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Spiritual Provision from Ramadan
by Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
Allah
says in the Qur’an: “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.” (25:62)
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.
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 the blessed month of Ramadan. 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."
Source:
www.pakistanlink.net
Read
Also:
Infusing
Vigor into the Muslim Ummah after Ramadan
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