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Ramadan, the Muslim Holy month of
fasting is here again. Though most of us are aware of the virtues,
and dos and don’ts of this holy month, they are worth recalling here
so as to make best use of these precious days on one hand and try to
clear the misconceptions about Islam if any in the minds of fellow
non-Muslim brethren on the other.
We are grateful to Maulana Izhar
Bashir Madani - the young and knowledgeable Head of the student
section at Jamia Mohammadia Mansoora in Malegaon who gracefully
accepted our request to Explore the Holy month of Ramadan in this
series of video speeches for ummid.com.
In Part-I of the series today, Izhar
Bashir Madani who has graduated from the Islamic University of
Madinah briefly introduces the concept of moon in the Islamic
calendar and some of the important virtues of the Holy month.
The Excerpts:
All praise is for Allah the Almighty
who descended the Prophets and the Books for guidance of the
mankind. Simultaneously, the Almighty Allah also bestows His
choicest blessings on us. Owing to the virtues and importance
associated with Ramadan, the month is no less than a unique
opportunity for the mankind to purify themselves and seek
forgiveness from the Almighty.
Ramadan like the other months in the
Islamic lunar calendar begins with the sighting of the new moon over
the horizon. Depending on the geographical locations, it appears
with a difference of a day or two in various parts of the world
pronouncing the arrival of the holy moments.
The Moon in the
Islamic Calendar
Ramadan, also known as Mah-e-Seyam,
the Holy month of fasting is 9th month in the Islamic
calendar that succeeds Shaaban and precedes Shawwal.
Any month in the Islamic calendar always begins and ends when after
completing the full circle the new moon appears again over the
horizon. A month can be of twenty nine days or thirty days but can
never be of twenty eight days or thirty one days, as the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) has said:
The month (can be) 29 nights (i.e.
days), and do not fast till you see the moon, and if the sky is
overcast, then complete Sha'ban as thirty days.
(Sahih Al Bukhari,
Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar)
At another place the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) has said:
Do not fast (for Ramadan) before
the coming of the month until you sight the moon or complete the
number (of thirty days); then fast until you sight the moon or
complete the number (of thirty days).
(Abu Dawood, Narrated by
Hudhayfah)
Describing the new moon, Quran says:
They question you about the new
moon. Tell them: it is to determine the periods of time for the
benefit of mankind and for the Hajj (pilgrimage).
(Surah Al Baqara, Ayah
189)
Because the important prayers and
obligations are associated with these months, we normally look for
the new moon on three occasions. 1. When Ramadan begins.
2. When it ends and 3. When begins Dhul Hijja - the month
of Hajj.
After sighting the new moon on these
occasions, while it is acceptable to greet each other, as a Muslim
we need to recite the Dua (the prayer) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) has advised us as confirmed by the
following:
When the Prophet of Allah (peace be
upon him) saw the new moon, he said: "A new moon of good and right
guidance; a new moon of good and right guidance; a new moon of good
and right guidance. I believe in Him Who created you" three times.
He would then say: "Praise be to Allah Who has made such and such a
month to pass and has brought such and such a month."
(Abu Dawood, Narrated by
Qatadah)
At another place, it is reported:
When the Prophet, peace be upon
him, saw moon he would say, "Allah is the Greatest! O Allah, make it
shine upon us in peace, faith, security, safety, and with the power
to do what You love and are pleased with! O moon! Your Lord and our
Lord is Allah."
(At-Tabarani, Reported
by Abdallah bin Umar)
In this Dua lies an important
point. When we say O moon! Your Lord and our Lord is Allah,
we admit that like us the moon is also the creature of the Almighty
Allah. Hence as it follows the Lord despite not being as accountable
to the Almighty as we are, we must also follow Him in every respect.
Ramadan, the Holy
Month
After the new moon appears over the
horizon pronouncing the beginning of Ramadan, blessings of the
Almighty begin to shower on us. Allah's Apostle said:
"When the month of Ramadan starts,
the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed
and the devils are chained."
(Sahih Al Bukhari,
Narrated by Abu Huraira)
It is also reported that every night
and at the time of Iftaar-the time when we end the fast,
Allah Almighty forives
The main thing one should keep in
minds that unlike Hajj that is performed only in the month of Dhul
Hijja there is no prayer in Ramadan that is not being offered in
other months. The difference is just of importance and obligations.
The most important prayer that one performs in Ramadan is Saum
or Fasting that is obligatory for every Muslim. Quran says:
O believers! Fasting is prescribed
for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may
learn self-restraint.
(Surah Al Baqara, Ayah 183)
Describing the importance of fasting,
the Prophet said:
"Whoever established prayers on the
night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from
Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever
fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a
reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."
(Sahih Al Bukhari,
Narrated by Abu Huraira)
At another instance, Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) said:
"Ramadan, a blessed month, has come
to you during which Allah has made it obligatory for you to fast. In
it the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of al-Jahim are locked,
and the rebellious devils are chained. In it Allah has a night which
is better than a thousand months. He who is deprived of its good has
indeed suffered deprivation."
(Narrated by Abu
Hurayrah Al Tirmidhi. Ahmad and Nasa'i transmitted it)
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
has also said:
"When the first night of Ramadan
comes, the devils and the rebellious jinn are chained, the gates of
Hell are locked and not one of them is opened; the gates of Paradise
are opened and not one of them is locked; and a crier calls, 'You
who desire what is good, come forward, and you who desire evil,
refrain.' Some are freed from Hell by Allah, and that happens every
night."
(Narrated AbuHurayrah.
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it. Ahmad transmitted it from a
man. Tirmidhi said this is a gharib tradition)
May Allah help us in properly
utilizing these holy days.
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