The Season of Purification and Rejuvenation - Ramadan

The month of Ramadan, also known as “the sultan of the eleven months,” is a month during which believers are given many glad tidings about the shower of blessings and favors that rain down upon them. Every night of this month, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) forgives thousands of His servants who deserved to be punished in Hell. The doors of Heaven swing wide open this month. Shaytans are chained, nufus are reined in, and rewards are multiplied. This is the month of the Qur’an al-Karim.

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to pray, “O Allah, make Rajab and Shaban blessed for us and bring us to Ramadan,” at the beginning of the three holy months. Some scholars offered the following interpretation for this dua:

Allah the Exalted instilled the month of Ramadan with so many virtues and merits that He blessed the preceding months of Rajab and Shaban as a preparatory period for it. For this reason, friends of Allah would pray to Him in the preceding six months to be able to reach Ramadan and continue to pray in the following months so that the deeds and acts of worship they performed in Ramadan are accepted.

This blessed month that is upon us overflows with so many blessings in each of its moments, shaytans that roam free in other months are shackled and angels of mercy have extended duties. But the blessings don't end with this, for Allah wishes to further bestow His boundless forgiveness on His servants in this blessed month. So, it is of utmost importance to bring the good tidings about the coming of this month to as many people as possible and call everyone to repent their sins to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

Ramadan through the words of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)

As narrated by Salman al-Farisi (radiyallahu anh), on the last day of Shaban our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gave a khutbah indicating the blessing of the month of Ramadan:

“O people, indeed the shadow of a great month has been cast upon you; the shadow of a blessed month. It is a month which has a night more virtuous than a thousand months. Allah has made it fard to fast and nafilah to pray during the night.

Whosoever approaches it with something good natured will be as the one who performs a fard in the other months. Whosoever performs a fard in this month will be as the one who performs seventy fards in the other months.

It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Jannah. It is the month of consolation. It is the month in which the rizq of the believers is increased.

Whosoever provides iftar for someone who is fasting, his sins will be forgiven and free himself from the fire, and the same reward will be given to the one who fasts without the reduction of reward.”

After the words of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), one of the companions asked for permission to speak and said:

“O Rasulullah! Most of us do not have the means to provide food for a fasting person. Are we going to be deprived of this good deed?”

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) answered:

“Allah gives this reward to whosoever provides iftar for someone who is fasting, be it with a single date, a sip of water, or diluted milk. It is a month the beginning of which is mercy, the middle is forgiveness and the ending is salvation from the fire. Whosoever eases the work of his worker, Allah will forgive him and save him from the fire.”

Imam Rabbani (quddisa sirruhu) says the following about Ramadan being a treasure to be cherished:

“One should know that Ramadan is a month of supreme glory. Ibadahs such as dhikr, charity, and salawat are on par with fard ibadahs in other months in terms of rewards. A fard salah performed in this month is equal to seventy fard acts performed in other months. Someone who contemplates being in the presence of Allah in this month is favored with so many boons and blessings that Allah the Exalted showers them with the same grace throughout the rest of the year. That being so, one needs to purify their heart of all thoughts and attachments other than Allah Himself, ensure that their heart remains vigilant and ready in the presence of Allah the Most High and make continuous, concerted effort to do good deeds and perform acts of worship.”

The month of patience and tolerance

One of the most outstanding characteristics of Ramadan is that it is, by the words of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the month of patience and tolerance. A servant of Allah fasts, performs the tarawih salah and does dhikr of Allah against the reluctance and resistance of their nafs. Furthermore, they will brush aside all the means and resources to fulfill the desires of their nafs to perform these tasks.

Because of all this sacrifice by His servant, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) will reward them manyfolds. His bounties never diminish; His wealth is truly, absolutely endless. The servant only needs to turn to Him with a true heart and supplicate to Him. As one of the acts that pleases Allah the most, istighfar, or seeking forgiveness, should be the staple of every servant’s actions in this month. Of course, it is needless to state that one should wash their hands of haram deeds.

As indicated by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), Ramadan is a month in which angels of mercy have more extensive duties than other months. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said in a hadith:

“Do these four things in plenty (in the month of Ramadan): two of these your Lord is pleased with, and two of these are indispensable to you. When it comes to the two things your Lord is pleased with it is (the remembrance of) bearing witness that there is no god but Allah, and to ask Him for forgiveness. The two things that are indispensable to you are to ask Allah for Jannah, and to seek refuge in Him from the fire.”

