Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Ramadan, the month of mercy.....it's such a beautiful month full of Allah's blessings. We can't even comprehend how great this month is. It's the most auspicious in the sight of the creator. It is the month in which the Glorious Qu'ran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad SAW, the final messenger, the seal of all the prophets. It is the only month whose name was revealed in the Qu'ran.
This month is such a great favour of Allah SWT on the ummah of Prophet Muhammad SAW.
It is a month whose days and nights shine with light. The doors of heaven are opened wide and the dreaded doors of hell are locked tight , evil is lessened in this month as Shaitaan ( satan) is chained Alhamdulillah!
"When Ramadan comes the gates of paradise are opened, the gates of Hell-fire are locked and the devils are chained." Muslim
We should not let this glorious month pass without gaining benefit from it.....it is a blessing to live to see this month.
The month of Ramadan is distinguished by fasting. Allah SWT says in the Holy Qu'ran:
" O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may attain taqwa." 2:183
Taqwa is being conscious of Allah SWT , being mindful of Him and making sure we do deeds that will please Him. It's an act of worship which continues over a whole day so it makes us be aware of how we behave and the things we do. Fasting is not just about keeping away from food and drink, its about making sure we also avoid anything that is bad for us like swearing, cursing , backbiting.....all the things that will distance us from Allah SWT.
The Messenger of Allah SAW said " He who does not leave dishonest speech and acting in accordance to it and (practising) ignorance, Allah has no need for him to leave his food and drink." (Bukhari)
Fasting has many virtues:-
- It is a shield - The Prophet PBUH said " Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the fire."(Ahmad)
- It causes one to enter paradise - Because it distances one from the fire, it causes a person to get close to Jannah. A companion of the Prophet SAW asked, " O messenger of Allah tell me of an action by which I may enter Paradise." The Prophet said "Take to fasting, there is nothing like it"
- Those who fast are rewarded with an immense reward - An unimaginable reward awaits the person who fasts, he experiences joy twice - once in this world when he breaks his fast and once in the hereafter, and even the smell coming fron his mouth is better with Allah SWT than the smell of musk. Allah SWT says : Every deed that the son of Adam performs is for himself except fasting, for it is for Me and I shall reward it.
- Fasting and qu'ran will intercede for a person - Prophet Muhammad SAW said " Fasting & the Qu'ran will intercede for the servant on the day of Resurrection. Fasting will say : O my Lord I prevented him from food & desires so accept my intercession for him, and the Qu'ran will say : I prevented him from sleep at night, so accept my intercession for him, so their intercession will be accepted."
- Fasting is an expiation for various sins - Example of these sins are hunting game while in a state of Ihraam, violating an oath, accidentally killing one of a people with whom you have a treaty, a person who is unable to carry out the obligatory sacrifice and shaving the head whilst in a state of ihraam for one who does that due to some illness.
- Ar-Rayyaan is for those who fast - And what is ar-Rayyaan. The Prophet PBUH said: " Indeed there is a gate of Paradise called Ar-Rayyan. On the day of Resurrection those who fast will enter through it; no one enters it except for them, and when they have entered, it is closed so that no one else enters it."
- Supplication of a fasting person isn't refused - Fasting is such a beloved act in the eyes of Allah SWT that He promises to accept the dua (supplication) made by one who has endured hunger for His sake. Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah said: " There are 3 people whose supplications are not rejected: the fasting person when he breaks his fast, the just ruler, and the dua of the oppressed."
As you can see Ramadan is a unique month, the first of which is mercy, the middle of which is forgiveness and the last of which is asking Allah SWT to be freed from the fire whose fuel is men & stones.
Not only has Allah blessed us with this month but within this month He has given us a special night called The night of Decree (Lailat al-Qadr) and what a grand night this is. It is the most magnificent night of the year, a night about which Allah has revealed a Surah (chapter) in the Qu'ran i.e Surat Al-Qadr (97).
In it He says: " The night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein descend the angels and the spirit (Gabriel) by Allah's permission with all decrees. (All that night) there is peace until the appearance of dawn."
It is the night the Qu'ran was made to descend to the lowest heaven before being revealed on Earth. But it is also the night in which all that is to happen in the coming year is revealed to the angels who are assigned to discharge Allah's decrees, including: who is to recieve how much sustenance, who is to be born and who is to die.
Imagine a night that has been declared as better than a thousand months and so worship in this one awesome night is better than the worship of 83.3 years. That is worshipping Allah SWT night & day, 24 by 7 ..... isn't that amazing! What a beautiful gift from Allah, it's like winning the lottery but only if we put the effort in to try and seek it in the last 10 nights, the odd nights of ramadan. No particular worship has been prescribed for this night: salah(prayer), reciting the holy Qu'ran, engaging in dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and lots of duas are all ways in which we can gain reward and nearness to the Almighty. It seems a tough task, waking up early hours of the night but its an oppurtunity that should not be missed because you have no guarantee you will be blessed with another Ramadan so we should all strive to seek and gain this jackpot.
Ramadan truly is a blessed month .....Alhamdulillah, I thank Allah SWT with all my heart for giving us this beautiful gift...May we all appreciate it and reap it's rewards Ameen!
