The Larger Meaning of 'Eid-ul-Fitr'

For the Muslim believer, Allah (God Almighty) has given him two great celebrations, moments of joy (Eids) in his life: Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. Whereas the Eid-ul-Adha is the Eid of Sacrifice, commemorating the great sacrifice of Prophet Abraham (as), the Eid-ul-Fitr commemorates the intense sacrifices which the Muslim believer has done for His Lord (Rab) during the fasting month of Ramadan.

MUNIR A. AZIM

HAZRAT IMAM MUHYI-UD-DIN

JAMAAT UL SAHIH AL ISLAM

If fasting has been prescribed by the Lord of the World (Rab’ul Aalamin) as a way to draw His sincere believers to Himself, to enable them to get Himself as reward, Allah has also given them a day of rejoice for fasting a whole month for Him. This day is the Eid-ul-Fitr, and is filled with extraordinary blessings for the Muslim believers who truly and sincerely complied with all requirements of the fasting days of the holy month of Ramadan.

Fasting in Ramadan is not like fasting any other day. It has certain restrictions and limitations which if followed, opens the door of Divine Pleasure. If fact, God Almighty draws closer to such people and pours down His mercy and love upon them. That is why also, all true Ramadan fasters strive to acquire the intense blessings of this month because of the Most Cherished Treasure (i.e. Allah) they shall acquire at the end of their fasting.

If Ramadan is both a sweet and sour trial for the believer, Eid-ul-Fitr comes as a liberation from all limitations imposed by God Almighty during the blessed month and it also acts as a reminder and an encouragement for him to pursue the same good habits till the next Ramadan and this, till the end of his temporal life. Thus, Ramadan is a month of intense training for the physical, moral and spiritual growth of the believer. Every Ramadan is meant as a training for his body, mind and soul to rid themselves from all darkness and to greet light with open arms. All negativity, all stress, all evil-mindedness, and all intrinsic and extrinsic problems of the believer fade away to let in pure divine light which gives him a most needed boost for his very own well-being and that of his family, friends, neighbours, his environment and society as a whole. Everybody shall be at peace with him when he is himself at peace. And if evil try to get in the way, the peacefulness, serenity and the spirit of goodness he has developed and/ or acquired during that month makes him strive to combat it by peaceful means and with Divine Succour.

'Lailat-ul-Qadr': Times of a 'Khalifatullah'

In the evocative language of the Qur'an, the descent of Divine revelations take place on 'Laila-tul Qadr': the 'Night of Destiny'. When people grope in the darkness of spiritual despair, the Divine Mercy unfolds itself in the form of a Blessed Soul. Hence, the life and times of a Divinely-raised renewer of Faith among the Muslims can be described as a period of Divine Blessings.  As we have recently noted in another post, the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as) specifically linked the coming of a Khalifatullah in every century with the spiritual concept of Laila-tul Qadr. In his book “Victory of Islam”, the Promised Massih (as) clearly stated that the Khalifatullah appears to rouse people to spiritual consciousness and that angels descent with him- through revelations, they enable him to provide a living testimonial to the vitality of Islam in that age. 

As the Divinely-raised "Muhyi-ud-Din" and "Khalifatullah" of this era, Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius is the most qualified spiritual commentator on matters of Divine verities in our times. On the blessed occasion of the 27th of Ramadan (1439 AH) today, we are reproducing an important Friday Sermon of 03 June 2011, wherein Hadhrat Saheb (atba) profoundly explained the relevance of 'Laila-tul-Qadr' to the blessed advent of Divine Elects in every era, also keeping in view the blessed writings of the Promised Massih (as) on the theme.

Read the extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“By the grace of Allah, one of my sincere disciples called my attention on the fact that the Promised Messiah (as) draw the people’s attention to the coming of a Khalifatullah, especially when he speaks about the period of a Khalifatullah as a Laila-tul-Qadr (Night of Decree, of blessings) and that when the Caliph of Allah comes down to earth, he comes down accompanied with the light of Allah which thereafter the sincere people who surrounds the Khalifatullah receive. 

By the grace of Allah, the Promised Messiah (as) has in other others say he has come to earth in the mantle of a Khalifatullah, but that which is much more surprising is that he has already said that not only in his time there shall be one (a Khalifatullah), but this Khalifatullah shall come in confirmation of his (the Promised Messiah’s) truthfulness. It is this Khalifatullah who shall come in conformity with his words and he shall come in confirmation of his truth like the Promised Messiah (as) came in confirmation of the prophecy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), where the Prophet of Allah (sa) said (while putting his hand on the shoulders of Salman Farsi) that when faith shall go to the Pleiades, then there shall come someone from Persian descent shall bring it back.

