A
Christian Is Asking, What Do You Do During The Month Of
Ramadaan?
Islamic Rulings -
Living Shariah Verdicts
Islamic Questions & Answers
What do you do during the month of fasting?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah has singled out the month of Ramadaan with
special virtues that are not present in any other
month. It is the best of months. Allaah has the right
to single out some months and nights and prefer them
over others, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and
chooses”
[al-Qasas 28:68]
Allaah has placed in the month of Ramadaan Laylat al-Qadr
(the Night of Decree), of which He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a
thousand months”
[al-Qadr 97:3]
i.e., worship on that night brings a greater reward
than worshipping for a thousand months; this is by the
great bounty of Allaah towards this ummah (nation –
i.e., the Muslims).
Laylat al-Qadr occurs during the last ten nights of
Ramadaan. Hence the Muslims strive hard in worship
during these ten days more than at other times,
seeking this blessed night.
With regard to what we Muslims do in Ramadaan, we seek
to draw closer to Allaah and strive hard in worship.
Various kinds of worship have been prescribed for us,
by which we seek to draw closer to Allaah. These
include the following:
1 –Fasting.
This means refraining from food, drink, intercourse
and sexual activity from dawn until sunset. We are not
the only nation on whom God has enjoined fasting,
rather there is no nation among the previous nations
upon whom God did not enjoin fasting. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is
prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those
before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the
pious)”
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
2 – Prayers at night (Taraweeh)
Praying at night (qiyaam al-layl) has a great effect
in purifying and reforming hearts, and is also a means
of forgiveness of sin.
3 – Reading Qur’aan
Ramadaan is the month of the Qur’aan, in which the
revelation of the Qur’aan to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) first began. Hence
you will find the Muslims reading the entire Qur’aan
during Ramadaan, and some of them read the entire Book
once or twice, or more than that. The Muslim knows
that reading a single letter of the Qur’aan brings a
tenfold reward, and that reading a single page brings
a thousand rewards (hasanaat).
4 – Charity and feeding the poor
Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was the most generous of people, and he was at
his most generous in Ramadaan.
Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) encouraged us to feed the poor and to give
fasting people food to break their fast. He told us
that the reward of the one who gives food to a fasting
person to break his fast is equivalent to the reward
of the fasting person, without that detracting from
the reward of the fasting person in the slightest.
5 – Supplication
Ramadaan is the month of supplication (du’aa’). It is
mustahabb for the fasting person to make du’aa’, and
the du’aa’ (supplication) of one who has fasted at the
time of breaking the fast will not be rejected.
6 – I’tikaaf (“retreat” for worship)
This means staying in the mosque in order to devote
oneself to worship of Allaah. It is Sunnah in the last
ten days of Ramadaan, seeking Laylat al-Qadr.
7 – Allaah has enjoined a special charity to be given
at the end of Ramadaan. This is called Zakaat al-Fitr,
by means of which the fasting person offers expiation
for any idle or obscene speech he may have uttered
during his fast; it is also a means of feeding and
helping the poor.
It is obligatory upon every Muslim, young and old,
male and female. It is one of the ways of making
people feel the unity, cohesion and mutual compassion
of the Muslim community.
8 – Allaah has also enjoined that those who have
fasted should offer the Eid prayer, as a conclusion to
these good deeds that they have done during Ramadaan,
and as a way of bringing them together to express
their joy and gratitude towards Allaah.
The point is that the Muslim spends the month of
Ramadaan in fasting, praying, offering night prayers (Taraweeh),
remembering Allaah and reading Qur’aan, and has ended
it with i’tikaaf and charity, as well as striving to
uphold the ties of kinship and do good deeds, and
spending a great deal for the sake of Allaah, and
other righteous good deeds. Ramadaan is an occasion
that is good for him, in which he does acts of worship
and rids himself of the burdens of sin. On every night
of Ramadaan Allaah frees people from Hell, overlooks
their bad deeds and forgives their sins. Hence the
month of Ramadaan is the most beloved of months to the
Muslims, and they feel happy, joyful and content at
this time, and they wish that the whole year was
Ramadaan.
Perhaps if you visit an Islamic Centre, you will see
for yourself the happiness and joy that the Muslims,
young and old, feel during Ramadaan. This is due to
the effects of worship and obedience, as stated above.
We ask Allaah to guide you to that which is good for
you and will bring you happiness in this world and in
the Hereafter.
And Allaah knows best
©
EsinIslam.Com
Add Comments