind to remember Allah every time;
-
one should adapt to reciting daily three Chapters (Surahs) of
the Glorious Qur’an, or at least one Chapter;
-
it’s important to habituate oneself to offering two voluntary
units of prayer each time one performs ablution;
-
one should attend religious sessions; learning something new
about jurisprudence each day.
-
one should offer Duha Prayer regularly;
-
it’s important to memorize some verses of the Glorious
Qur’an daily;
-
one should learn by heart one or more Prophetic Sayings every
day;
-
one should read some simplified book on the biography of
Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and another on
subjects of belief;
-
one should call others to believe in Allah, and draw their
attention to the obligation of following Allah’s teachings and
avoiding wrongdoing;
-
also in this blessed month, one should be extremely generous;
-
one should, if able, perform `Umrah, for performing `Umrah
during Ramadan is reckoned (in reward) as performing Hajj in the
company of the Prophet himself, peace and blessings be upon him;
-
on breaking fast, it is desirable for one to supplicate Allah
using pithy expressions;
-
one should seek to mediate between disputing people in an
attempt to bring them to reconciliation;
-
one should support Muslims in their fighting in the Cause of
Allah;
-
one should break fast soon after the sunset, and delay having
the pre-dawn meal;
-
one should obey one’s parents if they are alive, and express
gratitude to them, if they are dead, by praying for them and giving
to charity in their favor;
-
one should offer I`tikaf (spiritual retreat or seclusion in the
mosque for the purpose of worship) during the last ten nights of
Ramadan;
-
one should perform the prayer of `Eidul Fitr (Lesser Bairam);
-
and one should be keen on fasting six days of the month of
Shawwal (the month following Ramadan).
|