Avoiding haram lest we are tainted by its blight

Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) accepts prayers in this month generously. Prayers said by a servant who fasts by day and graces his lips with the recital of the Holy Qur’an are more worthy of being granted in the sight of Allah. It is also necessary to distance oneself from haram actions for prayers to be accepted by Allah. Indeed, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“He lifts his hand towards the sky and thus makes the supplication: 'My Rabb! My Rabb!' But his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothes are haram and his nourishment is haram, how can, then his supplication be accepted?”

Therefore, a mumin should always choose to earn his rizq through halal means and from halal commodities. A small amount of rizq that holds barakah suffices, whereas a profusion of rizq without barakah fails to answer a person’s needs. 

The conclusion that needs to be drawn from this is that Ramadan is a magnificent blessing and gift from Allah the Exalted. Just as it causes tremendous indignation and is considered a grave offense when gifts sent by someone in a high position are rejected, Ramadan, embellished and endowed with blessings by Allah Himself, is a gift of the highest order and should be met accordingly, with proper reverence and devout attendance lest one draws His wrath upon themselves. Should one look upon this matter with crude, casual disregard, or worse, with slight, it may spell a loss so grave as being deprived of His mercy and the shafa'ah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

The ibadah ordained for all ummahs: Fasting

Fasting is mentioned in the Qur’an with the word “sawm.” As a religious term, it means to abstain from eating, drinking, and partaking in carnal activities.

Through the ordinance of fasting, Allah the Almighty desires not to weaken our bodies or leave us sapped of our strength but to make us realize that we are powerless. A servant can only realize their powerlessness by renouncing the fulfillment of their bodily needs and desires. It is said in a Hadith Qudsi:

Allah most Glorious said to the nafs (ego): “Who am I, and who are you?”

The nafs answered: “I am I, and you are you!”, then the Lord most Glorious punished it and threw it into Jahannam. Then He asked it again:

“Who am I, and who are you?”

It replied: “I am I, and you are you!”

Whichever punishment it tasted, it was not deterred from its egocentricity. Then Allah Almighty punished it with hunger and left it to starve. Then he asked it one more time:

“Who am I, and who are you?”

The nafs answered: “You are my Lord Most merciful, and I am Your helpless servant.”

The most effective method for reigning in the obsession of the human nafs with pleasure and gratification is fasting. For this reason, Allah (jalla jalaluhu) enjoined fasting for us. Obeying this command and realizing its wisdom is the only sound way forward for anyone who wishes to place themselves under the protection of the mercy of Allah and be safe from His punishment.

Some ibadahs possess such fascinating hidden reasons and secrets behind their apparent facets that they can be extracted neither in writing nor in verbal recounts. One can discover these secrets only by persevering through, experiencing, and navigating the aspects of life that harbor them. For instance, salah is one such ibadah that a Muslim should always find the firmness of will to carry out with an utmost sense of duty.

Those who wish to perform salah correctly and diligently by mindfully establishing it as a fundamental, indispensable element of their lives cannot reduce it to merely a set of physical motions they go through. They embark on a journey of Mi’raj of their own towards Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), not in a physical sense as the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did, but in the essence of worship, as they contemplate the ayahs, duas, words of tasbih, qiyam, ruku and sajdah in a state of solemn discipline. For such people, salah is an ascension to present themselves before the divine presence of Allah and be in attendance with their bodies and souls. As a result, certain conditions develop and reach maturity within these people, shielding them from thoughts and actions that Allah the Exalted deems foul and corrupt. Thus manifests the reality of the ayah “Surely salah restrains one from shameful and evil acts.” (Al-Ankabut, 45)

In other words, salah has profound inward aspects that are not immediately apparent, as well as clear outlines and rulings. It is necessary to enmesh salah into one’s life to become privy to its secrets.

When we consider fasting from a parallel perspective, we find that we fulfill this duty outwardly and yet insistently deprive ourselves of its more profound essence. As one common description of fasting suggests, fasting isn’t solely an act of abstinence from carnal activities and consumption of food and water. From the crust to crux, it is an act of worship that retains a great many layers of subtleties surrounding its vital core. However, it is critical to divorce oneself from all forms of lying, backbiting, grudge-holding, envy, pride, arrogance, and other zahir (apparent and visible)and batin (true form hidden within an outward aspect) malignities because only by doing so can a person begin to perceive the distilled reality of this ibadah. A body that continues to be sullied with such impurities cannot assume the essence of the ibadah of fasting.

