Welcome Ramadan Mubarak and Ramadan Greetings for all of you

Welcome Ramadan Mubarak and
Ramadan Greetings to all of you

Dr. Mozammel Haque

It is very happy and good news that most communities and schools of thoughts of the United Kingdom have decided to start Ramadan from the same day, Wednesday, the 11th of August 2010 like their brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. Alhamdo Lillah, the wish of the Imam and Khateeb of the Masjid Al-Haram Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais expressed in his meeting with Muslim leaders at the Regents Park London Central Mosque and the Islamic Cultural Centre has been accepted and fulfilled. Of course, in Canada, the first fasting will be on Thursday 12 August 2010, Insha-Allah.

I am sending my Ramadan greetings and prayer to all of you. May this holy month brings barakah, and Allah's boundless mercy upon the believers and harmony and tolerance for the world. Saudi Arabia also started Ramadan on the same day, Wednesday, the 11th of August 2010.

I welcome Ramadan, the month of Mercy and Repentance, the month of the Qur’an, of laylatul qadr (the night of power) and of repentance and forgiveness. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the Pillars of the Islamic faith. It was declared an obligatory duty (Fard) in the second year of the Hijrah upon each and every mukallaf (one capable of carrying out religious duties, i.e. a sane adult).

Allah the Almighty made Ramadan fasting compulsory for Muslims. Allah said, “O those who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as were enjoined upon those before so that you be God-fearing.’ [Surah Baqarah, 183]. Literally, Sawm means ‘to abstain’. In the terminology of Islamic law, Sawm means ‘to abstain from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse: with the conditions that one abstains continuously from dawn to sunset, and that there is an intention to fast.’ Therefore, should one eat or drink anything even a minute before sunset, the fast will not be valid. Similarly, if one abstained from all these things throughout the day but made no intention to fast, there will be no fast here too.

Allah the Almighty said in the Qur’an “…And eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread…” (Al-Qur’an, 2:187) Literally defined, fasting means to abstain “completely” from foods, drinks, intimate intercourse and smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset, during the entire month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year.

Fasting in Islam is based on the lunar calendar and is tied to the sightings of hilal, the crescent, or new moon. Allah the Almighty stated: “They ask you concerning the new moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time… (Al-Qur’an, 2:189). And the Traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Eat until you see the crescent and break not until you see the crescent. If it is cloudy calculate the period of the month.” (Muslim and others).

Fasting in Ramadan is compulsory upon every Muslim, male or female, who has these qualifications, e.g. mentally and physically fit, adult full of age which is normally fourteen and fairly certain that fasting is unlikely to cause any harm, physical or mental, other than the normal reactions to hunger, thirst etc.

The said qualifications exclude the following categories: children under the age of puberty and discretion; men and women who are too old and feeble to undertake the obligation of fast and bear its hardships; sick people whose health is likely to be severely affected by the observance of fast; travellers may break the fast temporarily during their travel; pregnant women and women breast-feeding their children may also break their fast and women in the period of menstruation (of a maximum of ten days or of confinement (of a maximum of forty days. They must postpone the fast till recovery and then make up for it.

The holy month of Ramadan is the month of mercy, forgiveness, and seeking release from the Hell-fire. It is the month of repentance and acceptance of prayers. It is the month when the devils are chained, the gates of Hell are looked and the gates of Paradise are opened. That’s why; Muslims welcome Ramadan each year with energy and happiness, and are saddened only when the month departs. Fasting is for the living, not for mourning.

Ramadan is a month of worship. Muslims should welcome the month with repentance and seeking Allah’s pardon. We should keep away from committing sins; worship Allah sincerely and spending the night and day in prayer, supplication and recitation of the Holy Qur’an.

Fasting is a shield which helps prevent many sins and with which Muslim protects himself from Hell-fire. Fasting is more than abstaining from food and drink. It also means to abstain from any falsehood in speech and action, from any ignorant and indecent speech, and from arguing and quarrelling. Therefore, fasting helps to develop good behaviour.

Fasting inculcates a sense of brotherhood and solidarity, as a Muslim feels and experiences what his needy and hungry brothers feel. This gives Muslim a new sense of togetherness and association.

