The holy month of Ramadan is at our doorstep. And I am sure that most of you are preparing for it to earn the blessings of ramadan, some of us are planning to recite and complete the Noble Quran in this month while some are ambitious to observe the complete fasts.
Some are planning to have get-to-gathers on Suhoors (Dawn) and Iftar (Breaking the fast), while some are investing in their business to to have better profit. Some are planning to give charity in the cause of Allah and on the same time some greedy people are planning to disguise themselves for zakaa’t and earning a lot of money etc. This is the world and if I am not wrong, it is all about Islamic world.
The Ramadan have two aspects, worldly and of hereafter. If you are reading this article then believe me your worldly affairs are good enough… you are literate, have eyes, and have the resources to access this content.
Thanks Allah (SWT) for all this. Lets talk about “Hereafter” now. The hereafter , on which you have to believe and have faith if you call yourself a Muslim.
Fasting (Sawm) in Ramadan, the 9th month in the Hijri Calendar, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The meaning of Sawm is to ‘abstain’. In this month, Allah has made fasting obligatory upon Muslims, as He had to earlier peoples and nations. Fasting involves total abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking and conjugal relations, and all forms of vice from dawn until sunset.
Let me explain fasting in Ramadan, these are not my words or by any scholar. These pearls are given to us by the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) to earn the blessings of ramadan, on whom no one has any doubt even the non-believers.
The Prophet (Peace and blessing of Allah be on him) said that Allah said:
“Every action of the son of Adam is for himself except fasting. It is done for My sake, and I will give a reward for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied 10 times”. (Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 3)
The Prophet (May the peace and blessing of Allah be on him) said,
“When the month of Ramadhan starts, the gates of mercy are opened and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained”. (Sahih Muslim, Book 006, Number 2361)
The Prophet (May the peace and blessing of Allah be on him) also said:
“Fasting is a shield or protection from the Fire and from committing sins. If one is fasting, he should avoid sexual relations with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, ‘I am fasting.’ There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and other at the time when he will meet Allah; then he will be pleased because of his fasting.”(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 128)
Now, tell me about your wish for hereafter – no matter who you are, a Muslim, a Christ or from any religion. Definitely, the majority will say, “A Best Life” i.e. Paradise. And if you look at the last hadith given above where Allah (SWT) is going to meet the person who observes Fasts – what do you think where is Allah??? Obviously everywhere even in Paradise but not in Hellfire.
Observe fasts in their true sense, give charity and offer obligatory as well as the night prayers, the Paradise is definitely waiting for you. I’ve found the following book by a renowned publisher in Islamic world i.e. “Darussalam Publishers” very helpful to understand the true sense of fasting and to get extra benefits out of it. One of the best book by Darussalam Publisher for Ramadan is, “How To make most of the Ramadan“.