Allah the Most Merciful doesn’t need anyone to feel hungry, thirsty or weak. The purpose, His purpose, for ordaining fasting is only for His servants to achieve ikhlas through fasting. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said in a hadith, “Whoever does not give up lies and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)” This stands to mean that fasting and lying cannot exist simultaneously in a person’s life.

People who seal their mouths shut to the pangs of hunger and thirst yet leave it wide open to words of gossip rob themselves of the truth and secrets of fasting. Similarly, if a person rises from his bed for salah at night but launches into an internal tirade about those who don’t devote themselves to such a virtuous ibadah, that person, due to reckless arrogance, might be the one who is deprived of virtue. Performing only the daily salahs and being content with it is far preferable to performing a non-obligatory ibadah while swelling with pride and having a bigoted view of others.

To sum it up, we should avoid all manners of behavior and conduct that go against the spirit of Ramadan and find ways to channel ourselves into a productive mentality and state of heart that allow us to make the best possible use of the time we have in line with the will of Allah for the duration of this month and beyond. We should strive to do right by this month, which arrives as a guest of honor every year, and ask Allah to provide us with ease in achieving our goals in this endeavor.

The three forms of fasting

While speaking of fasting, Imam Ghazali (quddisa sirruhu) describes three grades of fasting. These are, in order of their respective classes of people, the fast of awam (the ordinary people), the fast of khawas (the special servants of Allah), and the fast of khawasu’l-khawas (the most select of the special servants of Allah).

The fast of awam consists of abstaining from eating, drinking, and satisfying the other human needs strictly prohibited during the fast.

The fast of khawas additionally includes protecting the eyes, ears, tongue, and all the body’s limbs from sins.

The fast of khawasu’l-khawas is on another level. It requires keeping the heart cleansed of all malignant and worldly thoughts in addition to all the requirements of the previous levels.

In fact, Ramadan can be thought of as a season of purification, and fasting can be considered a spiritual cleansing. Just as a house is thoroughly cleaned every season, getting rid of cobwebs covering its walls, having its floors and windows washed, and overall maintenance improved, our spiritual maintenance needs to be taken care of at least once a year. Each cleansing of our hearts sets the stage for Ramadan as a new beginning for us.

Every year around the time when Ramadan comes, we can imagine hearing the divine call echo in our hearts:

“O my servants who transgress against themselves. You are making no effort to free yourselves from your confines since I have placed you in your cage-like bodies. Are you so complacent with where you are and how you are? Do you not hear the mournful call of the bird in that cage fluttering to spread its wings to freedom? Do you not harken to the moaning of Yusuf in the well? Here resides the hope to spread your wings to the horizons of eternity! I have pried open the bars of your cage with fasting so that the fluttering bird within that is your soul knows the taste of freedom. With my mercy, I have brought that which is far to nearby and within reach, and rewarded your meager efforts immeasurably.

I also wanted you to realize that you are not the only ones in this world. There are orphans, the poor, and the miserable. Notice them so that you may experience the privilege of being a human. Give so that you may draw closer to me; give of your own self, from your own being. Let your minds numbed by food, comfort, and pleasure awaken to contemplation. Learn to spend some of the time and effort you dedicate to your bodies for the spiritual aspect of your existence. Let your hearts heed the dhikr that flows from your tongues.”

The Qur’an al-Karim and Ramadan

When glorifying Ramadan in the Qur’an, Allah (jalla jalaluhu) refers to it as “The month of Ramaḍān [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’ān, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion” (Al-Baqarah, 185). Spending a month that is glorified and honored in relation to its connection with the Qur’an in a way that eschews it is unthinkable. In addition, no other month is mentioned by name in the Qur’an, which alone is enough to stress its worth. This denotes that our noble book, the Qur’an, and the blessed Ramadan are integral to each other.

Jibril (alayhissalam) would recite the Qur’an with Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) during each Ramadan in a recitation form known as muqabalah. It is a clear sunnah that has survived throughout the ages. Muslims, to this day, have maintained the tradition of muqabalah with an impeccable sense of duty. In the Ottoman culture, men would organize muqabalah sessions at the mosque around the times of fajr, dhuhr, and asr, while women would choose any time of the day from morning till evening to sit through muqabalah in their homes.

