All you need to know about Ramadan
By Adegoke Awau
The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is also regarded as the holy month in which the Quraan was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as guidance for mankind.
The month of Ramadan is when piety is at its peak. It is a month full of spiritual bonds and Muslims move closer to God. It also is a month of mercy, repentance, pardon and charity
Why do Muslims fast?
Fasting is the fourth pillar of Islam in which it is expected of a believer to take to heart for the completion of his religion after having faith, performing solat, zaka, where fasting comes forth and the Hajj pilgrimage is the last of the pillars.
Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan because it has been mandated on them by their Lord, Allah. In the Holy Quran, Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183:
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.”
Muslims adhere to this command strictly to obey their Lord and follow what has been ordained to them by abstaining from food, from any form of sexual activity, and form of sins, illicit acts, and so on from dawn to dusk.
Also, fasting is a means of worship and a way of feeling how the less privileged feel in terms of hunger and reaching out to them.
As fasting is mandatory for every believer up to age, there is still an exemption for some individuals such as the ill, pregnant, travellers, breastfeeding, and menstruating women but must be paid back when they are relieved of their situation.
The virtues of Ramadan
Ramadan has numerous virtues and blessings in it. One of its great blessings is that the fasting person can only be rewarded by his/her lord; when Allah says that”….except fasting is for fasting which is only for my sake, and I will reward him for it. “
Other virtues are
- Forgiveness of sins
- The gates of heaven are opened
- Gates of hell are closed
- Devils are chained up
- It has a blessed night which is better than 1000 months equivalent to 83 years and 4 months
- Quran recitation provides an opportunity for great rewards in this life and the hereafter
How Muslims should make use of their time in the holy month
As we all know, time is everything in life. Whoever misuses his/her time has done grief to himself. Also, whoever fails to plan, has a plan to fail.
As Muslim witness the blessed month, they should look forward to every act of worship that will earn them great rewards in both worlds.
They should engage in acts of worship such as; performing their daily prayers, fasting, doing dhikr, making lots of duas listening to lectures, and reciting the Quran which can come in various forms; reflecting on its meaning, memorizing the Quran, and teaching someone. Building family ties, and giving out to the poor among others.
