Virtues of the Month of Ramadan - June 24, 2016
Written by Munawar HaqueVirtues of the Month of Ramadan
Transcript of the Friday Sermon delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on June 24, 2016
All praises and thanks are due to Allah (SWT). Alhamdulillah, we are passing through the blessed days of Ramadan. Let us for a moment ponder over the grim fact that among our friends and relatives, and among our acquaintances, there were some who celebrated the last Ramadan with us but who are no longer with us. They have left this world and returned to their Lord. Perhaps there may be some among us who may not live to witness another Ramadan. Death is unavoidable. Its time is decreed. And indeed, time is fleeting. It is running out. So, let us seize the opportunity to make the most out of this Ramadan.
What makes this month so special? It is a month of infinite blessings from Allah (SWT). It is not only the month of fasting but also the month of patience and piety; the month of showing gratitude to Allah (SWT) and seeking forgiveness from Him. It is a month of generosity and charity. It was in the month of Ramadan that the Qur’an was revealed and there is no other month that Allah (SWT) mentions in the Qur’an by name.
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآَنُ
The month of Ramadan is the month when the Quran was sent down (al-Baqarah, 2:185). The Qur’an was sent down in two stages. The entire Qur’an, which is part of the Umm ul-Kitab that contains all other divine scriptures in al-Lawh al-Mahfoudh (The Preserved Book), was sent down to the first earthly heaven on the Night of Power (Lailat ul-Qadr), which falls in Ramadan.
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
Truly We sent it down on the Night of Power (al-Qadr, 97:1). Thereafter, under Allah (SWT)’s command, the Qur’an was revealed in portions by Jibril (AS) to Muhammad (SAW) over a period of 23 years of his prophethood. Ramadan is the month to rediscover the Qur’an, which is the guidance to humanity.
هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ
Guidance for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the criterion.(al-Baqarah, 2:185). This guidance distinguishes between right and wrong, between good and evil, and between truth (haq) and falsehood (batil). This last and final revelation for mankind is protected by none other than Allah (SWT) Himself Who tells us,
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
It is We Who have sent down the Reminder and it is We Who will preserve it (al-Hijr, 15:9). My dear brothers and sisters! The Book of Allah is a conclusive and decisive statement and not something to be taken lightly.
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ () وَمَا هُوَ بِالْهَزْلِ
This is truly a decisive statement; it is not something to be taken lightly (al-Tariq, 86:13-14). We have to be united by holding fast to the rope of Allah.
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and be not divided among yourselves (Aal ‘Imran, 3:103). According to a hadith, “The rope of Allah is the Book of Allah that is stretched from the heaven to the earth.”
The month of Ramadan is also special in terms of the fasting ordained in it by Allah (SWT), in terms of multiplication of rewards for good deeds, and in terms of getting closer to Allah (SWT). It was after the hijrah that the ayah pertaining to obligatory fasting in the month of Ramadan was revealed in Surat al-Baqarah.
فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ
Therefore, whoever of you is present in that month, should fast (al-Baqarah, 2:185).
The word used for fasting is siyam, which literally means to restrain oneself from something. As a term in the Shari’ah, siyam means to abstain from food, drink, and spousal relations with the purest of intentions just for the sake of Allah (SWT). It is one of the pillars of Islam and a very special mode of worship. Why is it special? If you look at any other worship, Allah orders you to do something. In fasting you are ordered not to do something for a specified time; something which you are accustomed to do and allowed to do outside Ramadan.
According to a hadith, “Every deed of the son of Adam will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold, except fasting. Allah says, ‘Fasting is for Me and I shall reward for it. He gives up his desires and his food for my sake….” Allah (SWT) is telling us that He shall reward fasting greatly, without specifying how much.
The scholars of hadith have given different interpretations of this hadith. One interpretation is that all acts of worship can be seen when done, and they may be contaminated with some element of showing off, unlike fasting. No one can know if a person is fasting except Allah, so Allah connected it to Himself. Allah singled out fasting for Himself from all other good deeds, because of its honored status before Him, because He loves it and because it is a demonstration of sincerity towards Him, as it is a secret between a person and his Lord, which no one can see except Allah. The words “Fasting is for Me” are sufficient to indicate the superiority of fasting over all other acts of worship.