Allah the Almighty said in the Qur’an: The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (between right and wrong). (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 185) As Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an, every Muslim should prepare himself to welcome the blessed month of Ramadan by strengthening his relationship with the Qur’an. A Muslim is encouraged to complete one recitation of the Holy Qur’an during Ramadan.

We should engage more and more in the recitation of the Qur’an, in dhikr (remembrance of Allah), perform extra Salah (ritual prayers) at night and renew identity with one another in our obedience to Allah.

Ramadan is called the month of charity and sympathy; a month of giving in charity and sharing meals to break the fast together. Many Muslims also pay Zakah in the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is an excellent opportunity to bring about permanent improvement into our lives. We can do this by making a goal to remove a harmful trait from our character or speech, whether it be argumentation, backbiting, making false promises, or resentment against a fellow Muslim, or a sinful matter from our lives. Insha’Allah by the baraka of this month, this effort will result in change that will benefit us in this world and the next.

I would again like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a blessed Ramadan. May this blessed month bring unadulterated peace to everyone in the world. May Allah make this Ramadan a month of increasing nearness to Him, and May He accept all of our fasts and worship. Ameen.

Thus Ramadan becomes a blessed month of physical, moral and spiritual renewal through fasting, charity and worship. This is the moral and spiritual gifts of Ramadan. “We can say that Ramadan gives us the great gift of Taqwa (Piety). Taqwa is the sum total of Islamic life. It is the highest of all virtues in the Islamic scheme of things. It means God-consciousness, piety, fear and awe of Allah and it signifies submission to Allah and total commitment to all that is good and rejection of all that is evil and bad,” said Dr. Muzzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

Message from British Foreign Secretary
British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, MP, also sent his “good wishes to Muslims across the world for the holy month of Ramadan” in his Ramadan Message to the British Muslim Community. Hague said, “This is a very important time in the calendar. It’s a time of fasting, of prayer, of introspection, of the gathering of families and I’m very conscious as a British politician of the huge contribution that so many Muslims in Britain make across the whole breadth of our society and that is something of course that we want to see even more of in the future.”
“So it’s a very, very important time of year celebrating what Ramadan is about, important values of selflessness, of charity, of compassion, of looking after people less fortunate than ourselves. And these are values of course that unite Muslims and non Muslims alike. So at this special time of year I say to you, your friends and your relatives, Ramadan Mubarak,” Hague said in his Ramadan Message.

Message from the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques
Imbibe the True Spirit of Islam
King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, urged Muslims around the world on Tuesday to compete with one another in righteous deeds and work to alleviate the pain and suffering of the poor and needy, inspired by the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan.

“This blessed month has taught us many lessons. We have to contemplate them to learn how people should be compassionate to their fellow beings, how the rich feel the suffering of the poor, and how Muslims compete with one another to win the pleasure of God,” the king said in his Ramadan message.

In their message, the king and crown prince called upon Muslims to participate actively in the creation of a human civilization. In this respect, the message referred to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to promote dialogue with followers of other religious faiths and cultures.

“Our interfaith dialogue initiative was aimed at building a civilized world bringing people closer in order to work for establishing peace and justice and enhancing the welfare of the whole humanity,” said the message that was read out on Saudi Television by Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja.

They also emphasized the role of Ramadan in deepening the qualities of kindness, forgiveness, mercy and showing sympathy to those who are less well off. “It revitalizes the high values that our religion has taught us,” the message said. “It’s a month when the doors of the Heaven will be kept open and of Hell remain locked.”

“Islam is a religion of love, compassion and tolerance, and that its message has been revealed as a mercy for the entire mankind. It is a way of guidance and welfare and it is a method that advocates dialogue and coherence. It also calls for effective participation to build mankind’s civilization,” the address said.

“From this standpoint, the Kingdom, on which Almighty Allah bestowed the honour of the service of the Two Holy Mosques, has a duty and responsibility to defend and protect this religion, serve Muslims’ interests and renew and revive their dialogue with the world’s cultures, societies and others’ religions with the objective of building a civilized and coherent world that finds its roots in the principles of peace and justice,” the address concluded.