Ramadan - Taking Lessons from it

Transcript of the Friday Sermon delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on July 07, 2017

Brothers and sisters! Ramadan has left us. It ended with Eid ul-Fitr, but the useful lessons to be taken from it should remain with us every day of the year. If we do not take lessons from Ramadan and all that it signifies, then indeed we will be at loss. Every Ramadan that comes and passes by is like a month long boot camp in which we are reminded and in which we are trained. And there are many useful lessons to be taken from it.

Ramadan shows us the true potential of adopting a lifestyle that is closer to our Islamic ideals. Living the days and nights of this month with a reoriented focus and closeness to Allah (SWT) provides us a standard by which we can evaluate ourselves during other times of the year. None of us can deny that the month of Ramadan drives us to bond more strongly and meaningfully within our families, and engages us more positively with the activities of the Muslim communities at large. That's indeed something that we should hold on to even after Ramadan.

Let us not allow the fruits of Ramadan to be lost. If, during Ramadan, we were able to keep ourselves away from the lawful in obedience to Allah’s command, are we not able to keep ourselves away from the unlawful after Ramadan, out of that same submission to Allah (SWT)? One of the first and foremost lessons of Ramadan is one of attaining taqwa, which is also the primary objective of fasting. The ayah 183 of Surat al-Baqarah says,

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 be mindful of God.” (al-Baqarah, 2:183)

By taqwa is meant a consciousness of Allah (SWT); a sense of presence of Allah (SWT); an awareness that Allah (SWT) is watching us; a state of mindfulness of Allah (SWT) that would make one a better individual. Taqwa is among the highest moral qualities that a Muslim can attain. This is achieved by being conscious of Allah (SWT) and His commandments at all times, which includes avoiding the prohibited as well as the undesirable.  

Ali ibn Abu Talib (RA) defined taqwa as being the fear of the Jaleel, acting upon the tanzeel, being content with qaleel and preparing for the day of raheel. In other words, taqwa has to do with fearing the most Glorious Allah (SWT), acting upon the Qur'an, being content with little, and preparing for the journey from this world to the next.

Fear is an essential component of taqwa.  There are some people who argue that one should only love Allah (SWT) and not fear Allah (SWT). This argument appears correct theoretically, but in fact it is not sound.  Actually, fear of Allah (SWT) signifies the fear of the punishment that would come from the disobedience of Allah (SWT). When we obey Allah (SWT) as He should be obeyed, and we keep repenting to Him and turning to Him, seeking His forgiveness for our lapses, then we have a hope in His infinite mercy. So, fear of Allah (SWT) and hope in Allah (SWT) are inseparable and they constitute the basic components of iman or true faith.

The phenomenon of weak faith (iman) has become very widespread among Muslims. One of the main reasons for weakness of faith and decline in our relationship with Allah (SWT) is spending too much time away from a faith-filled environment where people share their feelings and thoughts about being successful both in this life and in the hereafter. The believer is weak on his own but strong with his brothers in faith. Look at the circle of your friends. Do they remind you of Allah (SWT) or is peer pressure always distracting you from practicing Islam?

Once the Prophet (SAW) was asked, "What person can be the best friend?" And he replied, "He who helps you to remember Allah, and reminds you when you forget Him.”  The Prophet (SAW) was further asked, "Who is the best among people?" And his reply was, "He who, when you look at him, you remember Allah". Such a friend reflects qualities of love, mercy, honesty, service, patience, optimism, and the entire lifestyle taught by Islam.

The next lesson of Ramadan is the constant practice to exercise patience (sabr). Indeed, proper fasting requires patience. Patience is critical for success in life. In Surat al-‘Asr, Allah (SWT) describes all mankind to be in a state of loss except those who believe and do good and enjoin one another to truth, and enjoin one another to patience.

A further lesson is to escape from the desire to show off in order to seek praises from others. It is difficult to show off in Ramadan for a couple of good reasons. Salah, zakah, and hajj are open acts. Siyam or fasting, however, has to do with self-restraint, and is invisible. It is something that is internal. It is not seen externally. One can stare a person in the face and not know whether that person is fasting or not. This is an act which no one will know externally. Ramadan trains us to get rid of the disease of showing off.

