In The Name of Allah The Beneficent The Merciful
Praise is to Allah, The Lord of The worlds and Salutations and Peace Be Upon Our Master Mohammad and His Pure and Divinely Protected (Infallible) Progeny
Since the initial days of Islam, this great religion concentrated on both the spiritual and physical qualities of its followers. Islamic Law clearly promotes and encourages our societies to constantly work towards improving its strength and solidarity through unity.
One of the concepts that was introduced in Islam was that of fasting. The Prophet (Peace be upon him and his household) had asked Allah swt what the gift of fasting was; and Allah swt replied:
“Fasting leads to wisdom, and wisdom enables you to understand My signs and ways; that will raise you to the stage of certitude. And when a person has reached the level of certitude, he or she cares not whether the days pass in plenty or scarcity”.
The month of Ramadan was chosen to be the month of fasting, worship, honesty, prayer and all of the good deeds. So what are the benefits of this holy month?
There are a plethora of benefits associated with this honoured month, in fact too many to be mentioned in this short article. How is it possible that one can appreciate all the benefits of this month when we know that His Almighty considers a single night being the Night of Destiny or Laylat Al-Qadr as be of higher merit and value than one thousand months?
This article briefly explains some of the benefits of the Month of Ramadan on an individual and society level.
The prophet of God (Peace be upon him and his household) has stated in his Sermon (Khotba) before the Holy Month of Ramadan:
“O people, it is coming towards you – the Month of Allah, with blessings, mercy and forgiveness. A month that is for Allah, the best of the months. Its days are the best of days, its nights are the best of nights and its hours are the best of hours. It is a month that you have been invited to be guests of Allah swtand to be from people honoured by Him.”
The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his household) continues mentioning the value, importance and benefits of the blessed Month. He states that the breathing of the person absorbed in fasting glorifies Allah swt and, their time engrossed in sleep is counted as worship towards Allah swt. Their deeds are accepted and their prayers are answered. He continues by commanding the Muslims to remember with their immediate thirst and hunger that the Day of Judgement will yield a greater thirst and hunger.
So the fasting and the good deeds of the Month of Ramadan have a very big spiritual value for every individual in order for him/her to be connected more to their creator and the hereafter. This is coupled with a sense of disassociation with the materialistic world. The one will think of Allah swt more often and will try to ask Him for forgiveness for their sins. The complete sermon has been detailed below for your reading:
“Thirst and hunger you undergo, feel and live through, here and now, to bring to your mind the severity and sharpness of the drought and starvation that will be the order of the day on the Day of Judgment.
q Give alms to the poor and destitute.
q Treat your parents and elders with respect.
q Be kind and loving to your children and juniors.
q Take care of and look after your relatives.
q Keep from giving tongue to that which should not even be whispered.
q Shut your eyes to that which is indecent to have an eye for.
q Turn a deaf ear to that which is too slanderous to be all ears to.
q Be compassionate, gentle and benign unto orphans so that after you, your children, if need be, receive the same treatment from others.
q Turn repentant to God and seek His nearness.”
Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family
If we look at the deeds that merit our fasting as void and the things that have to be done during the Month, we will discover how this month can manage our societies. As it asks everyone to follow the great values of humanity. Imam Ja’far AL Sadiq (Peace be upon him) states:
“Verily, the fasting is not from eating and drinking only. If you fast, protect your tongues from lies and your eyes from what Allah swt has forbidden.”
Then Imam (Peace be upon him) mentions all the values that have to be respected during the Holy month. Then he states:
“Be ready for the judgment day, wait for your days (the appearance of the Qaem (Upriser) of Mohammad’s progeny) and wait for what Allah swt has promised you that will be done.”
So just imagine if a society could apply these conditions in its everyday life, how we would have lived peacefully and perfectly in this world. Inshallah, all of us be guided to His straight path by following His orders and worshiping Him alone in the way that he approves not the way we personally choose.