In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, the Compassionate
His Eminence the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abd Al-Karim Al-Khasawneh
Muslims rejoice at the approach of the month of Ramadan, and announce their joy and happiness at its arrival, because it is a month replete with benefits, full of acts of obedience; good deeds in it are doubled, standings in it are elevated, and hearts in it are filled with piety; spirits are purified; he who is fasting does not commit any obscenity, and does not shout, and does not meet bad deeds with bad deeds; rather she/he forgives and pardons, and stops her/his tongue from backbiting and lying and quarrelling, and stops his body organs from committing acts of disobedience and sin.
Al-Baydawi said: "The validity of fasting does not mean only hunger and thirst, but rather the breaking of appetites which follows, and the subjugation of the spirit which is inclined towards evil; for if one does not attain this, Allah will not look upon him with acceptance, and this is the meaning of the saying of the Prophet (PBUH): "Anyone who does not forsake false speech (lying, ignorance, and foolishness), then Allah has no desire for him to forsake his food and drink." [Bukhari].
In order to achieve that, we must be cognizant of the virtues of the month of Ramadan:
First: The blessed month of Ramadan is considered one of the best months of the year, because in it Allah sent down the Quran. Allah Said (What means): "The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion." [Al-Baqarah/185]. So Allah, The Exalted singled out this month for this act of worship (reading the Quran), just as He singled it out by revealing the Quran during it as a guide for the people.
Second: In it is the Night of Power (Laylat-Al Qadr), which is a blessed night which Allah has preferred over all other days and months, because of the lights and sacred manifestations it contains, and the divine gifts, which Allah bestows upon his faithful worshippers, in honor of the revelation of the Quran. Gabriel and other angels descend to the Earth by order of their Lord, for the sake of every matter Allah has ordained and predetermined for that year until the next, and this is the second aspect of its preference. In addition, the third aspect is in The Words of Allah, the verse reads (What means): "Peace it is until the emergence of dawn." [Al-Qadr/5]. Which means: it is peace from its first day hours until the emergence of dawn.
Third: In Ramadan, the gates of Heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are shut. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: "When Ramadan comes, the gates of Jannah are opened, and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils (Shayateen) are chained up." [Agreed upon.] The Qadi Ayyad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It seems likely that it is, at face value and in reality, and that all of this is a sign for the angels of the beginning of the month and for the glorification of its sanctity, and to prevent the devils from harming the faithful, and it seems likely that it could be a reference to the great amount of penitence and pardon, and that the devils reduce their temptations and become like the trustworthy ones."
Fourth: Fasting is a bodily act of worship connected to Allah; because of this, Allah has dedicated himself to recompense for this act of worship. Abu Hureyra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: "Allah The Almighty Said: "Every act of a son of Adam is for himself, except for fasting, which is for Me, and I shall reward him for it." [Agreed upon]. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It is said that the reason it (fasting) is connected to Allah is that no one but him is worshipped through it; the disbelievers (Kuffaar) in the ages before Islam did not glorify any of their objects of worship by fasting, but they did worship them (their idols and deities) by means of prayer (Salaat) and prostration (Sujood) and charity and remembrance (Thikr) and other means." It is also said: because fasting is distanced from showing off and insincerity due to the fact, it is hidden, unlike prayer, Hajj (Offering pilgrimage to The House of Allah, Kaaba'), Jihad, charity and other visible acts of worship.
Fifth: One of the gates of Heaven is reserved for those who fast; Heaven has eight gates, one of which is called Al-Rayyan, and no one enters it except for those who fasted, as shown by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him): (There is a gate in Jannah called Al-Rayyan, through which those who fasted will enter on the Day of Judgement (Yawm Al-Qiyamah), and no one will enter with them who is not one of them, and someone said: Where are those who fast? And they enter by that gate, and when the last of them enters it is locked and no Al-Rey (quenching of thirst), which is appropriate for the situation of those who are fasting.
Al-Qurtubi said: "Content yourself with the remembrance of the quenching of thirst instead of eating your fill, because it is evidenced by it insofar as it makes it necessary, or because it is more difficult for the fasting person than hunger."
Sixth: In this blessed month gifts abound, and charity increases, following the example of the Prophet (PBUH). Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated: "The Messenger (PBUH) was the most generous of people, and he was the most generous of all in Ramadan, when Gabriel met him; he would meet him (the Prophet) every night in Ramadan and teach him the Quran, and indeed the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was more generous than the blowing wind." [Agreed upon]. This hadith contains numerous points of interest, among them: the desirability of increased generosity in Ramadan; increasing generosity and good works when meeting the righteous and the result of parting from them because of the influence of encountering them; and the desirability of studying the Quran in this month.
Seventh: People frequently perform the Night Prayer (Qiyaam Al-Layl) in this blessed month: they pray Taraweeh, which jurists agree is a confirmed act of Prophetic Sunnah for men and women alike. Abu Hureyra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, liked to make night prayers in Ramadan (and for others to do the same), but he did not command them to do it as a duty, and he said: (Whoever prays the night prayers in Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven). Then the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, died, and the matter remained there." [Moslim].
The meaning of ( من غير ان يأمرهم بعزيمة Min Ghayr an Ya'muruhum Bi 'Azeemah), translated here as "without commanding them to do it as a duty." is: he did not give them a command that was obligatory and unavoidable, but rather a command that could be followed as desired.
The meaning of (ايمانا Imaanan), translated here as "out of faith" is: believing in the promise of Allah that there will be a reward for it.
The meaning of ( احتسابا Ihtisaaban), translated here as 'in the hope of reward,' is: requesting reward ( اجر Ajr) and not for the purpose of pretension or dissimulation and the like. [Kindly refer to: Al-Nawawi's explanation of the Sahih Moslim].
And all perfect praise is be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.
