The blessed month of Ramadhan, the month of blessings and forgiveness

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
The Almighty's Last Messenger to mankind, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) has termed blessed Ramadhan as the month that opens the gates of heaven for the creatures of God.Dear listeners we present you in this program some passages from the Prophet's famous sermon on the advent of the blessed month of Ramadhan: "O People! The month of Allah has come with its mercies, blessings and forgiveness. Allah has decreed this month the best of all months. Its days are the best of the days, its nights are the best of the nights and its hours are the best of the hours. This is the month in which He has invited you (to fast and to pray). Allah has honored you in it. Every breath you take in it has the reward of tasbhih (or praise of Allah); your sleep is worship, your good deeds and our invocations answered. Therefore, you must invoke your Lord in right earnest with hearts that are free from sin and evil, and pray that Allah may help you to keep fasts, and to recite the Qur'an. Indeed miserable is the one who is deprived of Allah's forgiveness in this great month.
While fasting, remember the hunger and thirst on the Day of Judgment. Give alms to the poor and needy. Pay respect to your elders, have sympathy for your youngsters and be kind towards your relatives and kinsmen. O people! Anybody who in this month cultivates good manners will walk over the siraat (i.e. the bridge leading to Paradise via the rim of hell) on the day when feet will tend to slip."
In this chaotic world, mankind needs to have a pause from routine activities in order to ponder on the objectives and purpose of creation. In addition to material needs, mankind has spiritual desires as well. If these lofty needs are ignored mankind will be exposed to irreparable losses. The blessed month of Ramadhan affords us the chance to take stock of our inner selves so as to save our soul from decadence and decline. This month is a wonderful opportunity for us to strive for the proximity of God Almighty, Who is indeed nearer to us than our own jugular vein. In Ramadhan the human soul is purified and refreshed. Once the Prophet was asked what the best deed is in this month. He replied: The best deed is to refrain from what God has forbidden.
The holy Qur'an as the most perfect and comprehensive heavenly scripture ever revealed to mankind, has in its various verses presented the characteristics of the faithful. These characteristics are guarantees for prosperity in life and salvation in afterlife. The most evident characteristic of the pious people is their deep faith in the Merciful Omnipotent God.
As we read in verse 9 of Surah Ankabut: "And (as for) those who believe and do good, We will most surely cause them to enter among the good."
The true believers are those who have deep faith in God and always refer to Him with glory. Faith is like a deterrent or shield that makes the believers immune from psychological harms. The pious and honest people are psychologically sound and balanced. Experience has shown that belief in the Merciful and Omnipotent God can bring tranquility and self-content for mankind. From the viewpoint of faithful people, the world does not consist of lifeless factors but it is a meaningful system. The one who does not believe in the presence of God will be exposed to misery in his or her life. On the contrary, the true believer has a positive view of the world of creation and this outlook grants freshness. Such a person believes that God is the source of all good and the beauties of the world. He is the All-Merciful Who is very close to His servants.
Prophet Mohammad (Blessing of God upon him and his progeny) says: "O people! The month of Allah has come with its mercies, blessings and forgiveness."
The blessed month of Ramadhan is a great feast for the faithful. Fasting is a religious duty for all those who believe in Monotheism. It is an apparent sign of obedience, submission and servitude to Allah, the Exalted. By fasting, a Muslim expresses his/her submission to Allah's command; his response to His will, and the control over his own desires and wishes at the Almighty's behest. The month of God enjoys specific characteristics. This month is like a city which every year become the month-long residence for the guests of God Almighty. All parts of the city lead to the One and Only God. The city is as old as the creation of mankind. The Prophets are the prime guests at this divine banquet. The Almighty hosts the banquet and the angels receive the guests of God. Thus, the blessed month of Ramadhan is the month of association with God. This month affords us the opportunity to take stock of our inner selves so as to measure our obedience and servitude to God. In Ramadhan the believers abstain from food, drinks and sexual pleasures during the prescribed hours without any complaint and without uttering an evil word. Therefore the fragrance of servitude fills up the atmosphere of this month.
The guests of Ramadhan are kind towards others, have a smile on their face and the more they become hungry they become more willing to feel concern for the world's hungry people and strive to ease their difficulties. They seek forgiveness from God during prayers and supplications. This month is the month of Ramadhan. It is the best of all months. Its days are the best of the days, its nights are the best of the nights and its hours are the best of the hours. Everyone can enter this month and benefit from its bounties without being tainted by sins. Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) had said: "This is the month in which God has invited you (to fast and to pray).
