Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

altmuslim

Home
Muslim
Reflections from Cape Town: Four Ways to Attain Maximum Ramadan Blessings

Reflections from Cape Town: Four Ways to Attain Maximum Ramadan Blessings

Last updated on: June 14, 2016 at 4:00 pm by Guest Contributor

Reflections from Cape Town: Four Ways to Attain Maximum Ramadan Blessings 2016-06-14T00:21:43-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo from pixabay.com, public domain

This is Day Nine of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series.

By Imam Fakhruddin Owaisi

Cape Town: Ramadan is one of God’s great blessings upon us.

What I personally love the most about Ramadan is that it brings the best out of Muslims. Even the corrupt become pious. The miserly become generous. The rude become polite. The cruel become kind. The heedless become conscious. The immodest become modest.

In short, Ramadan gives us hope. Ramadan proves to us that every person has the potential to be a saint. There is sanctity and goodness in all of us. But, it is often buried under heaps of worldly pursuits and selfish desires. Ramadan is the season to clean up that mess and be ourselves! Our free selves! Free from the control of vain passions and egoistic desires.

So, in Ramadan we restrict our bodily desires and connect to our Souls. To our origins; to who we really are and should be. We become conscious of our Creator and His purpose in creating us: to worship Him and serve His creation. And, the two are really the same thing.

God says in the Holy Book: “O You who have believed! Fasting has been prescribed upon you like it was prescribed on the nations before you, so that you may attain God-consciousness.” (Quran 2:183)

Fasting then is not merely a religious ritual or medical exercise. It is a means to create in us that God-consciousness, which makes us true humans, who account for every action, statement and thought of theirs.

And indeed, those who take account of themselves will not have to account to God. Their “sins are forgiven.” They washed it away themselves. Paradise is for the pure and purified!

Says the blessed Prophet (peace be upon him):

“Whosoever fasts the month of Ramadan with faith and accountability, all his previous sins shall be forgiven.”

Here are some suggestions then to take the maximum advantage of this blessed month:

Fast properly: Fasting is not only protecting your mouth from food and drink for the whole day. It is more importantly protecting your mouth from all words that displease the Creator and hurt His creation. One is not fasting if one’s mouth does not stay pure of lying, backbiting, slandering and foul language. A hungry man can easily turn into an angry man. Many a fast was wasted by not protecting our tongues from hurtful words.

As our master Jesus said:

“It is not what goes in your mouth that matters. It is what comes out of your mouth that matters.”

Says the blessed Prophet (peace be upon him), “There are many who fast but gain nothing out of their fast but hunger and thirst.”

Pray properly: If the days of Ramadan are for fasting then the nights are for prayer.

The tarawih prayers are the beauty and bliss of the nights of Ramadan. Millions of believers stand in rows for a good period of time, in awe of God and His Word.

The blessed Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever stands with the Imam in (tarawih) prayer until he is finished shall gain the reward of praying for the entire night.”

The recitation of the entire Quran in the tarawih prayers is in a way, a re-enactment of the revelation of the Holy Book in this month. In fact, the fast in the day purifies us in order to make us ready to stand up and “receive the Quran” during the tarawih prayers.

Besides, people tend to overeat after breaking their fast, even though it’s against the way of the Prophet (PBUH). What better way then to digest that food and burn those calories than the tarawih prayers?!

So let us not neglect this great Sunnah of the night prayer.

Return to the Quran: Ramadan is sacred because the Holy Quran was revealed in it. We fast in this month in honor of the Quran. Almighty Allah says: “The month of Ramadan in which We revealed the Quran as Guidance for Mankind … so whosoever attains the month, then let him fast in it.”

The Quran is God’s direct message to mankind. It is full of guidance, light and wonders. Ramadan is the right time for us to return to the Quran, to recite and understand it. Traditionally, Muslims would read a part (Juz/Sipara) daily, in order to finish a complete recitation over 30 days. If one cannot do that, then one may read any amount daily, and complete the full recitation even after Ramadan.

I advise everyone to recite what they can of the Holy Book in this month, with some translation. The recitation of the Arabic will polish your heart, and reading the translation will illuminate your mind.

Charity: Ramadan is the month of Charity! Ibn-Abbas narrates that the “Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was the most generous of all people, and he would be the most generous in Ramadan!”

Fasting and prayer are all useless if not complemented with charity. Throughout the Quran, prayer and charity are mentioned together. Even the smallest act of charity in this month may result in complete forgiveness, as the Blessed Prophet said.

So yes! Ramadan is here! And Ramadan will go! But what will it go with? What will it take from us to the Divine Presence of the All-Merciful?

That’s what matters.

Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi is a prominent Islamic scholar in South Africa and head of the Department of Islamic Studies at the International Peace College of South Africa (IPSA), Cape Town.

30 Days 30 Writers (2016)

Previous Post

June 13, 2016

Dalia Mogahed: Muhammad Ali Saw the Oneness of Humanity

Next Post

June 14, 2016 Dr. Sherman A. Jackson: Muhammad Ali was A Gift to His People, Religion, Country and Ultimately the World

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2012 Elections 30 Dayd 30 Writers (2017) 30 Days 30 Writers 30 Days 30 Writers (2015) 30 Days 30 Writers (2016) 30 Days 30 Writers (2018) 30 Days 30 Writers 2017 Ali Asadullah Ali Eteraz Alper Bilgili Arthur Richards Asides Asma Uddin Black History Month Briefings Charles Turner Commentary Cyrus McGoldrick Eman H Aly Fatimah Popal Hajj Hajj and Dhul Hijjah Hesham Hassaballa Hisham Hellyer Ibrahim Abusharif Inas Younis Irfan Yusuf Jalal Baig Junaid Afeef Laila Alawa Laila Alwala Mas'ood Cajee Muqtedar Khan Nakia Jackson Newsmakers Parvez Ahmed Podcasts Rabia Chaudry Rafia Zakaria Ramadan Reviews Safiyyah Ally Saud Inam Shahed Amanullah Svend White The Opinionated Oncologist Visions Wajahat Ali Zahed Amanullah Zahir Janmohamed Zainab Khan

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul Moses David Jesus