What is the Significance of Ramadhan Month?

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ramadan-1The Month of Ramadhan is the holiest one in the Islamic calendar and begins with all its social, moral and spiritual blessings. The following sentences of an invocation point to some of these blessings:-

“O Allah, this is the month of Ramadhan, in which Thou didst sent the Quran as a guide for people and as a clear sign to differentiate between right and wrong; and it is the month of fasting, month of prayers, month of returning (to Thee) and month of repentance; it is the month of forgiveness and mercy . . . ; the month in which is the ‘Night of Qadr’ which is better than thousand months

. . . . ; O Allah Bless Muhammad and his progeny . . and keep me free for Thy worship and for reciting Thy Book. “

It appears from the above sentences that some amongst the blessings of this month are the Qur’an, the Night of Qadr, the repentance from sins and mutual understanding and forgiveness.

According to Islamic belief, every action, whether good or bad, carries more weight in this month. Thus, charity is a virtue at all times, but is more virtuous in this month; and injustice is an evil at all times, but is more evil in these days. Reciting Qur’an is a commendable deed whole year around, but during the fast it assumes a far greater significance. The Holy Prophet has said: “Everything has its own spring season, and the spring of the Qur’an is the month of Ramadhan. “

It was in this month that the Qur’an was revealed to the Holy Prophet. According to his words, the Qur’an is “the deliverer from wilderness, eyesight for the blind, pardon for the sinner, light in blackness, safety from disaster, rescue for the castaway, clarity in the chaos, and the means to reach safely from this world to the life hereafter; and herein is the perfection of your religion; and the path away from the Qur’an goes to Hell only.”

One of the miracles of the Qur’an is its everlasting freshness even after such long crushing centuries. The Holy Prophet said that everything becomes old by usage and passage of time except the Qur’an, because its treasure would never exhaust and its wonders would never cease.
Mr. James A. Michener refers to this aspect of the Book in “Islam — the Misunderstood Religion” (Readers’ Digest, May, 1955) in these words: “The Koran is probably the most often read book in the world, surely the most often memorised, and possibly the most influential in the daily life of the people who believe in it…. It is neither poetry nor ordinary prose, yet it possesses the ability to arouse its hearers to ecstasies of faith.”

Laura Veccia Vaglieri writes in “Apologie de I’lslamisme” a translation of which runs as follows: “But there is another proof of the Divinity of the Qur’an; it is the fact that it has been preserved intact through the ages since the time of its revelation till the present day….. Read and re-read by the Muslim world, this book does not rouse in the faithful any weariness; it rather, through repetition, is more loved every day. It gives rise to a profound feeling of awe and respect in the one who reads it or listens to it. “

But we must remember that reciting the Qur’an is just a step towards the ultimate goal: understanding and following. Allah says:

Do they not earnestly seek to understand the Qur’an, or are their hearts locked up by them? (Qur’an, 47:24.).

Reading the Qur’an with proper understanding bears the fruits of spiritual and moral upliftment and material and intellectual advancement. It is better to read a few verses with meditation rather than finishing the whole book in a day like a parrot without knowing what is said.

The Qur’an is the purest and highest of Arabic literature. But those who depend upon the translations for Qur’anic knowledge often fail to appreciate its lofty standard. First of all, there is the difficulty of translating this book into any other language; because in the words of A.J. Arbury, it is “a foreign idiom, for the Koran is God’s revelation in Arabic, and the emotive and evocative qualities of the original disappear almost totally in the skilfullest translation.” (The Holy Koran, an introduction; London, 1953).

But according to the same author, “bad translation is not the whole story by any means . . . No, the fault lies not so much in the manner of translation as in the manner of reading the translations. The root of the trouble is that the ordinary reader, and for that .matter the extraordinary reader as well, has not been sufficiently advised how to read the Koran . . . The Koran, like the poetry it resembles in so many ways, is best sampled a little at a time; and that little deserves and needs meditation.”

Laura Veccia Vaglieri comments: “On the whole we find in it a collection of wisdom which can be adopted by the most intelligent of men, the greatest of philosophers and the most skilful of politicians.”

