Important Lessons From Ramadan
Allah - the Most High - said: "The month of Ramadaan in which the Qur'aan was revealed, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance of the Criterion between right and wrong. So whosoever of you sights the crescent for the month of Ramadaan, he must fast that month." [Soorah al-Baqarah 2:185]
Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said:
"Islaam is built upon five: Testifying that none has the right to
be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of
Allah, establishing the Prayer, giving the Zakaah, performing Hajj
to the House, and fasting in Ramadaan."
He sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said:
"There has come to you Ramadaan, a blessed month, in which Allah
has made it obligatory to fast. During it the gates of Paradise are
opened and the gates of Hellfire are closed, and the rebellious
devils are chained. In it is a night (Laylatul-Qadr) which is
better than a thousand months. He who is deprived of its good truly
has been deprived."
From the many important lessons to be learnt from fasting
are:
[1] Gaining Taqwaa
Fasting has been legislated in order that we may gain
taqwaa, as Allah - the Most High - said: "O you who believe!
Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed upon those
before you in order that you may attain taqwaa." [Soorah al-Baqarah
2:183]
Talq ibn Habeeb (d. 100H) - rahimahullah - said:
"When fitnah (trial and tribulation) appears then extinguish it
with taqwaa." So he was asked as to what taqwaa was, so he replied:
"Taqwaa to act in obedience to Allah, upon a light (i.e. eemaan,
faith) from Allah, hoping in the Mercy of Allah. And taqwaa is
leaving the acts of disobedience to Allah, upon a light from Allah,
due to the fear of Allah."
This is one of the best definitions of taqwaa. For every action
must have both a starting point and a goal. And an action will not
be considered as an act of obedience, or nearness to Allah, unless
it starts from pure eemaan (faith in Allah). Thus it is pure eemaan
- and not habits, desires, nor seeking praise or fame, nor its like
- that should be what initiates the action. And the [goal of the]
action should be to earn the reward of Allah and to seek His good
pleasure." So fasting is a means of attaining taqwaa, since it
helps prevent from many sins that one is prone to. Due to this, the
Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "Fasting is a shield
with which the servant protects himself from the Fire." So we
should ask ourselves, after each day of fasting: Has this fasting
made us more fearful and obedient to Allah? Has it aided us in
distancing ourselves from sins and disobedience?
[2] Seeking Nearness to Allah
The Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said:
"Allah said: Whosoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I shall be
at war with him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything
more beloved to Me than the obligatory duties that I have placed
upon him. My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with optional
deeds so that I shall love him."
The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said:
"Whosoever reaches the month of Ramadaan and does not have his sins
forgiven, and so enters the fire, then may Allah distance
him."
So drawing closer to Allah - the Most Perfect - in this blessed
month, can be achieved by fulfilling one's obligatory duties; and
also reciting the Qur'aan and reflecting upon its meanings,
increasing in kindness and in giving charity, in making du`aa
(supplication) to Allah, attending the taraweeh Prayer, seeking out
Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Power and Pre-Decree), a night which is
better than a thousand months, attending gatherings of knowledge,
and striving in those actions that will cause the heart to draw
closer to its Lord and to gain His forgiveness. Our level of
striving in this blessed month should be greater than our striving
to worship Allah in any other month, due to the excellence and
rewards that Allah has placed in it. Likewise from the great means
of seeking nearness to Allah in this month is making I`tikaaf
(seclusion in the mosque in order to worship Allah) - for whoever
is able.
Imam ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751H) - rahimahullah - said:
"Allah also prescribed I`tikaaf for them, the objective being that
the heart becomes fully preoccupied with Allah - the Most High -
concentrated upon Him alone, and cut-off from being preoccupied
with the creation. Rather, the heart is only engrossed with Allah -
the Most Perfect - such that loving Him, remembering Him, and
turning to Him takes the place of all the heart's anxieties and
worries, so that he is able to overcome them. Thus all his concerns
are for Allah, and his thoughts are all directed towards
remembering Him and thinking of how to attain His Pleasure and what
will cause nearness to Him and what leads him to feel contended
with Allah instead of people. This in turn prepares him for being
at peace with Allah alone, on the day of loneliness in the grave,
when there will be no one else to give comfort, nor anyone to grant
solace, except Him. So this is the greater goal of I`tikaaf.
[3] Acquiring Patience
Imaam Ahmad (d.241H) - rahimahullah - said: "Allah has
mentioned sabr (patience) in over ninety places in His Book."
The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "The month of
Patience, and the three days of every month, are times for
fasting."
