Reviving The Spirit Of Ramadan

Zafar Bangash

Ramadan 01, 1446 2025-03-01

Opinion

by Zafar Bangash (Opinion, Crescent International Vol. 55, No. 1, Ramadan, 1446)

Muslims worldwide have begun another blessed month of Ramadan. During this month, Muslims fast from before the break of dawn to after sunset. It is not merely an exercise in going hungry for a number of hours. There is a much more noble purpose behind it: we surrender to the Will of Allah to earn His pleasure and forgiveness.

Ramadan is also meant to inculcate in us the spirit of caring and sharing, realizing that there are millions of people less fortunate than ourselves. We must develop the consciousness to look after the needy and poor. While this should be every Muslim’s responsibility every day of his life, the month of Ramadan brings this into much more sharper focus because we ourselves are going hungry. In a well-known hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that a person has no faith if he eats his belly full while his neighbour goes to bed hungry (al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr lil-Ṭabarānī 751).

Ramadan is a month of cleansing not only our bodies but also our souls. As we deprive our bodies of food and drinks, we should be nourishing our souls by getting closer to Allah. This is done by abiding by His commands.

This requires understanding Allah’s commands as ordained in the noble Qur’an and exemplified by His Messenger (pbuh). The melodious recitation of the Qur’an during taraweeh prayers (late night prayers), which has become a ritual with most Muslims, may be spiritually entertaining but is not enough even if the recitation moves us to tears.

Muslims have to delve deeper into the divine Book. Allah (swt) reminds us that it is a Book of guidance for all humanity (2:185) but only those will get guidance who have taqwa (2:02). There are many ways to achieve taqwa, including fasting in the month of Ramadan (2:183).

The Qur’an’s guidance is available to Muslims as well as non-Muslims. Every individual must make that choice freely and without coercion (2:256 and 18:29). Choices, however, carry consequences. Further, it is self-evident proof of that guidance, as well as the standard by which to discern the true from the false.

In order to be guided and to discern truth from falsehood, we must understand the message of the Qur’an. Let us reiterate some self-evident truths. The Qur’an is our guide from the womb to the tomb. Guidance, however, is conditional upon understanding and the escalating self-assurance that comes from implementing that guidance.

There are many great events in prophetic history occurred in the month of Ramadan. The first and foremost is that Allah (swt) sent down the noble Qur’an from the Lawhun Mahfuz (the Well-guarded Tablet) into its earthly form and then the first few ayat were revealed to the noble Messenger (pbuh) in the Cave of Hira on Jabal al-Nour (Mount of Light).

Allah reminds us: “It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was [first] made accessible from on high as a guidance for people and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by which to discern the true from the false…” (2:185). That night of revelation is referred to as Laylat al-Qadr (the night of power).

Other momentous events in Prophetic history that occurred in this month were the battle of Badr (Ramadan 17, in the second year of the Hijrah), digging of the trench for the preparation of the Battle of Ahzab (5AH), the liberation of Makkah and the Battle of Hunayn (8 AH).

Each of these events had an enormous impact on the life of the nascent Muslim community. Badr was a defining moment for Muslims; it was their first test in battle. It took place when fasting had just been ordained for them. Muslims faced an enemy three times larger and much better armed but with unshakable faith in Allah whose help manifested itself in Badr, they came out victorious. Had Muslims been defeated that may have spelled the end of Islam.

What these momentous events in early Islamic history teach us is that Ramadan is a month of struggle and sacrifice. True, hunger induces weaknesses in one’s body. That precisely is the purpose. It helps to remove the toxins from our body. Further, Ramadan teaches patiences, thus it should help us improve our manners, shedding the bad habits we may have acquired during the year.

There are certain practices we must avoid if we are to get the full benefits of fasting. First, we must not over-indulge at iftaar (evening meal after breaking the fast) or at suhur (pre-dawn meal).

In parts of the Muslim world, some Muslims sleep during the day. They wake up in the late afternoon and then indulge in food the whole night. This is a complete perversion of the spirit of Ramadan. How are we to experience the pangs of hunger, thereby developing empthy for the needy and poor, if we sleep virtually the whole day and only wake up closer to iftaar time?

There is another practice that has been observed among some affluent Muslims. They go on holidays outside the country during Ramadan. Since Islam allows Muslims to defer fasting if they are traveling, or pay expiation for not fasting, they exploit this Qur’anic injunction. This is completely un-Islamic.

The latitude for travel is permitted for people who genuinely need to travel. Trying to manipulate this Qur’anic injunction amounts to cheating Allah (nastaghfirullah). He knows and sees everything and He is fully aware of what is in our hearts and in our inner thoughts.

Muslims must make their utmost effort to imbibe the true spirit of Ramadan. This way, they will gain access to Allah’s immense blessings, which is what He promises in this month.