There is a light of guidance within human beings which encourages us to strive towards good deeds and to desist from evil acts. All enjoy this power and consider its pursuit as perfection and virtue. Honesty is expected from those in whom this power is awaken. Social scientists term this power as conscience. This deterrent force exists in all human beings in a way that whenever a human being commits a mistake this force blames him and makes him regret his act. One of the objectives of religious teachings is to awaken conscience in mankind. Prayer, recitation of the holy Qur'an, and charity for the poor and have-nots of the society raises this power and creates a more powerful conscience which is called religious conscience. Religious conscience helps mankind resist satanic temptations and grants insight. The holy Qur'an, which is God Almighty's most perfect and comprehensive Revealed Word, gives us the description of honest and pious human beings. By pious we mean efficiency in terms of ideology and deeds. From the viewpoint of the holy Qur'an, every one acts on the basis of his or her inner motives. Therefore one cannot consider outward human behavior to be separate from intentions, beliefs and emotions. According to the holy Qur'an whoever is faithful and does good deeds is among the pious. It is evident that the good servants of Allah come to acquire special behaviors and characteristics. The main characteristic of the pious is monotheism. In verse 68 of Surah Furqan, God says: "And they who do not call upon another god with Allah"
God prescribed fasting for all nations of the past. In the books revealed to such great divine messengers as Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus (PBUH) we come across fasting and its benefits. According to the Almighty's Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), Prophet David (PBUH) was among the most pious persons, and he used to fast every alternate day. His son and successor, Prophet Solomon (PBUH) used to fast on the first three days of every month, the mid three days of the month and the last three days of the month. Prophet Jesus (PBUH) used to fast for the greater part of his life, while his mother, the Virgin Mary (peace upon her), also used to constantly fast. This is proof of the fact that fasting is a form of worship that profoundly and positively affects both the human body and the human spirit, and leads to the establishment of sound and healthy societies.
"The one who feels thirsty while fasting for the sake of God in hot days, God will assign one thousand angels to wipe his face and give him tidings till he breaks the fast, saying: O my angels testify that I forgave him."
This is what Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) has informed us of the blessings of God. The Almighty has decreed a month of fasting for all those who are grown ups, are healthy, are not very old, nor are travelers, and neither are feeble. Likewise, pregnant women, those giving suckle to infants and those passing through their monthly cycle of menstruation are exempted from fasting. Fasting is thus an exercise to control our gluttony and carnal desires for a month during the daylight hours, so as to strengthen our resolve and to make us aware of the have-nots of society.
In religious teachings there are guidelines by following which we attain the content and proximity of our Loving Creator. One of the works that bring us closer to the Almighty is the unique form of worship called fasting in the blessed month of Ramadan. In this spiritual month, God has asked us to refrain from food and drink from pre-dawn till a little after sunset. Although fasting appears to be refraining from food and drink and keeping away from certain bodily pleasures during certain hours, this wonderful act of worship is far greater in magnitude. A fasting person feels exalted internally and is evident that he or she has attained the proximity to the Almighty by keeping away from evil and other vain acts. On the other hand, a fasting person who merely keeps away from food and water, but does not keep his eyes, ears, and tongue, away from evil, deceit and mischief, is deprived of spiritual benefits. According to a narration there was a woman in the days of the Prophet who despite fasting used to regularly insulted and upset others. When the Prophet heard this he called that food be brought and placed before the fasting woman. The woman was surprised and said: O Prophet of God I am fasting. The Prophet said: how can you claim to be fasting while you were insulting and abuse others; beware that fasting is not merely refraining from eating and drinking.
Thus, as is clear the Almighty has placed fasting as a barrier against evil deeds and words. In several verses of the holy Qur'an God has described the visage of the true believers. In verse 2 of Surah Anfal, God says: "The true believers are only whose hearts tremble with awe when Allah is mentioned, and when His signs are recited to them, and they increase in them their faith, and who put their in their Lord."