If a man recites the Qur’an with meditation and understanding, he would learn morals which would help him acquire spiritual perfection; he would feel encouraged to follow the foot-prints of the men of God; he would be sorry for whatever sins and mistakes he might have committed in his life. This will make him turn towards God with a soul full of gratitude for all the blessings bestowed upon him by God, and full of remorse for all his misbehaviours.

It is for this reason that the month of Ramadhan is described as the month of repentance. The Holy Prophet has said: “There is no intercessor better than repentance.” Allah in His grace forgives all sins and transgressions if a sinner repents sincerely. The operative word is “Sincerely”, A repentance without a change of heart is no repentance. It must produce change in habit, honesty in dealing, love and fear of God in actions.

According to Imam Ali, “repentance must have six elements: the repentant must be really sorry for what he had done; he must have firm determination not to do it again; he must make amends for whatever wrongs he might have done to others; he must fulfil all the obligations of religion previously neglected; he should fast long enough to melt away the flesh grown of unclean and unlawful food; and he should feel the taste of obedience to Allah as he was previously enjoying the taste of sin.”

When a man repents sincerely, Allah makes him as clean as he was the day he was born. The Holy Prophet has said: “One who repents from sin is like the one who never committed any sin.”

It is obvious from the above discourse that the month of Ramadhan and its fast purify the soul and bring a man nearer to Allah. “Fast is a shield against Hell”, said the Holy Prophet. The fast mentioned in this tradition is not merely abstinence from food and drink. It is an act of self-denial for the love of God. And this voluntary self-denial imposes a very high discipline , where the external regulations occupy the lowest rung of the ladder. Imam Ali said: “Many are the people whose only share in the fast is the hunger and thirst.”

The measure of a man’s nobility is his love of, and obedience to, God. When for a whole month he follows the words of Allah unquestioningly, without regret and without complaint, and when he spends his time in prayer, charity, humility and noble works, should one wonder if he gets fully disciplined to obey each and every command of God unhesitatingly and spontaneously without any thought of avoiding or dodging any order.

A fast which produces such results is surely a shield against Hell, and is worthy of the pronouncement of Allah: “Fast is for me and I will reward it Myself.”

Source: Fast; written by Allamah Sayyid Sa’eed Akhtar Rizvi

What Is the Specific Fast?

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The-Blessing-of-Fasting-

The specific fast is a more meaningful fast.  In this level, not only does the fasting one refrain from those things that he must avoid during the general fast, but he also ensures that every member of his body fasts.  In fact, some traditions consider this fast as the fast anticipated from the believers.  Observe the following narratives:

  1. The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:

رُبَّ صَائِمٍ حَظُّهُ مِنْ صِيَامِهِ الْجُوْعُ وَالْعَطَشُ، وَرُبَّ قَائِمٍ حَظُّهُ مِنْ قِيَامِهِ السَّهَرُ. 

“How often is the share of one who fasts, [nothing save] hunger and thirst, and how often is the share of one who stands in prayer [nothing but mere] vigil.”

  1. Imām ‘Alī (‘a) is reported to have said:

أَلصِّيَامُ إِجْـتِنَابُ الْمَحَارِمِِ كَمَا يَمْـتَنِعُ الرَّجُلُ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَالشَّرَابِ.

“Fasting is to abstain from forbidden acts the way a man refrains from food and drink.”

  1. Hadrat Fātimah Zahrā’ (‘a) is reported to have said:

مَا يَصْنَعُ الصَّائِمُ بِصِيَامِهِ إِذَا لَمْ يَصُنْ لِسَانَهُ وَسَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ وَجَوَارِحَهُ؟

“What should the fasting one do with his fast if he did not protect his tongue, hearing, sight and members of his body?”

  1. Muhammad bin ‘Ajlān reports from Imām al-Sādiq (‘a):

لَيْسَ الصِّـيَامُ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَالشَّرَابِ أَنْ لاََ يَأْكُلَ الإِنْسَانُ وَلاَ يَشْرَبَ فَقَطْ، وَلٌكِن إِذَا صُمْتَ فَلْيَصُمْ سَمْعُكَ وَبَصَرُكَ وَلِسَانُكَ وَبَطْنُكَ وَفَرْجُكَ، وَاحْفَظْ يَدَكَ وَفَرْجَكَ وَأَكْثِرِ السُّكُوْتَ إِلاَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ، وَارْفِقْ بِخَادِمِك.