'Zakaat' in Islam

Zakaat is a pillar of Islam and an obligatory act of charity ordained to every eligible Muslim. It is an act of devotion and an effective form to achieve social justice. It is also one of the five pillars of Islam and prescribed in the Holy Quran and in the Hadiths. The root of the word Zakaat in Arabic means blessing, growth, purity or improvement. The word Zakaat refers to the part of the wealth prescribed by Allah to be distributed among the categories of people described by Allah in Surah At-Taubah (Chapter 9, verse 60) and the Hadiths. Zakaat is an act of worship that purifies the wealth and soul of Muslims.

 

The purification of wealth means the mobilization of goods for financial growth and justified distribution (equal repartition of wealth). Purification of the soul means liberation of the Muslim’s heart from hatred, jealousy, selfishness, and greed.

 

Technically speaking, Zakaat is a fixed proportion that is withdrawn on an annual basis from the wealth and distributable profits and given to beneficiaries of this fund (as indicated by the Quran and Sunnah) for the well-being of Muslim society. Zakaat is calculated on the net balance after the Muslim has deducted his expenses for personal, family and other purposes (necessities). At the end of the year if the Muslim is in possession of 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver or the cash equivalence or article of commerce he must pay Zakaat on it at 2.5% tax, also applicable to agricultural products and livestock.

'Lailat-ul-Qadr': The Night of Destiny

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” (Al-Qadr 97: 1-6).

When the month of Ramadan begins, Muslims perform Ibadat (acts of worship) with great enthusiasm to please Allah. The Ibadat made during this month include obligatory acts (Fardh) as well as many voluntary/ additional (Nafl) acts of worship, and the mosques are filled with worshipers, Alhamdulillah. But Insha-Allah, it is essential also that this state of things remain the same even after the month of Ramadan. In this blessed month, the tendency to help the poor and the needy is also great and very important.

The Laila-tul-Qadr

During this month, we get the night of Lailatul Qadr also called, Shabe Qadr (The Night of Power). According to the Hadiths of our beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), the rewards for the Ibadat performed during this night are equal to the Ibadat performed for more than a thousand months and if we calculate all this well and do not make any mistake in our way of counting (our math), so it is equal to 83 years and 4 months. Taking into consideration the length of human life today, it would be impossible for a person to do this great amount of Ibadat during his whole life, even if he does it day and night.

There is a story behind that Night. A person named Samsun (ra) belonging to the Tribe of Israel was a person who made a lot of Ibadat. He used to fight against the infidels and the latter feared him a lot. Allah (swt) had given him such strength that even the army of the infidels had no hold over him to defeat him, or even to wound him. So, in the life of Samsun (ra) there is a very interesting story, concerning his faith (Imaan) in Allah, his courage and the strength he possessed. He was always ready to do Jihad for a thousand months. When the Messenger of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) heard the story about this extraordinary person who belonged to the Children of Israel from the Archangel Gabriel (as), his thought was for his Ummah (his community). He thought that life was short and that we would not have the opportunity to receive the same intensity of blessings bestowed upon Samsun (ra) for his devotions and loyalty for a thousand months.

Allah (swt) therefore accepted the desire of His Messenger and granted to Him and His Ummah (community) a great favour; such favour that the other Ummat (communities) did not receive; such a favour with an extraordinary prescription, that is, the Lailatul Qadr, the Night of Power. It was during this very night that the Holy Quran was revealed, that is to say, the pure revelations of Allah on His beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh).

'Laila-tul- Qadr': Rise of a 'Mujaddid'/ 'Khalifatullah'

In the Muslim spiritual imagination, the month of Ramadan is deeply embedded as the sacred month of Fasting for the sake of God Almighty. The month also reminds us about the advent of Divine revelations on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and the sacred birth of the Holy Qur'an! Indeed the Holy Qur'an itself acknowledges that it was in the blessed nights of Ramadan that the very first verses began to be revealed on the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa). The Holy Book says: “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).” [2:185] “Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'an) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree).” [97:1].  "Truly, We revealed it in a blessed Night"(44:3). 

