The blessed month of Ramadhan is upon us once again, but this time with a major difference. Ramadhan has always been a time for Muslims to share this wonderful experience together. A time of coming together for prayers, Dars (commentary of the Holy Qur’an, sayings of the Holy Prophet etc.), listening to the recital of the Holy Qur’an and Iftaris (breaking the fast). Normally it is a time when the mosque has a good congregation for every prayer.
But this year, due to the corona virus, we are experiencing a different Ramadhan.
The mosque is be closed and instead of sharing this wonderful experience with the community, it can only be done with the family
But whatever problems we face, we must strive to please Allah and win His abundant blessings. This is the month to achieve that, therefore no matter what restrictions is placed on us, worship can never be restricted.
The Holy Qur’an states in Chapter 2, verse 184:-
O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.
Therefore, it is very important that those who can, must fast. We should put our full trust in Allah and do not lose this wonderful blessing. Of course, those who are vulnerable and need to keep their full strength, then Alhamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah), Allah has already informed us that they are exempted, and they can pay the fidya (expiation – feeding a poor person twice a day for a month) instead.
The Holy Qur’an states in Chapter 2, verse 185:
The prescribed fasting is for a fixed number of days, but whoso among you is sick or is on a journey shall fast the same number of other days; and for those who are able to fast only with great difficulty is an expiation – the feeding of a poor man. And whoso does good of his own accord it is better for him. And fasting is good for you, if you only knew.
This great blessing, is just that, a blessing, not a punishment. Therefore we must take precautions and stay safe. But those who are healthy, then they should fast as normal.
Likewise, although we can’t come together in the Mosque, still we can come together in our homes. Therefore as a family we should get up early for Tahajjud prayer (pre-dawn voluntary prayers) and then the Sehri (food to start the fast). Then pray the Fajr (morning) prayer together and try to do a Dars and read the Qur’an throughout the day. If possible, we should try to prayer every prayer in congregation in our homes, making that our mosque. Then come together as a family for the Iftari (breaking fast). We normally end the fast by eating dates, which was the practice of the Holy Prophet. Then we can have food together.
The main purpose of this month is to attain righteousness, get closer to Allah and develop our morality. No one can prevent us from doing that. This is Allah’s month and a chance to cleanse and purify ourselves, so we should try to do as much as we can for Allah’s sake. Giving up food and drink is just a small part of Ramadhan, the main objective is always to purify ourselves and strive for Allah’s closeness. During this month we should be constantly striving to purify ourselves through prayers, reading the Holy Qur’an, the book of God and making sure that our speech is good, etc. In fact the Holy Prophet Muhammad, (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has told us that
If you do not stop lying and foul talk and conduct, Allah has no need that you should give up food and drink. (Bukhari).
In other words, Allah, the One God will not accept the fast if you say or do bad things etc. Allah has given us 12 months in a year, but this one month is for Allah. The idea is to develop a high standard of righteousness during this month and then keep to it throughout the year. Therefore this month is a means to help us spiritual charge our batteries, as the whole month is spent purely for Allah’s sake, not your own. The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
Allah says: ‘Every act of man is for himself, except fasting. Fasting is for me and I Myself will reward them for it. When any of you is fasting, he should neither use vulgar language nor abuse anyone. And if someone abuses him or quarrels with him, he should only say. ‘I am fasting.’
The Promised Messiah (may peace be upon him) explained that:
True righteousness is to abstain from all evils, in fact not even drawing near to them. Not only must one strive with their efforts in this cause, but these efforts must also be accompanied by prayers.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth Khalifa of the Promised Messiah, said in his Friday Sermon at the beginning of this Ramadhan:
God Almighty states that the month of fasting has been prescribed so that by abstaining from even that which is permissible in normal circumstances, one can increase in worship and pay closer attention to fulfilling the rights to humanity. It is only then that one can attain righteousness, and this is the very purpose of Ramadhan. Observing Ramadhan in this way ensures that the changes brought about in this month will not be temporary, but will remain for a lifetime.
He continued, by saying:
The allures of this world will not prevail over such people but their attention will always remain towards God, nor will the rights of others be usurped. If one does enter Ramadan with this intention then Ramadan will be of no benefit.
I pray that you all have a very blessed Ramadhan and that you are able to attain the numerous blessings from Allah. Please stay safe.
May Allah accept all our fasts and prayers during this blessed month, may He protect and help us and may Allah eradicate this pandemic quickly and have mercy on the world, Amen.