Ramadan holds different meaning for different people. For some, it is a feast in the evening hours and diet control in the morning hours. For others, it might be an excellent season for family reunions. In the Asian countries, some people tend to focus more on food and lavish iftaar parties in this month while others spend the night playing cricket and are asleep throughout the day.
This happens when people culturally follow the rules and regulations of Ramadan without knowing the immense blessings and virtues this month carries. When we explore and cruise through the authentic texts from the Quran and the Sunnah, we get to know what Ramadan is really about. This can help us get motivated, preventing us from spending the month in a mechanical way. Rather, we will cherish every minute of this blessed month and taste the sweetness of faith.
If you want to have a different Ramadan this time, way better than your previous ones, and feel an immense spiritual rush, this article is for you.
What exactly is this month of Ramadan and how is it significant? Let’s begin –
Ramadan is the month of Allah’s
mercy and blessings, a month to keep the obligatory fasting and a training session for Muslims to increase their taqwa levels.
How is it a Mercy?
“There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month which Allah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.” 1
How does this month help us in spiritually getting closer to Allah?
In one word: Fasting.
Allah has made the purpose of fasting crystal clear in His Book:
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” 2
And when we fast with this aim in mind, we come out feeling spiritually rejuvenated, and this feeling is wonderful! Fasting is an absolutely unique spiritual experience. It is an act of worship that testifies to our submission to Allah; we can’t go on without water or food normally, but for Allah – we can, a thousand times over!
Fasting helps us develop a strong personality and character. Not giving in to the temptation of having a sip of cold water when no one is around really says volumes about a person’s self control. It instills other great qualities in us such as patience, will-power and determination, which we need in our lives. Fasting helps us in achieving just that. It also instills humility in us by giving us a feeling of deprivation which the affluent ones normally never face. We learn that life isn’t always perfect and this leads us to developing another important characteristic: generosity. We learn to give because we learn exactly how it feels to have nothing.
What are some things I can focus on to feel the sweetness of this month and reap its exclusive rewards?
Okay, this is the most interesting part of the article, so remember every tip given here and make sure you implement as much as you can.
- Fast each day with this beautiful hadith in mind:
Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” 3
- Pray every night with this hadith echoing every now and then in your head:
Narrated from Abu Hurayrah
that the Prophet
said: “Whoever spends the nights of Ramadan in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” 4
And,
“Whoever prays qiyaam with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded for him that he spent the whole night in prayer.” 5
- Break your fast and offer iftaar to others
“Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the fasting person’s reward in the slightest.” 6
The combination of Ramadan plus the last third of the night makes it a super awesome time for acceptance of our duas.
That’s the time when Allah descends to bestow His bounty upon His slaves, to meet their needs and to relieve their distress. At this time of the night, He says, “Who will call upon Me, that I may answer Him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?” 7
- Make dua when breaking your fast and try not to waste those priceless moments admiring your food. You can save that for later.
“At every breaking of the fast, Allah has people whom He redeems.” 8
The night which can change our lives also comes in Ramadan, which makes it all more special!
“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’an) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree). And what will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is?
The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshiping Allah in that night is better than worshiping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
Therein descend the angels and the Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allah’s
And –
“Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, will be forgiven his previous sins.” 10
This is the night when prayers are answered and we don’t want to miss it!
Exclusive virtues for those who get these opportunities:
- The Prophet said, “When Ramadan comes, go for ‘Umrah, for ‘Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj.” According to a report narrated by Muslim, “… is equivalent to doing Hajj with me.” 11
- It was narrated in the hadeeth that the Prophet used to spend the last ten days of Ramadan in i’tikaaf until he passed away, then his wives observed i’tikaaf after him.” 12
- Narrated from Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari: “Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it will be like fasting for a lifetime.” 13
This is the month which gives maximum rewards to the believers in terms of their efforts. It’s as if their wages have been increased. When a Muslim sells himself to the Highest Bidder (the Allah Almighty) in this month, the chances of going to Paradise are intensified. So go for it! Who knows if we can enjoy and reap the fruits of next Ramadan.
From the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah who said that the Messenger of Allah said: “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up.” 14
So make sure you make the most of this blessed month insha’Allah.
