The Prophet In Ramadan
EsinIslam
Ramadan
Ramadan Explorer
By
Prof. Shahul Hameed
It was Muhammad, may the mercy and
blessings of God be upon him, who made us raise our eyes from the dust beneath
to view the glory of the starry heavens above. It was Muhammad who led us from
the depths of darkness to the grandeur of the light of God.
The Prophet was the one who led us to break our stone statues and wooden gods.
It was Muhammad who lifted us out of the filth of idolatry to relish the
serenity of God's transcendence.
On the Night of Power in one Ramadan, the Quran descended on Muhammad, and he
received its first verses in the Cave of Hira (Ibn Abbas).
Thereafter the Prophet taught us how to celebrate Ramadan through days of
fasting and nights of prayer; to honor each day of Ramadan as a day of patient
endurance through fasting, and each night as a night of gratitude through
prayers.
An Unexpected Transformation:
It was nothing short of miraculous how the Prophet reformed and refined those
unruly tribes of Arabia and transformed them into pious, disciplined,
God-fearing ascetics, who stood in prayers in the mosque five times a day
seeking the guidance of God.
And imagine: these same people who once reveled in the pleasures of ''wine and
women'' could now spend the whole month of Ramadan in fasting and prayers.
Into the hearts of his followers, the Prophet instilled the love and fear of
God and love for humanity. His example was inspiring and irresistible; and
each of them became eager to be his closest follower.
To them he was the sincerest and the most cordial of leaders. And his life was
open before them like a book; they could see him practicing most closely in
his own life what he was preaching.
Letting the Spirit Reign Supreme:
The Prophet demonstrated to his people how this world is less important than
the next, and how the body is less important than the soul. In fasting, the
Prophet taught them step by step how to ignore the physical demands so that
the spirit reigns supreme.
Abandoning food, drink, and sex was only a prelude to the next stage of
greater significance: of conquering avidity and cupidity, lust and
licentiousness; of liberating one's mind from flights of passion and fits of
temper. Indeed the Prophet said, «The strong person is not the one who can
wrestle someone else down. The strong person is the one who can control
himself when he is angry» (Saheeh Al-Bukhari).
Also about the effect of fasting on one's behaviour, the Prophet said,
«Fasting is a shield, so the one who fasts should avoid obscene speech and
ignorant behaviour. If someone abuses him or starts to fight with him, he
should reply by saying: 'I am fasting. I am fasting'» (Saheeh Al-Bukhari).
The core of fasting according to the Prophet was one's willingness not merely
to give up self-indulgence, but to feel the need of one's brother as one's
own. And no one was more kind-hearted and generous than the Messenger of God;
and his generosity reached its peak in Ramadan (Saheeh Al-Bukhari).
The Prophet stressed on the importance of treating people nicely when he said,
«Make things easy for people and do not make them difficult, and cheer people
up and do not drive them away» (Saheeh Al-Bukhari).
He also said, «The most beloved of actions to God Almighty, is making another
Muslim happy, removing a hardship that has befallen him, paying off a debt of
his or ridding him of hunger. It is more beloved to me indeed that I walk with
my Muslim brother to see to a need of his than secluding oneself in a mosque
for a month...» (Tabarani).
The heart of one who sincerely fasts is open to the contemplation of the
magnificence of the countless bounties of God. That is why the Prophet asked
his followers to avoid gluttony, «The food of two people is enough for three,
and the food of three people is enough for four» (Saheeh Al-Bukhari).
Gentleness in Hardship:
God is all-Merciful and he has expressed his Mercy to us his creatures through
the sending of his final messenger Muhammad as an embodiment of mercy. The
Prophet said, «Have mercy to those on earth so that He Who is in Heaven will
have mercy on you» (Tirmidhi).
«The believer is not the one who eats his fill when the neighbor beside him is
hungry» (Bayhaqi).
So it was not surprising that the Prophet's Companions loved him dearly, as he
was the kindest of men, bestowing his mercy not only upon humans but also on
other creatures of the world as well.
No leader could be more considerate and solicitous of his followers than
Muhammad: he never allowed any Muslim to bear any burden more than they could
bear, as taught by God Himself.
For he was well aware of the infirmities of people; and this is evident from
his consideration for his followers in the matter of fasting, He taught
Muslims to delay the sahur (the pre-dawn meal before fasting) till a little
before Dawn Prayer and not to delay the iftar (the meal to break the fast)
after the call to Sunset Prayer so that no unnecessary strain is laid on the
fasting person by prolonging the fast time.
During travel in Ramadan, the Prophet would either fast or break his fast; and
he allowed his companions to choose between the two, according to their
ability.
It is noteworthy that the Prophet did not specify a particular distance in
travel as a minimum limit for a person to break the fast. His Companions
sometimes broke the fast immediately after leaving home, because this was the
example set by the Prophet himself.
Similarly during times of heat or thirst they were permitted to cool
themselves by pouring water on the head, and the Prophet himself did so.
His example in the matter of consorting with his wives during Ramadan was not
different; he disallowed only such acts that would obviously undermine the
fasting.
As for the Tarawih Prayers (the supererogatory night prayers performed in
Ramadan), it is recorded that the Prophet began praying them in congregation
and then he stopped, fearing that such prayers would become obligatory if he
continued to pray them in congregation.
Thus while he demonstrated through his example that the Tarawih Prayers are
better offered in congregation, he allowed leniency in the matter out of his
mercy.
Seclusion: Refreshing the Soul:
The highest point of Ramadan for Muslims is seeking the Laylat al-Qadr (the
Night of Power) during the last ten days. One act of worship the Prophet
emphasized particularly during this time is itikaf, which is a spiritual
retreat in which one confines oneself to a mosque to spend one's time entirely
to the worship and remembrance of God.
In these modern days when people hanker after indulgence in ephemeral
pleasures, one needs to return to the seclusion of the house of prayer from
time to time; which is essential for one's spiritual rejuvenation and the
return to one's Creator.
Thus the beloved Prophet has taught us how to use Ramadan as a month for
disciplining our intransigent passions, for renouncing our desires for self
gratification and for practicing patient endurance in the face of hardships.
The Prophet exhorted us that during Ramadan most especially it is our duty to
support and uplift our less fortunate fellow humans.
Above all, Ramadan is a month of contemplating the Grace and Bounty of God
Almighty, of returning to our Guardian Lord in repentance, of sincerely
seeking His forgiveness.
By Prof. Shahul Hameed
Source: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1708/
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