Ibn `Abdul-Barr (d.464H) - rahimahullah - said: "What is meant by
the month of Patience is the month of Ramadan …So fasting is called
patience because it restrains the soul from eating drinking,
conjugal relations and sexual desires."
He sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said:
"O youths! Whoever amongst you is able to marry, then let him do
so; for it restrains the eyes and protects the private parts. But
whoever is unable, then let him fast, because it will be a shield
for him."
So fasting is a means of learning self-restraint and patience. With
patience we are able to strengthen our resolve to worship Allah
alone, with sincerity, and also cope with life's ups and downs. So
- for example - with patience we are able to perform our Prayers
calmly and correctly, without being hasty, and without merely
pecking the ground several times! With patience we are able to
restrain our souls from greed and stinginess and thus give part of
our surplus wealth in Zakaah (obligatory charity). With patience we
are able to subdue the soul's ill temperament, and thus endure the
ordeal and hardships of Hajj, without losing tempers and behaving
badly. Likewise, with patience we are able to stand firm and fight
Jihaad against the disbelievers, hypocrites and heretics -
withstanding their constant onslaught, without wavering and
buckling, without despairing or being complacent, and without
becoming hasty and impatient at the first sings of hardship. Allah
- the Most High - said: "O Prophet, urge the Believers to fight …
So if there are one hundred who are patient, they shall overcome
two hundred; and if there be one thousand, they shall overcome two
thousand, by the permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient
ones." [Soorah al-Anfaal 8:65-66].
Thus, without knowledge and patience, nothing remains, except zeal
and uncontrolled emotions, shouts and hollow slogans, speech that
does not strengthen, but rather weakness, and actions that do not
build, but rather destroy! So in this month, we should strive to
develop a firm resolve for doing acts of obedience, and to adorn
ourselves with patience - having certainty in the saying of our
Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam: "And know that victory
comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with
hardship."
[4] Cultivating Good Manners
The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "Whosoever does not
abandon falsehood in speech and action, then Allah the Mighty and
Majestic has no need that he should leave his food and
drink."
He sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam also said:
"Fasting is not merely abstaining from eating and drinking. Rather,
it is also abstaining from ignorant and indecent speech. So if
anyone abuses or behaves ignorantly with you, then say: I am
fasting, I am fasting." (15)
These narrations point towards the importance of truthfulness and
good manners. Thus, this blessed month teaches us not only to
abstain from food and drink, but to also abstain from such
statements and actions that may be the cause of harming people and
violating their rights - since the Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa
sallam said whilst describing the true Believer: "A Muslim is one
from whom other Muslims are safe from his tongue and his hand."
Thus it is upon us as individuals, to examine the shortcomings in
our character, and to then seek to improve them - modelling
ourselves upon the character of the last of the Prophets and
Messengers, and their leader, Muhammad sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam
- aspiring also for the excellence which he mentioned in his
saying: "I am a guarantor for a house on the outskirts of Paradise
for whoever leaves off arguing, even if he is in right; and a house
in the centre of Paradise for whosoever abandons falsehood, even
when joking; and a house in the upper-most of Paradise for
whosoever makes his character good." So by shunning oppression,
shamelessness, harbouring hatred towards Muslims, back-biting,
slandering, tale-carrying, and other types of falsehood, we can be
saved from nullifying the rewards of our fasting - as Allah's
Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "It may be that a
fasting person receives nothing from his fast, except hunger and
thirst."
[5] Sensing Muslim Unity
The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "Fast when they
fast, and break your fast when they break their fast, and sacrifice
the day they sacrifice."
Imaam at-Tirmidhee (d. 275H) - rahimahullah - said: "Some of the
People of Knowledge explained this hadeeth by saying: Its meaning
is to fast and break the fast along with the jamaa`ah and the
majority of people."
Thus, in this blessed month we can sense an increased feeling of
unity and of being a single Ummah due to our fasting and breaking
our fast collectively. We also feel an increased awareness about
the state of affairs of the Muslims and of the hardships that they
endure, because: "During the fast, a Muslim feels and experiences
what his needy and hungry brothers and sisters feel, who are forced
to go without food and drink for many many days - as occurs today
to many of the Muslims in Africa." Indeed, the unity of the Muslims
- and their aiding and assisting one another - is one of the great
fundamentals upon which the Religion of Islaam is built, as Allaah
- the Most High - said: "And hold fast altogether to the rope of
Allaah and do not be divided." [Soorah Aal `Imraan 3:103]. Allaah -
the Most High - also said: "The Believers - men and women - and
friends and protectors of one another." [Soorah al-Tawbah
9:71]
Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728H) - rahimahullah - said: "The
welfare of people will not be complete - neither in this world, nor
in the Hereafter - except with ijtima` (collectiveness), ta`awun
(mutual co-operation), and tanassur (mutual help); mutual
co-operation in order to secure benefits, and mutual help in order
to ward off harm. It is for this reason that man is said to be
social and civil by nature."
