Understanding the Month of Glory

Ahadith on Fasting

Holy Prophet (s) : One who while fasting does not guard his tongue from telling lies and does not refrain from bad deeds, is not respecting his fast. Allah does not approve of mere abstention from food.

Holy Prophet (s) : When you are fasting, you should not speak ill of anybody, nor should you be rough and noisy. If anybody speaks ill of you or tries to pick a quarrel with you, reply him not, but say to him that you are fasting.

Holy Prophet (s) : A person gets the same reward by reciting in this month, one verse of the Holy Qur'an, as others do by reciting the whole of the Qur'an in other months.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a) : The day of your fast should not be like any ordinary day. When you fast, all your senses - eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet must fast with you.

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a) : O Jabir! Whoever during the month of Ramadhan, fasts in its days, stands up for prayers in parts of the night, controls his desires and emotions, puts a rein on his tongue, keeps his eyes down, and does not injure the feelings of others, will become as free of sins as the day he was born.

Imam Ali (a) (a) : The sleep of a fasting person is worship, his silence is glorification (of Allah), his prayers are answered and his actions are multiplied.

Imam Ali (a) : The prayer of a fasting person at the time of Iftar is never rejected

Holy Prophet (s) : Whoever is prevented from food that he likes, because of his fast, Allah will feed him from the food of Heaven and from its drink.

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a) : There are two pleasures for a fasting person; one when he breaks his fast, and one when he meets his Lord.

Holy Prophet (s) : Unfortunate is the person who is deprived of the forgiveness of Allah during this great month (of Ramadhan)

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a) : Fasting is a protection from the fire.

Holy Prophet (s) : Fast, and you shall be healthy.

Holy Prophet (s) : If people understood what good there was in the month of Ramadhan, they would have liked that it last for a year.

Holy Prophet (s) : Whoever is not forgiven in the month of Ramadhan, then in which month will he be forgiven?

A Message from the Holy Prophet (s)

O People! The month of Allah has come with His mercies and blessings. This is the month that is the best of all months in the eyes of Allah. Its days are the best of days, its nights are the best of nights, its hours are the best of hours. This is a month in which you have been invited by Him. You have been given the opportunity in this month to receive the honors from Allah, the Merciful.

In this month if you fast as ordained by Allah, every breath you take has the reward of Tasbeeh, and your sleep has the reward of worship. Your good deeds are rewarded more than usual, and your duas are accepted.

Therefore you must invoke your Lord in earnest, with hearts that are free from sin and evil, and pray that Allah may help you keep the fasts, and to recite the Holy Qur'an. Surely the person who in this month does not receive the mercy and benevolence of Allah is most unfortunate.

O people! You have made your conscience the slave of your desires. Make it free by invoking Him for forgiveness. Your back is breaking under the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate yourself before Him for long intervals and make it lighter.

Anybody who does not annoy others in this month, Allah will keep him safe from His anger on the day of Judgement ... Anybody who treats well his relatives in this month, Allah will bestow His mercy on him on the day of Judgement.

Whoever offers sunnat prayers in this month, Allah will save him from Hell. Whoever, in this month, offers one wajib prayer, the angels will write the rewards of seventy such prayers that were offered by him in other months. Whoever recites salawat often, Allah will keep the scales of his good deeds heavy ... whoever recites in this month, only one ayat of the Holy Qur'an, he will be rewarded in a manner as if he had recited the entire Qur'an in other months.

Imam Sajjad (a) Welcomes the Month of Ramadhan

Praise be to Allah, who ordained this month, the month of Ramadhan, the month of fasting, the month of Islam, the month of purity, the month of purification, and the month of prayers. In this month the Qur'an was made to descend as a guidance to mankind and contains clear instructions and distinctions. He gave this month superiority over all other months by giving it abundant honor and dignity. He prohibited in it what He has allowed in other months in order to exalt it, and forbade in it food and drink in order to honor it.

O Lord! Bless Muhammad and his family, and inspire us to know this month's excellence, and to honor its dignity, and to abstain from whatever You have forbidden in it. Help us to observe its fast, by restraining our limbs from disobeying You, and by employing them in that which would please You, so that we may not lend our ears to any vain speech, and may not direct our eyes, hands and feet towards anything forbidden, and that nothings fills our stomachs except what You have made lawful, and our tongues may not utter anything except what You have allowed.

