قال تعالي: {شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ}
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; 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.
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ {هَذَا رَمَضَانُ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ تُفَتَّحُ فِيهِ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ وَتُغَلَّقُ فِيهِ أَبْوَابُ النَّارِ وَتُسَلْسَلُ فِيهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ}.
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah said:” There has come to you Ramadan in which the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of the fire are closed and the devils are chained up.” (Sahih).
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Ramadan is the most important season of worship for Muslims. All Muslims, rich and poor, old and young, male and female, celebrate the blessed month of Ramadan because it is a month in which the Qur’an was revealed, so Muslims spend a lot of their time reading and listening to the Holy Qur’an. Whether at home, in mosques, or in transportation.
Many previous prophets and nations practiced ritual fasting. The Holy Qur’an says: “O believers, your fasting is obligatory, as the previous prophets and nations prescribed for you, so you will increase your piety.” Fasting is an act of worship in which Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, and the like. It starts from the dawn of the fasting day until the sunset of that day. It continues throughout the holy month of Ramadan. On the last night of Sha’ban, the eighth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, witnesses and jurists go out into the open to view the newborn crescent of Ramadan. If they can see it, they will announce the start of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of the next day’s fast. If they do not see the crescent of Al-Walid, they announce the continuation of Sha`ban until the thirtieth. The blessed month of Ramadan will be the day after tomorrow.
The holy month of Ramadan is a season of worship for Muslims. Muslims live from the first day in an atmosphere of spiritual and emotional joy in the holy month. They begin by eating suhoor, a late-night meal, to prepare for the next day’s fast. This meal was recommended by the Prophet Muhammad, saying: “Eat Suhur, for it is a blessing.” After the meal, which comes just before the morning prayer, Muslims head to the mosque to attend the prayer and recite the Holy Quran. Then they go home to rest for a while before they go to work. After they come home from work, they rest until the afternoon when they perform the Asr prayer. They spend the rest of the afternoon reading the Holy Quran, until sunset when it is time for Maghrib prayer. Then it is time for iftar and they can easily have some dates, juice, water, and milk. Then they all perform the Maghrib prayer, after completing the Iftar, the Muslims go again to the mosque to attend the Isha and Tarawih prayers, where the Muslims compete to recite the entire Holy Qur’an. This routine continues until the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Then comes Eid al-Fitr, and before it, Muslims pay zakat al-Fitr, which all Muslims pay to the poor, to enable the poor to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Again, witnesses and jurists go out to the open areas to see the crescent of the new month (Shawwal). If they are able to see the crescent of this new month, and after seeing it, they announce the end of the blessed month of Ramadan, and the next day is declared the first day of Eid al-Fitr, which is celebrated with joy, food, and drink.
The Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) said: (The holidays are times of celebration, joy, food, and remembrance of God). Ramadan represents the mercy and perfection of Islam. The rich and the poor fast. The rich feel the same as the poor. The rich help the poor and needy. The rich thank God for the good life they lead, the poor know that their Muslim brothers and sisters share their personal opinions and feelings with them, and even the rich live the lifestyle of poor Muslims for a whole month. Ramadan unites the Islamic world in the holy month of fasting. Ramadan is the month for Muslims everywhere.
