Hadees

Hadees

Hadees

ramadan fazeelat

First Ashura (10 days )Dua

wishing ramadan

WHAT THE QURAN SAYS ABOUT RAMADAN?

                                    Chapter 2, Verse 185, of the Quran                                                           states:

The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran; a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you; and that you should complete the period, and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful.^{[Quran 2:185]}

THE PURPOSE OF RAMADAN

                                           PURPOSE OF RAMADAN

This month will be a true trial of one’s character, testing each individual on any bad habits that they may have and allowing them to purify themselves of these behaviors. Ramadan serves as a tool for Muslims to practice for increasing their patience and self-control. It is also a humbling reminder of those who are living in hunger and poverty on a daily basis, and allows for one to truly count their blessings and give thanks from within as well as with their actions.

The month of Ramadan serves a dual purpose that goes hand in hand: it helps Muslims purify themselves and build upon their character, as well as increase in their spirituality. As each individual detaches themselves from worldly desires such as food, drink and sex, they allow themselves to become closer to God. During Ramadan, Muslims are expected to spend their free time in acts of worship such as prayer, Qur’an recitation, and attendance of the nightly prayers at the mosque during Ramadan known as “Tarawih.”

Tarawih comes from the Arabic word “Raha,” which means to rest and relax. Due to the lengthiness of these prayers, it became customary to take short breaks in between them, which resulted in the name Tarawih. During the Tarawih prayers, sections, known as “Juza‘” of the Qur’an are recited each night of Ramadan, and by the end of the month, all 30 “Ajiza” that the Qur’an is comprised of are completed. Men, women and children are all encouraged to attend these voluntary prayers.

Charity is another one of the five pillars of Islam and is known as “Zakah” which means “purification”. Muslims who have the means are required to give obligatory charity to the poor during Ramadan, known as “Zakat al-Fitr.” The word “Fitr” means to break one’s fast, therefore the purpose of this charity is to provide food for those who are in need and it must be given before the Eid prayer which concludes the month of Ramadan. Furthermore, Zakat al-Fitr is meant to serve as a method of building relationships among the people of society, bringing together the rich and poor by personally delivering the charity to those in need.

During Ramadan, the one night in particular that is most significant is “Laylat al-Qadr,” known as “the Night of Power.” This night is when the first revelation of the Qur’an was sent down to Prophet Muhammad. Laylat al-Qadr is believed to have taken place on an odd-numbered night during the last 10 days of Ramadan. During these 10 days, many mosques hold “Qiyams,” which translates to “standing,” where Muslims gather and spend the entire night in prayer and worship. The Quran states that Laylat al-Qadr is “better than a thousand months” of worship.

In the Qur’an, God says:

Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Laylat al-Qadr. And what can make you know what the Laylat al-Qadr is? The Laylat al-Qadr is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn. (Al-Qadr 97:1-5)

Ramadan is typically 29-30 days long, depending on the sighting of the moon. It ends with “`Eid al-Fitr,” meaning “the celebration of breaking fast.” During this holiday Muslims will attend the Eid prayer in the morning then spend the rest of their day with family and friends in celebration, exchanging gifts and enjoying food and drink. With the ending of Ramadan, Muslims will once again begin their regular routine of eating, drinking and intimacy; however, it is incumbent upon each individual to remember the purpose of this holy month and carry with them the lessons that they learned.

What is Ramadan?

                    What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim lunar calendar. Healthy adult Muslims fast in Ramadan from dawn until dusk. This includes abstaining from drinking, eating, immoral acts and anger. Other acts of worship such as prayer, reading the Quran and charity are also encouraged during Ramadan.

Muslims also believe that the Quran was revealed in Ramadan.

During the holy month, Muslims would wake up early to eat a pre-dawn meal called suhoor, and they break their fast with a meal referred to as iftar.

It is common for mosques to host large iftars, especially for the poor and needy. Nightly prayers called Tarawih are also held in mosques after iftar.

Ramadan and its significance

How to observe it in its true spirit

Importance of self-reform and abstention from base desires

1. “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.” (The Holy Quran, 2:183)


2. Allah says: “And when My servants ask you (O Prophet) about Me, surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should hear My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.” (ibid., 2:186)


3. “And swallow not up your property among yourselves by false means, nor seek to gain access thereby to the authorities so that you may swallow up other people’s property wrongfully while you know.” (ibid., 2:188)


4. “He who does not give up uttering falsehood and acting according to it, God has no need of his giving up his food and drink.” (The Holy Prophet Muhammad)


5. Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, and explained it by saying: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:2-4.) Moses also fasted forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34:28).

Purpose of fasting in Islam

1. To develop and strengthen our powers of self-control, so that we can resist wrongful desires and bad habits, and therefore “guard against evil” (extract no. 1). In fasting, by refraining from the natural human urges to satisfy one’s appetite, we are exercising our ability of self-restraint, so that we can then apply it to our everyday life to bring about self-improvement.


2. To attain nearness and closeness to God so that He becomes a reality in our lives. As we bear the rigours of fasting purely for the sake of following a Divine commandment, knowing and feeling that He can see all our actions however secret, it intensifies the consciousness of God in our hearts, resulting in a higher spiritual experience (see extract no. 2).


3. To learn to refrain from usurping other’s rights and belongings. In fasting we voluntarily give up even what is rightfully ours; how can then we think of taking what is not ours but belongs to someone else? (See extract no. 3)


4. Charity and generosity is especially urged during Ramadan. We learn to give, and not to take. The deprivation of fasting makes us sympathise with the suffering of others, and desirous of alleviating it; and it makes us remember the blessings of life which we normally take for granted.

Fasting in Islam does not just consist of refraining from eating and drinking, but from every kind of selfish desire and wrong-doing. The fast is not merely of the body, but essentially that of the spirit as well (see extract no. 4). The physical fast is a symbol and outward expression of the real, inner fast.

Fasting is a spiritual practice to be found in all religions (see extracts no. 1 and 5). The great Founders of various faiths (Buddha, Moses, Jesus, etc.) practised quite rigorous fasting as a preliminary to attaining their first experience of spiritual enlightenment and communion with God. This kind of communion is indicated in extract no. 2.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said:

“People are unaware of the true nature of fasting. The fact is that no country or realm can be described if one has not been there. Fasting is not just the state of remaining hungry and thirsty. Its nature and effect can only be discovered by experience. The human makeup is such that the less food is consumed the greater is the purification of the soul and the development of the powers of inner vision. God’s purpose is that you should reduce one kind of food (physical) and increase the other kind (spiritual). The person fasting must remember that the aim is not simply to remain hungry; he should be engrossed in the remembrance of God so as to attain severance from worldly desires. The object of fasting is that a person should abstain from the food which nourishes the body and obtain the other food which satisfies and brings solace to the soul. Those who truly fast for the sake of attaining to God, and not merely as a custom, should be absorbed in the praise and glorification of God, and in meditating upon His Unity.”

Maulana Muhammad Ali said:

“The real purpose of fasting is to attain righteousness. A person who undergoes hunger and thirst, but does not behave righteously, has done nothing. If someone is told the aim and object of doing a certain duty, and he does that duty but does not attain the required aim and object, it is as if he has not done that duty.”

The Maulana used very strongly to urge the members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya community to say the tahajjud prayers during the month of Ramadan:

“You have to rise early in any case to begin the fast; rise even earlier, by half an hour or an hour, and say tahajjud prayers.