Fasting in general is filled with many
benefits. It does not only bring physical benefits, but also spiritual
benefits, hidden benefits. Ramadan is a month in which the hidden truth within
the soul is given an opportunity to manifest. It is an opportunity that Allah
grants to each of His believing servants to change, to reform, to reflect upon
their past mistakes and sins, and to approach Allah with repentance in the hope
of acquiring His forgiveness. Whoever Allah forgives during the sacred month of
Ramadan is given by Allah a new beginning, a new chance to prove themselves in
the world.
The benefits of fasting are great, but the fast of Ramadan is greater still, because here lies the question of obedience and recognition that this month, as Allah has revealed, is a month filled with blessings. Thus, whoever observes the fast of Ramadan obtains an inner unveiling of their soul: all their sins or mistakes that they once thought small and without consequence take on a great magnitude in their own eyes, and they truly realise how wrong they were and they ask Allah for forgiveness. And Allah loves the one who becomes conscious of themselves, of their mistakes and sins, and turns towards Him. This is why Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) taught his wife Hazrat Aisha (ra) to recite often: Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun, tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa‘fu ‘anni – O Allah, You are Forgiving, You love to forgive, so forgive me.
Indeed, in the matter of forgiveness, the
Attribute of Allah “Affuwwu” means that Allah erases sins; that is, He
not only forgives but when He forgives He erases all the sins of that servant
who seeks His forgiveness by this attribute, and thus Allah not only overlooks
their faults and sins but erases them from their book of deeds, as if they had
never committed such a sin. This is what we seek from Allah: O Allah, You
erase sins, You love to erase sins, so erase my sins.
Ramadan therefore comes to awaken the
conscience of man. It compels the one who claims to have faith to see if truly
within they have faith, if their proclamation of being a believing Muslim is
genuine or not. Ramadan, especially the fast of Ramadan, becomes a mirror that forces
a believer to look into their own heart. In truth, Ramadan becomes a moment
when a person confronts their own conscience, their inner fragility, their
dependence on others instead of Allah, and their illusions; and thus the fast
of Ramadan forces them to face the truth and to banish all false gods they have
created in their heart which have tainted their faith, and they then recognise,
like a child newly aware of their Islam, that without Allah they have no true
direction nor stability.
Ramadan also teaches the art of inner silence.
When hunger and thirst cut off distractions, a believer gets space to listen to
their own conscience. In that silence, they discover that many of their desires
were not truly necessary; that many of their words were superfluous; that many
of their actions were guided by impulses and not by wisdom. The Holy Prophet
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Fasting is half of patience.” (Tirmidhi)
This Hadith shows that Ramadan is not merely
abstinence, but a discipline that shapes the heart in silence. It is in silence
that the conscience of man awakens, where they gain the capacity to analyse and
reflect, whether what they are doing or have done is good or bad. Thus, Ramadan
brings this level of awareness to a believer, where they gain the capacity for
deep reflection on all their actions, and they repent for their wrongdoings of
the past, and they arm themselves with patience so that they may gain the
satisfaction and pleasure of Allah.
Ramadan also teaches the value of time. Every
minute of the day takes on a different meaning; every hour becomes a reminder
that life is limited, that every moment must be filled with sincerity. Allah
says in the Quran: “And We have made the night
and the day two signs” (Bani Isra’il 17: 13)
In Ramadan, this alternation between day and
night takes on a special intensity; the day is focused on discipline, and the
night on meditation. A believer who understands this truth sees Ramadan as a
reminder that human life is an alternation between effort and rest, between
discipline and contemplation – especially contemplation of Allah – between
hunger and spiritual satisfaction.
Ramadan also teaches a subtle truth about
freedom. Many people think freedom is to satisfy every desire; but Ramadan
shows that true freedom is the ability to say no to ourselves. When a believer
refuses food and drink despite hunger, they discover that they are not slaves
to their body; they discover that they have an inner strength that surpasses
their physical needs. The Noble Prophet (pbuh) said: “The truly strong
person is not the one who overcomes others, but the one who controls themselves
in anger” (Bukhari, Muslim). Ramadan teaches this same truth: that
self-control is true strength, that freedom is the ability to control desires,
not to follow them blindly.
Ramadan also teaches the value of secrecy. When
a Muslim fasts, no one truly knows if they are sincere or not; it is possible
that if they are insincere, they could eat or drink in secret. But a true
fasting person shows extraordinary loyalty to Allah; their fast becomes a
secret shared only between their Creator and themselves. This secret – where
the fasting person becomes fully aware that their Lord is watching them –
teaches a fundamental truth: faith is not a spectacle, not a façade; it is an
intimate relationship between the human soul and its Creator. Allah tells us in
the Quran: “Allah knows what your hearts conceal.”
(Al-Imran 3: 30)
Ramadan reminds us therefore that sincerity is
not in appearances, but in the secret of the heart; it teaches that true piety
is not displayed, but lived in the inner silence of man, that is, in our soul
and conscience.
In Ramadan, hunger becomes a language. It
speaks without words. It reminds us that the body is fragile, that the soul is
eternal. It reminds us that material satisfaction is temporary, but spiritual
satisfaction is lasting.
In a Hadith of Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra), Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) said: “There are some who fast who receive from their fast
nothing but hunger and thirst” (Tabarani). This Hadith warns believers that
if fasting remains merely physical without the spiritual side attached to it,
it has no value; but if hunger and thirst become a language that teaches
patience, sincerity and piety, then it acquires deep meaning. Thus, Ramadan
teaches that hunger is not a weakness, but a message; not a deprivation, but a
revelation where the soul of the fasting person also obtains complete
purification just as the human physical body obtains its purification.
Ramadan also teaches a truth about balance. It
does not ask people to stop living; it asks them – especially a true believer –
to discipline their life. From dawn until sunset, abstinence is prescribed for
them, but the night is a concession for them, a permission to eat and also to
perform acts of worship, such as Salat, recitation of the Quran and remembrance
of Allah. When I refer to eating and drinking, this does not mean, as in some
countries where people do not understand the importance of Sehri and rising for
Salat-ul-Fajr do, where some stay awake until very late at night and organise
grand banquets after midnight which they call Sehri, and after their feast they
sleep deeply, without waking up for Salat-ul-Fajr, and they sleep until midday.
This is not called following the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad
(pbuh). This is not called following divine commandments, where the Hadith
applies to such people who eat and drink but do not receive reward from their
fast. Their fast is empty of divine blessings.
Therefore, remember well that Ramadan is a
hidden school for every true believer. It teaches inner silence, the value of
time, true freedom, and it unveils a special moment, a secret of the heart
between a fasting person and their Creator. It shows that outward discipline is
only a door to inner transformation. The believer who understands this truth
sees Ramadan as a hidden treasure, a sacred moment that reveals dimensions of
life that often remain invisible. For them, Ramadan is not merely abstinence;
it is an unveiling, a revelation, a light that illuminates their soul and
transforms their entire life.
Insha-Allah, may
Allah allow you all to understand the depth of this Sermon and establish
between you and your Creator a deep and solid bond, and may Allah make your
fasts a means to draw closer to Him and strengthen your bond with Him in the
silence of remembrance and faith, as well as in sincere prayers that cement
your connection with Allah. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 27 February 2026~09 Ramadan 1447 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius.