Naseebullah Khan
Ramazan___ a month of forgiveness, blessing, piety, selflessness, self-restraint, controlling over desires, abstaining from evils, sacrifice, unity and spritual enhancement. It does not mean that a Muslim should not perform these in the rest of months, rather the uniqueness and superiority of this month have declared by Allah Almighty Himself. This month has a unique status in which the Holy Quran was revealed. It has an unequaled night called Layla_tul_Qadar as worship in this night is equall to worship of thousend months. The Holy Quran says that, “Surely, we have revealed to you the Grand Night, and what will make you comprehend what the Grand Night is? The Grand Night is better than thousand months. The Angels and the Spirit descend in it by the permission of their Lord for every affair. Peace! It is till the break of the morning.” (97:5)Being one of the fifth pillars of Islam, fasting in Ramazan is obligatory for every Muslim. It is a month of sacrifice, piety, tolerance, and blessings. It has been said in the Holy Quran that, Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain taqwaa.” (Q2:183). It is the month when a Muslim abstain from eating, drinking, and conjugal relations for a specific time (From dawn to dusk) for the reverence of Allah Almighty whose reward will be given by Allah himself. Fasting gesticulates the belief upon the oneness of Allah and the submission of Muslims to God, according to Whose orders a Muslim refrains from drinking, and eating. It reflects that a Muslim curbs his desires just for the reverence of Allah Almighty. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says, narrated Abu Huraira:…..(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.” In Imam Ahmad, Volume 3, Book 31, number 118: Abdullah ibn Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw), said: “The fast and the Qur’an are two intercessors for the servant of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. The fast will say: ‘O Lord, I prevented him from his food and desires during the day. Let me intercede for him.’ The Qur’an will say: ‘I prevented him from sleeping at night. Let me intercede for him.’ And their intercession will be accepted.”Self-restraint, sacrifice and selflessness are the messges of Ramazan where a Musilm helps his brother or sister for which Allah Almighty has promised of reward. Regretably, the menaces of hoarding and inflation speak volume during this month with special respect to Pakistan. As the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself has orderef to abstain from these. In Sahi Muslim Hadith number 1605, Ma’mar ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever hoards food is a sinner.” Therefore, Ramazan must not be converted as mass consumerism.Ramazan is a month of immense blessings. During this month, the doors of paradise are opened and the doors of hellfire are closed while the mercy of God descends over humanity in abundance.It stops Muslima from abusing, evils, bad habits, lust, and envy. In addition, Fasting is a gignatic example of Muslim brotherhood where all Muslims irrespective of sex, sect, and status keep fasting only for the veneration of Allah Almighty. This testifies the true equality of man that goes towards creating feelings of love and unity among them. Fasting plays cardinal role in binding the Muslim society as a whole.The soul of fasting lies in controlling and sacrificing desires merely on the command of Allah for Allah. The act of neglecting one’s body desires helps in concentrating on the soul by getting rid of daily material life as Suwm (Fasting) is a worship of physical and spiritual both. Only abstaining from drinking and eating or starvation do not fulfill the main aims, untill and unless a Musilm strive for self_sacrifice, offering five times prayers, say no to evils, helping the poors and needy Muslims and saves himself/herself from wrong doings.Ramazan provides a special opportunity to purify the hearts and bodies of Muslims. Though, a Muslim should spend his entire life towards achieving these goals, but this month, as a matter of fact that Allah Almighty Himself has declared most suitable for purifying hearts and souls. According to Amin Ehsan Islahi, “just as in the material world, there are seasons for specific crops to be sown and harvested and if these seasons are lost, no other time can compensate for them, the spiritual world too has defined periods of time when the spirituality of humans can benefit the most.” Ramazan___ the holiest month for Muslims demands from them altruism, submissiveness, self_control, refraining fron evils and excelling good deeds. The pertinent theme of Ramazan is not starvation alone but to stop self generated hoarding and inflation. This month envisages leniency and orders to abstain from harming the fellow_ being through tongue and hand both..
