Articles

Ramadan Teaches us the Power of Will and Resolve
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 28-03-2023

Ramadan Teaches us the Power of Will and Resolve

 

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

The holy month of Ramadan is a divine gift manifesting mercy, goodness and blessings. Allah willed that this blessed month be the turning point of change in people`s life taking them from the darkness of ignorance into the light and mercy of Islam, from vice to virtue, from cruelty and disaffection to love, brotherhood and affection. Thus, this religion was initiated by sending Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) as a mercy to all creatures. Allah The Almighty Says {what means}: "We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures." {Al-Anbiya/107}. In this holy month, the earth was connected with the heaven and the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) whom Allah sent as mercy to take people out of darkness into the light and out of misguidance into guidance. Allah Says {what means}: "Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting" {Al-Baqarah/185}. This made it the month of mercy and forgiveness.

One of the blessings of this great month is that it is one of the passages of life enabling a believer to revitalize his/her resolve and renew his/her faith. It is also a school of high will, doing righteous good deeds and drawing closer to Allah the Almighty Who told us that the fruit of fasting is the realization of piety and rising to the degree of His pious worshippers. He The Almighty Says {What means}: "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint." {Al-Baqarah/183}.

The holy month of Ramadan teaches us to abandon the lusts/desires of the soul and body through quitting food, drink and coveted things. This is in addition to elevating the soul to the realms of spirituality through increasing prayers, worship, remembrance and glorification of Allah. Thus, it gets closer to the status of the angels about whom Allah Said (What means): " who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from God, but do (precisely) what they are commanded." {At-Tahrim/6}. Ramadan is the month of change, offering acts of obedience, worshipping The Most Merciful and reciting the Quran.

This month, Muslims are undergoing a course in self-discipline to attain the piety for which fasting is prescribed. It is a test for changing self and society to the better as well as controlling desires. A Muslim realizes that he/she can quit not only lawful food and water, but also acts of disobedience and fight self that incites him/her to sins, evils and inflicting harm upon others.

From the perspective of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions, Ramadan is the month of work and pivotal achievements in the history of the Islamic Uma. It has never been the month of laziness or inaction. Rather, it is an opportunity to revitalize resolve and receive the glad-tidings of success in all spheres of life. One of these pivotal events is the Battle of Badr, which Allah Called the Day of the Criterion because it differentiated between right and wrong and was won by the Muslims. It took place on the seventeenth of Ramadan. Another example is the Conquest of Makkah through which sanctities returned to the fold of Islam and large numbers of people accepted Islam. This Conquest took place on the twentieth of Ramadan. Therefore, Ramadan is the month of fighting self, curbing desires and competing in righteous good deeds. It is the duty of every Muslim to take advantage of these blessed days through fasting, night prayers and reciting the Quran to win Allah`s Mercy and Forgiveness and return free from sin as on the day a person was born. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "He who observes fasting during the month of Ramadan with Faith, while seeking its reward From Allah, will have his past sins forgiven." [Agreed upon]. And All perfect praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds.

 

 

 

 

 

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on wiping the front of the head beneath the ḥijāb, and is it permissible to wipe over the ḥijāb if it was put on while in a state of purification (wudu`)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is permissible to wipe the front portion of the head (nāṣiyah) with the fingertips. It is likewise sufficient to place a wet hand over a head covering (ḥijāb), provided the moisture actually reaches the hair beneath it — if it does not, it does not suffice. A head covering is not treated in the same manner as leather socks (khuff) and may not be wiped over in lieu of the head itself.
Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.1/P.407): "If a person is wearing a turban and does not wish to remove it — whether for a valid reason or otherwise — he should wipe the entire front portion of the head... The same ruling applies to whatever a woman wears on her head. If, however, he confines himself to wiping over the turban without wiping any part of the head itself, this does not suffice — and there is no disagreement among us on this point." He further states: "A woman is like a man in the manner of wiping the head... She should insert her hand beneath her head covering so that the wiping falls upon the hair itself. If she places her wet hand over her head covering, our scholars stated: if the moisture does not reach the hair, it does not suffice her." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on performing Tarawih in sets of four rak‘ahs with only one Tasleem?

It is not permissible to combine more than two rak‘ahs with a single Tasleem in Tarawih prayer. Whoever does so, their prayer is invalid. Shaykh al-Islam Imam Muhammad al-Ramli (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: "If a person prays four rak‘ahs of the Tarawih prayer with a single Tasleem, it is not valid if they did so intentionally and with knowledge [of the prohibition]. Otherwise, it becomes an 'absolute voluntary prayer' (nafl mutlaq); because it is contrary to what has been prescribed." [Nihayat al-Muhtaj, Vol.2/P.127].

Does sacrificing one sheep avail for the entire household?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is a communal Sunnah (Sunnah Kifayah) for members of the same household, provided that their financial maintenance is undertaken by a single provider. By "communal Sunnah," we mean that when one person performs it, the religious recommendation is fulfilled on behalf of the entire household, though the spiritual reward itself belongs uniquely to the one who offered it.
 
Therefore, if any member of the household performs the sacrifice—even if it is someone who is not legally responsible for the household's expenses, such as the wife or one of the children—the recommendation is fulfilled for everyone in that home. However, the reward does not automatically extend to the other members unless the person offering the sacrifice explicitly intends to share the reward with them—similar to how performing a funeral prayer (Janazah) fulfills the communal obligation for everyone, yet the specific reward is earned by those who actually prayed.
 
Additionally, a single sacrifice is sufficient for a man who is married to more than one wife. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "There will emerge from my nation people who will drink the Qurʾān as they drink milk" — is this ḥadīth authentic, and what does it mean?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "There will emerge from my nation people who will drink the Qurʾān as they drink milk." (Reported by al-Ṭabarānī in al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, and cited by al-Haythamī in Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid, who stated: "Its narrators are trustworthy.")
The meaning of this ḥadīth is that there will emerge from this blessed nation people who recite the Holy Qurʾān without reflecting upon its meanings or pondering its rulings — the noble verses passing over their tongues just as milk passes over them when it is drunk, leaving no trace of thought, understanding, or contemplation behind. [See: al-Taysīr bi-Sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr,Vol.2/P.63] And Allah the Almighty knows best.