Since the first night of Ramadan and all through the holy month, Muslims abstain from food, water, and sensual indulgences from sunrise to sunset.
Such abstinence is called fasting (or swam )in Islam, and its purpose is to instill Peity in the hearts of the Muslims, as shown in this verse of surah Al Baqarah
O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you1—so perhaps you will become mindful ˹of Allah˺. 183).
We can look at fasting as training on willpower and resolve against temptations. Fasting increases a person's control over his tendencies by training him to resist physical delights, which are allowed all year, as food. Assumingly, if a person can constrain himself from halal pleasures, it would be easier for him to evade haram or sinful ones.
Ramdan is the month when Mohammed received revelation for the first time in his life.
The story goes that, Once upon a time, the prophet Mohammed was pondering at the sky during one of his retreats in Hira cave when he Suddenly was struck by Japril, an angel descended from the sky by Allah asking him to recite.
Mohammed panicking and shivering out of fear, said: I’m not a reciter. The angel repeated: recite. Mohammed repeated: I’m not a reciter. On the third time, when receiving the repeated response, Japril uttered the first verses of surah Al Alaq:
“(96:1) Recite1 in the name of your Lord2 Who created,3 (96:2) created man from a clot of congealed blood. (96:3) Recite: and your Lord is Most Generous, (96:4) Who taught by the pen,5 (96:5) taught man what he did not know.
That’s why this divine night was called Laytatul Qadr, or the night of destiny because, on this night, Mohammed's life transitioned from a mundane shepherd to the messenger of would-be the last religion on the earth.
Whilte charity is ordered by Allah all the year, people tend to be more generous during Ramadan.
Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the most generous of the men, and he was the most generous during the month of Ramadan when Jibril visited him every night and recited the Qur'an to him. During this period, the generosity of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) waxed faster than the rain-bearing wind. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Charity doesn’t just help the poor in society but also teaches Muslims to transcend their built-in greed and desire to hoard cash. By training themselves to give out their wealth, Muslims know two facts about Money. First, no one owns anything in reality as money is given from a more all-dominant power, and now it’s time for the person to repay it. Second, by handing out money, they cultivate the value of giving in themselves, which is far away from deprivation and more tied to transcendence and altruism.
In Ramdan, devils are shackled as a hadith of the prophet Mohammed explains.
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah said:
" There has come to you Ramadan in which the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of the fire are closed, and the devils are chained up.(Al-Bukhaari (3277) and Muslim (1079).
You might ask yourself before. What’s the wisdom behind devils being chained up in Ramadan?
Well, here’s an answer from Shaykh Taqiy ad-Deen Ibraaheem ibn Muflih (may Allah have mercy on him): devils in this hadith indicate the greatest devils.
That doesn’t mean that no evil is committed all during the holy. Instead, evils are reduced because devils are weakened.
Among the spiritual manifestation of Ramadan is Tarawih or Qiam prayer, which starts after Isha and extends to the Fajr prayer.
Traweeh prayer has no fixed time. It’s up to you to pray as much as you can, however, Most Mosques follow the system of eight prayers (16 Rakaas).
Tarawih is a sunnah of Mohammed, as shown in the following hadith.
Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying. He who fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeks his reward from God will have his past sins forgiven; he who prays during the night in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from God will have his past sins forgiven; and he who passes Lailat al-qadr [Night of Decree] in prayer with faith and seeking his reward from God will have his past sins forgiven." (Bukhari and Muslim.)
While it’s not obligatory, many Muslims strive to complete recitation of the holy book at least once in Ramadan. Some of them even preserve to complete it more than once, in a close echo to the deeds of the greatest companions of Islam like al-Shaafa’i, who was reported to've completed the Quran 60 times!
Quran is a light for the heart, and striving to recite it brings great rewards from Allah. Several people might be so busy all year that they never have time to pick up the Mushaf, and others see Ramdan as an opportunity to renew their connection with Allah by reading his book.
Even a hadith of the prophet Mohammed shows that Reading Quran once a year is a sunnah of the messenger of Islam. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Jibreel used to review the Qur’an with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) once every year, and he reviewed it with him twice in the year in which he passed away.
However, let’s not forget that pondering Allah’s verses and striving to understand them is more rewarding than reciting them. So how if you combine both of them?
In many verses, Allah described night prayers as among the good deeds of faithful people.
They used to sleep only a little during the night and pray for forgiveness before dawn. (Adh-Dhariyat, 17-19)
As it’s among the pious deeds in the usual days, its spirituality increases in Ramadan. There are many duas you can say, but for this article, we chose this dua taught by our prophet when Aishah asked him what would she say on the Night of Al-Qadr. He responded:
‘Say: “O Allah, indeed You are Pardoning, [Generous,] You love forgiveness, so pardon me
(Allāhumma Innaka `Afuwwun [Karīmun], tuḥibbul-`afwa fa`fu `annī).’”
During the last nights of Ramdan, many Muslims take a haven at the mosques and seclude themselves from the physical world. This act is called I'tikaf, and its purpose is to remove yourself from the distractions of the world to focus solely on your relationship with Allah.
I'tikaf is a sunnah of prophet Mohammed as 'A’isha (RAA) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to perform I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan until he died. Then his wives used to perform I'tikaf after his death.’ Agreed upon.
I'tikaf renews your connection with Allah, reshapes your vision of the world, and drives you to reflect on things in deeper layers. Several people can be born again (in theory) in this spiritual experience. So don’t miss trying it.
Prophet Mohammed described Ramadan in short but profound words when he said:
It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is freedom from hell. If anyone makes things easy for his slave during it, God will forgive him and free him from hell. (Mishkat al-Masabih 1965)
In Ramadan, Allah forgives sins profusely and replaces them with rewards. So always asks for forgiveness, especially during your night prayer, and ask Allah to choose you among the servant who vowed to protect them from fire.
It’s the mercy of Allah that he made Ramadan an expiation for sins.
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The five daily (prescribed) Salat, and Friday (prayer) to the next Friday (prayer), and the fasting of Ramadan to the next Ramadan, is an expiation of the sins committed between them, so long as major sins are avoided. [Muslim].
For all people, the good and bad, there’s still a chance to return to Allah, regardless of the magnitude of your sins. Always seek Allah’s vast forgiveness and repent for your sins.
Ramdan is the best month in which Muslims became closer to Allah and increase their prayers.
In this article, we have shown you ten virtues for the holy month and many good deeds you can do to make use of Ramadan, including feeding a fasting person, praying Qiam Allil, and isolating people in the ten days to unify yourself with Allah.
Remember to say duas during the night and ask Allah every night.
Ramadan Kareem for you.
