Virtues and characteristics of Ramadan

Virtues and characteristics of Ramadan

Allah makes some people better than others based on their piety and faith. In the same way, Allah shows that some months have priority over other months, such as Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth Month and one of the blessed months that Allah prefers. This Month, Muslims can train themselves to abandon their evil deeds and start new and good ones. This Month has many virtues and characteristics that distinguish it from other months, as follows:

Ramadan is the Month of fasting:

At first, Allah commanded the Muslims to fast during Ramadan. Fasting Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. And it was narrated in al-Sahihayn (al-Bukhari, 8; Muslim, 16) from the hadith of Ibn’ Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Islam is built on five (pillars): the testimony that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah; establishing prayer; paying zakah; fasting Ramadan; and Hajj to the House (the KaabaKa’bah).” 

Fasting Ramadan is a shield from bad and wrong deeds: The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: “Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the Fire.” Fasting means to stop eating and drinking from dawn to sunset. Also, true Muslims should abandon the immoralities – what is apparent of them and what is concealed – and sin. Allah said, “Say, “My Lord has only forbidden immoralities – what is apparent of them and what is concealed – and sin,1 and oppression without right…” (Al-A’raf, 33)

If Muslims fast Ramadan and then fast the six days of Shawwal, it is like fasting their whole life.  Abu Ayyub al-Ansarin stated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be like fasting for a lifetime.

The gates of Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed.

In Ramadan, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed. Then, it is an excellent opportunity for those who wish to ask Allah for forgiveness. They have to exert their effort and improve their ways of worship to be closer to Allah. Anas narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “This is the Month of Ramadan that has come to you. In it, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hellfire are closed, and the devils are chained.”

In Ramadan, the Muslims supplicated to Allah to be free from the Hellfire. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

Allah has dedicated a gate in Paradise for those who fast during Ramadan. This gate is called “Al-Rayyan”. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Indeed, there is a gate in Paradise called al-Rayyan. Those who fasted will enter through it on the Day of Judgement. No one else will enter through it along with them. It will be said: ‘Where are those who fasted?’ Then they will get up, and there will be none other than them to enter through it. It will be closed once they have all entered, and no one else will enter through it.” (Bukhārī 1896)

How Ramadan prepares the Muslim to be a true believer: 

In Ramadan, you can perform multi-good deeds; the Prophet encourages Muslims to increase their acts of worship and conduct. Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “By the One in Whose hand my soul is, the breath of a fasting person is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk. He leaves his desires, food, and drink for My sake. Fasting is for Me, and I will reward it. Every good deed is rewarded ten times its kind, up to seven hundred times, except fasting, which is for Me, and I will reward it.”

If you are reactive and quick to anger, then Ramadan offers you an excellent opportunity to control and manage your feelings. Al and the Prophet ordered the Muslims to stop their anger, which was affecting their health. AbuDharrnarrated that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to us that: When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise, he should lie down.

Ramadan is the Month of the Quran:

Allah has sent down Jebreel to reveal the Holy Quran to the Prophet (peace be Upon Him). The Quran works as a guide for humanity to show the difference between right and wrong acts. Allah says: “The Month of Ramadan [is that] in which the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. 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 your ease and does not intend for your hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you, and perhaps you will be grateful.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185)

As Ramadan is a great chance to memorize the Quran, it is also great to study the Islamic sciences. You can read the Prophet’s biography to know more about his life and how he treated the people. He deals with everyone with empathy and mercy, even the disbelievers. As Allah said, “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction and argue with them in the best way. Indeed, your Lord knows most who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.” (An, Nahl, 125) Therefore, you can take the example of the Prophet as a role model.

Giving charities to people in need:

Also, you should be more generous this Month and give charity to needy people. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most generous of people, and he was even more generous during Ramadan when Jibreel would meet him. Jibreel would meet him every night during Ramadan to study the Quran with him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was more generous in doing well than the blowing wind.”

The First Night and The Night of Decree: 

The first night of Fasting in Ramadan has great virtues: Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and rebellious jinn are chained, the doors of Hellfire are closed, and not a single door is opened. The doors of Paradise are opened, and not a single door is closed. A caller calls out every night: ‘O seeker of good, come forward, and O seeker of evil, desist.’ And Allah has those whom He frees from the Fire, and that happens every night.” 

In Ramadan, there is a night that is better than a thousand months. This night is called Laylat Al-Qadr (The Night of Decree). This is the night the Quran has been revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Allah said, ” We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein with permission from their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” (Surah Al-Qadr). 

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever stands (in prayer) during Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree) out of faith and in the hope of reward, will have his previous sins forgiven.” (Sahih Bukhari). You can seek this night during the last ten days of Ramadan, especially the odd- number one.

Seeking forgiveness: 

Ramadan offers a great chance to seek forgiveness as Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) ascended the pulpit and said: “Ameen. Ameen. Ameen.” Then he said: “Whoever reaches his parents in their old age or one of them and does not earn Paradise (by serving them), may Allah distance him. Say Ameen.” They said, “Ameen.” “And whoever reaches Ramadan and does not have his sins forgiven, may Allah distance him. Say Ameen.“ They said, “Ameen.” “And whoever has my name mentioned in his presence and does not send blessings upon me, may Allah distance him. Say Ameen.“ They said, “Ameen.”

The best time to perform Umrah:

If anyone wishes to perform Umrah, it is preferred to do so during Ramadan. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Performing Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to performing Hajj.”

The Sunnah of performing Taraweeh and practising I’tikaf:

In Ramadan, performing Taraweeh is Sunnah, whether individually or in a congregation. Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever stands in prayer during Ramadan with faith and seeking reward will have his previous sins forgiven.”

Also, Ramadan is the time to practice I’tikaf. Muslims dedicate the last ten days of Ramadan to worship, increase devotion, and stay in the mosque. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to observe I’tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah took him (passed away). Then his wives observed I’tikaf after him.”

Your supplication is accepted in Ramadan:

If anyone wishes anything, such as blessings in his earnings, getting married, or entering Paradise, then Ramadan is a great time for supplications to be accepted. The Messenger of Allah ﷺsaid: “There are three whose supplication is not rejected: the fasting person until he opens his fast, the just leader, and the supplication of the oppressed person…”

Historical events in Ramadan; Death of Khadiga and Abo-Talib and the Battle of Badr:

– Khadija was the Prophet’s beloved wife. He loved her so much as she comforted him and eased his life with her kind words. She also supports him with her money and is the first to believe in his hair, and the message is revealed to him. She died three days after the Prophet’s uncle Abo-Talib died. The Prophet was very sad and called this year “the year of sorrow”.

– The Muslims scored a lot during their stay in Mecca, so the prophet (Peace be upon him) ordered them to migrate to Medina. Quraish used to stop the caravans on her way to Medina and belonged to migrants to steal their money. Thisurges the Prophet to call the Muslims to meet Quraish and find a solution. There may be no intention to fight, but that is what happened, and the battle of Badr was the first battle in Islam. However, the number of Muslims was small; Allah supported them with his angles and achieved victory against the disbelievers. Allah said, “Allah helped you at Badr when you were very weak. Be mindful of Allah so that you may be grateful“ (Al-Imran, 123)

Conclusion:

To conclude, this Month has countless virtues, some of which are mentioned above and some others Allah knows and will reward us with on the Day of Judgment. Thanks to Allah for granting us this Month, which gives the person the chance to regain his pure soul and the spirituality he needs.