Authour: Abdul Rahman
“Ramadan is a school to learn Taqwa. The question is will we graduate or not?”
Part 1. Example of starting something without preparing
- ● Would you get in the car and start driving without knowing where you’re going?
- ● Would you start cooking without checking you have everything you need first?
- ● Would you leave the house without an umbrella? Given we live in Manchester I hope not
We naturally answer no to these questions – because they have a common theme. Lack of preparation.
And as Muslims, as people who want to achieve things in life, plans are essential.
And now perhaps the biggest plan of our lives is ahead of us.
How did the year go by so fast? Can you believe it’s already Ramadan?
Think about how fast the time has passed – don’t trick yourself into thinking Ramadan or Shawwal is going to be any slower.
Part 2. Importance of Ramadan
But why is Ramadan important?
- ● Allah tells us in the Quran the purpose: O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will become mindful ˹of Allah˺.
- ○ Taqwa – consciousness of Allah that determines how you act
- ○ Taqwa is your ticket to Allah’s pleasure – and reward. Not the primary motivator
- ● Fasting and Taqwa – how are they connected (School of Taqwa)
- ○ Depriving yourself of the things that keep you alive – can there be a more obvious and powerful form of self control?
- ○ Not to be a painful form of worship – but rather so that your soul is now in control
- ○ Eg when you eat a full meal, the body is satiated, and you pray, how good is the
prayer? Who won between the body and the soul? When you’re hungry and you pray, who’s in control now? The same way soul overcame desire for food you’re strengthening it to overcome the other desires
- ● So Ramadan is a school to learn Taqwa. The question is will we graduate or not? 3 areas we must work on- physical, spiritual and mental.
But of course fasting and getting that consciousness of Allah isn’t just about restraining ourselves from food. It’s controlling ourselves completely.
Abu Huraira reported, as narrated in Bukhari: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever does not leave evil words and deeds while fasting, Allah does not need him to leave food and drink.”
In another hadith Abu Huraira reports that The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “One might fast and he gets nothing from his fast but hunger. One might pray at night but he gets nothing from his prayer but fatigue.”
So we need to make a conscious effort to change not just our eating habits, but our character.
- ● When you’re leaving the masjid and someone’s blocking you in – just stay quiet and remember Allah.
- ● When someone pushes in front of you to get something – just stay quiet and remember Allah.
- ● When you want to talk about someone behind their back – check yourself, stay quiet and remember Allah.
How do you do this?
- ● Try and do some remembrance of Allah in the morning and evenings
- ● Don’t hang around with people who encourage that behaviour
As Muslims, we are of the best religion and this is the best month; we ought to display the best to character. Inwardly to families, or outwardly to the community. Ramadan is about building bridges and establishing the community, not about being a nuisance. When we leave our food and drink, we must also leave our vices of anger, abruptness or lack of reasoning. How can we display taqwa if we park irresponsibly, are a nuisance to the non-Muslim community and act stand-offish and unreasonable with the volunteers. We must do better.
- Mental
Sit down and make a plan
Allah says in the Quran: O believers! Be mindful of Allah and let every soul look to what ˹deeds˺ it has sent forth for tomorrow. And fear Allah, ˹for˺ certainly Allah is All-Aware of what you do.
We have to plan, organise our time and our lives. Think about
- ● Give yourself a smart objective for Ramadan (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound)
- ● Think about what your day’s schedule will look like
- ● Think about how every day you can work little by little towards graduating from the school of Taqwa
I ask Allah to allow us to reach the end of Ramadan. I ask Allah to allow us to do the best we can for this blessed month. I ask Allah to allow us to make the most of Ramadan, and to treat each one as if it is our last. I ask Allah to take our souls when He is pleased with us.
Ameen