'Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was
revealed as guidance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the
distinction. So whoever is present this month, let him fast.'
(Quran 2: 186)
Allah has chosen to make His greatest law-bearing prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) remain an Ummi (illiterate) - whereby he did not know how to read or write - so that the world may know the true worth of the Quran that He has revealed through him. Allah has sent Hazrat Jibreel (as), the chief of the angels of revelations to teach him His pure words which would later serve as guidance for all humanity.
Here, we find how Allah has honoured Ramadan by
the descent of the Quran, and how He has honoured a pure person like Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) to receive this Quran. The Quran is the very word of Allah, the
sacred words, without equivocation (ambiguity). And Allah has chosen a person
like Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) to do this blessed work to guide humanity towards
Allah, and to make them abandon the material and to converge towards the spiritual.
So, Ramadan is certainly a month of fasting (Sawm/
Roza), but it is also a reminder of the great favour that Allah has
bestowed upon us when He has revealed His revelations for the guidance of
humanity. Allah says that He has sent down the Quran during a blessed night, a
night whose blessings are great, so great that these blessings will be enough
for a person for at least 1000 months, or about 83 years if ever this person
lives long enough to see his 83 years of age.
The Quran contains such commandments of Allah
to revive man spiritually and to establish his life on earth in such a way that
it is in harmony with his spiritual life as well. That Quran is also
metaphorical. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is also considered to be the Quran of
Allah. In other words, he was so much in harmony with the divine commandments
as Allah has established in the Quran, that Muslims know him as the
personification of the Quran, that is to say, when studying the Seerat
(life) and Sunnah (practice) of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), a Muslim will
find the Quran in practice, and when someone reads the Quran, he will find the Seerat
(life) and Sunnah (practice) of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) reflected in it.
So, the Quran is a priceless treasure. Its
advent has even been occurred during one of the blessed nights - Laylatul-Qadr
- during the last 10 odd nights of the month of Ramadan. The one who succeeds
in gaining the pleasure of Allah, then that one will gain the blessings of this
blessed night.
As I have already told you in the past, this
night is not only the night that comes every year during the month of Ramadan,
but it is also a period of darkness, of obscurity, where Allah sends His Noor
(Light) to break this spiritual obscurity, and to give spiritual life back to
all those who have died spiritually. This Noor is His chosen messengers,
who come in the footsteps of Hazrat Muhammad (saws) for the reform of the Ummah
(Community) of Islam, and humanity as a whole. That Noor comes with the Ruh’il
Quddus (Holy Spirit), with the divine revelation to give life back to the
dead hearts. This Noor contains the breath or spirit of Allah, the mercy
of Allah, and every time Allah manifests His Noor, then it is worth more
than 1000 suns, where it illuminates the Taqdeer (destiny) of all those
who seek refuge in this light. Here, no one is looking for shade, because of
this light; the light is not burning them. On the contrary, the light is good
for them, and they stay in the protection of that light.
Every time that Noor moves, then all the people
who are connected with that Noor will follow it, because it is not at
all certain that they will receive such blessings again while they are still
alive. 83 years can pass, but it is uncertain that they shall witness the
manifestation of this Ruh’ullah (the Spirit of Allah) again during their
lifetime!
When the Messenger comes, he has an
extraordinary effect on all true believers. He encourages them to take
advantage of God’s gifts, and not to let God’s favours go to waste. His
sacrifices, as well as the sacrifices of the believers are very great in that
period. Some people do not even have anything to eat in their house, but
nevertheless they believe, and refuse to lose Iman (faith) because they
know that Allah’s provisions are best for them.
These are the soldiers of Allah, whom Allah
trains for the victory of Islam, where they are ready to sacrifice like the
Imam chosen by Allah who sacrifices for Allah. This is where the spirit of
sacrifice becomes priceless (or this is where the value or worth of that spirit
of sacrifice is enhanced (and known by one and all)).
Ramadan Fasting is a reminder of this great
sacrifice in the times of the advent of a Messenger of Allah who has the
mission to unite the true believers under the banner of the oneness of Allah.
That sacrifice refers to the sacrifice of comforts, food, drink, and all other
things that are usually available in everyday life and that are permissible for
a Muslim. But when Allah says, we must sacrifice, then we must sacrifice! This
sacrifice is not without rewards, because forward, there is Allah Himself as
the reward. Here is one of the explanations of this Hadith which says that the
reward of a Faster (the one who fasts) is Allah Himself. This is because in the
sacrifice that Allah has ordered a believer to do, whether it is in normal
times or during the time period of a Messenger of Allah, there are so many
blessings and forgiveness that will be enough for the true believer, whereby he
will even win Allah as his reward. Insha-Allah.
I stop here (for today). Insha-Allah, I will speak more on the same subject next Friday. May Allah accept your fasts; and for all those who have accepted the Divine Manifestation of this era and who have remained steadfast, do not lose hope, because there is a greater reward waiting for you further ahead. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
---[Friday Sermon of 15 March 2024~ 04
Ramadan 1445 AH delivered by Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah
Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius].