|
Fasting in Ramadan: Lessons & Moralities
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.
|
