The Essence of the Holy Qur’an

RAMADAN: THE MONTH OF FASTING AND QUR’AN
“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. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month,
let him fast it.” ( Baqarah, 2/185)

Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Ramadan has a special place in our spiritual life. Ramadan is the month of fasting and Qur’an. Ramadan is the month of patience, gratitude, repentance and contemplation. Ramadan is the most honorable month, including the Night of Qadr inside, which is more blessed than a thousand months. Ramadan means worship, abundance, and mercy.
Ramadan finds meaning with fasting. Our fasting, first of all, is training for patience, willpower, and mercy. It is a shield that protects us from being enslaved by lust and whims, illicit relishes and desires. The following verse indicates that the purpose in fasting is to abstain from all kinds of evil and sins, “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” Indeed, Rasulullah (s.a.w.) enjoins, “Fasting is a shield. So, the person fasting should avoid saying bad words and fighting. And if anyone fights or quarrels with him, he should say, ‘I am fasting.’”

Ramadan is the month when the Qur’an, our book of life, started being revealed. Ramadan is the month of brotherhood, solidarity, and sharing. When we temporarily abstain from eating and drinking, we sympathize with the poor, we appreciate what we have, and we realize that we need to be grateful to Allah, the Sustainer. Ramadan is also a chance to quit bad habits, and to open a new page for what is good and beautiful. So, let us introduce our tongues, hearts, minds and all our lives to the beauties of Ramadan and fasting. Let us make time for reading and understanding the Holy Qur’an more than ever. Let us repair our worn-out hearts and minds with the light of the Qur’an. Let us fast with awareness. Let us make our tongues, hands, eyes, hearts, and all parts of our body fast, not only our stomach, such that it protects us from all evil.
Jobayer Al Mahmud