O Lord! Bless Muhammad and his family, and give us grace to perform timely the five prayers with due regard to their limits which You have enjoined, and the rites which You have prescribed. In this respect, raise us to the rank of those who performed them with success, who duly observed their essential points, who always performed them at proper times, in most perfect and complete humility according to the rules laid down by Your Prophet, may You blessings be on him and his family.

And our Lord, give us grace in this month, to show favors to our relations, and do good to them, and to take care of our neighbors and do good to them, to take care of our neighbors with kindness and benevolence, to purge our property of obligations, and purify it by giving charity, and to call back those who have left us, and be just to those who were unjust to us, and make pace with those who were hostile to us.

O Lord! Erase our sins with the disappearance of this month's crescent, and free us from our penalties with the completion of its days, so that the month may pass from us while You have cleansed us of our guilts, and freed us from our sins. O Lord! Fill this month with our worship of you alone, and adorn its moments with our service to You, and help us in the daytime to observe the fast, and at night to pray and beseech You, help us to humble ourselves before you and lower ourselves in Your presence.

The Ramadhan Checklist

When starting on a journey, most people like to have a list of items that they will need. Before departure they make sure they have all the items. That is to ensure they do not spoil their trip by forgetting something, or not being well equipped for the trip. A journey is usually exciting, and travellers like to make the most of the opportunity to enjoy themselves.

Ramadhan is a spiritual journey for the believer. For the whole month, he travels to get nearer to Allah. On the way he will pass many obstacles and diversions which may hinder and slow his passage. To make sure that his journey is swift and progressive, he needs many items. Preparing for Ramdhan means to ensure one has the necessary equipment for the journey.

The following are some of the necessary items for a believer's trip towards Allah.

An Attitude of Anticipation and Enthusiasm

A believer looks forward to the month of Ramadhan. He enjoys the beauty of spirit that Ramadhan begins, the warmth of carrying out the orders of Allah, the hope of achieving His pleasure, and the happiness at being able to obey the commands of Allah. He is happy when the month arrives and sad when it departs. Flexible Time and Schedule.

Ramadhan requires that we set aside more time than normal for worship and prayers. A believer plans his time in such a way that in Ramadhan he is not overwhelmed by the demands of the world. He lessens work if possible and cuts down on activities which can be put to a halt for a little while. The chance to earn rewards and blessings from Allah in this special time will only last a limited time. Believers must make sure their daily schedules allow maximum benefit of this special time.

A Qur'an with a good translation

An important part of worship in Ramadhan includes reciting the Qur'an regularly. A Hadith tells us, Ramadhan is the Spring of the Qur'an. Understanding the word of Allah, and pondering over it should be daily activities in this holy month. A believer makes sure he has a copy of the Qur'an which is easy to read, and which has a simple translation which he can understand. If time permits, he should also read the commentary of the Qur'an. It is also important to have the right books for the Duas and Aamaals for this month.

A Donation to a Worthwhile Charity

Ramadhan is the best time to donate in the way of Allah. To feed the hungry or give to the needy is an act of great reward, especially during the holy month. Before the month of Ramadhan, a believer decides how much he can afford to give, chooses a worthwhile charity and sends his donation. This is a recommended charity, different from the zakatul Fitra which is obligatory for Eid. Hadith tells us that charity cools the anger of Allah and brings down many blessings on the giver. In the month of Ramadhan this rewards is multiplied many times.

A Determination to Avoid Sins

Fastings is not mere abstinence from food and drink, as we have heard many times. It is also staying away from all sins. While fasting, all the organs of the body fast, and refrain from doing anything which would displease Allah. A believer makes a firm decision to avoid all sins that he commits most often, and plans how he will stay away from them during the month. This conscious preparation of a war against sins is a very necessary item in the baggage of a believer in his journey towards Allah.

A Desire to Help Others

In his sermon at the approach of the holy month of Ramadhan, the Prophet (s) said: Whoever lightens the work of his workers in this month, Allah will make easy his accounting on the Day of Judgement. This does not only apply to those who have workers working for them. To help and lessen the work of others: parents, siblings, relatives, friends, etc. during the holy month is an act of great virtue. It eases the load of the other person, and brings about kindness and affection. Cooperating and assisting one another is greatly loved by Allah.

These and other similar important items are necessary for a successful journey during the month of Ramadhan. Each believer must try to be prepared as possible, lest the opportunity to redeem himself pass away. It is a great loss for the believer if the whole month of mercy and blessings passes, and he has not been able to achieve forgiveness of his sins, and has not won the pleasure of Allah, and the rewards that He gives so abundantly during Ramadhan. To avoid such a failure, it is necessary to keep a Ramadhan checklist that is regularly updated.

