Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is a sacred period of fasting, reflection, and spiritual growth for Muslims worldwide. The main teachings of Ramadan are
(1)Spiritual Growth–Self-reflection and introspection: Ramadan encourages Muslims to reflect on their actions, thoughts, and feelings, and to make amends for past mistakes.
(2) Spiritual purification: Through fasting and other spiritual practices, Muslims aim to purify their souls and develop a stronger connection with Allah.
(3) Increased devotion and worship: Ramadan is a time for increased prayer, recitation of the Quran, and other acts of worship.
(4) Moral Development:
(i)Empathy and compassion–Fasting helps Muslims develop empathy for those in need and to cultivate compassion for others.
(ii) Self-control and discipline– Ramadan teaches Muslims to control their desires, emotions, and behaviors, and to develop self-discipline.
(iii) Gratitude and contentment– Muslims are encouraged to be grateful for the blessings they have and to be content with what Allah has provided.
(5) Social Responsibility:
(i) Charity and generosity– Ramadan is a time for increased charity and generosity, with Muslims encouraged to give to those in need.
(ii) Community and unity– Ramadan fosters a sense of community and unity among Muslims, who come together for prayers, iftar (break-fast) meals, and other activities.
(iii) Care for the needy– Muslims are reminded of their responsibility to care for the needy, the poor, and the vulnerable.
(6) Physical and Mental Well-being:
(i) Health and hygiene– Ramadan teaches Muslims the importance of maintaining good health and hygiene practices.
(ii) Moderation and balance– Muslims are encouraged to adopt moderate and balanced lifestyles, avoiding excesses and extremes.
(iii) Resilience and perseverance– Ramadan helps Muslims develop resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges and difficulties.
By observing the fast and engaging in spiritual, moral, and social practices, Muslims can develop a stronger connection with Allah, themselves, and their communities, and can cultivate positive values and behaviors that benefit them throughout the year. Holy Quran emphasizes the importance of honesty and fairness, and prohibits Muslims from engaging in corruption practices, including bribery. In fact, holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) cursed both the giver and receiver of bribes. Ramadan provides an opportunity for Muslims to renew their commitment to ethical behavior and to avoid practices like bribery that can harm society. Bribery is a crime that has grave effects and serious consequences on the individual and the society. Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I said to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): O Messenger of Allah, will you not appoint me to a public office? He stroked my shoulder with his hand and said: “Abu Dharr, you are weak and authority is a trust. And on the Day of Judgment it is a cause of humiliation and regret except for one who fulfills its obligations and (properly) discharges the duties.” (Muslim). Ubaydullah ibn Abi Bakr said: I heard Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) talked about the major sins, or he was asked about the major sins. Upon this he mentioned: “Associating anyone with Allah, killing of a person, being undutiful to parents.” He (the Prophet further) said: “Should I not inform you about the gravest of the major sins?” And then he said: “It is false utterance” or he said “false testimony”. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Corruption is also said to be highly related to materialistic tendencies, which can be due to real needs caused by income or greed and desire to live well beyond one’s means. When this happens, it can easily lead to gross inefficiencies both financially and productivity wise. Those involved will find ways and means of applying pressure on others whom they can prey upon, instead of providing genuine service to such victims. It is quite common for those intending to receive bribes to delay approval or payment process so that they can expedite the service in return for some bribes. Following hadith is a best example for todays Mulas to follow. A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: The people of Quraish worried about the lady from Bani Makhzum who had committed theft. They asked, “Who will intercede for her with Allah’s Messenger?” Some said, “No one dares to do so except Usamah ibn Zaid the beloved one to Allah’s Messenger.” When Usamah spoke about that to him, Allah’s Messenger said, “Do you try to intercede for somebody in a case connected with Allah’s Prescribed Punishments?” Then he got up and delivered a sermon saying, “What destroyed the nations preceding you, was that if a noble amongst them stole, they would forgive him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would inflict Allah’s legal punishment on him. By Allah, if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut off her hand.” (Al-Bukhari). The real and true scholars of Islam are a big blessing from Allah to this Ummah. There is no doubt that these true scholars (Ulama-e-Haq) are the inheritors of Real Knowledge, which Allah gave to Prophets, and through Prophets (peace be upon them) these scholars learned it and they spread it. Its pity and sad that just because of some minor differences Muslims are so deeply divided that most often they forget the actual problems of Muslim Ummah (nation). This is what Satan and enemies of Muslims want from Muslims.
“Ramadan is the month of Qura’n. In this month Allah Almighty has revealed the Qura’n for mankind with a complete guidance for self-development. In brief, by fasting in Ramadan and engaging in acts of charity and worship, Muslims can cultivate a sense of empathy, compassion and justice.”
