AlMujtaba Islamic Articles > Holy Month of Ramadhan
 

Welcoming the Month of Ramadan

The Qur'an says: "Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong)." (2:185)
Imam Ali (A.S.) asked the Prophet, "What is the best thing to do in Ramadan?" The Prophet answered: "The best thing is to avoid committing sins." (Yun al-Akhbar ar-Ridha, vol.1). It is also stated that eating and drinking alone do not cause refraining from fasting. It should be known that refraining from everything that causes man to part from God is also counted.
 
The Benefits to us in this Holy Month
In Islam, the spiritual, social, economic, political, physical and psychological benefits of fast are interrelated. Some general benefits of fasting during the Month of Ramadhan include:
  • Spiritual Benefits (i.e. in our nafs):
     
    • Believers learn to curb their false desires
    • Fast fosters a strong will
    • Fasting teaches patience and self-discipline
    • One learns to rely only on Allah (swt)
    • Fasting encourages the recognition of the bounties we have
    • The believers strengthen their ties with Allah (swt)


·       
Social Benefits: (i.e. in our community):
 

    • Fasting promotes the spirit of unity among Muslims
    • One feels compassion towards the poor and the needy

 
 

  • Physical Benefits:
     
    • Fasting regulates and systemizes our bodies
    • It trains the body to control unhealthy cravings
    • It grants its organs a break from a year of working continuously

 
How Can we Take Advantage of this Blessed Month?
 

  • Muslim youths should take advantage of the open doors of heaven in this month. There is no better chance for forgiveness than in the Month of Mercy. Unfortunate is he who is not forgiven in the Holy Month. As spirits are high, youths should use this month to examine the purpose of life and their priorities. This is the month of goal setting and resolution.
  • The month of Ramadan is the spring of the Qur'an. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "He who reads a verse of the Qur'an in Ramadan is equal to having read all of the Holy Qur'an in other months." (Bihar al­Anwar, vol.16).

 
 
Some Important Ahadeeth Regarding Taking Advantage of the Month of Ramadhan:
 

v     Jabir! Whoever during the month of Ramadhan, fasts in its days, stands up for prayers in parts of the night, controls his desires and emotions, puts a rein on his tongue, keeps his eyes down, and does not injure the feelings of others, will become as free of sins as the day he was born.
~Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a)
 
v     There are two pleasures for a fasting person; one when he breaks his fast, and one when he meets his Lord.
~Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq (a)


v     If people understood what good there was in the month of Ramadhan, they would have liked that it last for a year.
~Holy Prophet (s)
 
v     Whoever is not forgiven in the month of Ramadhan, then in which month will he be forgiven?
~Holy Prophet (s)
 

A segment from Imam Sajjad (as)’s du’a welcoming the month of Ramadhan:
O Lord! Erase our sins with the disappearance of this month's crescent, and free us from our penalties with the completion of its days, so that the month may pass from us while You have cleansed us of our guilt, and freed us from our sins. O Lord! Fill this month with our worship of you alone, and adorn its moments with our service to You, and help us in the daytime to observe the fast, and at night to pray and beseech You, help us to humble ourselves before you and lower ourselves in Your presence.

 
Compiled by Waufa Naqvi

Source: http://www.ansarkarbala.com