Podcast
Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem
Ramadan Mubarak!
This episode is going to discuss about Ramadan.
Ramadan fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and it is the third most important one after believing in the oneness of Allah and prayer. The fast begins with the morning prayer (Fajr) at dawn, with no food or drink until sunset.
(2:183) O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous –
This verse declares that fasting is a duty of Muslims and states that fasting is not something new, as all the people to whom the prophets have been sent before, such as Jews and Christians, have rules of fasting too. And fasting and righteous (Taqwa) are closely related, because fasting is not just about not eating or drinking, but a restraint on oneself, abstaining from all bad habits, such as lying, backbiting, cheating, quarrels, etc., as well as husband and wife intimacy during fasting. In fact, it is a kind of self-control, a high degree of self-discipline, and a temporary self-restraint act purely to please Allah and narrow the distance from Allah.
Hadith: Hudhayfah said that Allah Messenger said: Fasting is a means of protection, so the person should not speak badly or act rudely. And if someone fights him or insults him, let him say twice, “I am fasting.” I swear by the one in whose hand is my soul, the smell of a fasting person’s mouth is better to Allah than the scent of perfume. (Allah says): “He leaves his food, his drink, and his desire just for Me. Fasting is just for Me and I will reward it, and a good deed is worth ten like it.
So Ramadan is a month of peace, a month of blessings and mercy, a month of highly conscious and full of self-awareness of Allah.
(2:184) [Fasting for] a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] – then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess – it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.
In this Ayat, Allah provides exceptions for those who are ill, travel or find it difficult to fast, and they only have to make up for the missing days. At the same time, many scholars agreed that those who are difficult to fast, such as chronically ill patients, the elderly, pregnant women, and depends on different people’s physical conditions, etc., on the day when they cannot fast, can be redeemed by offering food to a poor person.
After that, if the body can recover to health, if permitted, one can fast again as a voluntary act of good deeds. The most important thing is that many times, one does not know what will happen tomorrow, whether one will be able to wake up again in the next day and nobody really knows. Therefore, the most important thing is the intention of the individual.
And those who can fast and still provide food to the poor are also willing to do good deeds. So no matter in which case, Allah will still bless for the good deeds. And finally, Allah emphasized at the end of the Ayat that fasting is still the best for people if we only know.
(2:185) The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.
This verse explains why Ramadan is special, because the Qur’an is the month that begins to be revealed. When the Prophet was alive, every year Ramadan, Angel Gabriel, would review the Qur’an with the Prophet on one of the nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, also known as the Noble Night.
(97:1-5) Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.
And the Qur’an is the constant gift, blessing, miracles, and signs given to the world, and on the Day of Resurrection, the Qur’an will continue to provide protection to believers too.
Because of the hadith records, both Fasting and the Quran will both intercede for the worshipper on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, “Oh Lord! I prevented him from food and desire so let me intercede (ask for forgiveness) for him.” And the Quran will says, “I prevented him from sleeping at night so let me intercede for him.” So they will both be allowed to intercede.
At the same time, in this verse, Allah re-emphasizes the discretion given by Him, and the remedy that follows, because fasting is a gift and blessings to mankind, not a punishment, because Allah knows the condition of each person, and know what will happen to each person, these discretionary powers are giving the ease to those who believe in Him, not to make it difficult, only so that people can truly feel the grace and blessings of Allah in order to thank him.
Some women cannot fast because of menstruation, they might think that the blessing is becoming less, or they are afraid of what others think of her, so they insist on fasting. This is forbidden act, because everyone’s physical condition, whether they can fast, etc. It is decreed. Therefore, not fasting according to the rulings is the real expression of complete obedience to Allah. It should not be according to one’s own thoughts, desires, and other people’s thinking, and to continue fasting when they should not, it is like questioning what Allah has granted to them, it’s like questioning Allah given discretionary power is wrong and decisions of Allah, and publicly challenging the decrees of Allah.
Menstruation is a blessing given by Allah to women. For the time being, they cannot fast and do not need to pray, but they still can continue to Dua to Allah, and do different kinds of good deeds and charity. They will still receive the blessings of Allah, simply Allah is the greatest, merciful and omnipotent.
(2:186) And when My servants ask you, concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.
This Ayat uses the word “near” to describe the condition of Allah in Ramadan. Here it didn’t use He is watching, or that He is listening, but instead He is near, which is a great blessing to those who believe in Him, because He affirms that He responds to the invocation of the supplicants. And the only requirement is that those who believe in Him respond to Allah by obedience, and believe in Him absolutely. Because only then, one can truly follow Allah’s right path, and to achieve real benefits in this life and the hereafter.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. In the entire Qur’an, there are five Ayats mentioned about Ramadan. These five Ayats appear in the second longest chapter of the Qur’an, al-Baqarah, which not only describes pilgrimages and the stories of the prophets Adam and Moses, but also covers different areas of daily life in this world, such as divorce, interest, loans, receipts, sales, inheritances, etc. It can be seen that Islam values both this life and the hereafter, and teaches human beings how to strike a balance in the present, so to achieve success in both life.
A hadith recorded: Allah said: “Every good deed of Adam’s son is for him except fasting. It is for Me. And I shall reward (the fasting person) for it.”
Another hadith: Abu Hurayrah narrated Prophet said, “Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month. Allah has obligated fasting for you during it. During the month, the gates of heaven are open and the gates of Hell are closed. The strongest, most arrogant devils are chained during it. Allah has in it a night that is better than a thousand months; whoever is prevented from obtaining the good of that night is certainly prevented (from much good).
This hadith pointed out that another blessing of Ramadan is that all the Shaitans are locked up. And most of the scholars agree and believe that if a person still does bad things, it just shows that the real Shaitan is actually themselves, since the Shaitan is only using his words to tempt and mislead people, and in the end it is up to people to make their own choices and actions. The crimes committed during Ramadan can no longer be blamed on the devil. Therefore, can we get full blessings in Ramadan or just invalidate this blessing, it is entirely up to oneself.
No matter what Ramadan is also a month of good deeds and almsgiving. There are many hadiths that record the extra generosity of the Prophet in Ramadan. His generosity is unbeatable, because all good deeds are to be rewarded in multiples. Therefore, the fourth of the five pillars, to pay zakat, that is by giving 2.5% of the additional assets owned by oneself, thus purifying one’s own assets, usually done in Ramadan, so as to obtain additional rewards.
In addition, good deeds can offset bad deeds and mistakes. So, don’t be discouraged, don’t be upset, Allah is very merciful, He loves to forgive, and in Ramadan, Allah is indeed near, and He answers the prayers. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven except for worship other than Allah. It is never too late, as long as Allah has not taken back our life. The opportunities to return to Allah are always there, because the door of Allah has never been closed for the living person.
Wish you all a successful Ramadan, no matter one is able to fast or not. We’ll continue in the next episode, thank you for listening.