The most unfortunate aspect of this division is that the people who claim that they have the knowledge of Islam such as Moulvees (Imams of Mosques) and Muslim scholars are responsible for this division. They are the one who dwell on these differences in every Jum’a speech (Khutba), in other speeches and in their writings. These religious scholars have turned away many Muslims from Mosques and confused them about Islamic beliefs. These religious scholars have influenced their followers so deep that these people do not hesitate to fight even in side Mosques. We suppose to bring the message of Islam to non-Muslims which is based upon peace, love and respect by our good character and justice. Among the previous nations, the people of knowledge divided the religion and now among the Muslims the people of knowledge are doing the same thing. All these people who divided the religion will ultimately pay a huge penalty hereafter. Please remember that all the people of knowledge in religion do not create division among Muslims. Very few people are responsible for this division. They are the one who are addressed here. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Help your brother whether he is the doer of wrong or wrong is done to him.” The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! We can help a man to whom wrong is done, but how could we help him when he is the doer of wrong?” The Prophet replied, “Hold him back from doing wrong.” (Al-Bukhari) Most of the Islamic Scholars, are God fearing people and they teach and propagate the correct knowledge of Islam. It is because of them that we get the correct understanding of Islam and we should be very thankful to them. May Allah give them the best reward. The true Islamic scholars are the scholars of truth (Ulama-e-Haq) while, the scholars who has created this division are false scholars (Ulama-e-Soo). Muslim countries are facing several problems. The causes of these problems could be economical, educational, political, social, ethical, scientific, technological etc. It is reported that false scholars of Islam (Ulama-e-Soo) are hardly concerned about problems. We must not follow the false scholars who create division among Muslims based upon their designed beliefs. The Holy Prophet of Islam used to appoint a number of his companions as the collectors of zakat, during the Medina period. They were to make proper assessments on the items where zakat become payable, collect the proper amounts and distribute to the recipients in the same locality. One of these collectors of zakat came back and told the Holy Prophet, “This amount is what I have collected less what I have distributed to the rightful recipients, but this is mine”. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was very upset and rebuked him saying, “What right have you to put aside something that does not belong to you. If you were to remain in your father’s house, would you get what you are taking?” The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had also been reported to have said, “If you get from the people because of your position is bribery. Would you get it if you are not holding that position, or if you stay in your father’s house?” These hadith provide us with the strict definition of bribery and corruption in Islam. Gifts that we get, could be considered as bribery if it is meant to oblige us to abuse our position or power. However, if it is customary for those in power to receive gifts because of the respect, love and services that they have rendered to the people, then of course it cannot be regarded as bribery. We know that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself used to accept gifts of various forms from heads of states in his time. He also used to give similar gifts to others. This is surely not bribery because it is customary to do it. Moreover, it is often given out of love and respect for the person. All benefits derived from sinful activities are definitely unlawful. To this applies the famous hadith that states that the flesh that grows out of unlawful income has no place in the hereafter but hell. The problem that we have to sincerely question is whether the bribe that we have paid for will bring about future streams of income to us or not. If the stream of income that we receive is clearly the result of the bribe that we have paid for, then naturally, the stream of income that we derive is unlawful in the eyes of Islam. For instance if we bribe to get to a certain position, the stream of income that we enjoy from such a position is also questionable Islamically. This is the real danger of all our sinful actions. Whether we pay zakat or donate our wealth for a very noble cause from such wealth, there is no benefit to us. This is because, neither zakat nor good charitable deeds are counted from unlawful income. After all, we are all accountable to Allah in every action that we do on this earth. A famous hadith has it that Allah will call us to account how we spend our life, our youth, our wealth and our knowledge. Abdul Rahman ibn Auf, the richest companions among the famous ten whom the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had predicted will enter paradise will have to account for all his wealth, the way he got and spent them, before being allowed to approach the gate of heaven. The other nine would have little wealth to account for and hence will speedily reach heaven. God knows best. Lets follow Qur’an and the Prophet (peace be upon him) not the false people. This year hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide began the first daily fast of Ramadan on Thursday. History is witness generally people respect this month and avoid conflict and consider this time of reconciliation. U.N. Secretary-General appealed fighters of various countries on to put down their weapons during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, even we notice many times India used to suspend operations against militants fighting its rule in Kashmir during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. We know, Ramadan is a month of discipline, self-control, patience, and inculcating good behavior. In Ramadan, Muslims are expected to gain the fruits of Fasting; namely piety and being conscious of Allah (SWT). In this context, holy month of Ramadan serves as a religious catalyst for individuals to refine their behaviors and improve their relationships with both Allah (SWT) and those with whom they interact most closely, including and especially, family. We learn in this month how to discipline ourselves for the sake of Allah (SWT). Ramadan is not only an individual experience, but it is a community experience as well as whole Muslim Ummah fasts together in one and the same month. We identify with one another in our obedience to Allah (SWT). To summarize all the moral and spiritual gifts of Ramadan, we can say that Ramadan gives us the great gift of taqwa (piety), overall result of an Islamic life. Thus, every Muslim should strive hard not to miss the opportunity of obtaining multiple rewards in these blessed days. It is noticed that there is clear impact of fasting on behavior of an individual. Muslims avoid bribery and all haram activities during the month of Ramadan so it is expected they continue good activities daily till alive. Ramadan is the month of Qura’n. In this month Allah Almighty has revealed the Qura’n for mankind with a complete guidance for self-development. In brief, by fasting in Ramadan and engaging in acts of charity and worship, Muslims can cultivate a sense of empathy, compassion and justice. May Allah grant us understanding of the religion and teach us what benefits us. —- Aameen!
(The authors write regularly on Islamic Topics exclusively for the opinion pages of “Kashmir Horizon”. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