Fasting has been ordained upon every sane, mature and adult Muslim who is able to fast. What is the objective of fasting? As the ayah of Surat al-Baqarah suggests, it is to attain self-restraint, piety and God-consciousness or taqwa.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may have taqwa. (al-Baqarah, 2:183)
What is taqwa? It is one of the primary concepts in the Qur’an, and is derived from the root ‘waqa’ made up of the three Arabic letters (و ق ي), which means "to be protected from the harmful." Taqwa means to protect oneself from acts that are sinful by leaving what is unlawful or forbidden so that one is saved and protected from their harmful consequences. We see the implication of this meaning in verses such as:
رَبَّنَا آَتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Our Lord, give us good in this world and in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire (al-Baqarah, 2:201). In Surat At-Tahrim, Allah says,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا
O you who believe, protect yourselves and your families from the Fire (At-Tahrim, 66:6)
So siyam and taqwa have a direct relationship. Siyam provides an opportunity for every believer to draw closer to Allah (SWT) and to protect himself from the punishment of hell. By the grace of Allah (SWT), fasting is also, a source for the forgiveness of sins. The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan with faith and hoping for its reward shall have all of his previous sins forgiven for him.” The Prophet (SAW) also said: “Fasting is a shield.” Fasting guards us and protects us from sins and from the hell fire. Further, our fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for us on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (SAW) said: “The fast and the Qur’an shall come as intercessors on the Day of Resurrection. The fast shall say, ’O Lord, I prevented him from his food and drink during the day, so let me intercede for him’. The Qur’an will say, ‘I kept him from sleep during the night, so let me intercede for him.’ Then they will be allowed to intercede.”
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! We know that man is a combination of body and spirit. During fasting, when our physical body apparently gets weak, our spirit is elevated. The zikr or remembrance of Allah (SWT) is the spiritual nourishment for the soul, and the best and greatest of zikr is the Qur’an. We are all aware that we are often unjust to ourselves in the sense that we often subject our bodies and souls to excesses. Fasting in Ramadan is an excellent opportunity to attain physical and spiritual healing. Medical research on fasting has shown benefits in areas of obesity, cancer, lupus, skin conditions, allergies, addictions, blood pressure etc.
We learn through a hadith that says, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the shayateen are chained." One may wonder that if the shayateen are chained and when they cannot whisper to us to commit sin, then why is it that some people continue to do sin even during Ramadan. How can evil exist during Ramadan? The answer is that when people get accustomed to evil, then even when the Shaytan is not around to entice them, their own corrupt souls continue doing that evil out of lust, out of greed, and out of habit and tradition. Any sin a person commits in Ramadan is totally from his own self. In Ramadan, a person sees his true self. If he finds himself doing the same sin in Ramadan that he was doing out of Ramadan, this is a clear evidence of the guilt of his soul. He needs to cleanse it.
After the judgment is passed on the Day of Judgment, the shaytan will have a fitting reply for those who will blame him for the sins they committed. What will the shaytan say?
وَمَا كَانَ لِي عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا أَنْ دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي فَلَا تَلُومُونِي وَلُومُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ
I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. Do not now blame me, but blame yourselves (Ibrahim, 14:22).
The virtues and greatness of the month of Ramadan should never be underestimated. What Ramadan reminds us of is our ultimate identity as creatures of a Mighty and Merciful Creator, Who made us and eventually wants us back. We should not let this month pass away without doing our utmost to please Allah (SWT) and having our sins forgiven.
May Allah (SWT) make us among those who are able to take advantage of the opportunities provided to us in Ramadan; to accept our salah, zakah, sadaqat, siyam, good deeds and supplications; to protect us, our communities, and our society; to keep us on the right path, and to guide us to live in peace, and to help us spread the message of peace and justice in the world. May Allah make us among the people of taqwa, and keep us safe and protected from the hell-fire and make us all enter into His jannah. Allahumma ameen.