Ramadan is truly here. We have been in it for a few days now. While everyone has drawn up their own religious program, others are still wondering where to begin: which acts of worship to focus on, whether to understand the Quran or read it abundantly? What if the secret of a successful Ramadan lay elsewhere? How can we attain Taqwa and preserve it?
In this article, we will try to understand why Ramadan is so important and how to fully benefit from the fruits it invites us to experience every year, so that we may engrave them within ourselves.
Why is Ramadan so important?
Seeking the meaning of this blessed period of Ramadan is the first stone to lay in pursuit of the goal of a Ramadan fulfilled with sincerity. How can one reap all the benefits of these holy days and nights without grasping their purposes, the meaning of the word, or the circumstances surrounding this month?
Ramadan is indeed the month during which we are commanded to fast, but it is also the month of the Quran, bearing noble merits and incredible benefits for humanity. Humanity, yes, not just Muslims!
Let us first see what Allah, to Him belong the Glory and the Majesty, says about it in His Noble Verses:
First, Ramadan is the month during which the Holy Quran was revealed. During this month, whose name means "extreme heat" in Arabic, the Sacred Book, well-preserved in the seventh heaven, descended to the lowest heaven to then be revealed in successive portions over 23 years to humanity through the mouth of an illiterate, holy and pure man in the depths of Arabia, upon him be the peace and salutation of mankind and of all beings until the end of time.
Allah thus revealed His Holy Word to the Angel Jibril (the Archangel Gabriel), who transmitted it to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who conveyed it to the people of his community and then little by little to the entire world with his messengers on horseback.
To this day His Word continues to be transmitted, and all this began with the descent of the Sacred Copy to the lowest heaven in a sacred month, which is Ramadan.
This month, which corresponds to a period of extreme heat in Arabia, was chosen to receive the revelation from heaven, just as the thirsty man in the desert waits to receive water. It is indeed all of humanity that received the Holy Quran in this month.
But then why do we fast?
The fast of the month of Ramadan, the 4th pillar of Islam, as explained in another article, was revealed to other peoples before the Muslims. In different ways, Christians and Jews too received the obligation to fast a set number of days in submission to the Creator of the Universe.
Ramadan is not merely a celebration of this Quranic revelation during this period. It is also an act of connection to Allah through the Quran, and this is little understood among believers who see in it only the submission of our bodies to the Creator.
If we take the example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, his fasting was done with intention. When he fasted the month of Sha'ban, he explained to his Companions the value of fasting this month.
Indeed, he explained to them that he loved for his deeds to be raised to the Lord while he was in a state of fasting, just as we read in this prophetic Tradition (Hadith):
According to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) would fast to the point that we would say: "He no longer breaks his fast"; and he would break his fast to the point that we would say: "He no longer fasts". I never saw the Prophet (may the prayer of Allah and His salutation be upon him) fast a complete month except Ramadan, and I never saw him fast in any month as much as in Sha'ban. (Reported by Bukhari and Muslim)
Thus, if the Quran was revealed during the month of Ramadan, it is precisely so that we may devote ourselves to it, seek the Pleasure of Allah through it, and meditate upon it.
What are the goals of Ramadan?
This connection between the obligation of fasting and the Quran must be understood to help us draw all the fruits of the blessed month of Ramadan. Because the goals of fasting are deeper still, and for this we must read attentively verse 183 of Surah Al-Baqarah:
Taqwa, understood as piety, is the ultimate goal sought through fasting.
And if the believer imagined fasting as a training, piety as the competition of his life, and the understanding of the Quran as his diploma, he would fast with meaning and without slackening. He would study and meditate upon the Quran ceaselessly, because the attainment of Taqwa does not stop at the end of Ramadan.
It is a competition that will last his entire life!
Because the finish line, whether we realize it or not, will be: the gates of Paradise!
Allah, at every Ramadan, says to us: "Who wants to compete?" It is up to us to take this training that is the fast of Ramadan seriously, for the stakes are great.
What is piety? It is that inner awareness that Allah is Present, that He sees us. It is to worship Him in full consciousness, out of Love and reverent awe of our Lord, for He sees us, even though we do not see Him.
During the fast of Ramadan, when the body cries out with hunger and longs to quench its thirst and its other physical desires, faith in Him does not let it disobey, because the full awareness of His Presence is stronger. It is this notion of consciousness toward our Creator that must be developed for the rest of our life. And 30 days are not too many for that.
Allah expects from us the most obvious manifestation of our faith, and that is piety. This is why this word is one of the most repeated throughout the Quran. This is also why fasting was prescribed for us during the month of the Quran.
When this consciousness is not there, the reading of the Quran is not done in the same way!
The benefits of the Quran contained in the verse cited above will not be discovered, because reading practiced with only the tongue brings little fruit.
Indeed, in the first verse of the Quran cited above, Allah tells us that He revealed the Quran during the month of Ramadan and that it is:
- a guidance
- proofs of guidance for the people
- the criterion (of right and wrong)
A heart conscious of Allah during its reading meditates, pauses at the supplications and weeps out of devotion, sincerely implores and develops a certainty that Allah is the Only One able to answer it.
Ramadan prepares one for this.
The Companions who attended the recitation of the Quran during the night prayer understood the Arabic language and therefore recognized the benefits of the Quran. They eagerly awaited the arrival of Ramadan in order to draw all its fruits during the rest of the year.
Today, the quantity of verses read counts more than the understanding (or simply the pursuit of that understanding) of them. Which is a shame.
The attainment of this piety that Allah mentions as being our goal can only be achieved through introspection. Each one of us.
Do we truly want to understand through the Quran:
- how Allah wants us to live our lives?
- what is forbidden and what is permitted ?
- what led to the destruction of the peoples before us, so as not to fall into the same traps?
- what Allah loves so as to strive toward it, and what He hates so as to keep away from it?
If the answer is yes, let us know that only the Word of Allah can help us find all the answers to these questions, and that the fast of Ramadan helps us in this.
May Allah aid us and protect us against a poor understanding of our purpose on Earth, and against a poor understanding of the Quran and of how to fast it, and may He allow us to attain Taqwa. Amin
May He help us to worship Him better and make us among His Servants with whom He is Pleased. Amin
If you have any questions to ask about this article or suggestions to make to us, please do so in the comments.
BarakaLahu fikum