Ramadan Readiness example of the blessed Prophet a
How would I best describe my Ramadan? What is my intention when I fast?
Is fasting only to abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset? Am I
conscious of Allah throughout the day? What about the nights of Ramadan?
Are they reserved for food and drink to compensate for the prohibition in the
daytime? Will I simply follow this routine for 29/30 consecutive days and then
continue living my life as I did before Ramadan?
Preparation For Ramadan
For the blessed Prophet a, the
month of Ramadan was a mission;
it was a chance to exert time and
effort in gaining proximity to
Allah. The month of Ramadan
was an opportunity to maximize
his connection to Allah, to spend
wealth in His path, and to devote
his precious time to Him. When we
begin an important task, we prepare
from beforehand so that the task is
executed to perfection. The blessed
Prophet a would begin preparing
for Ramadan two months in advance
when he sighted the crescent moon
of Rajab and said, “O Allah! Put
blessing for us in Rajab and Sha’ban,
and prolong our lives until Ramadan”
(Bayhaqi). He made it a habit of
fasting in Sha‘ban (which is the month
before Ramadan) as our mother Aisha
j says, “I have not seen the Prophet
a fasting more frequently in any
month than the month of Sha’ban”
(Muslim). This was to prepare for
the fast of Ramadan. But there was
another benefit: the blessed Prophet
a said, “There is a month people are
unmindful of: the one between Rajab
and Ramadan. It is a month in which
deeds are presented to Allah and I
want my deeds to be presented to
Allah while I am fasting” (Nisa’i).
It always takes time to accustom
ourselves to an important task. After
the initial phase of uneasiness, we
adapt and the task becomes easier. We
find Monday morning hard because it
follows after a long, relaxed weekend
while Tuesday feels more easygoing.
It is also why fard salat is preceded by
Sunna salat (to facilitate concentration
on Allah in fard salat), and why in
Hajj, we spend the 8th of Dhul Hijja
in Mina to worship and invoke Allah
(to facilitate worship and du‘a on the
most special day, the Day of Arafat).
This is why we should follow the
and fast for a few days of Sha’ban in
preparation for Ramadan.
The Value of Fasting
While we are fasting, we should be
conscious of how precious fasting
truly is in the eyes of Allah. The
blessed Prophet a said, “(The reward
of) every (virtuous) act of a son
of Adam is multiplied, (however),
Allah says, ‘Fasting is an exception:
it is done (solely) for Me and I will
grant the reward. He abandons his
carnal desires and food for My sake.’
A fasting person has two moments
of happiness: once when he opens
his fast and once when he will meet
his Lord. And the smell of the breath
of a fasting person is more fragrant
to Allah than the smell of musk (to
a human being)” (Muslim). Every
building belongs to Allah, but Allah
says, “The masajid belong to Allah
(72:18),” to show the greatness of the
masajid among all the structures
of the world; likewise, every act of
worship is done for the sake of Allah;
however, Allah makes fasting an
exception to the rule to prove the
exalted status of fasting. Furthermore,
the blessed Prophet a expressed the
desire to have his deeds presented to
Allah while he fasted, which shows
how near and dear fasting was to his
heart.
What To Avoid While Fasting
Our aim in fasting should not be
simply to abstain from eating and
drinking. Imam Ghazali r says,
“The base level of fasting is to have
the stomach fast from eating and
drinking. The intermediate level is
to have the limbs abstain from sin.
The highest level is to keep the heart
occupied from thinking of anything
but Allah.”
We need to abstain from all types
of sins when fasting, whether they
are sins of the eyes, ears, tongue, or
continued on page 15
10 March - April 2020 | AL-MADINAH