Soul Talk - Ramadan

A Sermon on the last Friday of Sha’ban on the Reception of the Month of Ramadan.


“O People! Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which with Allah is the best of months. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite his book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah’s forgiveness during this great month. Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgement) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honour your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people, so compassion may be shown to your orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked.


“O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with Istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations; and know that Allah swears by his might: That there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds.


“O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven. Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (s): “Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?”


The Prophet (Pbuh) replied: “Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar (meal) is a drink of water.” “One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the ‘Siraat’ ... on the day that feet will slip ... “One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgement ... “As for one who honours an orphan; Allah will honour him on the day of judgement, “And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgement. “As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him ... “Who so ever performs a recommended prayer in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him”, “Whoever performs an obligatory prayer Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month. And who so ever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure”. “He who recites one verse of the Holy Qur’an will be given the rewards of reciting the whole Qur’an during other months. “O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; The doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month Shaytan (Satan) is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you.”

What is the meaning of the word ‘fast’?

On the outward level fasting involves physical abstinence from food and drink, and without such exterior abstinence a full and true fast cannot be kept; yet the rules about eating and drinking must never be treated as an end in themselves, for ascetic fasting has an inward and unseen purpose. The human person is a unity of body and soul, ‘a living creature fashioned from natures visible (zahir) and invisible’ (batin); and our ascetic fasting should therefore involve both these natures at once.


The decline in fasting is due to a false ‘spiritualism’ which rejects or ignores the body, viewing the human being solely in terms of the reasoning brain. As a result, some have lost a true vision of the human person as an integral unity of the visible and the invisible; they neglect the positive role played by the body in the spiritual life.


The primary aim of fasting is to make us conscious of our total dependence upon Allah ta’la. It is to lead us to a sense of inward brokenness and contrition; to bring to us, that is, to the point where we appreciate the power of Allah and to unconditionally surrender to Him


Abstinence leads to a sense of lightness, wakefulness, freedom and joy. While involving genuine self-denial, fasting does not seek to do violence to our body but rather to restore it to health and equilibrium. Fasting liberates our body from the burden of excessive weight and makes it a willing partner in the task of prayer, alert and responsive to the inner voice of the heart.


Fasting is not a mere matter of diet. It is moral as well as physical. True fasting is to be converted in heart and will; it is to return to God, it means ‘abstinence not only from food but from sins’. It is useless to fast from food and yet to indulge in cruel criticism and slander: ‘You do not eat meat, but you devour your brother’. The inner significance of fasting is prayer, fasting, almsgiving. Prayer has to be linked with fasting. Fasting is seen, not an end in itself, but as an aid to come closer to God.


Prayer and fasting should, in their turn, be accompanied by almsgiving - by love for others expressed in practical form, by works of compassion and forgiveness. Without love towards others there can be no genuine fast. And this love for others should not be limited to formal gestures or to sentimental feelings, but should issue in specific acts of almsgiving. It is to give not only our money but also our time, not only what we have but what we are; it is to give a part of ourselves. We should not despise our neighbour when we fast nor condemn our brother when we abstain from food.


We cleanse ourselves by almsgiving and acts of mercy to the poor, but never to make a trumpet or show of our charity. Let not our left hand know what our right hand is doing and let not vainglory scatter the fruit of our almsgiving. Our fasting, prayer and almsgiving should be in secret. In secret let us call on God who knows all secrets and pray.


While confessing, repenting and seeking forgiveness, we too should prepare ourselves to forgive others. In that way, let us get rid of all the ill-feelings from our mind and purify it, so that peace can enter our hearts and stimulate us, to lead a true Islamic life.