Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
May peace and blessings of Allah swt be on all of you.
As we witness this beautiful and beloved month of Allah swt , Ramadan , we try to grasp more and more knowledge about this Holy month. So we will be throwing some light on the essence , culture and custom of Ramadan , we will also be looking into some physical , psychological and social effects of Ramadan.
Ramadan is derived from the Arabic word ‘ ramida’ or ‘ Ar ramad’ , which means , intense scorching heat and dryness. It means , intense heat in stomach due to thirst. It could also mean , good deeds scorching the sins. The other meaning also means it’s related to heat. Heat reshapes , reforms or moulds any matter. So Ramadan helps in reshaping , reforming and moulding the spiritual and moral aspects of a human being.
Ramadan is the 9th month of Islamic calendar. The essence of Ramadan is that it rejuvenates and rekindles the relationship with Allah swt upon a very high level. A very high level because , Ramadan gives us bonus rewards. The good deeds are multiplied several times as we do it while fasting.
One of the major part of Ramadan – fasting. Its one of the five pillars of Islam. And an obligatory act of worship. Every bad habit , bad thing is stopped , the moment Ramadan moon is sighted. Even a person with lowest level of faith stops every bad habit of his. Alhamdulilla. It is said that the doors of heaven are opened and the doors of hell are closed , the satanic forces are chained. This means all the bad is stopped and all that is good, is done. This is the essence of Ramadan. Allah swt says , every act of worship is for the believer , but , fasting is for Me. And I will reward it. Subhan Allah. So it’s beyond our imagination to even assume the amount of reward we will get for fasting , as it’s from the Lord of the heavens and the earth.
Fasting is not something that was made obligatory during Prophet Muhammad PBUH’S time , but Allah swt says in The Quran , Al-Baqarah 2:183
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous –
Its just that the people before Prophet Muhammad PBUH would fast for three days , but , now after this verse was revealed , it was for 30 days , one whole month of Ramadan.
Fasting is obligatory when one has reached the age of puberty , there is no exemption , even if you miss it due to valid reason , you need to make up these missed fasts as soon as possible , but Allah swt has given us ease by saying in The Quran – Al-Baqarah 2:185Al-Baqarah 2:185
The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.
The main objective of fasting is to gain or increase God-Consciousness – Taqwa , as said in the former verse. While fasting , we are prohibited all that is halal for us in other times , this increases our will power and helps us stay connected to the Creator and brings about discipline in our worship and leads us towards a lot of astaghfar – asking forgiveness. Hence , builds Taqwa.
Physical benefits of Ramadan. When you fast you are physically more active and energetic. As the science also says that fasting atleast twice a week will have many positive effects on health. Stomach has maximum ailments , as it never rests. But , while fasting the stomach gets rest and it removes all the toxins from stomach.
Psychological factors
Patience , one of the major changes a human faces is patience . Science tells , If you can control hunger , you can control all your desires. Perseverance , forbearance , self control and discipline are the other changes that takes place in a human body. These things lead to a positive change. The daily basic habits are changed to a healthier one. And makes a person a better human being.
Social benefits.
By fasting , a person realises of other less fortunate human beings, who are poor , donot have food and shelter. He realises how it feels to be hungry. This increases the love and care for poor and leads to becoming a more generous person.
The suhoor { morning meal at dawn } and iftar { breaking fast at dawn } usually involves a family gathering. Hence , increases family bonds and relationships.
Taraweeh. There is a highly recommended and encouraged prayer in the night , where the entire Quran is recited and completed before the sighting of the moon called Taraweeh. This is the sunnah of the Prophet PBUH. It is after the night prayer.
Then comes after the end of the month , Eid called , Eid ul fitr. It is celebrated on 1st of the next month called Shawwal. Eid is the gift from Allah swt to us for fasting whole month. Allah swt has prohibited to fast on Eid day , just like , He has made it obligatory to fast the whole month. This Eid day is celebrated by offering prayer in congregation , preferably in the open ground , it’s the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Before the moon is sighted , it’s compulsory to give zakaath ul fitra. Fitra as the name of the Eid goes , means , purifying charity for fasting. That means , it purifies our minor sins , obscene talks , lies or other sins that we might have done while fasting. This zakaath is to be paid by Every Muslim , irrespective of his financial status. And it’s a compulsion , to be given before the Eid prayer and to poor people and in the form of food , who donot have the provision of food . The objective here is , to not have a single person who is hungry or starving on the day of Eid.
Importance of Ramadan
The Holy month of Ramadan is scared and considered highly important because of the following reasons : –
1. The Holy Quran was revealed in this month , therefore , it’s called the month of Quran. And we make it a point to recite the whole Quran atleast once in this month and also because the reward is also multiplied.
2. Introduced obligatory act of worship. It is important because Allah swt chose this month to introduce one of the obligatory act of worship – fasting.
3. All the previous revelations were revealed in this month. The other sacred thing is that , it’s reported by Abdullah Ibn Abbas r.a ‘allah swt revealed all His revelations in the month of Ramadan. Whether it is Torah , Injeel or Zabur or other scripture that are not mentioned.
4. The Night of Decree , Lailatul Qadr. The other most important thing is Lailatul Qadr. The night of decree. The odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan , which Allah swt says He revealed the Quran in one of these nights.
Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree.
And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree.
The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months
The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter.
5. Performing umrah in this sacred month is equal to performing Hajj. As said by the Prophet PBUH.
6. Fasting will interceed for the believer on the Day of judgement. Fasting is one of the acts along with Quran , that will interceed for the one who fasted and recited the Quran in his life.
So to conclude , this precious month comes every year to transform us into a better Muslim and better human being. It is for us to stick to this upgradation of our system and lead a life that pleases our Creator Allah swt. That is also beneficial to people around us. Ameen.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.