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. 🙂
- Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 2106; Ahmad, 8769. classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 999. ↩
- Al Baqarah,2,183 ↩
- al-Bukhaari (2008) ↩
- Muslim 174 ↩
- Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Salaat al-Taraaweeh, p. 15 ↩
- Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 807; Ibn Maajah, 1746; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 647 ↩
- Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1145 ↩
- Al-Mundhiri said: there is nothing wrong with its isnaad; and it was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 987 ↩
- al-Qadar 97:1-5 ↩
- Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1910; Muslim, 760 ↩
- Muslim 1020 ↩
- Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1922; Muslim, 1172 ↩
- Saheeh Muslim 1164 ↩
- al-Saheehayn al-Bukhaari, 1898; Muslim, 1079 ↩
68 replies on “Virtues and Blessings of Ramadan”
Beautiful Article ! Thank you for sharing this. May Allah Bless you. Ramadan Kareem !
asaloalikum brother,
MashaAllah , very well written and expressed
Blessed month of ramzan is heading..its all about taqwa and controlling your nafs
Forbidding the bad things..and multiplying your rewards.
May Allah swt. Bless all the muslim ummah. Aameen.
Alhamdulillah for this great article, is very educative and helpful torward achieving a successful fast in Ramadan. May Allah continue to blessed the writer and everybody who are associated to the contribution and distribution of this great article, Ameen.
وعليكم السلام ورحمة. آمين
is it permitted making ziker with jeme’a between Tarawhi? if it’s not why?
Walikyum Aslam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu brother. Please post your question to assimalhakeem.net or islamqa.com
Aa Salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
Jazak Allahu Khair!
May Almighty Allah have mercy and guide us all to righteousness until our last breath, ameen!
JazakaAllah khair for this post. It’s motivating and informing maashaAllah. I particularly like the hadiths and ayaats you offered, very good.
It’s very helpful. May Allah reward you Brother. Remedan is such a blessing from Allah, we need to be effective managing ourselves to profited everything which has to offer.
Ameen brother. May Allah forgive us all.
thank you for such wonderful reminder truly it was informative …jazakalllah khair ..
Ma Sha ALLAH… very good article ! Now I can better plan to strive for ALLAH’s mercy during the blessed month! May ALLAH accept sll our good deeds snd forgive our countless sins Ameen
Really helpful post….may allah help us all to reach ramadan and to grab all the blessings of it….insha allah…
Jazakallahu khairan….
Ameen
AsSalamu Aleikum w’Rahmatullah w’Barakatuh, jazakAllah Khair. I have benefitted from the article Alhamdulillah. May Allah azewejel grant all the ummah acceptance from their fasting, good deeds and duaa’ ameen. Ramadaan Kariim.
JazakAllaah khairun for the lovely article.. it freshens one s emaan
May Allah accept our efforts Ameen.
Thanks for reminding the virtues of blessed ramadan kareem. Verily , a reminder benefits the believer. May Allah reward you .
May Allah (s.w) make us among those whom there sins are forgiven and may the Rahma and the great Rewards of this month come to all the Muslims in this universe. Amiin…
Brothers and sisters of Islam lets always do our good deeds for the sake of Allah (s.w) surely there is no better way to pass on than knowing that you always pleased Allah (s.w) “RAMADAN KHARIM”
و عليكم السلام. أمين
Tanx 4 d post,may Allah make it easy 4 us all
Mashaallah…such a beautiful article and strong words of wisdom..Thank u so much for this wonderful article and may Allah reward u abundantly…Ramadhan Kareem..
Ma Shaa Allah very simple and beautiful article which can be a source of change in lives if acted upon. . . . . . . . Jazak ALLAH Khairan Kaseeran Dr Bilal. . . . . . . . . . Stay blessed forever. . . . .
JazakAllahu khayrian brother
Jazak Allah. It is very much motivational. May Allah Almighty bless us all to become beter Muslims. Ameen
Alhamdulillah… JazakaAllah khair… a very fruitful information for us muslimah… especially like us Muslim Filipinos. Allahu Akbar….