“Fasting from food and drink does not merely mean that the human being should not eat or drink; rather when you fast, then your ears, eyes, tongue, stomach, and private parts must [also] fast; and safeguard your hand and private parts and observe silence most of the time save from what is good to say; and be kind to your servant.”

  1. Imām Zayn al-’Abidīn (‘a) in his prayer on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadān humbly prays:

أَللٌّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ، وَأَلْهِمْنَا مَعْرِفَةَ فَضْلِهِ وَإِجْلاَلَ حُرْمَتِهِ، وَالتَّحَفُّظَ مِمَّا حَظَرْتَ فِيهِ، وَأَعِنَّا عَلـى صِيَامِهِ بِكَفِّ الْجَوَارِحِ عَنْ مَعَاصِيكَ، وَاسْتِعْمَالِهَا فِيهِ بِمَا يُرْضِيكَ، حَتّى لاَ نُصْغِيَ بِأَسْمَاعِنَا إِلـى لَغْوٍ، وَلاَ نُسْرِعَ بِأَبْصَارِنَا إِلـى لَهْوٍ، وَحَتَّى لاَ نَبْسُطَ أَيْدِيَنَا إِلـى مَحْظُورٍ، وَلاَ نَخْطُوَ بِأَقْدَامِنَا إِلـى مَحْجُورٍ، وَحَتَّى لاَ تَعِيَ بُطُونُـنَا إِلاَّ مَا أَحْلَلْتَ، وَلاَ تَنْطِقَ أَلْسِنَتُنَا إِلاَّ بِمَا مَثَّلْتَ، وَلاَ نَتَكَلَّفَ إِلاَّ مَا يُدْنِي مِنْ ثَوَابِكَ، وَلاَ نَتَعَاطَى إِلاَّ الَّذِي يَقِي مِنْ عِقَابِكَ، ثُمَّ خَلِّصْ ذٌلِكَ كُلَّهُ مِنْ رِئَاءِ الْمُرَائِينَ، وَسُمْعَةِ الْمُسْمِعِينَ، لاَ نُشْرِكُ فِيهِ أَحَداً دُونَكَ، وَلاَ نَبْـتَغِي فِيهِ مُرَاداً سِوَاكَ.

“O Allāh, bless Muhammad and his Household; inspire us with knowledge of its excellence, veneration of its inviolability, and caution against what You have forbidden within it, and help us to fast in it by our restraining our limbs from acts of disobedience toward You and our employing them in that which pleases You, so that we lend not our ears to idle talk and hurry not with our eyes to diversion, we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden and strive not with our feet toward the prohibited, our bellies hold only what You have made lawful and our tongues speak only what You have exemplified, we undertake nothing but what brings close to Your reward and pursue nothing but what protects from Your punishment! Then rid all of that from the false show of the false ostentatious and the fame seeking of the fame seekers, lest we associate therein anything with You or seek therein any object of desire but You!”

Source:
A Short Treatise on The Divine Invitation
written by Muhammad M. Khalfan

What is the Fast of the Month of Ramadan?

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ramadan_holy_monthO Believers! Fast is prescribed for you as it was for those before you so that you may ward off evil. (Fast) a certain number of days… (Holy Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verses 182-183)

Every year in the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims around the world abstain from food, drink, vain talk and certain other actions from before sunrise until after sunset.

The Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions all enjoin fasting. Moses observed a fast of forty days at Mount Sinai at the time of the revelation of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 24:18) Although less common now, it is Jewish tradition to fast when mourning or when in danger. Most practicing Jews still fast on the Day of Atonement and for the one-week commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. Jesus of Nazareth, peace be upon him, also fasted on the Day of Atonement and the forty days of Moses’ fast to ward off Satanic temptation.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” (Matthew 4:2)

Many Christians observe a forty-day pre-Easter fast, although now it includes abstention from only certain food items rather than all food and drink. Muslims fast the month of Ramadan and may, optionally, fast on most other days of the year.

