Al hamdulillah Ramadan has returned by the permission of Allah. Unfortunately, to many Muslims, the coming of Ramadan means being hungry, being thirsty, many restrictions and an overall difficult task that lasts a whole month. This understanding is one that must be corrected. That which has come upon us is nothing but a mercy on us. It’s a time of gaining Allah’s forgiveness, a time in which we can work toward increasing our levels of taqwah (piety), as well as an opportunity to enter into a gate that Allah created in the Jannah specifically for those that fast. When we begin to see the month in this way, Ramadan will not be seen as a burden, but rather as an opportunity.
Allah has commanded all who have the ability to fast this month, to do so. It is an obligation that we need to take seriously so as to benefit ourselves. We should not be of those whom try to find reasons to leave off fasting. Rather we should take this opportunity to gain all that we can out of this blessed month. This is not just any opportunity that comes not from just anyone, but rather it comes from The Most Wise, The The Lord of the worlds. He has stated in His Book
{The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan), he must observe Sawm (fasts) that month.}
[2:185]
The Opportunity To Obtain Forgiveness;
During the month of Ramadan we have a chance to gain the forgiveness of Allah in a way that we do not find many other times of the year. Allah has made it from among those special things that were legislated which are from the main reasons for obtaining His forgiveness. We need to begin to see it in this manner. This will allow us to understand the real opportunity that has been laid out in front of us.
There are many proofs about the enormous amount of forgiveness found in this month. We just want to mention one in particular, due to the fact that it encompasses the meaning of many of the other proofs and evidences. This is the statement of Abu Hurairah when he said that The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”
[Bukhari and Muslim]
Once pondering on the meaning of this Authentic Hadeeth, we see the benefit of taking this month more serious. We are able to see that it is only for our benefit. There are none of us that are not in dire need of having Allah forgive us for our sins before the day in which we are destined to meet Him. None of us want to stand before Allah with our evil deeds weighing heavier on the scales than our good deeds. Properly fasting Ramadan is one of the opportunities that Allah has blessed us with, that can cause this forgiveness to take place. May Allah aide us all in fasting it correctly and having our sins forgiven. Allahuma ameen.
Obtaining A Level Of Taqwah (Piety);
Fasting even outside of Ramadan is one of those things that cause an increase in taqwah. Can you imagine how much more this opportunity is amplified during the month of Ramadan? This is because fasting in Ramadan is about much more than just being hungry and thirsty. It is about doing those things that Allah is pleased with and staying away from those things that we know Allah is displeased with us doing. After training ourselves for a whole month to sticking to these things, we can expect that many of these things will become a normal part of our everyday life.
This is why when we think about fasting we need to think about more than just not eating and drinking. We need to think about staying away from leaving unnecessary argumentation, refraining from lying, reading the Quran more often and other things. All of these things are part of our fasting. These are all things that Allah is referring to in His command to us to fast. Now we can understand why the reward for fasting is so great and how it aides us in increasing the amount of taqwah we obtain, lets look at what Allah says in His book about the benefits of fasting.
{O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious).}
[2:183]
A Special Gate In Jannah;
We need to remember that the fasting that we do during this month is only for our benefit. Allah has commanded us to do something that does not benefit Him in the least, rather it is only to have us do something that will cause good for us. So much so, that Allah has created a gate, by which only the people that fasted will enter into the Jannah by way of it. This gate is called Ar Rayyan.
This shows the importance of the fast and what position it holds in the lives of the Muslim in general. Now put what we have just discussed about Ar Rayyan with the fact that Ramadan is a month full of fasting. Does knowing this not make you appreciate the opportunity that Allah has laid at your feet.
Granted, you will find that some people have a problem with the concept behind there being a gate specifically for this type of worship, but theirs is an issue that there is no basis for carrying. There are too many different narrations that confirm this another than this. For instance we have the narration that most of us have heard before that was agreed upon by both Imam al Bukhari and Imam Muslim in terms of it’s authenticity. Let us take a look at this narration where the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“There is a gate to Paradise that is called ar-Rayyan. On the Day of Resurrection it will say: ‘Where are those who fasted?’ When the last [one] has passed through the gate, it will be locked.”
[al-Bukhari and Muslim]
So we see that there is no doubt that this gate exists in terms of the proof. Therefore, the claims of those that choose to reject the notion of it’s very existence, are not payed any attention. May Allah aid us all so that we are able to enter into the Jannah by way of Ar Rayyan on the day of Resurrection. Allahuma ameen.
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