Assalamualaikum and Ramadhan Kareem..
"The
month of Ramadaan is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guidance
for humanity, as a clear proof of that guidance, and as a criterion for
distinguishing between right and wrong" (2 : 185).
In as
much as celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (the Milad un-Nabi) can be read as a
celebration of the greatness of the Prophet (SAW) in his aspect of the perfect
man (Insan ul-Kamil); and in as much as Yaum Ashura can be read as a
celebration of the saving of Nabi Musa (AS) from the tyrannical pharaonic
oppressors; similarly Ramadaan can be read as a celebration of the revelation
of the Quran during this month. It is a celebration of the Quran as both a
living guidance and a living proof to humanity. It stands as a living proof of
the divinity of Allahu Ta’aala, as a living proof of the authenticity of the
prophethood of Muhammad (SAW), and of the supremacy of revelation over all
else.
But the
Quran is also a Huda (a guidance). And as Huda – as true guidance – it teaches
us how to live our lives as complete human beings. It teaches us how to live
our lives with respect, dignity, honor, and love. It further teaches us that
Allahu Ta’aala is a divinity that embraces the concerns of all humanity.It is
also important to remember that the guidance and concerns of Allahu Ta’aala are
not limited to mere theoretical or idealistic utterances. The guidance of
Allahu Ta’aala plunges us into the mainstream of our earthly existence. One of
the ways in which Allahu Ta’aala has done this is by making the fast obligatory
upon all of us.Not only
are we required to sympathize with the poor and the hungry, but we are thrown
into the very experience of hunger.
Not only
are we required to reflect upon our condition in a society with its mores,
customs, habits, rules, and general routine – which looms far greater than the
sum of its individuals, but it forces us to reflect upon the very nature of
that society. It is so easy to become a cog in the political, economic, social,
and industrial machine. In short to become a spiritually forgetful being in the
material and mechanical processes of ordinary life.Fasting
forces us to break this forgetfulness, and forces us to anchor the
consciousness of truth and spirituality in every domain of our existence i.e.
to act upon the truth of Islam and to live by its spirituality.
Fasting,
by depriving us of the daily luxuries and niceties of our mundane existence
asserts the supremacy of our essential condition as beings endowed with a soul
(ruh) over our condition as material and temporal beings. Fasting, therefore,
at once draws us into the bosom of Allahu Ta’aala and allows us to
reflect upon the high moral, social, and spiritual values which Islam sets for
us. In other words fasting focuses our attention on the broader meaning of
Taqwa as expressed in the following verse:
"O
you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it has been prescribed
upon those before you so that you may learn Taqwa" (2 : 183).
The
Arabic of the phrase in the above verse "so that you may learn Taqwa"
reads as "l’allakum tattaqun". The term "taqwa" – in its
narrower meaning - has been variously translated as fear, piety,
self-restraint, and guarding against evil. However, to do justice to its
meaning, and to better understand the link between the Quran as Huda (true
guidance) and Taqwa as one of the most desired virtues in man, a more
comprehensive understanding of the term is required. That understanding is
dependent on our understanding of the nature of man and woman.
The
Islamic perspective is that we, as people, are composed of both body and soul
or matter and spirit. We are also considered to be both the viceregents of
Allah on earth (khalifatullah) and his servants (‘ibaadullah). As viceregents
we are ordered to perfect our earthly existence whether it be in our private,
domestic, social, economic or political lives. As servants of Allah we are
ordered to perfect our spiritual existence. Taqwa circumscribes both these
conditions.
In other words, and as alluded to earlier, it means to observe our
duty towards Allahu Ta’aala in all our social and communal relations (towards
Muslims and non-Muslims alike); and in our spiritual relations towards Allahu
Ta’aala Himself. This is a difficult task and one of the means that Allah has
given us to attain this level is the fast. But, and typical of Quranic
"pragmatism", there are no false promises. In the Arabic the emphasis
is quite clearly on the phrase "l’allakum" ("so that you may"
or "perhaps"). The means to Taqwa, through the great
institution of fasting, have been placed at our disposal. It is up to us to
use, misuse, or even ignore the means. This condition is encapsulated in the
following Prophetic saying :
"For those who do not refrain from lying or
acting on such lies, Allah has no need of their abandoning their food and
drink" (Bukhari).
Taqwa can
further be realized through three opportunities provided for us by the fast:
- The
disciplining of the will (tarbiyat ul-Iradah)
- The
purification of the self (tazkiyat un-Nafs)
- The
purification of the soul (tasfiyat ur-Ruh)
The
potential of fasting as such, and Ramadaan in particular, in making available
these opportunities cannot be denied.
With
regard to the disciplining of the will the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said :
"For everything there is a purification and the purification of the body
is to fast; and fasting is half of endurance."
All acts of endurance are
naturally a function of the strength or otherwise of the will. If the will is
strong endurance is strong; if weak then endurance is weak. One of the primary
aims of Sabr – as an act of will – is to bring the will of man in harmony with
the Will of Allah. This is essential if we wish to be acknowledged as true
‘ibaad (servants) of Allah.
As for
purification of the self (nafs) – here understood as the egotistic self
(an-Nafs al-Ammarah bi s-Su) – the following Prophetic saying is a clear
reference to the fact that fasting is intended as a conduit for such
purification:
"If anyone of you fasts then do not speak obscenely nor act
obscenely. If anyone picks a fight with him or insults him then let him say ‘I
am one who fasts, I am one who fasts.’"
Here the outer manifestations of
the nafs viz. that of obscene speech (rafath) and obscene behavior (jahal), are
addressed with a view to bringing under control, and hence purifying, the inner
self.
The
purification of the soul, on the other hand, is contingent on the extent to
which it is absolved from all sin. The Prophetic saying :
"Those who fast
with absolute faith and absolute contentment will have all their previous sins
absolved",
may be read as a definite promise to the effect that the
absolution of one’s sins is guaranteed if the two ostensibly simple conditions
of fasting with total faith (iman) and total contentment (ihtisaab) are met.
These
three processes are intrinsic to the cultivation of genuine Taqwa, and few
religious acts provide a greater opportunity for its cultivation than Ramadaan.
Allah
says at the conclusion of the verse initially quoted:
" That He wants you
to complete the prescribed period (of fasting) so that you are able to magnify
the greatness of Allah for His having guided you, and so that – perchance – you
may be thankful" (2 : 185).
The
greatness of Ramadaan therefore lies in the opportunity it offers for the
development of Taqwa – a virtue that allows us to truly participate in that
great cosmic celebration in honor of the revelation of the Quran as a Huda to
all people, which is, as mentioned earlier, Ramadaan itself. It is a virtue furthermore,
that allows us to magnify Allah Ta’aala as He ought to be magnified, namely,
with complete awareness of our earthly duties and spiritual vocation; and,
therefore, to be of those who are truly thankful to Allah. It is a virtue too,
which is ultimately celebrated in the Quran itself, for Allah says:
" The
best of you are those who have learnt Taqwa" (49 : 13).
Shaykh
Seraj Hendricks
-IAB SCIENCESS-