Distinguished lexicographers and Qur'an scholars have noted that wherever the Qur'an speaks of "Lailah", it has a deep connection with the descent of Divine revelations. The saints of Islam had noted the profound connection of "Lailat-ul-Qadr" with the advent of Muhaddith (recipient of Divine revelations), "Khalifatullah" (Caliph of God) and Mujaddid (Divine reformer) in every era of Islam. The Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian also sought to educate and remind the Muslims of his era about the significance of 'Lailat-ul-Qadr' and the deep spiritual verities of Surah Al Qadr, especially with regard to the raising of great spiritual souls in every era of Islam as 'Mujaddid', 'Muhaddith', 'Khalifatullah', etc. 

Reproduced below are the words of Hadhrat Massih Maoud (as) from one of his books, Fateh-e-Islam: 

“Allah gives glad tidings to the faithful in Surah Al Qadr that His prophet and His revelation descended from the heaven during the period of Laila-tul- Qadr (the Night of Decree).

Every Muhaddath and Mujaddid who is commissioned by Allah always appears during the Night of Decree. 

Do you understand what is meant by the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree or the Laila-tul- Qadr is the name of a night when spiritual darkness reaches its ultimate gloom. That gloom, metaphorically, demands a light from heaven for its dissipation. This night is symbolically called the Night of Decree. In fact, it is not a night, but a period, which is referred to as a ‘night’ because of its intense darkness. 

One thousand months is the approximate life span of a human being. It is also a period after which normal human senses ceases to function. The elapse of a period of one thousand months, following the demise of a Prophet or his spiritual successor also signals the commencement of a ‘night’ of darkness. This ‘night’ triggers fervour in the heavens and the seeds of the birth of one or more reformers (Mujaddidin) is stealthily sown. Thus such a Mujaddid or prepare to emerge at the head of the new century. The following verse is also an indication by Allah towards this phenomenon:

           

  “The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months”.  (Surah Al Qadr, 97:4) .

The Many Blessings of 'Lailat-ul-Qadr'

From among the many signs of God Almighty – referred to by the Muslim as: « Allah » which literally means such a Being Who has no associate, no partner – there is His exquisite love for mankind. That is why He sends prophets and reformers from time to time to consolidate His commandments, to reform the lives of people and to direct them to Him in all humility and with such a fear filled with intense respect and love for Him (i.e. Taqwa).

For all people/nations, God decreed fasting as a means of purification for them. With the advent of Islam, Muslims also received the commandment to fast. Fasting is beneficial to the body and the spiritual soul involved in each and every human being. When witnessing the month of Ramadan and complying with the commandment of God Almighty (Allah) to fast, the Muslims are in fact, if I may say so, signing a contract with Allah to let go of their past lives, which may have been filled with mistakes and sins, and to reform their lives in such a way that they get the intense joy of being Muslims in every facet of the word and meaning. The month of Ramadan gives them a second chance for a new beginning. In the life of a long-lived Muslim, he therefore gets many such “second chances” to shed away his past errors and to return to Allah repentant and as a new individual with the good intent to serve Allah in the best way possible.

Ramadan is an opportunity for him to reform himself, and to control his temporal desires, so when such a good-natured Muslim is really willing to reform himself with a true and repentant heart, Allah gives him the reward of such a Night which is known as “Laila-tul-Qadr”.

Ramadan: 'Cultivate Good Manners'

The month of Ramadan leads us to cultivate good manners. In a Hadith, the Messenger of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said:

(1)  Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.) (Bukhari).

(2) Fasting does not just mean giving up food and drink, rather fasting means giving up idle speech and obscene conduct. If anyone insults you or treats you in an ignorant manner, then say, ’I am fasting, I am fasting.’ (Bukhari).

These two narrations point to the importance of truth and good manners. Thus, this blessed month teaches us not only to abstain from food and drink but also to refrain from such connexions and actions that can hurt people and violate their rights.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, when describing a true believer: “A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand Muslims are safe.” (Bukhari).

Therefore, it is up to us as individuals to examine our shortcomings, and seek improvement and bring ourselves closer to the way (Sunnah) of our Prophet (pbuh) as well as to aspire to the excellence that is mentioned in the following words (of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)): “I guarantee a house in Jannah (Paradise) for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.” (Abu Dawud).

