RAMADHAN MUBARAQ Asalam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatu; This months article is on Ramadhan and its blessings. Once again the blessed month of Ramadhan, the month of fasting, is upon us. This discipline of fasting is an excellent form of training for the physical, moral and spiritual development of man. This is why all the Muslims look forward to this month, as it is the month full of blessings. For a Muslim, we do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset; in fact nothing is allowed in the body, during this time i.e. medicine. After sunset, we break the fast with dates and then have a proper meal and the next day we have breakfast before dawn and start another fast. But the real purpose of fasting is not going without food and drink, but to become more righteous. The Holy Quran states O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you become more righteous. Holy Quran Chapter 2, verse 184 During this month we strive to purify ourselves through prayers, reading the Holy Quran, the book of God and making sure that our speech is good, etc. In fact the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has told us that If you do not stop lying and foul talk and conduct, Allah has no need that you should give up food and drink. (Bukhari) In other words, Allah, the One God will not accept the fast if you say or do bad things etc. It is not just physical hunger and thirst that constitute the Muslim fast, but the nights prior to the beginning of the fast acquire a far more important character and play a central role in the institution of fasting. Many Muslims wake up many hours before dawn for individual prayer and the remembrance of God. Also the Holy Quran is recited in every Muslim house much more than on ordinary days. A greater part of the night is thus spent in spiritual exercises which make up the very essence of fasting. In Islam, alms-giving and care for the poor and needy is so highly emphasised that it becomes part of a Muslims daily life. However when it comes to Ramadhan, the month of fasting, Muslims are required to redouble their efforts in this field. It is reported of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that spending in the cause of the poor was a routine daily practice with him which has been likened to a breeze, never ceasing to bring comfort and solace to the needy. However during Ramadhan, the reporters of the Ahadith, the sayings of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, remind us that the breeze seemed to pick up speed and began to blow like strong winds. Alms-giving and care for the poor and needy are so highly emphasised, that in no period during the year do Muslims engage in such practices as they do during the month of Ramadhan. Ramadhan is one full month in every year in which fasting is prescribed for Muslims all over the world. As the month is a lunar month, it keeps changing around the year in relation to the solar months. This creates a universal balance for the worshippers. Sometimes the fasting in winter months is easy as far as the days go, in comparison to the long winter nights, while during the summer months the days become long and exacting. As the lunar months keep rotating around the year, so Muslims in all parts of the world have some periods of easy fasting and some of arduous fasting. Islam is a wonderful religion that stresses on unity, there is One God and One brotherhood /sisterhood, but unfortunately every year Muslims tend not to be unified when it comes to Ramadhan as they may start and finish this month on different days. This could be due to some Muslims beginning the month when other far off Muslims Countries start and not when they can see the new moon themselves. This is a problem which we face all around the world. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has given us a solution and told us: Begin the month after sighting the new moon and end it at the next sighting. If you are unable to observe it by reason of the sky being overcast, postpone the fast by a day. (Bukhari and Muslim) From this hadith - saying of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - we can see that the month of Ramadhan begins and ends with the sighting of the new moon with the naked eye. Furthermore, the lunar month can be either 29 or 30 days, and that you need to sight the new moon. Now days there are many websites that can calculate when countries are likely to see or not see the new moon. As some Countries, particularly at higher latitudes rarely have clear skies to observe the moon, then by using this information we can determine well in advance the first visibility of the new moon in any Country. When we already use modern technology to determine sunrise and sunset times for our daily prayers, so why not use technology to help us determine when we can see the new moon. After all even in the World Cup Football in Brazil, they are starting to use goal line technology so we too should embrace technology and why not? Every year this causes confusion - schools and offices cant understand why Muslims in the same country are celebrating Eid on different days. The institution of fasting is extremely important because it cultivates the believer in almost every area of his spiritual life. Among other things, he learns through personal experience about what hunger, poverty, loneliness and discomforts mean to the less fortunate sections of society. Abstention from even such practices during the month of Ramadhan as are permissible in everyday life plays a constructive role in refining the human character. We hope and pray that this will be a very blessed and joyous month of Ramadhan. I hope this explained the fasting for you. Wassalam (may peace be with you) MUTASA GIBRIL Knowledge Reminder.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 04:30:06 +0000
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