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EsinIslam
Ramadan
Ramadan Explorer By simply
observing the outward rulings of fasting and practices of Ramadan without
paying attention to their meaning and purpose will turn it into a mere ritual.
An outward show of piety, we can lose the spirit and the essence of fasting
altogether. What is that essence of Ramadan? The blessed prophet taught us
that Ramadan is; a time of patience, sympathy with fellow humans, seeking
nearness of Allah Almighty, praying day and night, reciting the glorious
Qur'an and listening to it. This is why he described Ramadan as an intercessor
for us on the Day of Judgment and the means of atonement for our sins. One way
of making fasting a ritual is to regard it as dieting – fasting is for
pleasing our benevolent lord and following in the footsteps of the blessed
prophet. By fasting properly we should automatically lose weight, however, DO
NOT make the mistake of fasting with the intention to diet since Fasting is an
act of worship, this way you will deprive yourself of its spiritual benefits. Fasting is a
great spiritual exercise that helps us on our journey to the Lord, however
giving up food sometimes makes us think more about it. This is evident at
Iftar time; dinner table becomes a sumptuous banquet. Someone will have spent
hours shopping, cooking and laying out the table, instead of concentrating on
Salah, Qur'an and other acts of worship we are missing the very purpose of
fasting, to control our desires and delights. Yet Islam teaches moderation;
"Eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly Allah does not like
people who waste." [Surat Al A'raf :31].
In Ramadan sleeping pattern changes because we have to get up very early for
Suhur, breakfast and go to bed very late because of the Tarawih prayer.
Consequently some people spend more time sleeping. The month of Ramadan is too
precious to be wasted like this. The Qur'an reminds us about the precious
nature of Ramadan by saying; ''these are limited few days.'' Before we know
it, this month of mercy and forgiveness will be over, every moment of it
should be spent in the worship of Allah. This is a month when Muslims should
give up watching TV, playing games and listening to music. The blessed Prophet
said: ''If people knew the value of Ramadan they would want the whole year to
be Ramadan''. Due to late
night Tarawih prayer some people miss Suhur. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
advised against this practice he said: ''Eat Suhur for in Suhur there is
blessing.'' [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim]. Dua or prayer is a
believer's powerful tool against the attacks of Satan and ego. It is an
expression of his humility towards his creator, and a submission of dependency
on Almighty Lord. The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be
accepted at the time of breaking fast. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
''Three prayers are not rejected: the prayer of a father, the prayer of a
fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler.'' [Reported by Al Bayhaqi]. This
is the time to pray. Sisters in particular need to be careful by organizing
themselves at this time so they can also pray rather than be busy serving or
cooking.
The Qur'an describes the purpose of fasting; ''O you who
believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before
you, that you may become God fearing'' [Surat Al Baqarah: 183]. Fasting trains
us to obey the teachings of Islam, it motivates us, spurs us and gives the
energy to follow the Shariah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ''Whoever
does not give up false speech and acting upon it, and ignorance, Allah has no
need of him giving up his food and drink.'' [Reported by Al Bukhari]. So
praying, giving Zakat and doing good is part of Ramadan, anyone who neglects
these is depriving himself from great benefits of Ramadan. Here are three
wonderful activities in Ramadan that no one can afford to miss; |
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