The scholars have considered the recitation of the Qur’an throughout the month of Ramadan to be one of the foremost acts of worship in keeping with the sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Seyyid Muhammed Raşid (quddisa sirruhu), a great wali of the path of Naqshbandiyyah, who would complete the khatmu’l-Qur’an (reading of the Qur’an from beginning to end) once a month outside of Ramadan, would finish the khatmu’l-Qur’an every two days in Ramadan. Once, a doctor who came to check on his blood sugar noticed that it was too high and advised him not to exert himself too much. Seyyid Muhammed Raşid (quddisa sirruhu) told the doctor that he normally completed the khatmu’l-Qur’an every two days but would do it once every three days from then on. While this may be an achievable endeavor for a wali, we may find doing the same overly challenging. Although, we should be able to complete one khatmu’l-Qur’an in this month, and for those of us who can’t read the Qur’an, we should set a goal for ourselves to learn.

This month is the one in which we can reap maximum benefits by revering and reading the words of Allah the Almighty Creator, for His words are the truest guidance, a healing for our hearts and souls, and a means of purification. We shouldn’t deny ourselves the chance to drink deeply from the oceans of His endless and eternal mercy, nor should we pay any mind to those who claim that reading the Qur’an without understanding is a vain, unrewarding effort. Even the mere act of gazing upon its sacred pages is an act of worship, a form of communication with Allah the Almighty.

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“On the Day of Judgment the fasting and the Quran will intercede for the servant.

The fast will say: “O Lord! During the day, I prevented him from eating and his desires. Permit me to intercede on his behalf.”

Then the Quran will say: “(Because he read me during the nights) I prevented him from sleeping during the night. Permit me to intercede on his behalf.”

Thus they will intercede on his behalf.”

On the day from which there is no escape, we can cling to the hope of being granted shafa’ah by these two bestowers only by revering and treasuring both.

Itikaf during Ramadan

A Muslim who’s come of age and is sound of mind, staying in a mosque, in which daily prayers are observed regularly five times a day, with the intention of worshipping Allah for a definite amount of time, is called itikaf. Entering itikaf, particularly to make the most of the month of Ramadan and Laylatul Qadr, constitutes an invaluable endeavor that scholars of Islam deem most worthy. Itikaf, especially when conducted with ikhlas, is mentioned among the most virtuous of good deeds. Through this deed, a human being slips away from the suffocating bonds of worldly matters and turns purely to Allah the Most High, even if only for a limited time.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) always spent the last ten days of Ramadan in itikaf, from the year he made hijrah till he passed away to the afterlife. For this reason, it is a sunnah muakkadah, a tradition of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) robustly maintained by him during his life, to spend the last ten days of Ramadan reading the Qur’an, performing dhikr, and keeping busy with other non-obligatory acts of worship. According to some narrations, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would often withdraw into seclusion in the years before his prophethood during his visits to Mount Hira. He would spend the majority of his time fasting and in a state of tafakkur, thinking of and being with Allah almost as if preparing for his years as the last prophet. Eventually, the first verses of the divine message were revealed while he was engaged in deep reflection. Itikaf, as a prophetic endeavor, can be called a unique opportunity to find renewal for our hearts and souls. 

Women enter into itikaf by settling themselves in a part of the room they have reserved for prayers. Any practices that are applicable to men for itikaf in a mosque are valid for women in their homes.

The main purpose of itikaf is to purge the heart of all worldly attachments and cleanse it in order to please Allah (jalla jalaluhu). A person receives ajr (a measure of reward to be granted in the akhirah) for every moment they spend in itikaf. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gives the following glad tidings regarding those who dedicate their time to itikaf:

“Whosoever enters itikaf for ten days during Ramadan, he will be rewarded with two Hajj and two umrah.”

Such a monumental night

The worth of any span of time or location is based on the significant events that transpire within them. What makes the night of Qadr so important is the fact that it is the night on which the Qur’an began to be revealed. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) mentions this night with exceptional good news, declaring it to be the night the Qur’an was sent down on, and marking it as a night better than a thousand months. It is a time during which angels descend. However, there is no mention of which night it is or what kind of boons and favors it holds.

One possible explanation for this could be that our infinitely merciful Creator wants us to make the most of not one but numerous nights in an effort to benefit from the night of Qadr. He might want us to carry the hope of finding unimaginable rewards and blessings instead of attaining a definite, fixed prize that leaves little room for interpretation.

