· Being God conscious – in a state of taqwa throughout the whole month
· Training to be disciplined in iman - faith
· Ability to control nafs and syahwat – selfish desires
· Ability to control the love of this worldly life
· Commemorating the revelation of the Qur’an
· Observing secrecy in sincerity of worship for Allah
· Feeling closer to Allah
· Purifying the heart and the self
· Training to be trustworthy - amanah
· Training to be patient and steadfast - sabr and istiqamah
· Developing to be a better Muslim with character, qualities, strength, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness, patience, commitment, dedication
· Feeling the miseries, the hunger and thirst of the poor and the destitute
· Feeling the brotherhood of Muslims
· Training for hardship
· Semblance of a life of struggle and strive
· Healthy benefits, dieting
Ramadan’s Offerings & Opportunities:
· Allah’s blessings
· Allah’s forgiveness
· Liberation from the fires of hell
· Obtaining the rewards of paradise
· To make the best out of the Night of Power - laylatul qadar
Levels of fasting:
Highest & Ideal:
Free from any ill thoughts, bad intentions and selfish desires fleeting through the heart and mind
Next level:
Abstain from bad deeds in speech and behaviour
Basic:
Abstain from all things that nullify fasting
Prayer recited at breaking of fast - iftar do'a:
“O Allah,
We fast because of You
and With your grace we break our fast
and we are faithful to You”
Happiness:
People who fast are the happiest and the most joyful because shall experience
· Happiness in breaking the fast
· Happiness on the day of ‘eid al fitr
· Happiness in meeting Allah on the Day of Judgement - the greatest ever pleasure ever hoped and wished for
Breaking the Fast:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
"Break the fast with dates. If it is not available, drink water for water purifies."
Providing meals for others to break the fast:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
“Whoever provides meals for persons to break the fast, his rewards shall be the rewards of fasting.”
Sahur - the pre dawn meal is strongly encouraged:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
"Eat sahur because sahur has its blessings."
Satan is shackled - evil is restrained - there are no obstacles and ample opportunity for worship and good deeds
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
“When the month of Ramadan comes, The doors of paradise are opened wide and the doors of hell are closed shut, Satan is shackled”
Ramadan is a month of celebration and a festival of faith and God consciousness:
· We celebrate when we break our fast at dusk - maghrib
· Ramadan itself is celebrating the commemoration of Qur’an revelations
· We celebrate ‘Eid al Fitr at the end of the month of Ramadan - return our purest state of God consciousness
The month when the Qur'an was revealed - Al Qur’an, surah al baqarah 2:185:
Ramadan is the month when the Qur’an was revealed
The Qur’an is the guidance for mankind. It is the proof of guidance. It is the criterion to differentiate truth from falsehood, between good and evil.
Benefits of Ramadan:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
“Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan because of Allah, Allah shall distance him 70 years from the fires of hell
Benefits of Worship during Ramadan:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
“Whoever performs worship in the month of Ramadan with faith and sincerity, Allah shall forgive all his past sins”
Benefits of Solat - prayers during Ramadan:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.
"Praying the five daily Solat from Friday to the next Friday and Ramadan to the next Ramadan the following year, shall cleanse all sins as long as the major sins are avoided."
Benefits of Fasting and the Qur'an:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
"Fasting and the Qur’an shall intercede (helps) on a person’s behalf on the Day of Judgement."
Benefits and rewards of Fasting:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
"Paradise has an entrance called Ar Rayyan exclusively special for those who fast."
The Prayers of those who are surely granted - significance of the do'a of a person who fasts:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w.:
"Three persons whose prayers shall surely be answered:
The person who is fasting,
A just leader,
and a person who is oppressed"
Performing Solat Tarawih is strongly encouraged:
· Night prayer performed after solat isya’
· Carry out 2 raka’ats and ends with customary salam
· It is Sunat mu'akkad, strongly encouraged
· It is encouraged to be performed in congregation together in the community – jama’ah
· the length is either 8 or 20 rakaats
· It can be followed with solat witir (3 raka’ats) at the end
Night vigil , Night of Power - laylatul qadr:
It is truly a Night of Power full of blessings. It is a celebration of the revelation of the Qur’an. Tremendous rewards are offered beyond our comprehension.
The Night of Power is to be observed by constantly being in the state of utmost taqwa and readiness, to be steadfastly and consistently performing extra worship like solat tarawih, solat sunat, solat tahajjud, reciting, reading and contemplating the Qur’an, making do'a, undertaking night vigil in the early morning hours. We are reminded to ensure our fasting is correct and dutiful.
Benefits of laylatul qadr:
Hadith Rasulullah s.a.w:
"Whoever performs worship during Laylatul Qadar with faith and places all hope to Allah, Allah shall forgive all his past sins."
Fasting for Children:
Ensure an atmosphere of joy and happiness in fasting, breaking of fast, going to the masjid or musalla, reciting Qur’an – tadarrus, being charitable, donating to good causes and doing all these things together as a whole family. Encourage and motivate fasting but do not compel the children. We are also encouraged to give out gifts to children. Always pray that our children shall be our cherished and loved ones in God consciousness and piety.
Zakat fitrah:
This essential alms is collected towards the end of Ramadan from those who can afford it. The collection is distributed and given to the poor, the orphans, the needy and those entitled. Zakat fitrah is obligatory upon all able Muslims. The head of family pays for all of his dependents. The value of Zakat fitrah amounts to approximately 3 kg of grain per family member. This zakat is given to the poor and others entitled to it at the end of Ramadan. It purifies our fast and our behaviour . It helps the poor to celebrate ‘eid.
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