The Blessed Month of Ramadhan

The Blessed Month of Ramadhan[1]

Islam is the deen of nourishment of faculties and every worship in Islam has a wisdom (and/or wisdoms), some of it may be apparent by texts and/or by the intellect.

On the other hand, some of these wisdoms may not be clear to some but may be clear to others from the people of knowledge, and this is why we are commanded to ask the people of knowledge in case we do not know.

The collective wisdoms in worship are all directed to the purification of the soul from its defects. Every worship in Islam, done in the legal way, has its influence on the self, the degree of which however differs in accordance with the degree of attachment of the worshiper to Islam.

And when worship does not influence man's soul and actions then such worship is like a body without a soul.

Certainly fasting is one of the acts of worship in Islam and the month of Ramadhan is the master of months. It is a school for the believers, nourishing the heart as well as the tongue and the limbs.

Fasting this month in accordance with the way prescribed has many fruits to it. This includes:

1- Firmness on the truth

2- Increase in faith

3- Strength in certainty

4- Establishment of good manners

5- The manifestation of the actions of the heart from fear, hope, love and longing

The blessings of this month are diverse and reflect on the creed of the Muslim and his manners, and it is a means of protection from deviation.

In it, the Muslim tries to fulfill the rights of Allah upon him as well as the rights of mankind in order to perfect his true slavery to His Creator, Allah.

Meaning of Fasting

Linguistically fasting means al imsak, abstaining. Allah, the Most High, says:

"...Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Beneficent (Allah) so I shall not speak to any human being this day." [Qur’an, Surah Maryam, 19:26]

The meaning of the fast here is that she (Maryam alaihas salam) will abstain from speaking to any human being, as explained in the verse itself.

The legal meaning of fasting is worshiping Allah by complying to his command to abstain from anything that constitutes a breach of fasting (such as food, drink, legal sexual intercourse, etc.) from daybreak until sunset.