The Prophet of Mercy Website

By: Amena Jacobs

A very special month is coming up for Muslims around the world. Very soon the month of Ramadan will be upon us. I know some of you are thinking what is Ramadan? I've heard of it before but don't quite know what it means. Ramadan is the 9th lunar month of the Islamic Calendar. However that is not all it is, it is also a very special month because we fast the entire month from sunrise to sunset. So, keep reading as I'm going to explain Ramadan and its significance, history and our manner of fasting.

In Islam there are two kinds of fasting, which are: the obligatory and the voluntary {Sunnah}. The month of Ramadan is the only obligatory while all other fasts are voluntary. In Islam there are three kinds of voluntary (Sunnah) fasts which are fasting Mondays and Thursdays, the 13, 14 and 15 of every month or fasting every other day.

Now I would like to lay out why we fast. One of the main reasons is because fasting is the only act of worship that is for God. The Prophet said: "God said, 'All the deeds of Adam's sons {mankind} are for them, except fasting which is for me, and I will give rewards for it.'"

Another key reason is to gain favor with God on the Day of Resurrection.

The Prophet said, "There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Raiyan, and those who observe fasts will enter through it on the Day of Resurrection and none except them will enter through it. It will be said, 'Where are those who used to observe fasts?' They will get up, and none except them will enter through it. After their entry the gate will be closed and nobody will enter through it."

The Prophet said, "There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting."

We fast as it is a protection against lewdness and evil. The Prophet said, "Fasting is a shield (or a screen or a shelter). So, the person observing fasting should avoid sexual relation with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should tell him twice, 'I am fasting." The Prophet added, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), 'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times." As we can see fasting is also a tool to improve our character as not even arguing is allowed while fasting. So fasting, entails not only giving up food and drink but sexual relations with ones spouse, lewd speech and any acts of evil. The Prophet said, "Whoever doesn't give up forged speech and evil acts, God is not in need of his leaving of food and drink (i.e. his fast will not be accepted)." {Bukhari}

Fasting is also prescribed for those who can not afford to marry in order to keep them chaste. The prophet said, "While I was walking with 'Abdullah he said, "We were in the company of the Prophet and he said, 'He who can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him refrain from looking at other women, and save his private parts from looking at other women, and save his private parts from committing illegal sexual relation; and he who cannot afford to marry is advised to fast, as fasting will diminish his sexual power."

We are encouraged whether it is voluntary fasting or fasting the month of Ramadan to increase our supplication to God during our fast because due to our sacrifice and striving God informs us that our supplication during this time will be answered. The Prophet said, "Three people will not have their supplication rejected: The just ruler, the fasting person until breaking the fast, and the supplication of the oppressed person, for God raises it above the clouds on the Day of Resurrection and the doors of heaven will be opened for it, and God says, 'By my grace! I will certainly grant it after a while.'" {Ahmed}

Fasting is also a great way to expiate past sins. The Prophet said, "…Sins one commits concerning his household (family) or wealth is expiated by performing prayers, fasting and charity." {Bukhari and Muslim} God is so merciful and thus gives us many opportunities to expiate our sins. Ramadan has many blessings and one is that the sins committed from one Ramadan to the next are forgiven by fasting the month. The Prophet said, "The five prayers, the Friday prayer till the following Friday prayer, Ramadan to the following Ramadan are all expiatory for sins committed in the period between them so long as the major sins are not committed." {Muslim} Because of Ramadan's many blessings it is also a good time to do extra good deeds as they are reward much more. In fact most Muslims save the giving of their yearly charity until this month. Narrated by Ibn Abbas, "The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel visited him, and Gabriel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet used to recite the Holy Quran to Gabriel, and when Gabriel met him, he used to be more generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare)."

So whether it be voluntary fasting or the fasting of the month of Ramadan, fasting is not just about self restraint but a spiritual renewal that gives us an opportunity to come closer to God, gain inner reflection and purification that leads us from thoughts of this life to that of the hereafter so that we may focus on worship and good deeds and avoid over indulgence, feel hungry and as a result feel sympathy for those who starve, in the end, we will be more thankful and appreciative of God's mercy and blessings causing us to rethink the course of our life's.

Now, to the physical benefits of fasting, God knows how our bodies work and recently it has become well known about the advantages of abstaining and cleaning our systems. Are bodies were created so effectively and if given the chance, by not loading up our stomachs, it will in fact heal itself of illness and disease. Medically fasting is known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol as well as relieve headaches, hypoglycemia, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, colitis, psoriasis, lupus, and uterine fibroids. The prophet said, "There is nothing worse that the son of Adam can do than filling a bowl with food except filling up his stomach with food." When we eat a normal modern day diet and fill our stomachs most of our energy is then diverted from healing in order to digest.

