Introspection and Religious Observance are Key Lessons of Ramazan
By Arman Neyazi, New
Age Islam
13 April
2021
Ramazan is a Blessed Month of Allah’s Mercy,
Forgiveness and Release from Hellfire
Important Points
Ramazan is a month of introspection for the
Muslims.
Religious observance demands introspection from
its followers.
Huquq Al Ibad is the rights of the people, not
the rights of the Muslims alone.
For Prophet Muhammad (SAW) there was no
question of ‘us vs. them.’
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Ramazan is
a month of great importance for Muslims. This month is separated into three
'Ashras' (one Ashra is of ten days). Every Ashra
has its special importance as Allah, the Almighty, bestows His believers with
Mercy (Rahma), Forgiveness (Maghferat) and Release from Hellfire.
The
righteous will be among gardens and springs, accepting what their Lord has given
them. Indeed, they were before that doers of good. They used to sleep but
little of the night, and in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness
(Quran: 51, Verses 15-18) - Saheeh International
The whole
month of Ramazan is a month of prayers. Fast during the days and special
prayers (Taraweeh) during the night. But the last Ashra (Ten/Nine days) is more
important as it has Laylatul-Qadr among its five odd nights. Muslims are not
aware as to which one of them is the Night of Forgiveness. The Holy Prophet
asked the Muslims to search in among these five odd nights.
The Holy
Prophet (SAW) says:
“It (Ramadan) is the month whose beginning is
mercy, middle, forgiveness and its end emancipation from the fire” (Bihar
Al-Anwar, Vol 93).
Salman
Al-Farsi (RA) reported that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said,
“…The
first third of the month of Ramadan is the time for mercy, the second third is
for forgiveness, the third is for release from Hellfire…”
In
preparation for the gradual revelation of the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad
(SAW), it was sent down to the lowest heaven during the auspicious month of
Ramazan. Because of this reason, the gates of hell (Jahannam) is closed, the
devils are chained and the gates of heaven (Jannat) are open during this pious
month. The believers are encouraged to perform good deeds to enter paradise and
refrain from bad deeds to escape the door of hell.
Consider
the following Hadees in this connection:
Muhammad told his followers that the gates of
Heaven would be open for the entire month and the gates of Hell (Jahannam)
would be closed. (Hadith al-Bukhari 3:123 Hadith Collection)
For Ummah,
Ramazan is a blessed month of ‘Mercy, Forgiveness and Release from Hellfire’.
The Muslims fasting during this blessed month will be Allah’s guests on the Day
of Judgement. This sense of closeness to the Creator brings them closer to
introspection, resultantly understanding where they went wrong and make
amendments.
Ramazan is
a month that is treated by all, even non-Muslims with great reverence. The day-long
fasting and the feeling of doing something Allah and His Apostle likes a lot
bring the light of joy on the faces of Muslims.
Religious
observance demands introspection from its followers. There are many things a
human being does that goes against the tenets of the religion. For
introspection, it is necessary to understand the basics of religion. As a true
believer, Ummah needs to desist from everything that Allah and His Apostle have
asked not to do.
Quran and
Hadees talk of Huquq Al Ibad the
most. Huquq Al Ibad is the rights of
the people, not the rights of the Muslims alone. Allah is ‘Al-Ghafoorur Raheem’, meaning, ‘The Ever-Forgiving’, He forgives
whom He wishes and for that He has given innumerable options for His believers,
like the holy month of Ramazan. The believers will do good to think of their
behaviour with fellow human being. Muslims, if they want to be forgiven by
Allah, will have to forgive everyone around them and not do any harm to them.
For
Muhammad (SAW) there was no question of ‘us vs. them’. He had established a
State on the principles of inclusiveness and pluralism. Islamic countries will
do good to include love and kindness towards non-Muslims to receive Allah and
His apostle Prophet Muhammad (SAW)’s attention and blessings.
During this
blessed month of Ramazan Islamic world should introspect and let the world know
that an ‘inclusive and plural society’ is the gift of Islam to the world. The
lesson for the Ummah is ‘first deserve, then desire’. If you will take the
righteous path, Allah will never leave you alone.
And Allah knows the best.
Wishing The World
Blessed Days, Months And Years To Come For This Month Is The Month Of Allah’s Mercy,
Forgiveness And Release From Hellfire.
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Arman
Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/introspection-religious-observance-key-lessons/d/124687
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