Allah`s Blessings in Ramadan
All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
Every year, Muslims experience days of goodness and blessings, days of returning to Allah the Almighty and seeking His forgiveness. These are days of mercy, forgiveness, and liberation from the Hellfire; they are the days of the month of Ramadan.
Whenever Ramadan begins, Muslims remember the countless blessings of Allah the Almighty upon them. He, the Almighty, says (what means): "And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them" [Ibrahim: 34], "And whatever you have of favor - it is from Allah" [An-Nahl: 53].
When the month of Ramadan approaches, it remind the people of blessings, among the most important and noble of which are those bestowed by Allah the Almighty upon His believing servants. These include the blessing of the noble Quran, the blessing of fasting, and the blessing of victory over the enemies of Islam, which have become strongly associated with the month of Ramadan. This is to the extent that Ramadan has become known as the month of victory and dignity.
As for the blessing of fasting in particular, it is beyond description. If people knew the blessings it contains, they would wish to remain fasting for Allah forever. I will not speak here about the blessings of fasting that are discussed by experts in medicine and modern science, such as the physical and spiritual benefits of fasting, as they talk about the health benefits of fasting, including the regulation of bodily functions and the removal of toxins accumulated throughout the year. All of these are blessings bestowed by Allah the Almighty upon His servants through fasting.
However, I will speak, here, about other blessings that people aren`t aware about:
The first blessing is witnessing the month of Ramadan, a blessing that Muslims remember and thank Allah the Almighty for it. How many individuals wished and prayed to Allah to reach Ramadan, but today they have departed from this world. Therefore, when Ramadan arrives, a person praises their Lord, glorified and exalted, for granting them this month and allowing them to witness it. Truly, the best of people are those who live long and perform good deeds. This is indeed a great blessing for which Allah the Almighty deserves to be thanked.
The second blessing is being able to fast. How many sick individuals reach Ramadan wishing that Allah would grant them the strength to fast even for a single day? How many elderly people wish for their youth to return so they could fast just for one day? This ability to fast is a blessing from Allah the Almighty upon you. If He willed, He could have deprived you of it. Therefore, be grateful to Allah the Almighty for enabling you to fast.
The third blessing is fasting itself, which is one of the greatest blessings from Allah upon His servant. It is indeed the only act of worship that Allah has specifically reserved its reward for Himself among all other acts of worship. As narrated in a Hadith Qudsi, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting, for it is for Me and I shall reward for it" (Sahih al-Bukhari). If the reward is from Allah Almighty, then it is greater than any other reward, because Allah is indeed Great and He only rewards with greatness. Moreover, since Allah has concealed this reward and not disclosed its magnitude, I firmly believe that the reward and recompense for fasting from Allah cannot be matched by any other reward. Isn't this a blessing from among the many blessings of Allah that should make our tongues and hearts resound with gratitude and praise for Him?
The fourth blessing is that during Ramadan, the eight gates of Paradise are opened while the seven gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are restrained. This strengthens a person in their worship and obedience, after Allah has guaranteed them victory over their adversary, Satan. Allah also opens doors of goodness and obedience for them that were not present before Ramadan. Consequently, acts of charity increase, people return to their Lord, and there is a surge in giving charity, feeding the needy, and remembering the poor who are often forgotten at other times of the year.
The fifth blessing is that during fasting, Allah bestows His favors upon His servants by forgiving their sins. Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, their previous sins will be forgiven. Similarly, whoever stands in worship during Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree) with faith and seeking reward, their previous sins will be forgiven. This is good news for all sinners, as they are granted forgiveness for the sins of the past year, which Allah forgives completely. As the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said, "The five daily prayers, and from one Friday prayer to the next, and from one Ramadan to the next are expiations for sins committed in between them, so long as major sins are avoided." (Transmitted by Muslim). Additionally, Allah's generosity during Ramadan is such that whoever performs a good deed in this month will be rewarded as if they performed an obligatory act in any other month, and whoever performs an obligatory act will be rewarded as if they performed seventy obligatory acts in any other month. What greater blessing could there be than this blessing, through which Allah forgives your sins, lifts your status, and multiplies your rewards?
The sixth blessing is that fasting disciplines the human soul. It purifies souls from sins and guides them towards modesty and contentment. Fasting leads individuals towards the path of purity and contentment, nurturing within them the trait of honesty. Whoever refrains from their permissible desires and pleasures is capable of refraining from prohibited desires and pleasures as well. Fasting strengthens the determination of the fasting person, trains them in piety, and enables them to achieve the wisdom behind fasting as intended by Allah Almighty in His saying: "That you may become righteous." (Al-Baqarah: 183). Fasting helps in controlling the desires of the stomach and genitals, which are the greatest worldly desires and pleasures of humans. This control extends to all other desires and inclinations.
The seventh blessing is that through fasting, a person comes to know their true self. When the body weakens and a person feels their own weakness and neediness to their Lord, they realize the greatness of divinity. They understand that Allah is the only Lord worthy of worship and that humans are needy servants who require Allah in all their affairs. Allah says (what means): "And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me." (Adh-Dhariyat: 56-57). They recognize the reality of their poverty before Allah Almighty, as mentioned in the verse: "O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy." (Fatir: 15).
The eighth blessing is the unity it fosters within the community. Everyone refrains from food and drink at the same time, rich, poor, great and small, rulers, and subjects alike, all are subject to the same commandments of Allah. Thus, everyone is equal before the law of Allah. During fasting, the rich who experience hunger and thirst for a few hours are reminded of their less fortunate brothers and sisters who go without food throughout the year. This diminishes the differences among people. Feeling the harshness of hunger, the rich are motivated to show kindness to the poor and be compassionate towards them. This fosters solidarity among everyone, purifying their souls and strengthening the community, eliminating the causes of hatred among its members. Consequently, society becomes empowered to progress and advance.
The final blessing of Ramadan, which all Muslims experience, brings immense joy. It encompasses the young and old, the poor and rich, men and women alike. People rejoice in the collective obedience to Allah's command, which is witnessed through the great act of fasting bestowed upon us by Allah. Through this act, Allah showers His blessings and honors upon us.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.