It is common knowledge that the previous ummahs had longer lifespans than us. Some narrations mention people who lived for a thousand years. On the other hand, Muslims live less than a hundred years on average. The esteemed sahabah told Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about their concerns that they would not be able to keep up with the previous ummahs because of the immense difference in lifespan. After that, Allah (jalla jalaluhu) revealed the surah Al-Qadr to give them glad tidings. The translation of this surah is as follows:

“We have sent it (the Qur’an) down on the Night of Qadr. And what may let you know what the Night of Qadr is? The Night of Qadr is much better than one thousand months. The angels and the Spirit [Jibril] descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is till the debut of dawn.”

Laylatu’l-Qadr is an incredible night filled with blessings of staggering proportions. It is a downpour of mercy that is so potent and encompassing that Muslims who seek to please Allah and ask for His forgiveness on that night and act with this intention are sure to find many opportunities to do so. However, a narration gives us news of those who are deprived of this night’s tremendous advantages. It is narrated that when the Night of Qadr came to an end and the time twilight dawned on the horizon of that night, Jibril (alayhissalam) commanded other angels to return, and so they left Earth. Following the departure of the angels from Earth, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked Jibril (alayhissalam) who were granted forgiveness and who were not. Jibril (alayhissalam) said the following four groups of people were not forgiven: The first was alcohol addicts who still haven’t been able to quit. The second was people who are cruel towards their parents. The third was people who sever ties with their relatives. The fourth was people who fell out with their Muslim brothers and sisters and spent more than three days without reaching peaceful terms with them.

Sometimes, things we do without even realizing can lead to our good deeds turning into wasted efforts.  That can lead to us losing out on the incredibly vast mercy and forgiveness being doled out in this month. To avoid such a lamentable fate and not be included in the four classes of people mentioned above, we need to be particularly careful.

It is highly beneficial to spend every night of Ramadan in worship so as not to miss out on the rewards of this magnificent night, the exact date of which is undisclosed. Allah the Most Merciful will surely reward our efforts to find this most precious period of time. It is a time that can very well be the key to saving our eternal lives, a hidden treasure. If it feels too strenuous to spend every night of Ramadan in this way, we can at least try to utilize the last ten days of the month in this fashion. If that also appears difficult to achieve, we should exert ourselves to make sure that we spend the odd-numbered days within the last ten days of the month filled with ibadah.

What to do in Ramadan?

• We should make time for all the ibadahs we couldn’t get around to doing in other months and try to expand on these ibadahs with perseverance to increase the tally of our good deeds. We should read the Qur’an during the day and strive to perform tahajjud, do dhikr and ask for forgiveness with istighfar during the night.
• We should take Ramadan as an opportunity to get out of our bad habits. We should resolve not to relapse into any reprehensible actions that we mandatorily cut ourselves off from while fasting.
• We should avoid overindulging ourselves during iftar to avoid being swept up in ghaflah. Eating immoderately in Ramadan causes the heart to be plunged into ghaflah and goes against the grain of Ramadan. We shouldn’t put stock in the widespread propaganda that aims to reduce Ramadan to a food-centric month of binge-eating.
• We should engage in acts of kindness towards others around us to win their hearts. We should also put an end to any quarrel or hard feelings we might have between ourselves and others and especially work hard to spark a warmth of joy in our parents’ hearts.
• The beginning of this month is mercy, its middle forgiveness, and its end freedom from hell. Therefore, we should beseech Allah amply for forgiveness. Every repentance performed with a true heart has great worth in the sight of Allah. This is the month wherein prayers arrive before the presence of the Rabb of the Worlds in waves, and tears of remorse wipe out sins. In short, Ramadan is a time to make progress with good deeds and a time of purification from sins.
• It is sunnah to perform tarawih prayers in congregation. If we can fast, perform salah in congregation and do other acts of worship with tafakkur and an awakened heart, we can hope to be among those mentioned in the following good news given by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): “He who observes fasting during the month of Ramadan with Faith while seeking its reward from Allah, will have his past sins forgiven.”
• We should take special care not to miss any sunnah in Ramadan regardless of whether it is sunnahmuakkadah or not. We should especially make sure to spend the last ten days of Ramadan diligently working to accumulate as many good deeds as possible.
• It is wajib (obligatory) for those who have wealth equal to nisab to give Sadaqah al-Fitr in this month. This sadaqah is a means of lending greater worth to our fasts during Ramadan so that they are accepted, and finding safety from the suffering during the throes of death and life in the grave. This sadaqah needs to be delivered to an eligible recipient before the Salatu’l-Eid at the latest.

May Allah join us among those of His servants whom He mentions “He gives up his desire and his food for My sake and I shall reward for it.” May He grant us all a blessed Ramadan.

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