Ramadan: The Month of Mercy

The month of Ramadan is a chance to return to Allah and to transcend spiritually and morally. Thus, it is important that we should heed a number of aspects related to this holy month and to benefit from every minute which passes by.

1-Fasting is for God
A person should be aware that fasting is an honor and that God grants the reward for it, as the Sacred Narration states: “All the deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except fasting; it is for Me and I will give reward for it.”

2-The Month of Blessing and Mercy:
In his sermon on the month of Ramadan, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his Household) said: “It is a month which Almighty Allah regards as the best of all months. Its days, in the sight of Almighty Allah, are the best of days, its nights are the best of nights, and its hours are the best of hours.”

Muslims wait for this month all year long in order to spend it in worship and supplication to God, and there are many special aspects of Ramadan:
-The gates of hell are closed in this month, and the gates of Heaven are opened
-Angels ask God to grant His forgiveness to those who are fasting until they break their fast at the end of the day
-The Night of Destiny is a part of this month, and it is better that one thousand months

3-Reinforcement of Devotion:
Sayyida Fatima (peace be upon her) said: “Allah made fasting obligatory in order to reinforce sincere devotion [to Him].”
The more a person is sincere to God in his intentions and actions, the more will he receive the aid of the Al-Mighty.
God says in the Holy Quran: {And they have been commanded no more than this: to worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being True (in faith); to establish Prayer; and to practice charity; and that is the Religion Right and Straight.} (Surah Al-Bayyina, verse 5)

4-The Month of Patience
In the month of Ramadan, Muslims are obliged to abstain from a number of things during the day such as eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse. The month of Ramadan teaches people to be patient and it enforces their will to avoid sins. If a person is able to abstain from certain matters which are lawful in other than the days of Ramadan, then he/she is able to abstain from sins.

5-The Month when the Devil is in Shackles
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his Household) said: “Shall I inform you of something which if you perform then Satan will be far from you like [the distance] between the East and the West?”
They said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”
He answered: “Fasting darkens his face, charity breaks his back, love in Allah and assistance in performing righteous deeds uproot him, and asking for forgiveness cuts off his artery.”

6-The Reward is Heaven
A Sacred Narration states: “One who fasts has two joys: When he breaks his fast and eats and drinks, and when he meets Me and I admit him to Heaven.”

source : abna