Verses on Fasting & the Month of Ramadan

The Holy Month of Ramadan is the month in which Quran was revealed. Angel Jibril visited Prophet Muhammed (SWS) in the cave of Hira with the first few ayat of the Quran on the 21st night of Ramadan.

Fasting is a pillar of Islam and a precious opportunity for a believer. Fasting is a protection, shield, screen, shelter from the Hell Fire. The reward of good deeds done by a fasting person is multiplied by 10 times. There is a Gate to Paradise called Ar Rayyan, only those who fast will enter Paradise from this gate.

The only Surah in the whole Quran which mentions about fasting is Surah Baqarah (2), which says..

O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting (As-Saum) as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous (Muttaqun) ~ Surah Baqarah Verse 183

[Fasting for] a fixed number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship e.g. an old man] - a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess - it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew~ Surah Baqarah Verse 184

The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah (saying Allahu Akbar) for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful ~ Surah Baqarah Verse 185

And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided~ Surah Baqarah Verse 186

And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset~ Surah Baqarah Verse 187

Points to care for - during Ramadan:

1. Making sure the intention of fasting is made correctly.

2. Main goal of Ramadan is to attain taqwa – consciousness of Allah, awareness of Allah, to know that Allah is watching us, to feel The Unseen, to protect our self from trouble. So make sure that our Heart is in our control, and our body is submitting to Allah while fasting.

3. Avoiding sinning – both major and minor – best way is to eliminate the usage of useless media. Though we should utilize the social media to spread the deen and awareness.

4. Another goal is to cleanse our previous sins, and start fresh with this month.

5. Isha time ends exactly at mid night.

Offering the night prayer i.e Taraweeh is very beneficial. In Lay latul Qadr if we pray Allah will forgive all of our previous sins. In Sha Allah. We can offer as many Rakahs as we wish in the sets of 2 Rakahs.

Whoever wishes to pray Tahajjud, he/she should sleep and wake up to pray. Its time ends before the start of Fajr time. And one should end it with witr prayer.

6. Make sure to offer the Fardh prayers on time without much delay. This point is important not just for men but also to the women.

7. After Fajr - reading Quran, making dikhr and praying 2 rakats after sunrise is really very rewarding. Duha prayer (voluntary prayer) is offered between after sunrise by 10 minutes till 10 minutes before the adhan of Zohr prayer. It’s a quite long time. The reward will be that of performing a Hajj and a Umrah. Its also called Ishraaq Salah. It is a 2 rakah prayer which Prophet [SWS] performed frequently. If one wishes, one may even pray more but in the set of 2 rakah each (e.g. 2, 4, 6, 8, 12).

The Prophet [SWS] said: “Whoever prays the Fajr prayer then sits in his place of prayer remembering Allah until sunrise, then prays two rakʿahs, shall be rewarded as if he had performed Hajj and ʿUmrah, with a reward that is complete, complete, complete.” at-Tirmidhi (586)

Note: This doesn’t fulfill the requirement (one of the pillars of Islam) of performing Hajj physically!

8. Give charity more generously.

9. Feeding the food to relatives and poor.

10. Making dua while breaking fast has utmost priority.

11. Avoid eating too much. Too much eating could make us becoming lazy and unproductive.

12. Understanding and Reciting Quran with contemplation – the Guidance we get from Quran is more important than just reciting.

13. Seeking forgiveness from Allah & Doing dikhr.

14. Guarding our tongue from gossiping and backbiting

15. Avoid bad company

16. Sending reminders (sharing Ayahs and Hadiths) to family and friends is also a good way of utilizing the time.

17. Helping family members in household chores.

Benefits of Fasting: It helps to train one self to exercise self-control, overcome desires, helps a person to develop finer manners, discipline and respect for time, helps to Purify our body from toxins and waste and also helps a person to appreciate blessings from Allah through out the rest of the year.

Those who cannot fast due to any permanent illness - They need to feed a poor person for each day instead. Women must also make up for their missed fasts. If a person is temporary ill, they are permitted to not fast if they cannot, but must make up for these days once they have recovered.

Who are the people of Quran?

Those who memorize, who frequently recite, learn, understand, apply and teach the Quran in day to day life. We are the people of Quran. The least we could do is to complete the whole Quran in Ramadan.

Lets reconnect with the people (relatives, friends), with whom we severed/cut off our connection with. Its an opportunity to purify our hearts and to remove our differences. Its an opportunity to forgive and pardon for the sake of Allah.

Ramadan is 30 days and 30 nights. How are you going to use this time? Whats your favorite way of showing sincerity to Allah? Comment below. You can prioritize from above points because sky is the limit of doing good deeds.