'The Khalifa of Islam': Of Titles and Tasks

10 Years of the official proclamation as "Khalifatullah" 

In a special lecture delivered on 27 May 2018, coinciding with the 10th Anniversary of his Divinely-inspired proclamation of 26 May 2008 as the Caliph of God-"Khalifatullah"- the foremost Islamic spiritual personality of this era Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius- Holy Founder of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam- gives an illuminating discourse on the system of the advent of the Spiritual Heirs of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) in every era of Islam, to rejuvenate the Faith and to be a practical exemplar of the Holy Tradition/ Islamic Practice in everyday life for the devout. 

The Islamic sacred tradition recognizes the devout savants of the Faith by conferring upon them grand titles: "Khalifa", "Imam", "Mujaddid", "Muhyi-ud-Din", "Sheikh-ul-Islam", "Hujjatul Islam", "Mahdi", "Massih","Ummati-Nabi", etc. Drawing on the Holy Prophet's teachings, and also keeping in view the additional explanations of the Promised Massih (as) in the previous era, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) in his discourse, succinctly summarizes the spiritual doctrine on the purpose of the advent of the Elects of God in every era. Moreover, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) reminds both his enemies and friends of the need to be critically aware of the "mistakes of the past" when peoples and communities have preferred the adulation of the powers that be and ignored perennial Divine teachings and thereby they let go of a precious heritage of sublime faith represented by the advent of a Divine servant among them. 

Alhamdulillah, the message is of immediate relevance to the Ahmadis of our times- in a context where their elected Khalifatul Massih Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad Saheb has been bereft of Divine illumination. Many devout Ahmadis are now seeking to engage with the larger question of Divine Guidance and revelations with the advent of a Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah in this era in the person of Hadhrat Munir Azim Saheb of Mauritius (atba), Soumma Alhamdulillah.

A Warning to the Nizam-e-Jamaat

Located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa,  the Mayotte archipelago is geographically part of the Comoros Islands, while officially it is an overseas territory of France. It consists of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around these two, situated between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. While the region came under the French settlements in 1840s, the people of Mayotte voted to remain politically a part of France in 1974. Following a 2009 referendum with an overwhelming result in favour of the department status under France, Mayotte became an outermost region of the European Union in 2014. It was the Arabs who brought Islam into the region during the medieval times and a Sultanate was established as early as 1500. According to the 2017 census, the small Island region (with an area of 374 square kilometers---144 sq mi) has a population of a little over 2,50,000- a vast majority of whom are the descendants of the Muslims. Although located far way from the mainlands of Africa and Asia, the remote Indian Ocean islands also had the fortune of receiving the message of Islam as propagated by the Promised Massih of the Later Days, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian. In many ways, the deep penetration of the message of Tawheed as propagated by the Promised Massih (as) to the remotest regions of the world is an awesome testimonial to the astonishing truth of the words of Allah (swt) descended on that holy  Divine servant in the previous era: “I shall cause your message to reach the corners of the earth”.

In the late 1990’s, it was the pioneering efforts of Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb of Mauritius that planted the seeds of Ahmadiyyat in several Indian Ocean island communities, including the Mayotte Islands. As the missionary-ambassador of the Promised Massih (as) working in the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya in collaboration with the then Khalifatul Massih IV, Hazrat Munir Azim Saheb took extraordinary  personal initiative and considerable pain to establish the message of Ahmadiyyat in these parts of the world. If ever the Nizam-e-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya develops institutional memory and are truthful to their own records and testimonials; they would not, they should not and indeed they cannot avoid or evade the seminal spiritual work and rich legacy of Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb in the spread of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya in the region. 

Of late, the Nizam-e-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, in Mayotte and beyond, is behaving like the sectarian thugs the Promised Massih (as) used to oppose all his life. In their vain desires for cheap personal glory, they ‘invent’ the history of the Ahmadi peoples and they erase the collective memory inconvenient for their current temperaments! In their concern for constructing a new identity, they are behaving like a prodigal son in denial of his father!! Instead of gratefully co-opting and quietly celebrating the trailblazing spiritual work of Hazrat Munir Azim Saheb in the Indian Ocean island communities in the 1990s as part of the wider and global history of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya and its peoples, the Nizam-e-Jamaat is in denial today. Do they think the politics of denial and social boycott has a chance against the tide of history and the destiny of a Man of God? Allah says in the Qur’an: “We will soon show them Our signs all around the world and in their own selves, until it dawns on them that indeed this is the truth. Is your Lord not Sufficient (to confirm your veracity), for He alone is (also) witness to everything?”. (41:53)

In the final part of his Friday Sermon of 25 May 2018 (09 Ramadan 1439 AH),  Imam Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius spoke on the situation in Mayotte, where natural calamities are unfolding against the backdrop of spiritual calamities. In their quest for cheap victory, sectarian prejudices are being unleashed by the chiefs of the Nizam-e-Jamaat against the Jamaat-Ul Sahih Al Islam in Mayotte so much so that Hadhrat Saheb (atba) has been constrained to issue a Divine warning against the culprits involved in the episode. 

