Theme of Ramdhan

Ramadan Message
                                                                                              By Shabir Mir
Asalamualikum!!
Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five basic pillars of Islam.
Allah has said in Quran “O you ,who belive !As-Sawm(fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become “al –muttaqoon”(pious)---surah Al-Baqrah 2:183.
We observe dawn to dusk fast in Ramadan only for the pleasure of our creator and sustainer Allah subhantallah.
It is a symbol of rising above all needs of body and willingly enduring their pressures in total submission to Allah.
This month is meant to maximize the direct acts of “Ibadah” and to minimize the pure mundane activities so that one may accelerate his spiritual progress and repair any losses to it suffered during the year.
This month has been designed to maintain a balance between spiritual and materialistic aspects of life.
The theme of Ramadan is not just abstaining from food and drink as is evident from the hadith of our beloved prophet ”How many people are fasting while they get nothing from it except hunger and thirst”.
Nor is it(theme) to go into shopping frenzy before Ramadan and indulge in over-eating from breakfast to suhoor. This kind of behavior on our part is against the spirit of Ramadan and disliked by Prophet Mohammad(peace be upon him)“The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach.It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouth- full’s to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach) then let him fill one third with food, one third with water and one third with air”. –Al Tirmidhi 138.
From these hadiths it becomes apparent that there is more to Ramadan fasting than abstaining from food and water. Overcoming hunger and thirst and other needs of body are part of it, but protecting our eyes, ears, tongue and mind from sins is also necessary.
Ramadan is about attaining Tqwa—fear and/or consciousness about the presence of Allah at all times. We must spent much time in remembrance of Allah (dhikir) as established by this hadith— “Shall I not tell you of the best of your deeds, the most pleasing to your sovereign ,those that raise you most in status and that are better than your giving gold and silver—Remembrance of Allah (dhikir)”.{Al-Tirmidhi }

We engage in sins by the hour—daily, weekly and yearly. Unfortunately , in many cases we are not even aware of committing those sins. Ramadan provides us with an opportunity to ask for the heart-felt forgiveness for the sins we must have done. The Prophet (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) has said , ”Every son of Adam sins and best of sinners are those who repent”.—Ibn Maajah.
Ramadan is the month of Sabr (patience) and the reward for sabr is heaven. Sabr means not only patience and perseverance in difficulties, it also means being steadfast in avoiding sins in the face of temptations.
This is the month to achieve softness of heart, humility, tranquility, and total submission to Allah---Khushoo. In our behavior we should be compassionate, considerate, humble, forgiving and helping. Indulgence in arguments and backbiting should be avoided at all costs. If heart is properly focused then the rest of the body will follow as has been said by the prophet(PBUH) ,”In body there is a piece of flesh which, if it is sound , the entire body will be sound but if it is corrupt the entire body will be corrupt. Verily it is the heart”.-Al Bhukhari-25.
Ramadan is also the month for generosity, kindness and charity. Our beloved prophet (PBUH) has said that best charity is that given in Ramadan.
( “The best charity is that given in Ramadhan.)”[At-Tirmithi]. Charity doesn’t need to be huge sums of money, precious metals or other materials. It can be a smile, a comforting word or a gesture to a person in distress. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) used to release all prisoners of war and fulfill the needs of every person who would ask him for something.
IN this month believers sustenance is increased and whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast shall have his sins forgiven and he will be saved from the fire of hell and he shall have same reward as fasting person.
Ramadan provides an opportunity to organize, struggle and liberate ourselves from selfishness, individualism, consumerism, addictions, temptations and unbridled desires.
 Ramadan is the month of Quran, Taqwa, prayers, dhikir (remembrance of Allah) and charity. It is a month for spiritual and physical rejuvenation, a time to ponder at our sins and seek forgiveness, an opportunity to reorganize ourselves to be better human beings.
Let us constantly gauge our deeds, hearts and souls and if they are not tuned to Allah and spirit of Ramadan then we may have adopted a theme which was not sanctioned by our beloved prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).
Lastly there are no better words to describe Ramadan than those of our prophet in his khutbah in last week of Shaban“"Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all." [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]
May Allah accept all our good deeds—Ameen.
Remember me in your prayers and Duas.


This is the text of the lecture by Dr .Shabir Mir given at IDFmGabga on 05/09/2010 at Kuwait