Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان Ramaḍān, Arabic pronunciation: [rɑmɑˈdˤɑːn]) (also Ramazan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 to 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God. Muslims fast for the sake of God (Arabic: الله, trans: Allah) and to offer more prayer than usual. Compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards by about eleven days each year depending on the moon; thus, a person will have fasted every day of the calendar year in 34 years’ time. Muslims believe Ramadan to be an auspicious month for the revelations of God to humankind, being the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad (PBUH). (Source) The fasting person seeks closeness to Allaah (subhaanahu wa-ta’aala) by avoiding all desires, giving love of Allaah precedence over the love of his self. For this reason, Allaah specified it out of the other actions by attributing it to Himself, as in the authentic hadeeth; It is from the principles of taqwaa, as Islaam is not complete without it; It causes an increase in faith, and attainment of patience and in it is training one’s self upon hardships that bring one close to the Lord of the Heavens; It is a cause of increase of one’s good deeds, prayer, reciting (the Qur’an), remembrance (dhikr) and charity that actualizes at-taqwaa; In it is prevention of the self from Haraam (prohibited) things, of prohibited action and speech which is the pillar of Taqwaa. In the authentic hadeeth: ((Whoever does not abandon false speech and acting upon that, Allaah is in no need of his abandoning his food and drink)). So the servant seeks closeness to Allaah (subhaanahu wa-ta’aala) through avoiding prohibitions altogether, and they are: “False speech” – and that is every haraam (prohibited) speech; “Acting upon that” – and that is every haraam (prohibited) action; Leaving every haraam thing that obstructs the fast and that is those thing things which break the fast. During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast. So, since in fasting there are advantages, benefits and attainment of all good and reward, that which necessitates its prescription at all times, Allaah (subhaanahu wa-ta’aala) told that it was prescribed upon us as it was prescribed upon those before us. This is His affair with all His Laws that have universal advantages
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 14:46:27 +0000