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In the Shade of Ramadan
Mr.
Ramadan Muhammad At-Tahhan states the following:
Muslims
everywhere are expecting the blessed month of Ramadan. At the
beginning of Ramadan, Allah bestows His Mercy on people; at the
middle period of it, Allah forgives the sins of the repentant; at
the end of it, Allah delivers his righteous servants from
Hell-Fire. In Ramadan, people observe fasting by day and perform
Vigil Night Prayers. Fasting is enjoined on Muslims till Doomsday,
as it was enjoined on early believers. Allah says: {O ye who
believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed
for those before you, that ye may ward off evil)}. (Al-Baqarah:
183)
From
among all acts of worship Almighty Allah has specified fasting in
particular to be for His Own sake, as he, Exalted and Blessed be
He, in a Divine Hadith says: “All man’s good deeds are for his
own benefit, except fasting; it is for My Sake, and I reward for
it. In fasting there is protection (for man from indulgence). So
when one of is fasting, he shouldn’t shout, nor act in an
improper way; and if someone abused or fought him, he should say:
“I am fasting, I am fasting”. By Allah, in whose Hand my life
is, the ascent of the mouth of a man observing fasting is better in
Allah’s Sight than the ascent of Musk. Observing fasting makes
man pleasant twice: once when he breaks his fasting and the other
when he meets his Lord.” [It is narrated by Muslim]
In
Ramadan, the doors of Hell close, and those of Paradise open, and
devils get shackled. Therein an angel calls: “O observer of good
deeds, rejoice; o indulgent people, abstain (from sins); until the
end of Ramadan.” [It is narrated by Ahmed]
Allah
draws people’s attention to the importance of reciting the
Qur’an while fasting in Ramadan. Thus, reciting the Qur’an is
greatly connected with fasting; they form two pleasant acts of
worship which. Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, used to
observe reciting the Qur’an in Ramadan, as narrated by Ibn
`Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: “Allah’s Messenger,
peace be upon him, was the most generous of all people, and his
generosity reached its utmost in Ramadan when Gabriel was send to
him. Gabriel used to meet him every night in Ramadan and teaches
him the Qur’an. Whenever Gabriel met the Prophet, peace be upon
him, became more generous than continuous (rainy) winds.” This
Saying is agreed upon.
In
the Shade of the Qur’an
In
Ramadan all forms of goodness are observed, headed by the Qur’an.
The angel Gabriel (peace be with him) taught the Prophet, peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him, the best deeds in Ramadan, i.e.
observing fasting and reciting the Qur’an, and both of them
intercede for their observer on the Day of Judgement. It is
narrated as follows: “Fasting will say to Allah: ‘O Lord, to
observe me, he was deprived from food and worldly pleasures during
the day, so allow me to intercede for him.’ Then the Qur’an
will say: ‘Reciting me, he was deprived of sleep during night, so
allow me to intercede for him.’ Hence Allah will permit them to
intercede.” [It is narrated by Ahmed, An-Nasa’i and Al-Hakim]
A
Muslim who keeps steadfast in observing fasting, performing prayer,
reciting the Qur’an and abstention from every sin whatever
slight, will be unique in the Day of Judgement, as Allah will
permit him into Paradise from the gate of Ar-Rayyan out of honor
and dignity. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “There a door
of Paradise called Ar-Rayyan. On the Judgement Day, (an angel) will
call: Where are the observers of fasting? Then, they will all be
permitted into Paradise through that door, and it will close.”
[It is narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
A
true believer, who firmly believe in Allah and calls others to
believe, strives against his vulgar desires and against devilish
insinuations. Such a true believer finds in Ramadan an available
chance to elevate his soul to a higher level. This necessarily
leads to instructive changes in the whole society, as Allah says:
{Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first)
change that which is in their hearts}. (Ar-Ra`d: 11)
Observing
fasting makes hearts pious, and it is piety which preserves one
from committing sins, whatever slight, that may spoil one’s
fasting.
Fasting
also adjusts the conduct of a person who observes it and clears his
conscience, which directs man’s decisions and draws him closer to
his Lord.
A
true believer realizes that contemporary cultures are
materialistic, based on satisfying one’s desire for food as well
as vulgar desires. Such mere materialistic basis drew previous
cultures to ruin, and this seems to be the same fate of today’s
cultures.
Therefore,
it is Islam which makes compromise between contradicting aspects;
it makes a balance between materialistic and spiritual sides of
life such as, reasonable and emotional thinking. A true believer
who observes acts of worship and fasting is able to reform his life
and keep himself away from worldly pleasures and whims. So doing
man sets to the right path. So, man should be aware of his duty to
rescue the humanity?
The
Virtues of Observing Fasting during the Year
Fasting
in Ramadan is a pillar of Islam. The time for fasting is specified
according to lunar calendar. With the passage of time Ramadan
occurs in different seasons of the year, in summer, autumn, winter
and spring. Ramadan corresponds with all seasons of the year every
third of a century (every 33 years). Thus, most people witness
Ramadan in different weather conditions throughout different stages
of their life, i.e. during adolescence and youth, then during
maturity and old age. This enables man to feel the wisdom of
fasting and its effects on a man in different seasons.
Ramadan
begins with the appearance of the crescent of Ramadan, and it ends
with the crescent of Shawwal. On the other hand, the fast days are
specified according to the solar calendar; the fast-days begin on
Dawn and ends on sunset. This has a very significant wisdom.
Muslims all over the world fast in every moment in Ramadan, because
while night prevails in some places on earth, there are other
places where the light of the sun prevails. This creates a kind of
interrelation between Muslims all over the world and shows that sun
never sets on the Muslim nation.
A
Muslim caller should realize that he is a working individual in the
universe which succumbs with all creatures therein under Allah’s
Will. So Muslims all over the world are brothers and sisters,
disregarding any differences in language, color, or race; they are
all unified under the banner of Islam, the sealing religion in
Allah’s Sight.
Ramadan
witnessed the most famous events in the history of Muslim nation
such as, the Great Battle of Badr, the Battle of Furqan (the
criterion) when Allah made the believer victorious over the
unbelievers, the Conquest of Makkah where the Prophet set the best
example of tolerance and Makkah took its value in the life of
Muslims, The Conquest of Andalusia (now Spain) from which Islamic
culture spread all over the world, and finally the conquest of
Muslims over the Jew on the tenth of Ramadan,1973.
Under
the condition in which Muslims live, suffering from the acts of
violence and oppression of the non-Muslims, are Muslims aware of
their duty towards their brothers in Islam? Are they ready to
sacrifice themselves and their money in the cause of Allah?
Some
people fast in Ramadan as a matter of habit no more, so that they
may neglect prayer and commit sins. Hence, it the duty of Islamic
callers to teach people by standing as a good example for them in
the first place, then by right guidance and finally by striving
against evil. Also, people should follow good examples and fulfill
their duties. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
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