Ramadan (Month of Fasting)
"Ramadan is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed" (Q 2:185)
Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Qur'an through angel Jibreel (Gabriel) while the Prophet was meditating in the Cave of Hira near Makkah. This occurred when the Prophet was 40 years of age (610 CE), 13 years before the hijrah to Madinah on Layla-tul-Qadr (the Night of Power).
"Allah revealed the Qur'an on Layla-tul-Qadr"(Q 97:1)
Laylat-ul-Qadr occurs on one of the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan, that is 21 or 23 or 25 or 27 or 29 of Ramadan.
All Muslims who are mature and healthy should fast everyday in Ramadaan. Sawm / siyam (fasting) in the month of Ramadan is one of the 5 pillars of Islam. Fasting means that we abstain from all food and drink from the time of fajr prayer till maghrib.
Some of the lessons we learn from abstaining from fasting are :
- if we can have enough self-control to stay away from lawful things from dawn till dusk everyday for a whole month every year, then we can easily abstain from wrongful things for the rest of the year. We should also be at our best behavior; never lie, cheat, be abusive and always control our anger.
- by choosing to go hungry and thirsty, we do so in obedience to the commands of Allah
- we appreciate what we have and are made aware of how the poor go without food.
- we learn to be patient by suppressing our hunger and thirst till sunset.
- we are asked to be more generous and in this way we overcome selfishness and engage in charitable acts.
- by praying and reading the Qur'an more often, we commit ourselves to follow Allah's commands and thus become more God-conscious which causes us to improve our character and behavior leading us on to the path of piety (taqwa). Attaining tawqa is the main purpose of fasting.
"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it has been prescribed to those before you in order that you may attain taqwa" (Q 2:183)
"The best among people are those who have the most taqwa."(Q 49:13)
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said : "Those who fast the month of Ramadan as properly as they should, will have their past sins forgiven."
By: Br. Sadullah Khan
