The Benefits and Virtuse Of Ramadan | The Month Of Allah
Fasting can bring us many benefits. Physically, we are discovering how it can help us improve our health. But, we also have a plethora of spiritual benefits for us to reflect upon. Below is a list of some of the benefits we can obtain during this Month of Ramadan.
The month of Ramadan (Arabic: رَمَضَان, Ramaḍān) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Fasting is one of the great pillars of Islam and it is an indisputably established fact of the religion. This was indicated by the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus (of the Muslims). Many narrations were reported about its virtue. There is no doubt that this honorable act of worship has some conditions, pillars, obligations and recommendations that Allah, the Exalted, enjoined. There are also invalidators and forbidden and reprehensible acts in fasting that Allah Almighty prohibited. Fasting has different benefits and many heart-related facts. This is why a Muslim should know these matters to worship his Lord with insight and for this act of worship to be accepted and rewarded with an ample reward.
What is Ramadan the holy month?
Ramadan is known as the holy month of fasting, with Muslims abstaining from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during the holiday is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, along with the daily prayer, declaration of faith, charity and performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
In this hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, singled out fasting when asked about a deed that leads its doer to the best of rewards, Paradise. This fact alone is sufficient for us to understand the greatness of fasting. Mere knowledge of the importance and superiority of fasting. However, is not enough for a Muslim to attain Allah’s pleasure and then, if Allah wills, His great reward. Indeed, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
“Perhaps a person fasting will receive nothing from his fasting except hunger and thirst.” _Ibn Majah, Ad-Darimi, Ahmad and Al-Bayhaqi. Sahih
The first step for a Muslim to realise is the fact that fasting the month of Ramadan is obligatory and that Allah has prescribed it for us in His Book:
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those who came before you; that you will perhaps be God-fearing.” _Al-Qur’an 2:183
Furthermore, we should realise the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in which he tells us that Allah said:
“The most beloved deeds with which my slave comes closer to Me are the obligatory deeds.”_Sahih Al-Jami’
The virtues of the month of Ramadan include:
Allah Almighty says (what means):
{O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.} _[Quran 2:183]
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
Allah Almighty says: “All the deeds of the children of Adam are for him except fasting, which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.” Fasting is a shield (from the Hellfire and from committing sins). If one of you is fasting, he should avoid having sexual relations with his wife and quarreling. If somebody fights or quarrels with him, he should say: “I am fasting.” By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. 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. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) also said:
“Whoever fasts in Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain the reward of Allah, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The pillars of fasting:
First pillar: Abstention from everything that invalidates the fast from the dawn until sunset.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
“… and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (the darkness of the night), then complete your fast till the nightfall.” (Al-Baqarah: 187)
‘White and black thread’, as used in the above verse imply, lightness of the day and darkness of the night respectively.
Second pillar: Making Intention
This implies that he who abstains from all forms of eating, drinking and other things that invalidate fasting, should do that with the sole aim of worshiping Allah Almighty alone. The Prophetﷺ said:
“Every action shall be judged according to intention, and behind every action by a man is a specific intention.”
Third pillar: The fasting person (a Muslim who is an adult in full possession of mental faculties and capable of fasting. That is to say, free from being prevented like in the case of the one traveling, the sick person, and women experiencing menstruation and post-partum bleeding).
The benefits of fasting:
11 Surprising Health Benefits Of fasting Ramadan
- Dates. Although three dates are eaten at the start of Iftar every day during Ramadan for spiritual reasons, they also come with the added bonus of multiple health benefits. …
- Boost your brain. …
- Ditch bad habits. …
- Lower cholesterol. …
- Lasting appetite reduction. …
- Detoxify. …
- Absorb more nutrients.
- It purifies the intestines.
- It reforms the stomach.
- It cleanses the body of wastes and deposits.
- It alleviates the intensity of obesity and the fullness of the stomach with fats.
Spiritual and Social Benefits of Fasting
- Fasting in the month of Ramadan helps in closeness to and consciousness of Allah Almighty.
- Fasting Muslims experience great satisfaction as they demonstrate their deep love for Allah Almighty by obeying His orders.
- Fasting ensures the harmony and unity of society. The sense of empathy that invokes due to fasting helps the faster understand other people better and makes it easier for them to make friends and socialize.
- This holy month of Ramadan brings discipline in our lives. While we wake up at Sahar time, we manage to do so because we care for fast. We offer Nimaz of Fajar at a proper time to close the fast properly, thus we give ourselves a chance to care for the things that need preference.
- Thus we learn to give preference to important matters and manage our lives in Ramadan by the rating of preferences.
- Fasting brings the sense of hope and optimism in Allah’s grace and forgiveness.
- Patience and unselfishness comes due to fasting because they deprive themselves of essential commodities and pleasures.
- Due to fasting Muslim experience unity, charity and brotherhood. In the holy month of Ramadan brotherhood can be seen. The fasting in Ramadan helps the Muslims to be aware of their unity. From the moment the new moon is seen, the whole Muslim world enters into the spiritual discipline of fasting.
- A family system is encouraged by fasting which otherwise is not possible in the normal routine.
- Taraweeh which is mostly offered in congregation in Mosques is also a collective program of the Muslims in the Holy month of Ramadan 2021. Muslims listen to the Quran together in Mosques; meet each other there and their social interaction increases.
- Ramadan makes the societies purer because, most people abstain from wrong acts in this holy month.
- Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,
“When Ramadan begins, the gates of Jannah are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained” (Bukhari). All of this serves to improve the behavior and help one become closer to Allah Almighty.
Conclusion
Ramadan is a time of fasting, for the Muslims to grow closer to their God, Allah. It is the ninth month of the islamic calendar. It is a form of self restraint, health, spiritual and psychological benefits. Fasting starts early in the morning before the sunrise and ends at sunset.
