The holy month of Ramadan: A blessing for the souls of all Muslims

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18 February, 2018

Morality of the Qur'an and Deep Thinking

Allah fortifies the moral values of the Qur’an upon His believing servants with the obligation of fasting observed during the month of Ramadan. I pray Almighty Allah to root the hearts of all Muslims in the virtues revealed in the Qur’an.

The month of Ramadan is the night when the Qur’an, which is a guide for all humanity, was sent and when we will meet the Night of Power, which is revealed to be "better than a thousand months" (Surat al-Qadr, 3) with joy and enthusiasm. Throughout this month, all Muslims in the world perform their duty of fasting as a single body and thank the Lord for His blessings.

The month of Ramadan conceives many reasons both open and hidden. It is important, as this is the time when Muslims train their lower selves. The days of the month of Ramadan, when believers observe the obligation to fast, is an opportunity for Muslims to once again reflect on many issues concerning the moral values of the Qur’an.

Allah created man and graced the world with the most beautiful blessings that we all need. Human beings are in need of constant protection as well as mercy by and of our Almighty Lord at all times respectively; we need Allah to forgive us for our mistakes and show us the right path. These are facts, which all believers who comprehend the mightiness and strength of Allah believe by heart. But if we don't think deeply and use our conscience properly, we could fall into negligence and forget these important truths.

Fasting as an act of prayer to earn the good pleasure of Allah is an indication of strong faith, sincerity and fear of Allah, because fasting is a prayer between Allah and His servants. Only Allah knows what lies in the hearts of people who perform this obligation, their sincerity, or devotion in avoiding the unlawful acts and carrying out good deeds. Other people cannot know whether a person fasts simply for showing-off or as a sincere act of prayer. The reward for this prayer is only in Allah’s sight. Our Prophet (saas) has heralded believers as such: “Happy are those who spend this month with fasting, prayer and doing good deeds!” Allah reveals the merit of fasting in Surat al-Baqara as such:

You who have faith! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you – so that hopefully you will have piety (Surat al-Baqara, 183)

As it is revealed in the verse, one of the reasons that fasting was made a religious obligation is to encourage people to avoid evil and discipline their lower-selves. The only way to do this is to believe in Allah with a sincere heart, follow His commands and advise, listen to one’s conscience and avoid the suggestions of one’s lower-self. The virtues of such a person would inevitably improve for the better in time and his faith would mature and his fear of Allah would increase.

Muslims hope to attain the mercy of Allah by cleansing their selves. They overcome their lower selves in order to attain the Garden promised by Allah, and so they experience the joy and inner peace of displaying fortitude, altruism and virtue when faced with difficulty. In the Qur’an, Allah reveals that Muslims are pleased to live by the moral values of religion and feel deep contentment thereby, and regard any other behavior as repellent:

… Allah has given you love of faith and made it pleasing to your hearts, and has made disbelief, deviance and disobedience hateful to you. People such as these are rightly guided. It is a great favor from Allah and a blessing. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat al-Hujurat, 7-8)

Ever single day in the month of Ramadan is a reason for joy and celebration. For Muslims, it is a blessing, a cure for the soul and a vital opportunity to please Allah. It is also very important to consider this holy month as the perfect time to encourage Muslim to act together as an ummah in all fields and strive for the unity of the Islamic world.