Thus we see that Islaam lays great importance in bringing hearts
together and encouraging ijtima` (collectiveness). This is not only
reflected in the month of Ramadaan, but also in the other acts of
worship as well. So, for example, we have been ordered by the
Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam to pray the five daily Prayers
in congregation, and that it has been made twenty-seven times more
rewardful than praying it individually. Likewise, this similar
collective spirit is demonstrated in the act of Hajj (Pilgrimage).
Even in learning knowledge and studying it, blessings have been
placed in collectiveness, as Allah's Messenger sallallahu `alayhi
wa sallam said: "No people gather in a house form the houses of
Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it amongst
themselves, except that tranquillity descends upon them, mercy
envelops them, the angels surround him, and Allah mentions them to
those that are with Him." Likewise, even in our everyday actions
such as, eating, Islaam teaches us collectiveness. Thus, when some
of the Companions of the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said
to him: O Messenger of Allah, we eat but to do not become
satisfied. He replied: "Perhaps you eat individually?" They
replied: Yes! So he said: "Eat collectively and mention the name of
Allah. There will then be blessings for you in it." Indeed, even in
the etiquettes of sitting the spirit of collectiveness is
demonstrated. So, one day the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam
came across the Companions who were sitting in separate circles, so
he said to them: "Why do I see you sitting separately!" Similarly,
Abu Tha`labah al-Khushanee radiallahu `anhu said: Whenever the
people used to encamp, they used to split-up into the mountain
passes and valleys. So Allah's Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa
sallam said: "Indeed your being split-up in these mountain passes
and valleys is from Shaytaan." Thereafter, whenever they used to
encamp, they used to keep very close together, to such an extent
that it was said: If a cloth were to be spread over them, it would
cover them all.
Thus, Ramadaan is a time to increase our sense of unity and
brotherhood, and our commitment to Allah and His Religion. And
there is no doubt that this sense of unity necessitates that: "We
work together as required by Islaam as sincere brothers - not due
to hizbiyyah (bigoted party spirit), nor sectarianism - in order to
realize that which is of benefit to the Islaamic Ummah and to
establish the Islaamic society that every Muslim aspires for - so
that the Sharee`ah (Prescribed Law) of Allaah is applied upon His
earth." So we must examine ourselves during the Ramadaan and ask:
What is my role - and each of us has a role - in helping this
precious Ummah to regain its honour, and return to the Ummah its
comprehensive unity and strength, and victory that has been
promised to it? Likewise, we should reflect upon our character and
actions and ask: Are they aiding the process of unity and
brotherhood, or are they a harm and a hindrance to it?
So we ask Allah to grant us the ability to change ourselves for the
better, during this blessed month, and not to be of those who are
prevented from His Mercy and Forgiveness. Indeed He is the One who
Hears and He is the One to Respond.
Footnotes (summarized):
1. Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim
2. Saheeh An-Nisaa'ee
3. Ibn al-Mubaarak in Kitaab uz-Zuhd and ibn Abee Shaybah in Kitaab
ul-Eemaan
4. Risaalatut-Tabookiyyah of Imam ibn al-Qayyim
5. Hasan Ahmad
6. Al-Bukhaaree
7. Saheeh: Ahmad and al-Bayhaqeee
8. Zaadul Ma`aad of Ibn al Qayyim
9. Related by Ibn al Qayyim in Madaarij us-Saalikeen
10. Ahmad and an-Nasaa'ee
11. At-Tamheed of Al Haafidh ibn Abdul Barr
12. Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim
13. Saheeh Ahmad, at-Tabaraanee in al-Kabeer
14. Al-Bukhaaree
15. Saheeh: Ibn Khuzaymah and al-Haakim
16. Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim
17. Saheeh Abu Daawood and al-Bayhaqee
18. Saheeh Ahmad and ibn Maajah
19. At-Tirmidhee
20. Jaami`ut-Tirmidhee
21. From the words of Shaykh Bin Baaz, as occurs in Majmoo`
al-Fataawaa wa Maqaalat Mutanawwi`ah
22. Al-Hisbah fil-Islaam of Ibn Taymiyyah
23. Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim
24. Muslim
25. Hasan: Abu Daawood
26. Muslim
27. Saheeh Abu Daawood and Ibn Hibbaan
28. Suaalu wa Jawaabu Hawla Fiqhil-Waaqi` of Sh. Al-Albaanee
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