Ramadan : The Virtues of Fasting

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, as saying: “Allah said: ‘Every action of the son of Adam is for him except fasting, for that is solely for Me. I give the reward for it.’ The fast is a shield. If one is fasting, he should not use foul language, raise his voice, or behave foolishly. If someone reviles him or fights with him he should say, ‘I am fasting,’ twice. By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the [bad] breath of the one who is fasting is better in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection than the smell of musk. The one who is fasting is happy at two times: when he breaks his fast he is happy with it, and when he meets his Lord he will be happy that he has fasted.” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim, and an-Nasa’i).Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud, added in another version: “He leaves his food, drink, and desires for My sake. His fasting is for Me… I will give the reward for it, and for every good deed, he will receive ten similar to it.”

Sahl ibn Sa`d reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “There is a gate to Paradise that is called Ar-Rayyan. On the Day of Resurrection it will say: ‘Where are those who fasted?’ When the last [one] has passed through the gate, it will be locked.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “When a woman observes the five daily prayer, fasts during Ramadan, preserves her chastity and obeys her husband, she may enter by any of the gates of Paradise she wishes.” (Tirmidhi)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever believes in Allah and His Messenger, offers prayer perfectly and fasts the month of Ramadan, will rightfully be granted Paradise by Allah, no matter whether he fights in Allah’s cause or remains in the land where he is born.” (Bukhari)

Yet again, we are here and Ramadan is here again. Alhamdulillah. Indeed all thanks are due to Allah who has given us the Continued Existence and We thank Him for our Condition, which is better than the Conditions of those who disbelieve. We praise Him and we thank Him.

“If you reject (Allah), Truly Allah has no need of you; but He likes not ingratitude from His servants: if you are grateful, He is pleased with you…” (Qur’an 39 verse 7)

Our continued existence is a special favour of Allah. We are alive not because of the security we invest in, it is not because of the safety steps we took, or some precautions we made. It is not about us, or about our deeds or misdeeds. Allah has simply permitted us to live to witness Yet Another Ramadan. Will you cease the opportunity?

In Ramadan are several opportunities. The Ultimate Opportunity is to earn A Place in Paradise. The Rasul (peace be upon him) noted in a Hadith that: “When Ramadan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened.” (Bukhari)

Start Ramadan with a pure intention. Ramadan is a month of Action. If you want to make those actions count, then know that they will be judge according to the intentions you make now. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab stated that he heard the Messenger of Allah say, “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.” (Bukhari)

As you enter into Ramadan, intend that all your Actions are solely for Allah’s sake. All your Hands-Off are purely to please Allah. All your Extra Efforts are solely for His Pleasure. Intend that you hope to secure Allah’s forgiveness, His Blessings, His Salvation (from Hell-Fire) and His Reward of Paradise. First Thing First: your intention should first be purified.