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| Ramadan – The holy month of fasting | | |
Dr. Ashaq Hussain
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar a month of intense devotion, charity and absolution. Traditionally, the first day of Ramadan is marked by observing the crescent moon with the naked eye. And it lasts for one complete moon cycle, i. e. 29 to 30 days. Of late, astronomical calculations have taken over the age-old tradition of moon sighting by the naked eye to ascertain the dates. It is believed that the Holy Quran “was sent down from heaven, in this month as guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation. The occasion of Ramadan is basically the holy month of fasting observed by Muslims all across the world for the sake of God by abstaining from bad deeds. Allah (SWT) has said in Quran-e-Majeed: Fasting is for me except all the deeds of Ibn-e-Adam and I will pay for it. Fasting has been described as the fifth pillar of Islam. So, fasting for the sake of Allah grants the purification of Iman and being a Muslim, it’s your obligation. In this month, all adult Muslims keep the fast from sunrise till sunset, i. e. during the daylight hours, except for the ones who are suffering from illness or diabetes, travelling, pregnant and breastfeeding women, or women going through the menstrual period and refrain from eating, drinking from dawn until sunset. Ramadan had secured its unique position in Islam. This is the month in which Allah (SWT) had sent down the first verses of the Quran to Muhammad (PBUH) on the night of Lailat-ul-Qadar. The Prophet (saw) said, when the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” (Imam Bukhari). Ramadan gives a chance to redevelop your connection with Allah by fasting, offering prayers and avoiding bad doings for the appreciation of Allah. People concentrate less on materialistic things in this month and spend time with Allah.
The history of Ramadan is not short. The meaning of “Ramadan” is “scorching heat or dryness”. It was said that originally, Ramadan/Ramzan fell during the summer season. Imam al-Zamarkhshari wrote that, “When they changed the names of the months from the ancient language, they named them according to the seasons in which they fell, and this month fell in the days of intense heat that is why it was named Ramadan.” Metaphorically, however, the month of Ramadan is the month of the purgation of sins of believers. Imam Qurtubi notes that “it [this month] was named Ramadan because it purges the sins of people with righteous deeds.” It is now believed that the word Ramadan is derived from the Arabic word Ramidha or Ar-Ramad which means intense scorching heat. It is also derived from the word Ramdha which means sun-baked sand. Ramadan was named such because it burns the sins of the believers. According to Arabic Culture, Ramadan had been used as the name of the 9th month even before the arrival of Islam. The Quran also references the fasting of the believers of previous prophets and Muslims have faith in all prophets. Allah (SWT) has said in Quran-e-Majeed: Oh, you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn piety and righteousness” (Q 2:183).
According to Islamic beliefs, the devils are chained at the start of this month, the doors of heaven are opened, and doors of hell are closed. According to Islam, fasting is not just to be hungry all day but to learn self-control, patience, sacrifice, taqwa with spiritual and mental purification. Muslims excitedly wait for the whole year to welcome the month of blessings. The fast is closed by eating the meal of Suhoor and opened with an Iftar meal.
Narrated Abu Huraira(R.A): The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” (Imam Bukhari). Thus, People concentrate more on offering prayers and reciting the Quran to avail the forgiveness of Allah for their previous sins. In the month of Ramadan, Muslims perform extra prayers at night or in the evening which is known as Tarawih. Reading the Quran is encouraged during Ramzan. Every night, voluntary prayers to recite a whole section of the Quran are held in the mosques. This is done so as to complete the Quran in one month. Special arrangements are made in mosques for Sehr-o-Iftar and Namaz-e-Taraweeh. Special dishes are prepared for Sehar and iftar. The fast is usually opened with dates or any juices. Ramadan is thus a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
Fasting teaches self-control as you avoid eating and drinking while you have multiple food items in front of you. But you say no to them with no hesitation. Just not about food it also teaches you the control of mental thoughts and body. As in Fast, it’s necessary to keep your thoughts clean. During fasting, you should avoid backbiting, anger, and negative thoughts. So, during Ramadan, you got a chance to change the bad aspects of personality into good ones’. Infect it can be a training period of rebuilding of Character. Ramadan refrains from the sinful acts like backbiting, insulting someone, and fighting except for self-defense. Everyone can use fasting to develop his relation with Allah and Prophet and to purify his soul from negative thoughts by changing the negative aspects of his personality. So, once you find Ramadan, spend it according to the teachings of the Quran and Hadith to earn the Will of Allah. Randaan is another name of Brotherhood, Charity, and Sacrifice. By fasting, you can feel the pain of needy people and of those who do not have such blessings of Allah. And Ramadan cannot be completed without helping others. Everyone tries to help their needy brother so they can also enjoy the ramdaan, happiness of ‘Eid and thereby the life. Every Muslim is obligated to donate a fixed percentage of his savings to the poor as charity. This is known as Zakat. In this month, many people give away a large portion of the Zakat. Apart from this, Muslims do voluntary charity known as Sadaqah. To maximize their reward out of charity, they prefer to do Sadaqah during Ramazan. Apart from its religious importance, observing fast during Ramzan leads to many health benefits such as improved alertness and brain function. It helps in lowering down the stress level because of the fall in cholesterol. Weight losses, reduction of cholesterol, and body detoxification have also been observed during fasting.
Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. It is actually Allah’s reward for people who fast for the whole month. On the day of ‘Eid, it is prohibited to fast. Everyone wears a new dress and go to the mosques to offer the prayer of Eid-ul-Fitr. Multiple dishes are prepared at home to celebrate the day of ‘Eid. People spend the day with their family, friend, and relatives. |
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