شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَٰتٍ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Ramaḍân is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the decisive authority. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then ˹let them fast˺ an equal number of days ˹after Ramaḍân˺. Allah intends ease for you, not hardship, so that you may complete the prescribed period and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful.
(Surat Al-Baqarah, Aya 185)
(Translation by Ahmad Zaki Hammad)
Indeed Ramadan has arrived. The Holy Quran, forgiveness of our sins, and mercy from our Lord is at our doorstep. While they are available to us every day of our lives, they are even more apparent during this blessed month of Ramadan. As the blessed month of Ramadan is here, we remind ourselves that the primary purpose is to attain a greater consciousness and fear in Allahﷻ. In this month’s special edition article for Ramadan, we will cover some of the major concepts in the month of Ramadan.
What is the Purpose of Fasting?
The core purpose of Ramadan is to attain taqwa, as it is clearly stated in the verse above. Taqwa means fear of Allahﷻ. Fasting is the one deed that always makes us very conscious of Allahﷻ. A hadith that is muttafaq alaih (agreed upon by Bukhari and Muslim) and Qudsi (The Prophetﷺ is telling us what Allahﷻ said), narrated by Abu Huraira said “All of the actions of the son of Adam go back to him, except for one. That one action is fasting. For the fasting is mine and only I shall reward it.” In this month, even the farthest Muslim from his faith rediscovers Islam. Even the one who constantly commits major sins has a movement in his heart during this month. Even the individual who never visits the Masjid attends the prayers during this month. We are very conscious of everything we do and everywhere we go during Ramadan because we are fasting and do not want to lose that. This is taqwa.
Ramadan is the month of replacement. Replacement of what, you may ask? It is the month of replacing a bad habit with a good deed. If you are addicted to a particular sin, Ramadan is the absolute best month of the year in which you will be able to overcome Shaytan and be victorious. It is not just about ending a bad habit but is also about replacing it with something that is beneficial. That way you are able to exit Ramadan as a different and better individual.
مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ وَالْجَهْلَ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةٌ أَنْ يَدَعَ
طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ
In Sahih Al-Bukhari, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink.” Fear in Allahﷻ is not only about abstaining from eating and drinking, but our eyes and tongues as well. Your eyes and tongues are fasting as well. Our eyes are fasting from watching anything that is disliked or haram in the eyes of Allahﷻ. As we are conscious of what goes into our mouths, we should be conscious of what goes into our eyes. Perhaps one of the most important, our tongues are fasting from engaging in poor and dirty language, lies, etc. As we are conscious of what comes into our mouths, we should be conscious of what comes out. Our ears are also fasting. We should be careful of what we are listening to. While Ramadan may come to an end and we are no longer fasting from food and drinks, our eyes, tongues, and ears never stop fasting.
It Is The Month of the Quran…
One of the best ways to attain taqwa is to enhance our connection with the Holy Quran, as it is not just a book. It is our way of life, guide through humanity, and source of morals and character. As the Aya states, it is the month of Ramadan that the Holy Quran was revealed. So if you are wondering where to begin, use this month to strengthen your connection with the Quran. In order to establish any bond between ourselves and the Quran, we must ask ourselves about our Salah. Do we pray the five daily prayers? Do we pray on time? Do we feel anything when we pray? It is so important to remember that the Salah was given to us as a gift. It was given to us as a means of communicating with Allahﷻ five times daily. Allahﷻ does not benefit from our prayers. He does not need our prayers. Surely, it is mankind who are in need of Allahﷻ, so He blessed us with the gift of Salah. Start by understanding what is being said in the prayer. I do not mean read the translation of Surah Al-Fatiha, I mean dive deeper than the surface and grasp a firm understanding of every word we say. If you are having trouble praying all five prayers, then Ramadan is the perfect opportunity to fix this matter. Make it a habit to pray in the Masjid and then you will feel the blessings of Salah as well as Ramadan.
Allahﷻ explicitly links Quran and Ramadan together before he links Ramadan and fasting. We are guilty of not reading enough Quran throughout the year. Ramadan is the month of the Quran, it is the month in which the Quran was revealed. Scholars used to lock up all of their books of Fiqh during Ramadan just to focus on the Quran. The Prophetﷺ told Aiysha, “Every year Jibreel came to me to read the Quran to me, and I read the Quran back to him.” How often do we open the Quran outside of Ramadan? The sad truth is that the Qurans sitting in our homes collect dust between each Ramadan due to the lack of people reading them. Let us make an effort to read just a few ayas or a half page a day between now and the beginning of Ramadan, then we can slowly increase how much we read. Remember, Allahﷻ says in the Quran, “Oh people, a reminder has come from your lord to you and in it there is a cure for the diseases of the heart.”
We ask Allah ﷻ to allow us to witness this blessed month of Ramadan and to allow our sins to be forgiven in this month of forgiveness. We ask Allahﷻ to make us among the merciful and compassionate ones so that He will have mercy upon us. We ask Allah ﷻ to make us among those who forgive so that we may be forgiven for our shortcomings. We ask Allah ﷻ to accept all of our zakat. We ask Allah ﷻ to protect our brothers and sisters in Gaza from all evil and harm. We ask Allah ﷻ to accept our fasting and good deeds during this blessed month of Ramadan. Allahumma Ameen.
By Ahmad Salah