Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar, is the most awaited month. It was during Ramadan when Allah the Exalted embarked on to reveal the Qur’ān, the Ultimate Guidance to mankind, through Archangel Jibrael to His Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who was then forty years old. This Qur’ānic Revelation continued for the remaining twenty-three years of our Prophet’s life.
QUR’ĀN, RAMADAN AND FASTING
Allah states in the Qur’ān, “Ramadan is the month in which was sent down the Qur’ān as a guide to mankind and also clear signs for guidance and judgment between the right and wrong. So, every one of you who is present during the month should spend it in fasting except if one is ill or on a journey.” (The Qur’ān – 2:185). Another Qur’ānic ayah lays emphasis on fasting: “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become righteous.” (The Qur’ān – 2:183)
As decreed by Allah, the third most important pillar of Islam is to Fast in the month of Ramadan wherein Muslims all over the world wake up early in the morning to have their predawn meal namely Suhoor or Sahri which marks the commencement of Fast, and break Fast with the evening meal called Iftar. During the hours of fasting from dawn to dusk, Muslims completely refrain from drinking, eating and engaging in intimate relationship with their spouses.
As Ramadan is the blessed month of virtue, abstinence and piety, fasting in Ramadan entails us to be considerate and tolerant with everyone coupled with having complete control on our tongue and eyes by abstaining from speaking bad or backbiting or seeing immoral acts or scenes, knowingly or unknowingly.
Fasting in Ramadan also necessitates us praying five times daily in congregation as also Taraweeh prayers. During Ramadan we must engage ourselves in reading the Qur’ān with a sense of understanding, invoke Allah to seek His blessings, do sincere repentance and finally give Zakat, a form of Charity, to the needy and poor that marks the fulfilment of the fourth important pillar of Islam.
Fasting teaches us total self-control on our desires and this brings us closer to Allah. Through fasting we realise the pangs of hunger and this makes us feel empathetic towards our poor brethren of their state of deprivation. It is now a proven fact scientifically there are great benefits of Fasting such as fasting people enjoy a positive effect on their lipid profile; it helps reduce cholesterol level in blood; it greatly reduces the risk of suffering from heart disease, stroke, etc.
SELF-APPRAISAL AND EARNING ENORMOUS REWARDS
Ramadan gives us a month-long opportunity to self-appraise ourselves by being observant of our code of conduct in the rightful manner to achieve a higher state of self-consciousness. This rightful conduct is not to be restricted till the end of Ramadan but to be continued for the remaining months of the year. With its virtue we can attain utmost happiness, satisfaction and tranquillity in our lives.
Ramadan is the month of earning enormous rewards and blessings from the Almighty. As prayer is the second important pillar of Islam, any prayers performed in Ramadan yield far greater rewards and blessings from the Almighty than performed during other months, and vice versa if one commits sin in Ramadan.
LAILAT-AL QADR
As in one of the last ten odd-numbered nights of Ramadan, Allah sent down the first ayah of the Qur’ān through Jibrael to His Beloved Prophet ﷺ, this Holy Night came to be known as Lailat-al Qadr, which is also known by various names such as Night of Power, or Night of Measures. This night is better than one thousand months; and Muslims spend the entire night by praying Tahajjud Prayers, reciting Qur’ān and supplicating Allah to seek His Blessings and pleading for forgiveness of their sins.
The sighting of the moon of Shawaal (Islamic month succeeding Ramadan) marks the end of Ramadan and the following day Eid al-Fitr is celebrated in a joyous manner.
May the essence of Ramadan be well within our Hearts forever!
[The writer is based in Margao-Goa]