I know that some may not see it this was but because God is so merciful he prescribes fasting for us. The more that we do something the easier it becomes and eventually fasting becomes quite tolerable and by committing this task we receive so many blessing as well as a shield on the Day of Judgment, forgiveness of our sins, a time when our prayers are guaranteed to be answered, a closer relationship with God all the while giving our bodies a chance to rest, purify and heal itself from what ever abuse has been heaped on it through out the year. You could say that fasting is a purification of the body, mind and soul that cleanses the evil and bad behavior.

Due to God's infinite and unlimited mercy not every one has to fast the month of Ramadan. The following are exempt from fasting:

The prophet said, "The pen has been left off three people (i.e. they are not called to account for what they do or don't do): 1. a sleeping person until they wake 2. the insane or unaware until they become sane or aware 3 and the small child until they reach puperty.

1. Children until they reach puberty are exempt, however you will find some younger children trying to fast, especially in Ramadan, as everyone else is fasting and they don't want to feel left out. Some allow them to fast half days while others will allow them to drink but not eat. This doesn't hurt them and prepares them and make their future fasting easier.

2. Someone who is insane or has diminished mental capacity doesn't have to fast either as the hadith mentions someone who is unaware will not be held accountable.

Aisha said, "We used to be in a state of menses so would stop praying and fasting but after it we were ordered to make up for the days we didn't fast in Ramadan but were not ordered to make up the prayers we missed because of menses."

3. God and his all encompassing knowledge order women not to fast when they are in a state of menses or post pardum bledding because due to the blood lose women need sustenance during this fragile time.

The prophet said, "Verily! God eliminated half the prayers from the one who is traveling and eliminated fasting from the pregnant and breast feeding women."

4. Unlike women in a state of menses pregnant and breast feeding women have a choice to fast or not. If they feel they can do it with easy then they may but if they suffer any hardship or it becomes risking to her or the baby to do so then it becomes forbidden.

5. Traveling in itself is a big enough hardship and one needs to maintain their strength so fasting may be broken.

The prophet said, "It is not rightouesness to observe fasting on a journey."

God said, "…And whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number of days which one didn't observe fasting the fasts must be made up from other days. God intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship…" {Quran 2:185}

6. Illness or old age:

Illness is of three kinds, one is when it is not hard or harmful to fast, in this cause the person must fast. Second is when it is hard but not harmful to fast and in this case the person may choice to fast or not. The third is when it is harmful in which case it becomes forbidden to fast.

God says, "…So whoever among you is ill or on a journey then an equal number of days are to be made up. And upon those who are able to fast but with hardship a substitute of feeding a poor person for each day of fasting…"{Quran 2:184}

In the case of serious illness or old age God allows the person to feed the needy instead of making up days due to the fact that the person may not be well enough in the future to make up the days missed.

I must be honest here the logic and mercy of Islam is what attracted and lead me to convert in the first place and these rules pertaining to fasting are so logical and full of wisdom. Islam is meant to be easy and we are always to seek the middle choice so as not to be too lenient not to extreme.

God praises the month of Ramadan by choosing it as the month to reveal the Quran and all other revelations. The prophet said, ""The pages of Abraham were reveled on the first night of Ramadan. The Old Testament was revealed during the 6th night of Ramadan. The New Testament was revealed on the 13th nigh of Ramadan. God revealed the Quran on the 24th night of Ramadan." {Ahmed}

The night the Quran was sent down was a blessed night, "We sent it down on a blessed night." {Quran 44:3} In this verse God is referring to the Night of Decree.

God said, ""Verily! We have sent it (this Quran) down in the night of Decree. And what will make you know what the night of Decree is? The night of Decree is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping God in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months). Therein descend the angels and the Rûh (Gabriel) by God's Permission with all Decrees, Peace! (All that night, there is Peace and Goodness from God to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn." {Quran 97:1-5}

Because of the status of the Night of Decree the prophet said, "Verily, the month of Ramadan has come to you all. In it there is a night that is better than 1000 month (of worshipping) whoever is deprived of its good, then they have truly been deprived." {Ahmed}

The Prophet said, "Whoever established prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

Angles descend down on the Night of Decree because of its many blessings. There is peace as the verse says until the morning but there is peace the entire month as the prophet said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained."

Another blessing of Ramadan is the Taraweeya prayer, a voluntary prayer that is prayed after the obligatory night prayer. The prophet said, "Whoever performs prayer with the Imam (the leader of prayer) till he finishes it, he would get the reward as if he preformed prayers the whole night."

we come to the practice of Itikaf (to confine oneself in the mosque) Abu Hurairah said, "The prophet used to perform Itikaf every year in the month of Ramadan for ten days (the last ten) and when it was the year of his death, he stayed in Itikaf for twenty days." {Bukhari} This is a time of seclusion when one can devote oneself entirely to the worship of God with no distractions.

Lastly at the end of Ramadan is Eid Al-Fitr (celebration) on this holiday we are obligated to feed the needy and poor among us.

Now as you can see Ramadan is about so much more then just abstaining from food and drink. It is spiritual and physical and indeed a great mercy from God. We are given a chance to start anew, to be forgiven of past wrongs, earn rewards and to come closer to God while forming a stronger bond with the community.

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