In this article, I have written about the real significance of Ramadan, which Muslims as Ummah should focus on. As you all know this is the Holy month of Ramadan. The month in which the Quran was sent down from heaven for the guidance of mankind to the right path.
"Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the decisive authority. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then ˹let them fast˺ an equal number of days ˹after Ramaḍân˺. Allah intends ease for you, not hardship, so that you may complete the prescribed period and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful." [Surah Al Baqarah Verse no.185]
In this month Muslims observe fasting and spend additional time worshipping Allah Almighty. Adult and Healthy Muslims observe fasting in which they don't eat or drink from dawn to sunset. Fasting is one of the Five pillars of Islam. Muslims do all this to get closer to Allah Almighty and to strengthen themselves spiritually. It increases their Taqwa, which is the soul's immune system against spiritual diseases. It also teaches Muslims discipline and tells them how to endure hunger in case they have nothing to eat or drink. It also tells them about the suffering those people have to undergo who are poor and don't have much to eat. Muslims also repent from all the bad deeds they have done throughout their lives.
The reason why I am writing this blog is to highlight a key significance of Ramadan, which we Muslims tend to forget is that we, as Ummah and as Muslims, are not holding ourselves accountable for the sufferings the Ummah is facing right now. We all know that the Ummah as a whole is in a very bad situation. In particular the regions like Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya etc. Have we ever asked ourselves the question, why is the Ummah suffering so much? Why is there so much misery in many Muslim-majority regions of the world? Why is there so much violence, widespread poverty, and chaos in many Muslim-majority regions of the world? Why we, as Muslim ummah are, so weak even though there are about 57 Muslim-majority states in the world?
We, as Ummah, need to ask ourselves all these questions. We need to get answers to these questions. We need to ask ourselves these questions despite the fact there are about 1.8 Billion Muslims in the world and despite the fact that we have the best resources (Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH) available for our guidance and for our success in this life and in the life hereafter but still Muslims are weak and are in a very miserable situation. We need to know that the reason we, as a Ummah, are suffering is due to our own deeds.
"Corruption has spread on land and sea as a result of what people’s hands have done so that Allah may cause them to taste the consequences of˺ some of their deeds and perhaps they might return to the Right Path." [Surah al-Rum Verse no.41]
We need to know that this world is a test for us, but unfortunately, we, as individual Muslims and as ammah, are failing this test.
"We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure." [Surah al-Baqarah Verse no.155]
“The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a people He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.” [Sunan ibn Majah Hadith no.4031]
We as individuals know ourselves better that we are failing or passing this test, but no one can deny the fact that we, as Ummah, are failing it. Now the question arises what do we need to do to pass this test? As Ummah and as individuals we need to hold ourselves accountable. We need to know that the sufferings we are facing are a result of our own deeds. We, as Ummah, need to eradicate these deeds from within ourselves. The month of Ramadan is the best time to do it. Apart from seeking forgiveness from Allah Almighty, we, as Ummah, need to eradicate all the causes of our sufferings.
We need to know our history. We should not forget the fact that Muslims dominated the world for about 1000 years in the fields of science, technology, warfare, economy, education, medicine, etc. We need to know how Muslims became so powerful and dominated the world in almost every field and how it ended up like this today, there is so much chaos in the Ummah. We need to learn from our forefathers what sort of character they had that Muslims were superpowers for so many centuries. We also need to learn from their mistakes, which they did as a result of which we lost that status, and not repeat these mistakes again. Most important of all, we need to study the Character of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, the rightly guided Ahlul-bait, the Sahaba, the 5 rightly guided Caliphs, Tabiyeen, and the Taba Tabiyeen. We need to try our best to imitate their character within ourselves, and the month of Ramadan is the best time of the year to do this.
In this month of Ramadan, we Muslims as Ummah and as individuals not only need to seek the forgiveness of Allah and worship him but also know the cause of our sufferings, and we need to learn from our glorious past. We, as a Ummah, need to hold ourselves accountable for all this suffering. We need to develop the Character, bravery, piety, knowledge, discipline, patience, integrity, faith, etc. of our past heroes who dedicated their lives to the cause of Allah, but along with that, we need to learn from some of their mistakes that they did to not repeat them again.
May Allah bless you all with his blessings and mercy in this Holy month of Ramadan!
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My previous blog
Hadith regarding the arrival of the month of Ramadan, Hadith regarding what one says upon seeing the Crescent moon, Hadith regarding killing a Believer intentionally