As could be clear from the wordings of the ayah that we recited, the natural result of faith in the Omnipresent God is proper cognizance of Him and reliance upon Him in all affairs. Trust in God has excellent spiritual and social impacts on human being. Therefore one of the basic objectives of Islamic teachings is to strengthen relationship between human beings and God. For, this relationship guarantees the health and prosperity of mankind and society. Belief in the fact that the All-Wise and All-Omnipotent God observes every minute affair, even whatever is in our hearts or flashes across our mind, acts as self-control for us.
A narration says the Archangel Gabriel once told the Prophet that when a person reaches such an exalted state of cognizance of God and has complete trust in the Almighty, he or she does nothing except for the sake of God and pins hope in no one except God. Such persons acquire tranquility of heart and real peace of mind. One of the examples present in the holy Qur'an of such a person is Prophet Abraham to whom God had revealed heavenly scriptures in this very month of Ramadhan. When the tyrant Nimrod ordered Prophet Abraham to be thrown into a huge fire, the young Abraham was calm and composed and did not panic because he had profound trust in God. He only sought refuge with God. Thus, when he was flung into the fire through a catapult before he could land in the blazing inferno God decreed the fire to turn into a cool garden and a safe place for Abraham. The enemies were surprised and shocked but they couldn't do anything. In verse 69 of Surah Anbiya, God says: "We said: O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham"
However, trust in God does not mean that we should ignore the use of our God-given faculties. Life requires the proper use of the facilities that God has put at our disposal. Therefore we should first have firm faith in God and then strive as was practically taught by all Prophets, including Abraham and the Last and the Greatest of them all, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) has said: "In the blessed month of Ramadhan, sins are forgiven. The recitation of a single ayah of the holy Qur'an in this month is like the recitation of the whole Qur'an in other months."
What a wonderful statement indeed that surely gladdens the hearts of the believers and makes them not only recite the holy Qur'an but also to ponder over its timeless wisdom and unmatched eloquence. Our life in this transient world, however brief, is without doubt a Divine Favour. We should consider life as a blessing as well as an excellent opportunity to strive for eternal bliss in afterlife, which could be achieved only by doing good deeds and abstaining from vices and evil acts. The manner of taking advantage of this opportunity depends on the type of human outlook to the world of creation. Throughout history, thinkers and observers have put forth conflicting objectives for life. But it is obvious that there is nothing in their viewpoints. The reason is because the manmade philosophical schools have failed to provide a proper meaning of life. These schools have taken the wrong path and ignored the basic aspects of human existence. The proof in this regard is the morally decadent West's bewilderment in presenting a proper and comprehensive perspective of life. In the West, people have strayed away from morals as well as religious and divine ideas. As a result they are unable to answer many basic questions about life. Unfortunately, they indulge in ways worse than that of animals on the pretext of being free. This proves that although scientific achievements and industrial progresses are worthy, they do not meet the spiritual needs of mankind. These manmade schools promote promiscuity in society by allowing people to indulge in wanton pleasure without any thought for God and Divine Laws, when it is obvious that salvation cannot be achieved without spiritual and ethical values.
The human being by nature is inclined to growth, and if his existence is limited solely to the materialistic life of this world, one of his major needs, that is, tendency towards perfection, will remain unfulfilled. Here the divine schools, especially the true religion of Islam come to the rescue of mankind. We realize the fact that whatever God had decreed for us is perfectly in accordance with our own innate nature. God sent Prophets all over the world to properly educate mankind. The Last and Greatest of these Divine Messengers was Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He was entrusted the universal religion of Islam, which actually means peace, submission to none except the One and Only God, and the healthiest way of life. Whatever the other prophets had preached before to their respective nations was exactly this very same message. The blessed month of Ramadhan is one such gold opportunity for believers to reform themselves by taking stock of the life they had hitherto spent. It is the month when we adorn ourselves with moral virtues that have great bearing on the whole society. For instance, ayah 96 of Surah Marium, says: "Surely (as for) those who believe and do good deeds for them will Allah bring about love."
Thus in view of this undeniable proof we realize that God wants us to be sincere, and avoid evil deeds. If we adorn ourselves with piety and proper knowledge, these good characteristics will enable us to win the hearts of the people and will have a profoundly positive impact on the society. Therefore dear friends, strive to make this Ramadhan an excellent opportunity for self and social reform by reading and contemplating the ayahs of the holy Qur'an in the light of the teachings of the Prophet and his Immaculate Household.