Yet another lesson is getting rid of bukhl or stinginess, which means to hoard money and refuse to spend it on one’s family and the needy. This disease of the heart holds people from fulfilling their duties and recognizing the rights of others. Ramadan teaches us generosity. People are more generous in Ramadan than any other month. This attitude of generosity cultivated in Ramadan has to remain with us even after Ramadan.

One more lesson to take from Ramadan is the strengthening of one’s bond with Allah (SWT). During the month of Ramadan, the various acts of worship are increased—both in quantity and quality. If we follow the teachings of the Prophet (SAW) regarding how to conduct ourselves in Ramadan, we should once we come out of this month be at a higher level than we were before we went into the month.

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 helps us to attain both physical and spiritual healing. The values and discipline we observe in Ramadan should help us make our worship encompass our whole life. 

قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

“Say, ‘My prayers and sacrifice, my life and death, are all for Allah, Lord of all the Worlds.”  (al-An’am, 6:162)

A true Muslim’s complete life becomes a form of worship of Allah (SWT). We find that we increase our interaction with the Qur’an more during Ramadan. In reading the Qur’an more, we are increasing our contact with the word of Allah (SWT), and hence our bond with Allah (SWT). The intention should be to read the Qur’an with the desire to gain from what Allah (SWT) has to say in the Qur’an. This will affect the way we think and the way we live. As true believers it’s now time for us to promise ourselves that we will not let the Qur’an that we read with such regularity during Ramadan to be closed up, and we will not let our mosques become empty. May Allah (SWT) bless us with the tawfiq to do so.

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

My dear brothers and sisters! Another unique lesson derived from Ramadan is that change is possible. When we look at the state of Muslims today, and see them so far away from Islam, there seems to be hardly any hope for Muslims at all. The situation seems to be getting worse and worse. The only way for that situation to change is for the Muslims to change themselves.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ

“Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves.” (Al-Ra’d, 13:11)

But, if we look at Ramadan carefully, we realize that it is possible for the change to take place. We can change for the better. However, it is going to involve struggle against ourselves; against the evil within ourselves and our community, and the society. 

During Ramadan, we guard our tongue, our eyes and our ears from speaking evil, watching evil, and listening evil. Now after a whole month of rigorous training, we should not lie, we should not backbite or slander anyone, and we should not indulge in useless and unnecessary talk. We should refrain from watching anything that is undesirable, whether it is on the TV, on the internet, in the print media or otherwise. Frivolous activities may give us momentary pleasure but they do not carry us closer to Allah (SWT); rather they take us far away from Allah (SWT).

Remember our actions are being recorded every moment in our book of deeds by angels deputed for that purpose, and will be shown to us on the Day of Judgment. Remember that the time is very near, perhaps nearer than we can imagine, when each one of us has to bid farewell to this earthly life. There is still time to mend our ways, and seek the pleasure of the most merciful.

Let us resolve not to let Shaytan infiltrate our minds, our homes, our emotions, and our life decisions. Remember the fight against Shaytan must continue as he has declared war against us. What did he say to Allah (SWT)?

قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

“He said: ‘Now that You have sent me astray, I shall most certainly lie in ambush for them all along Your straight path.’”(al-A’raf, 7:16)

The purpose of struggling and striving in the cause of Allah (SWT) must reflect the lessons taught in Ramadan. Therefore, when Ramadan has come to an end, let us not lose this great blessing by thinking that it is over, and fall back to our careless ways. Let us take hold of this divine mercy and guidance, shape our lives around it, and become the type of human beings worthy of being called Muslims. The virtues and greatness of the month of Ramadan and the lessons to be learnt from it should never be underestimated.

May Allah (SWT) make us among those who are able to hold on to the lessons that Ramadan provides. May He make us among the people of taqwa may He accept our good deeds, forgive us, keep us safe and protected, both in this life and the next, and make us all enter into His jannah; Allahumma Ameen. 

إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاء ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded” (al-Nahl, 16:90).

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