A Muslim's Thoughts on Ramadhan

Ramadhan is always a great time for me. In my life, I'm always struggling with the ideal of putting God first in every aspect of my life. I know that God Alone should matter in my life, but in the hectic pace of life, ordinary mundane things start to crowd that feeling out. In Ramdhan, fasting from food, water and other things sets a context within which I can try to establish God's presence in my life. I also know that we are not supposed to only fast from food, drinks etc., but from all hypocrisy, all lies, all dishonesty, all backbiting and all evil. To my surprise, I am able to achieve that to some extent. I can carry that for some months. I think it is like the fourth or fifth month after Ramadhan that it starts to slacken.

It was once said that the true meaning of Fasting is to Fast from anything that distracts you from Remembrance of God. I have loved that ever since I first read it. I think this became a shortcut for me to evaluate every situation before I get involved.

Ramadhan also helps me in my day to day situation in one other way. No matter how bad the situation, I can look past it and say that as Quran says: "life of this world is but an illusion." Once I have done my best, I should give the rest to Him. I know that His Will always work for my highest good, no matter how difficult it may seem at that time. His Will *always* work for our highest good. Every time this faith has been proven true, and as time passes this faith turns and matures into Conviction. Hopefully, this Conviction, this Yaqeen, will translate into the rest of my life and in every month.

I feel very close to other human beings and the rest of creation as well. I am much more forgiving and accepting of my coworkers. I am more liable to overlook their frailties and petty jealousies. I'm like a man who knows that at the end of the day there is a pot of gold that awaits him. Every offering of love we make to Him and His creation, brings us that much closer to Goal. The Goal of The Eternal Bliss, where Allah, the Beloved God will lift the Veil from His Beautiful Face and reveal it to us in all its Splendor, Glory and Beauty. I long for that day. Yes, I do long for that day.

I long for the day that I will earn the privilege of being in company of the Prophets. Then all the worries and problems become petty annoyances. And the mind becomes a little quiet, a little more quiet and a little more quiet, until I hear the quiver of that fragile flame of love and faith in my heart of hearts. It is like when we go to Pilgrimage to Mecca we don our coffins by symbolizing our deaths from this world and we exclaim at the top of our lungs: I have come my Lord, I have come. If only I could do a minor pilgrimage to Him every day of my life by exclaiming through my life and effort: I have come, my Lord, I have come. I have come to you and I won't go, I have come and don't let me stray. I have come, so make me yours. For verily Allah has promised in His Quran: "Certainly we are His, and to Him shall we return."

I hope this presence of God will persist all through the year until the next Ramadhan comes and I will have no room for anyone but Him and His Lovers and loved ones.

Seeking Nearness to God

The ultimate aim of the journey of a believer is to get close to Allah. To have a position with Him that is special. It is the cherished goal and hope of all those who love Allah. Life in this world is a journey towards that goal. Every action carried out, every deed performed is a step forward in that direction. Human beings have been given life in this world, as an opportunity to achieve the pleasure of Allah, to serve and worship Him and to achieve nearness to Him.

The Holy Qur'an talks about the believers who enjoy a special position with Allah: Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers, and who keep aloof from what is vain, and who are givers of the poor-rate ... (23:1-3)

Those only are believers whose hearts become full of awe when Allah is mentioned, and when His communications are recited to them, they increase them in faith, and in their Lord do they trust. (8:2) The following Hadithe Qudsi show how close the relationship between Allah the human being can be. Allah says: When I find out that a person remembers Me frequently, I will look after his affairs, become his company, speak with him, and become his intimate friend.

Whenever I know My servant is frequently engaged in remembering Me, I will make him desire to pray and whisper to Me. When My servant becomes such, I will prevent him from any wrongdoing when he decided upon it. Those are My true friends. If I intend to destroy the earth and punish men, I will forego destruction and punishment for their sake. Why should a believer seek nearness to Allah?

The following are some reasons and benefits of seeking nearness to Allah.

1. Allah is Merciful and loves His Creatures

There is no being who loves the human being more and cares more for his needs than his Creator. Although people sometimes think that God puts a lot of demands on them, and is very strict with them, that He will punish us a soon as they do wrong, this is a great misconception. Allah wants only what is good for human beings.