May Allah accept our fasting, forgive, inspire us, and grant us taqwa and a love for sacrifice for the deen, inshaAllah.
Inshallah brother. Ameen for your prayers. May Allah accept.
Ma sha Allah.
Jazakallah khair for this article, may Allah increase you in knowledge. Ameen.
This has answered most of my questions, Alhamdullah. Words can’t express my gratitude.
May Allah reward you & grant you jannah for this. Ameen.
What a great article… May Allah forgive us our sins, makes us conscious in remembering Him and above all makes us witness this coming Ramadan in good health. AMEEN.
A beautiful article that reminds us about Ramada an and it’s blessing. Jzk for sharing, may Allah reward you
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Jazakum Allah Khayran for such a beautiful way of putting it. I literally sat down to type something similar, trying to explain what Ramadan is for our readers in Polish, when all of a sudden this post showed up on my Facebook feed… Amazing! Allah just made it so easy for me. Ramadan Mubarak. May He Al-Rahman send His Mercy to all Muslims around the globe and allow us for most perfect worship during Ramadan and after, ameen.
https://islambeztajemnic.wordpress.com/2015/06/16/czym-jest-ramadan-dla-muzulmanow/
Alhumdolilah you got a similar article. JazakAllahu khayrian brother for sharing on your blog. May Allah accept.
Very interesting article! may allah forgive US.
Ameen
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Need to soak up on these words. … Subhanallah…revived….May Allah(swt) accept our intentions, Salah, ibadah and Dua’s -Ameen…..Jazakallahukhairan
I think we all more or less know these facts , only we never expressed it . It’s so comprehensively n clearly presented..I hope all who read will benefit frm this . Ameen
Very good article. Thanks and looking forward for another interesting articles.
What a wonderful and well explained article. It has given me inspiration!! Thank you for sharing. Elhamdulila
MashaAllah Great Information.. Every Muslim Should Know This Points..
Be Blessed
Indeed.
Beautiful article ma sha Allah. Keep up the good work sir and may Allah bless you for all your work in sha Allah
thank you very much for sharing such a knowledge .May allah bless you for this .Ameen
JazakAllahu khayrian brother. May Allah make us amongst those who spread this knowledge and benefit from it. Ameen
This is a very good insight prior to the month of Ramadan. May Allah give all of us the faith and strength needed to constantly worship Him in this beautiful month.
Ameen brother. May Allah bless us all
Very enlightining and inspiring. Alhmdulilah may allah guid us all.
Thank you very much. We all need reminders about the blessings of this Holy month. May Allah accept our fasting and good deeds, inshallah.
i pray that all muslimine seek the rgivenessof Allah because its him ho will save us all. and he alwas blessesus with so much and sometimes hes the only friend in the worldyou have to turn to when nooneelsewill listen, this article mde me think.
and i love Ramadan, i love helping people and everything i di is for the sake of Allah may Allah guide us all.
May Allah accept your prayers and guide us all. May He forgive us all in this blessed month
maashaallah,so helpfull,absolutely rightful,i copird some tips for daawah to others
Sure brother Alhumdolilah
JAZAKUMULLAHU KHAIRAN
You too brother.
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Really informative……keep going with the same spirit.May Allah bless you people
Walikyum Aslam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu . JAZAKALLAHU KHAYR alot dear brother. May Allah accept our efforts. Ameen
Alhamdhulilah… i was searching for the virtues of Ramadan… and here is the perfect one with hadit included… jazak Allah khairan ….
Asslamualaikum rahmatullahiwabarakatuhu, jazakallahu khair, very informative and useful article, thank u sir for uploading such a beautiful article, May ALLAH (swt) give us strength to fast n do ibadath through out, n forgive our sins n answer our duas . and give me a beautiful child. Aameen. Please remember in dua……
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[…] fact, the great news is that you can share the excitement, the planning just as everyone else and reap the benefits of this month […]
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salam alaikum waramatulahi wabarakatu, jazakallah khairan for the greatful and useful informative article, may Almighty Allah increase your knowledge and wisdom… Ameeen
may Almighty Allah induced this and let it make impact in our life and accept it as form of Ibadah… ameeen.
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