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:   

Roza: The Wisdom of Fasting

In this blessed month of Ramadan, it is very important for us to understand the wisdom and lessons we need to draw from this month, so that these blessings will continue even after the month of Ramadan. There are wisdoms and important lessons at all levels, but unfortunately many Muslims do not take this month into consideration and do not give it the value it deserves, while it is a blessing for us (for our own well-being) even in its physical, moral, spiritual and/ or worldly aspect. It reminds me of a Hadith where a companion (Sahabi) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Do not let it happen that your fasting day and the day you do not fast be the same.” [as if a normal act for you, reaping no benefits whatsoever].

Which means that your behaviours, attitudes, and appearances must be similar, whether you fast or not, and that the bad actions you used to do when you were not fasting, such as, watching TV, backbiting, spying, fighting, swearing (saying foul words), talking a lot, not praying at the prescribed time, not reading the Quran, not doing the Zikrullah (i.e. not remembering Allah), playing computer games or games of chance/ gambling etc. Well, in the month of Ramadan you have to get away from all that and replace them with good deeds that will please Allah. Remember Allah often, read the Holy Qur’an, make additional prayers, help the poor, control your tongues so as not to say nonsense/ foul words, and not to lie, otherwise your fasting will be rejected by Allah (swt).

Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “The month of Ramadan (is that) in which was revealed the Quran, 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!” (Al-Baqara 2: 186).

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Islam is built on five (pillars): bearing witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, paying Zakah, Hajj and fasting Ramadan.” (Bukhari, Muslim).

And he (pbuh) also said: “The month of Ramadan has come, a blessed month in which Allah the Exalted has obligated you to fast. In it the gates of the heavens are opened, and in it the gates of Hellfire are closed, and in it the devils are chained, and in it is a night that is better than a thousand months. Thus, whoever is deprived of its good is truly deprived.” (An-Nasai).

Fasting helps us to acquire piety, as Allah commands us in the Qur’an: “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” (Al-Baqara 2: 184).

When chaos (fitna) appears, extinguish it with piety (Taqwa). What is Taqwa? It is to abandon disobedience to Allah, out of fear for Him (Allah). This is the best definition of piety towards Allah (Taqwa).

Poem: The sweet breeze of Ramadan

Elite is my sentiment,

At the summit of the universe,

Feeling the sweet breeze of Ramadan,

Touching the very core of my soul,

Opening my inner heart,

To fly to the abode of my Creator;

Paradise or Hell,

All become bliss instantly,

For I have devoted myself to Ramadan,

Being true to all its rules,

Being truly Muslim,

Not just on the lips;

Ramadan calls me,

Not to its world of deprivation,

But to taste the sweet elixir of Divine Love,

For verily I feel,

The glorious scent of my Maker,

Who holds me tightly against Him,

Like a beloved father cherishing his son,

Yet the Love of my Creator,

The Fashioner of Life,

And Essence of all creations,

Is more poignant than any temporal human love.

'Roza': Three Levels, Divine Rewards

The greatness of Fasting in Islam

O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous. (Al-Baqara 2: 184).

You must know that in Sawm (Roza / Islamic fasting) there is a special quality that is not present in the other fasts of other religions. Allah (swt) gave the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) a special fast, which is not found in the fasts of the other prophets (as).

Even though Allah (swt) says in this verse: ʻdecreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you’, but conditions and regulations regarding observance of fasting were taught / prescribed in the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). It is written (It has been taught) that a fasting person will have a great amount of blessings and rewards for every good deed he shall do during this blessed month of Ramadan, where every good deed will be multiplied by 70, more than in normal times; for example: the observance of Farz, Sunnah and Nafl Salat (the obligatory, Sunnah and voluntary prayers). These rewards will be larger compared to those good deeds accomplished in normal days and every good deed you will make will also reap other great rewards. Even in the morning when you eat the Sehri (pre-dawn meal) and also at the time of Iftaar (breaking of the fast), everything you eat to enter the state of fasting and to break the fast will have great rewards.