Allah loves the best of His creations, the human being. One day the Holy Prophet (s) was walking with his companions when he saw a mother bird with her babies in a nest. The mother bird was feeding the small ones some worms. So tender and gentle were her actions, that the companions were awe-struck at this display of love. The Prophet (s) smiled and said, "Are you surprised at the love this mother bird has for her babies? Let me inform you that Allah loves His creatures, the human beings seventy times more than this mother!"

Because He loves the human being, Allah has bestowed upon him many favors. He has given him numerous blessings to enjoy in this world. He has sent rules for his guidance so that the human being will be assured of success in both the worlds. He has promised a great reward for those who obey, and punishment for those who disobey His rules. In His infinite mercy, Almighty Allah has promised to multiply the reward of good deeds by ten, while the punishment of a sin will only be one. He has ordered the angels to record a good deed as soon as the intention is made, while a sin is recorded only after it is done. A sin can be erased through seeking forgiveness. Allah has encouraged us to ask from Him, to pray to Him, to seek His forgiveness, so that we should be happy. None of this makes a difference to Him, for He is Needless of our prayers and worship. But it makes a big difference to us, to our status with Him, and consequently, our place in the eternal world to come.

When someone loves us, we are naturally drawn to him. We would like to be close to him, and enjoy a loving fulfilling relationship. Knowing that one is loved brings great peace and joy to the human heart. What more could the human being ask for than to be loved by the Power that reigns Supreme in the universe? The One who has control of all things, and the One who invites the human being to Him and offers him love and mercy. Unfortunate is the person who does not recognize the great power of Allah's love, and does not seek nearness to Allah to ease the aches and pains of daily life.

The following hadith tell us about the love and mercy of Allah for the human being: Allah is more merciful on you than you are to yourselves. Imam Ali (a)

2. It is the only achievement that will give true peace and happiness

People seek happiness and pleasure for themselves. They try out different ways of achieving that. Some believe it come with wealth, so they spend a lot of time amassing it. Others believe it comes from a good job, or a high position in society. They put in a lot of efforts to secure a prestigious job. But most people discover that this type of success does not really bring satisfaction to the human heart.

Material wealth and success are poor substitutes for the emptiness in the lives and hearts of people. The modern world is struggling furiously to achieve material success, to have access to all forms of comforts and pleasures for the human being. In this mad race to achieve and amass, human beings have strayed from the path of true happiness. That is why there is an increase in emotional and psychological problems in the world today.

True happiness is derived from faith and love for the God who created us. Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: Surely by the Remembrance of Allah are hearts set at rest (13:28). A hadith of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a) says: Joy and peace lie in the Pleasure of Allah, and in certainty (of belief in Allah). Faith and trust in Allah bring the assurance of a support that will never fade or weaken. With that assurance comes the peace of mind that whatever happens, a human being is never alone. Allah, who loves him, is always with him to help and support him. No material possession or glory can bring that unfailing assurance of support.

3. It will guarantee success in the world and the Hereafter

A successful life is one that has accomplished its purpose of creation. Human beings have been created to know the greatness of the Almighty and worship Him. The human being who seeks nearness to Allah and achieves a degree of it, has fulfilled the purpose behind his creation.

Allah describes true success to be achieved through His pleasure. He says: Then give to the near of kin his due, and to the needy and the wayfarer, this is best for those who desire Allah's pleasure, and these it is who are successful. (30:38) Only Allah can give success in both the worlds. The one who relies totally on him and hopes only from Him, will achieve what he wants in this world as well as the Hereafter.

How to seek Nearness to Allah

In order to attain God's nearness, a believer uses various means. Some of these include: Reading and Understanding the Holy Qur'an Remembrance of Allah through Supplication and prayer Seeking forgiveness Each of these means has been included as a separate lesson in this manual.

Seeking Nearness in Ramadhan

This type of spiritual journey is undertaken intensively during the month of Ramadhan. Through increased prayers and worship, a believer tries in this month to cover great distances in his lifelong journey towards God. The incentives to earn extra reward and mercy from Allah in this month encourage more good deeds and increased remembrance of Allah. This brings a believer very close to Allah.

Exercises

Write an essay on one of the following: The love of Allah for the human being How trust and faith in Allah brings peace to the human heart. What are some signs of those who love Allah? Write down the deeds and actions that occupy their days. Recite the following Dua from Saheefa as-Sajjadiyyah: Dua no. 77, Whispered Prayer of those who love Allah. Name ten qualities of those who love Allah, according to this prayer.