The One God prescribes fasting for the faithful; and it has many benefits. Material pleasures can be generalised into food and drink, sexual pleasures, and vanity. Fasting requires abstaining from these, going against the natural instinct of Man to observe the commandment of God.This builds and strengthens a person’s self-control, nearing them to their Creator. Other benefits of fasting include:

  • Fasting instills patience, teaches self control and discipline.
  • Fasting increases compassion for the less fortunate.
  • Fasting builds focus on spirituality and diminishes focus on materialism.
  • Fasting has many health benefits.
  • Fasting can be atonement for sin and can earn great reward.
  • Fasting is part of a strong spiritual and physical renewal plan.
  • Fasting commemorates important sacred religious events.

The Muslim fast of the month of Ramadan is a continuation of the long history of fasting in the Abrahamic faiths. The self-improvement benefits of fasting make it an important means of improving one’s faith and practice of religion.

“And men who fast and women who fast…God has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward.” ( Holy Qur’an 33:35)

Ramadan, The spring of the Qur’an

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The month of Ramadhan is aptly termed the spring time of Qur’an. The Holy Book, the Almighty’s final and most comprehensive revelation to mankind was sent down to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) in this blessed month.
In this month the souls are more refined, more inclined towards the Creator, and more receptive towards the bounties in Allah’s Book of wisdom, guidance and righteousness. Hence reciting the Qur’an and contemplating on its eternal verses is emphasized more in this blessed month than at any other time of the year.
The Prophet says:

“ … Invoke your Lord in right earnest with hearts that are free of sin and evil, to enable you to fast and recite His Book (Qur’an)…” 1

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“… Whoever recites an Aya (verse) from the Qur’an (in Ramadhan) will receive a similar reward as the one who recites the whole Qur’an in other months.” 2

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“He who makes lawful what is forbidden in the Qur’an has no faith in it.” 3

The fifth Imam of the prophet’s infallible progeny Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s) says:

“Everything has springtime and the springtime of the Qur’an is the Month of Ramadhan.”

Reports suggest Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s) used to recite the whole Qur’an ten times during Ramadhan.
The Eighth Imam, Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha (a.s) advised one of his companions as follows:

“Invoke Allah, ask for forgiveness, recite the Qur’an and repent to Allah for your sins more frequently, so that the blessings of the month of Ramadhan may come to you, while you are sincere to Allah, the Exalted.” 4

The prophet himself took the lead in this regard. He and his infallible progeny recited the Book of Allah more than anyone else in Ramadhan. They taught Muslims how to contemplate on its eternal wisdom, apply its instructions in day-to-day affairs and enlighten people with its storehouse of knowledge.
What a wonderful trail they blazed, whose radiance enables us to tread the right path. We should seize upon this opportunity and Endeavour to make the Holy Qur’an bloom it’s brightest in blessed Ramadhan. We should try to comprehend its eternal verses, and make others understand in turn. Although, reward is there for sincere efforts, reciting by rote without trying to understand the meaning of the glorious verses avails no benefit, and likewise mere understanding without practical application is also a futile exercise.
Hence, dear readers, let us promise this Ramadhan to educate and enlighten ourselves with the eternal light of the Qur’an, our one and only constitution. The gems in the Holy Book’s fathomless treasuries are waiting to be discovered, bequeathed by the Prophet and his Ahl-ul-Bait is an ocean of knowledge dealing with every topic under the sun, but unfortunately we have turned our backs, lured by the deceptive glamour of the Western Culture.
The Qur’an opens to us new vistas of thought and heights never attained before. But look what the western culture has done, degrading human honor, exploiting carnal desires and wasting away both our body and soul. Remember the Prophet’s words:

“… After death there will be no blaming, and after this world there is nothing except Paradise and Hell.” 5

If today some apostate pours poison on human values in the enticing guise of literature, are we not to blame? True we have the Qur’an, and we sincerely defend it, even by sacrificing our lives. But have we really done any concrete thing to enlighten others around of Islam’s truth.
So dear readers, let us start, better late than never. The recent satanic slander against values we hold dear should be enough to awaken our conscience, but the condition is sincerity of intention stemming from a pure and god-fearing heart.

