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These days, the Muslims around the globe are rightly busy preparing to welcome the noble month of Ramadan. Of this month, Allah Says (what means):
“The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, 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 you ease and does not intend for you 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.”[Quran 2: 185]
The Messenger 
would congratulate the Muslims at the approach of this month in order to make them aware of its magnificence and the great opportunities it contained. He would address his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, during this time thus: “The month of Ramadan has approached you- a blessed month in which Allah has made fasting an obligation, opened wide the gates of Paradise, locked up the gates of Fire, and chained the demons, and in it there is a night better than one thousand months––so whosoever is deprived of its good is truly deprived.” [Ahmad]
would congratulate the Muslims at the approach of this month in order to make them aware of its magnificence and the great opportunities it contained. He would address his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, during this time thus: “The month of Ramadan has approached you- a blessed month in which Allah has made fasting an obligation, opened wide the gates of Paradise, locked up the gates of Fire, and chained the demons, and in it there is a night better than one thousand months––so whosoever is deprived of its good is truly deprived.” [Ahmad] How can the believers not rejoice and congratulate each other at the opening of the gates of Paradise and the locking up of the doors of Hell? How can any wise person waste away this time when the devils are chained?
To live through the month of Ramadan is a great blessing from Allah which must not be taken for granted and for which one ought to pray and strive. This is made clear in a narration of the Messenger in which he was told about two men who embraced Islam together, one of whom was more diligent in piety and died a martyr, while the other died a year later of natural causes––and then a friend of theirs saw in a dream that the one who died later naturally was called into Paradise before the other one––upon which the Messenger ascribed this preference to the extra year of praying and Ramadan fasting that the latter had had. [Ahmad and Ibn Majah] In other words, since the latter one had had a bit longer life and had the opportunity to witness one more year of fasting and praying than the other, he acquired more righteous deeds than the one who tried harder and died a martyr earlier. This narration reminds us of what a great blessing every single day of life is for a believer––and of what a great reward obtained from the obligatory acts of praying and fasting.
in which he was told about two men who embraced Islam together, one of whom was more diligent in piety and died a martyr, while the other died a year later of natural causes––and then a friend of theirs saw in a dream that the one who died later naturally was called into Paradise before the other one––upon which the Messenger ascribed this preference to the extra year of praying and Ramadan fasting that the latter had had. [Ahmad and Ibn Majah] In other words, since the latter one had had a bit longer life and had the opportunity to witness one more year of fasting and praying than the other, he acquired more righteous deeds than the one who tried harder and died a martyr earlier. This narration reminds us of what a great blessing every single day of life is for a believer––and of what a great reward obtained from the obligatory acts of praying and fasting.That is why the early Muslims would pray to Allah to extend their stay in this life such that they witness the following month of Ramadan. Mu’alla ibn Al-Fadhl 
said that our righteous predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them, would supplicate to Allah almost six months before Ramadan to make them reach it, and would supplicate six months after it asking Him to accept their hard work in it.
said that our righteous predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them, would supplicate to Allah almost six months before Ramadan to make them reach it, and would supplicate six months after it asking Him to accept their hard work in it.Yet, many a procrastinator wastes away this blessed month and hopes to repent, reform and fast in the future while wasting away the days and nights of this month in pursuit of the trivialities of this world.
Let us take a few moments in the following to reflect on a few aspects of the golden opportunity this blessed month offers.
A Month of training and discipline, not of eating and diversion!
Allah Almighty Says (what means):
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” [Quran 2:183]
This verse teaches us that the purpose of fasting is the realization of the goal of attaining piety. It is only appropriate that anyone who witnesses this month should succeed––as one narration of the Prophet says, “Be his nose cut off in humiliation if a man [let him be humiliated who] sees the month of Ramadan but fails to have his sins forgiven.”
During this month, ourselves are trained to do good and abandon evil––and these selves that learn to avoid even permissible things during this month are therefore more likely to avoid evil things after this training is over.
Alas, many of us are unaware of these blessings and this wisdom, and fail to train our selves properly, sometimes getting worse in wanton luxury, laziness and wastefulness in a month which was given to teach them in self-control and discipline. We find that many Muslims increase their consumption of luxuriant foods and drinks in this month rather than train their souls and bodies to live on a little and focus on spiritual pursuits, as if Allah made this month the month of eating and not fasting! The media in the Muslim world, alas, often aggravate the attitude of wastefulness and diversion––and are found polling people about their favorite foods during the month of Ramadan, as if Allah has singled this month out not for abstinence but for eating in abundance! Who are these deprived people condemned by the Prophet if not those who find new ways to divert themselves with special television shows and movies during this month, as unfortunately is the case in many Muslim communities today?!
if not those who find new ways to divert themselves with special television shows and movies during this month, as unfortunately is the case in many Muslim communities today?!The sanctity of this noble month
One of the unfortunate phenomena in our contemporary Muslim societies during this month is the open and brazen-faced violation of the sanctity of this month––as the sacredness of this month is made light of and new ways are found to spend time during it. One of the ways in which this sanctity is violated is how the producers of television shows in the Muslim world compete in producing special programs of diversion in this month rather than repent and save the world from their evil at least during this month! But no, they rather double and treble the production of their evil so that the heedless Muslims be even more heedless and have even less time for reflection, repentance, regret over their sins and reform of their character! Rather, these traders in lust and beautifiers of desire excel during this month. Alas, their devils have been chained during this month––but who will chain them?!
They and us—weeping over our condition
Whoever reflects for even a moment about the way the early Muslims lived and worshipped and how we live and worship will see an enormous chasm and weep over our condition. Ibn Rajab said that Al-Hasan ibn Saalih sold a bondswoman of his to someone, and in her new house she woke up in the middle of the night and called out to the people of the house asking them to perform prayer, so they said: “Is it time for the Fajr prayer?” Upon which she said: “Why? Do you not perform except the obligatory prayers?” Then she returned to her earlier master and complained that she cannot live with people who do not perform except the obligatory prayers.
said that Al-Hasan ibn Saalih sold a bondswoman of his to someone, and in her new house she woke up in the middle of the night and called out to the people of the house asking them to perform prayer, so they said: “Is it time for the Fajr prayer?” Upon which she said: “Why? Do you not perform except the obligatory prayers?” Then she returned to her earlier master and complained that she cannot live with people who do not perform except the obligatory prayers. How many of us perform prayer at night regularly during the month of Ramadan, let alone during the other months? Even the few hours during the last ten nights of Ramadan seem so heavy to us!
To be continued…