A fasting person (a true and sincere faster) strictly follows the fasting regulations during Ramadan and puts them into practice, and through this he demonstrates complete obedience to his Creator, and then he even receives the Creator of the Universe as reward. Alhamdulillah. The greatest reward of fasting that a person receives then is proximity to Allah. Is there any such reward in the observance of fasting in other Ummat (communities) of other prophets (as)? Allah (swt) says:

“Fasting is for Me and I shall reward for it” (A Hadith-e-Qudsi reported by Imam Bukhari & Muslim).

This connection is sufficient to demonstrate the greatness of fasting (Sawm) in the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). In the same way, the Holy Ka’aba receives all its honour thanks to its connection with Allah. Allah says: “And Sanctify My House.” (Al-Haj 22: 27).

Indeed, fasting (Sawm) is virtuous because of two important concepts:

(1) It is a secret action and a hidden one; because of this, no one from among the creation can find it. And then, ʻriya’ (ostentation) just cannot touch it!

(2) It is a means to subjugate (dominate) the enemies of Allah. It is because the path that the enemies of Allah embark on to deceive the sons of Adam (as) is desire. Food and drink give them the strength to fulfil their desire. That is why they find fasting difficult to observe and seek all kinds of pretexts (so as) not to fast.

Know that there are 3 levels of fasting observance: (1) General Fasting, (2) Precise Fasting, and (3) Most Accurate Fasting.

(1) The General Fast is to prevent the stomach and the private parts from fulfilling their desires. And you will notice that it is during the month of Ramadan itself, during the very fast that Satan tries to influence you through these desires.

(2) Precise fasting is to prevent (a) the eyes from looking at forbidden things (where this can induce you to commit serious sins), (b) the tongue from saying bad things (such as unnecessary/ vain words, palavers, fights, arguments because it is with that very tongue that you swear etc.), (c) the hand/s from doing bad things (for example, raising your hand over others (beating them), stealing, cheating, etc.), and (d) the ears from committing forbidden things (like listening to things that will not bring you any divine reward, and lending an ear (to listen) to conversations that do not concern you, etc.), and (e) the other members of the body from committing wrongful acts.

(3) The Most Accurate Fasting is the abstention - by the heart - from running behind this ephemeral world, and directing our thoughts towards the distance between us and Allah. An important characteristic of fasting is to lower the gaze and control the tongue. Think a lot before talking; be careful that during your conversation you do not let out a word that may harm others. In short, a control over the members of your whole body is important. This is what the verse I recited before you refers to, where Allah (swt) says, “that you may become righteous.” (Al-Baqara 2: 184).

To receive Allah as reward is not easy. There is a lot of struggle to be done against yourselves. It’s not just that you stay without food and drink that you say you are fasting. No! It does not work that way. Fasting must be accompanied with all these good deeds. It is only after the fulfilment of all these good actions that your fasting - without food and drink - will gain all its value, all its merit before Allah (swt). The one who does not give up his bad deeds, such as: gossiping, quarrelling, spying, doubts, jealousy, lying, etc., then, Allah does not need that person, does not need you to deprive yourself of food and drink as it is reported in the Hadiths.

Another characteristic of fasting is that the person does not fill his stomach with food during the night. Instead, he eats the right measure, because indeed the son of Adam (as) does not fill a container worst than his stomach. If he has enough to eat at the beginning of the night, he will not be able to use it (that is, his body) for the rest of the night. Similarly, if he eats a lot at Sehri (the meal before dawn that signals the beginning of the fast), he will not behave well till the afternoon. This is because eating excessively brings about weakness and lethargy (that is, laziness), and the purpose of fasting disappears because of an excess of food, because the goal of fasting is to make the person (the fasting person) relish the taste of hunger and encourage him to give up his desires.

You must understand that an intelligent individual (that is, one to whom Allah has given intelligence) knows the purpose of fasting. So he takes on himself a burden of such a level where he feels capable (able) to do it, and that is especially to his advantage. (A companion of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)) Ibn Masud (ra) observed very little (optional) fasting and it was reported that he was accustomed to saying, “When I fast (i.e. the optional fasting), I feel weak in my Salat and I prefer my Salat to the (optional) fast.” In other words, he prefers a compulsory act, and gives it priority over an optional, additional act.