Source: Fasting a Divine Banquet
Published by Al-Balagh Foundation

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  1. Prophet sermons, Uyun Al Akhbar ar-Ridha
  2. Prophet sermons, Uyun Al Akhbar ar-Ridha
  3. Al Harrani – Tuhaf Al-Uqul
  4. Wasail Ash’Shia – Al Hur Al Amuli
  5. Tarikh Al Yaqubi, Vol 2, Pg 89 – By Dar Sadir, Beirut

Fasting and Its Educational, Social Effects

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From the point of various affects that fasting may spiritually and materially produces in the unity of man; it has different dimensions that can be discussed. The ethical dimension and the philosophy of fasting are the most important of all.

Fasting makes the soul of man elegant, then strengthens his will, and moderates his instincts.

The one who observes the fast, although he is hungry and thirsty, must restrain himself from eating food and drinking water, and also, from the pleasure of sexual intercourse when he is fasting. One must prove that he/she can hold the rein of his/her restive passions and is able to dominate his/her desires and lusts.

Indeed, the most important philosophy of fasting is this very spiritual status of it. A person who has many kinds of food and drinks available at his reach to use of them whenever he is hungry or thirsty cannot be so tolerant at the time he is in lack of them.

But the one who observes the fast is like a plant which grows in a dry desert. It resists when water is rare, stands steadfast against strong storms and intense cold. Such people can deal with deprivations when they are challenged with them, and, therefore, can be firm and perseverant.

Fasting trains the soul of a person. With temporary restrictions, fasting gives man perseverance, authority in will, ability of challenging with severe deprivations, and, since it controls restive instincts, it showers light and inner purity into the heart.

However, fasting causes man to promote from the animate nature so that he can ascend unto the rank and the world of angels.

The phrase: “…haply you might be grateful (to Him)” may point to the same fact.

And, also, the famous tradition from Imam al-Sadiq (as) is another hint to the same matter which says: “Fasting is a protector from Fire.” 6

Another tradition narrated from Arnir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) says that the Prophet (S) was asked what they would do that Satan be banished, and he (S) answered: “Fasting blackens his face; charity breaks his back; the love in (the path of) Allah, and persistence in righteous deeds put an end to him, and seeking (Allah’s) forgiveness cuts his aorta.” 7

When Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), stating the philosophy of worship, speaks about fasting and he, says: “(Allah has laid down) fasting as a trial of the people in their sincerity…” 8

In another tradition, the holy Prophet (S) has said: “Verily, there is a door for (entering) Heaven by the name of ‘Al-Rayyan, (quenched of thirst) none enters therein but fasting ones.” 9

Explaining this tradition, the late Sadduq cites in his book ‘Ma’any-ul-Akhbar’ the reason that this name has been taken for that door of Heaven is that much of the toil of a fasting person is because of his thirst. So when the fasting ones enter this door, they will be so saturated that they will never become thirsty thereafter.

The Social Effect of Fasting

Every intelligent person realizes that fasting works as a lesson of equality among the members of a society. By practicing the religious command, the rich realize perceptibly both the state of the hungry and the deprived of their society, and, with saving in their daily meals, can help them well.

It is possible; of course, that by explaining the status of the hungry and the deprived to the rich, it will make them understand that status, but if this condition becomes perceptible and objective, it will react more effectively. Fasting gives this great social subject a perceptible form to those who observe it.

It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (as) in a well-known tradition that Hisham ibn Hakam asked him about the reason for the divine legislation of this ordinance when he (as) said:

“Allah has enjoined fasting in order to settle equivalence between the rich and the poor, and this is for the sake that the rich feel the taste of hunger and, consequently, be merciful toward the poor (by giving them their rights). And, since the things are usually available for the rich, then Allah, the Exalted, is pleased when equivalence is erected between His servants. So, He, thereby, has ordained that the rich feel the taste of hunger and pain so that they feel sympathy for the weak and be merciful toward the hungry.” 10

Verily, if the populations of rich countries throughout the world customarily fast a few days a year and feel the taste of hunger, will there still remain so many hungry people in the world?