The best deed in the month of Ramadan

The holy Prophet of Islam delivered a sermon before the starting of the month of Ramadan in which he mentioned very important features of this month. Imam Ali peace be upon him ask a very essential question, he asked the Prophet: “What is the best deed in this month?” And the holy Prophet answered: “Wara and avoidance from the prohibitions of Allah.”

We sometimes lose the main point. We perform many recommended deeds and worships, but we are negligent of the most important thing and that is Taqwa or God-fearing.

The great Iranian poet Molavi composed a very interesting poem which in brief is as following:

We try and do our best in order to gather wheat in the store, but we are negligent of the mice in it that they eat the wheat.

In the above mentioned poet, committing sins is likened to the mice and recommended acts are likened to the wheat. We must firstly remove and eradicate the mice from the store and then try to gather the wheat; otherwise we cannot take benefits from gathering the wheat.

Wara is defined in the words of Imam Ali peace be upon him as this:

Wara means to stop at the time of doubts.

The author of the Tafsir Bayan Almaani mentions the difference between Taqwa(God-fearing) and Wara. He said: Taqwa means to avoid from what Allah has prohibited, and Wara means to avoid from the doubtful situations and even sometimes avoid from Halal and allowed things in order not to be trapped in committing the prohibited and Haram things, and the position of Wara is greater than the position of Taqwa.

Let me mention some of the benefits of Taqwa and Wara according to the verses of the holy Quran and Narrations of the infallibles in brief:

-Recognition of the right from wrong.

Allah said in chapter Anfal verse 29:

يِا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إَن تَتَّقُواْ اللّهَ يَجْعَل لَّكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ

“Believers, if you fear Allah, He will give you a criteria and cleanse you of your sins and forgive you. Allah is the owner of great bounty.”

Imam Ali peace be upon him said:

The intellect gets destroyed by the lust and the wishes of soul.

-Being benefited from the divine teachings.

Imam Sadiq peace be upon him said:

(the real) knowledge is not through learning so much, but rather it is a light that Allah puts in every heart that he wishes to guide him/her.

Throughout the history the great Islamic scholars were recommending their students the purification of the soul and avoiding from committing sins as a necessary factor for achieving to knowledge.

-Being benefited from the blessings of the heaven and the earth.

The holy Quran mentions this factor in chapter Talaq verses 2- 3:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا   وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ

“Whosoever fears Allah, He will appoint for him a way out,

and provide for him from where he does not expect”

or in verse 96 chapter Araf Allah said:

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى آمَنُواْ وَاتَّقَواْ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ

“Had the people of the villages believed and been cautious, we would have opened upon them the blessings from heaven and earth.”

-Being a cause for our deeds to be accepted by Allah.

Allah said in chapter Maedah verse 27:

إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ

“Allah accepts only from the righteous”

-Being rescued from the hardships

Alalh said in chapter Talaq verse 4:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ يُسْرًا

“Allah will ease (matters) by his order for whosoever fears Him”

-Being profited from the guidance of the Quran.

Allah said in chapter Baghare verse 2:

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

“That is the (holy) book, where there is no doubt. It is guidance for the cautious (of evil and hell)”

-Being forgiven by Allah.

Allah said in chapter Talaq verse 5:

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِ وَيُعْظِمْ لَهُ أَجْرًا

“Whosoever fears Allah, shall be relieved of his sins and given a mighty wage”

-Being a cause for entering the Paradise.

In some verses of the holy Quran Allah talks about the hereafter and the position of the pious there, like chapter Maryam verse 85:

يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ وَفْدًا

“On the day when we will ceremonially gather the righteous to the merciful”

Or this verse in chapter Shoara verse 90:

أُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِینَ

“And Paradise shall be brought forward to the cautious”

So this holy month is a great opportunity that we can practice Taqwa and piety in order to have this great state in the other months of the year too.

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Source: Howzeh.net