Some of the companions were weakened during their concentration in the recitation of the Quran while fasting. Thus, they fast (in this case, the additional fasts) less until they were able to have an equilibrium in their recitation. Each individual is aware of his own condition (health, capacity etc.) and knows the best way to recite (the Quran - and to perform other acts of worship).

A companion (Sahabi) of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) relates: “I heard the Messenger of Allah say during Ramadan: “The gates of Hell are closed, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the devils are in chains. An angel calls out : ʻO you who intend to do good deeds, have glad tidings. O you who intend to do evil, refrain, until Ramadan is completed’.” (Ahmad & Nasai).

A shield against hellfire 

Fasting the month of Ramadan is a shield against hellfire. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “When Allah created Paradise and Hell, He sent Jibreel to Paradise and said, ‘Look at it and at what I have prepared for its people therein.’ So he went and looked at it and at what Allah had prepared for its people therein. Then he went back to Him and said, ‘By Your Glory, no one will hear of it but he will enter it.’ Then He commanded that it should be surrounded with difficult things. Then He said, ‘Go back and look at what I have prepared for its people therein.’ He went back and saw that it was surrounded with difficult things. He came back and said, ‘By Your Glory, I am afraid that no one will enter it.’ Allah said, ‘Go and look at Hell and see what I have prepared for its people therein.’  [He saw it] with parts of it consuming other parts. He came back and said, ‘By Your Glory, no one who hears of it will enter it.’ So Allah commanded that it should be surrounded with desires. Then he said, ‘Go back to it.’ So he went back, then he said, ‘By Your Glory, I am afraid that no one will be saved from it and that all will enter it.’” (Tirmidhi, Hakim & other Hadiths reporters).

So, dear brothers and sisters of Islamic faith, when you realize that fasting kills desires and reduces its severity, and that desires lead you to hell, then you will see how fasting shall be placed (like a protection) between you (the faster) and hell, and you shall observe fasting during the month of Ramadan and after Ramadan also (i.e., in the form of additional/ surerogatory fasts) in the best possible way.

The Quran tells us about the rewards of fasting and there are verses (ayat) about those who obey Allah to be safeguarded against hell, and about fasting being a form of obedience to Allah. Several Hadiths of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) enlighten us in this context.

Abu Said al-Khudri relates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Fasting is a shield with which a servant protects himself from the Fire.” (Ahmad).

ʻUthman Ibn Abil-`Aas relates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Whoever fasts a day in the way of Allah, Allah places between him and the Fire a trench like (the distance) that (there is) between heavens and the earth”. (Tirmidhi & Tabarani).

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said: “When the first night of the month of Ramadan comes, the devils and rebellious Jinns are chained up and the gates of Hell are closed, and not one gate of it is opened. The gates of Paradise are opened and not one gate of it is closed. A caller cries out, ‘O seeker of good, proceed; O seeker of evil, desist.’ Allah saves some people from Hell - and that happens every night.” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah & the other Hadiths reporters).

Jabir (ra) relates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “In every day and every night, during the month of Ramadan, there are people to whom Allah grants freedom from the Fire, and there is for every Muslim a supplication (dua) which he can make and will be granted.” (Ibn Majah, Ahmad).

Finally, we call on Allah to make this Ramadan an armour/ shield/ protection for us against hellfire. Ameen, Summa, Ameen, Ya Rabbal Aalameen.

Salat-ul-Janaza Gha’ib

And Insha-Allah, after the Salat-ul-Jumu’ah, we will pray the Salat-ul-Janaza Gha’ib/ Salat-ul-Gha’ib (funeral prayer in absentia/ prayer of the absent) of a dear and highly respected disciple of mine from Kerala, Shareefa Beevi Sahiba (1951-2018), who was the first wife of the Amir, in South Kerala, India (Mukarram Jamaluddin Sahib). May Allah illuminate Her way to Him, so that she receives Allah as Reward. Ameen.

Insha-Allah, you can read a glimpse of her life and work on the blog of the Jamaat under the charge of and written by her dear son, Fazil Jamal Sahib.

May Allah bless all members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in the world and help you all to reach Him in a state where Allah is pleased and happy with you all, especially through your obedience to Allah and His Messenger Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and the Khalifatullah He has sent you in this era (in your epoch). Insha-Allah, Ameen.

On this end-note, I wish you all: all my disciples and all the Muslims of the whole world, Ramadan Mubarak!

--- Friday Sermon of 18 May 2018 (02 Ramadan 1439 AH) delivered Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius.