By sunset today, we would have completed nine days of Ramadan fast and shall be only a day away from entering into the second phase of Ramadan, which is also its middle course. In one of his sayings (ahadith), the Prophet (SAW) said “The middle of Ramadan is mercy (for believers)”; after having said that its beginning and end are respectively (meant) for forgiveness and salvation (of believers) from hell fire.
Allah’s mercy is one of the golden opportunities that come with Ramadan. We are about entering into that middle course of the month during which the gate to Allah’s boundless mercy is left wide open for those who seek it. With all our shortcomings as Muslims living in a world where ‘forbidden fruits’ have become ‘sweetest’ for most people, no generation can be more desirous of this mercy than ours.
If sincerely observed, Ramadan is meant to improve our relationship with Allah (SWT). It is generally supposed to boost our spiritual status. Constant recitation of the holy Qur’an, tarawih prayers (observed after isha’i prayer), listening to tafsir (commentaries of the holy Qur’an) in the mosques or from radio and television channels as well as charity are few devoutional activities that should bring us closer to Allah; thus, taking us to a higher spiritual level.
The question now is, “How substantially enough have we prepared our mind to take advantage of the spiritual opportunities offered by this unique month? Ramadan is an opportunity that comes once in twelve months. We must therefore never waste or misuse this great opportunity. Every hour, minute and moment of the month should be used to put forth good deeds for as long as the body and soul could permit.
Let us strive with all that Allah has bestowed on us including good health, physical strength, wealth of piety and knowledge of Islam to rejuvenate our souls in order to earn Allah’s love during this sacred season of devoution; hoping that when we become His beloved servants, He (SWT) will put us among those to earn His mercy, forgiveness, and pleasure during this Ramadan. we don’t have to wait for Laylat ul-Qadr, which is in the last ten days of Ramadan before we become diligent in our acts of worship. It is time we go all-out to take advantage of the mercy availed by Ramadan.
Imam Malik (RA) reports on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (RA) that the Prophet (SAW) said, “By the One in whose hand my soul is, the whiff from the breath of a person who is fasting is better with Allah than the musk. He leaves his desires, food and drink; all for my sake. Yet, we need to preserve the sanctity of our Ramadan fast. Let us strive to shun everything that seeks to degrade it. Let us remember that fasting is not all about abstaining from eating, drinking and conjugal relationship during the day time. It extends to avoiding every act that constitutes a sin.
We must remain righteous; preventing our senses and body from engaging in acts of disobedience. Our eyes, tongue, hands and legs must all be chained from treading the devil’s path. It is reported by all the authentic compilers of hadith except Imam Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (RA that the Prophet (SAW) said “Allah has no need for a person’s abstinence from food and drink (i.e. fast) if he does not shun telling lies or working with it”. Such a person would have succeeded in starving himself or herself.
The devil, Shaytan, is always unhappy when a servant of Allah makes good use of his time in Ramadan. The Shaytan works so hard to negatively influence believers so that they would oversleep during the day and at night. Shaytan struggles to keep us busy with pointless activities that profit us less. He employs various tricks to distract Muslims from benefiting from the spiritual privileges of Ramadan We must be decisive to defy Shaytan’s mischiefs if we wish to be one of those to gain from the mercy and immeasurable rewards of Ramadan.
Those who choose the comfort of sleep over Sahur (early morning) meal in Ramadan would seem to have surrendered to Shaytan’s mischief. Imams Bukhari and Muslim both relate on the authority of Annas (AS) that the Prophet (SAW) “Eat (food) at Sahur time because there is blessing in Sahur meals”. Scholars explain the blessings to include adding strength to the body and easing the fast for those fasting. The amount of food taken at Sahur time is not what matters. The important thing is that something, even if it were the sipping of ordinary water, should be pushed down the throat. Imam Ahmad relates on the authority of Abu Saeed Al-Khudriy that the Prophet (SAW) Allah and His angels invoke blessings upon those who eat at Sahur time while fasting. Let us, therefore, not surrender to the Shaytan.
Our spiritual battle, this time around, should be the last one in which the devil will forever remain defeated such that he is left with no strength to mislead us again in the rest of our life. Let us use this Ramadan to build a strong foundation of taqwa (fear of Allah) in our hearts; leaving no space of the sneaking whisperer to build his faithless workshop. We can achieve this if we make the holy Qur’an our constant companion; the remembrance (dhikr) of Allah constant activity of our tongue; and the appreciation of Allah’s favours our mental preoccupation.
In order to attain Allah’s infinite mercy and forgiveness in this Ramadan, let us expunge every word or thought that denotes unrighteousness including bribery, telling lies, envy, backbiting, stealing, cheating, betrayal, selfishness, and greed from our minds. May Allah guide us to take advantage of the mercy and blessings in Ramadan, amin.
