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The Holy month of Ramadan: How to best benefit from the Divine Feast?
May 16, 2018If we want to describe the month of Ramadan in a sentence, we should say that it is the month of opportunities. In this month, there are many opportunities ahead of you and me. If we can make use of these opportunities in the right way, a great and very valuable resource will be accessible to us.
2016
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Ramadan is the month of returning to God
Jun 14, 2016We read in some verses of the dua that is particular for the days of the month of Ramadan, “This is the month of fasting, this is the month of rising, this is the month of returning to God – “Turn to Your Lord in repentance” [The Holy Quran, 39: 54] – this is the month of repentance, and this is the month of forgiveness and mercy.” This month and this environment enjoy such characteristics.
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What is the main philosophy of fasting in the month of Ramadan?
Jun 14, 2016Our responsibility is to work hard, to avoid sins and – to put it briefly – to show piety. Piety, which has been considered as the main philosophy and goal of fasting in the month of Ramadan, means this. Piety means taking care of oneself. We should constantly take care of ourselves. Of course, primarily, I am addressing this statement to myself. All of us are responsible. Therefore, we should appreciate the value of the month of Ramadan.We should appreciate the value of this month of Ramadan which we are in now. Thousands of thousand months of Ramadan have come and gone throughout history. And thousands of thousand months of Ramadan will come and go during which time we are not living. Amid these billion months of Ramadan in history, we are present in a few of them. In this chain of the months of Ramadan of history, we have been given the opportunity to spend 20, 30, 50, 60 months of Ramadan from the age of taklif until the end of our lives. So we should appreciate the value of them.
2015
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Month of Ramadan draws people's attention to life after death
Jun 23, 2015One issue that is repeated in the prayers of the auspicious month of Ramadan is drawing people's attention to the worlds after this material world, the world of death, the world of the grave, the world of the Judgment Day and one's difficulties in facing divine calculations and divine questioning. This is one of the issues that exist in the prayers of the auspicious month of Ramadan. Paying attention to this is very important for us officials who have certain responsibilities. A factor that helps us control and monitor this is attention to these worlds. When we understand that "Not the weight of an atom becomes absent from Him" [The Holy Quran, 34: 3] that no small move, action and statement will escape the eyes of divine calculators after our death and that we will be questioned about all these things, this will deeply affect our behavior, our statements and our moves.
2014
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During Ramadan, we should establish a spiritual relationship with ourselves and others
Jul 2, 2014The environment of Ramadan is the environment of warmth, spirituality, honesty and purity. We should try to make the most of this environment, both for the sake of our spiritual relationship with God - we should strengthen this spiritual and personal relationship with Allah the Exalted because the best and the greatest advantage for anyone is strengthening this relationship - and for the sake of our eternal life in the hereafter because the real life exists in the hereafter. Making the most of this environment is beneficial for both the hereafter and our life in this world. Besides, we should try to benefit from this spiritual and pure environment - which exists in the month of Ramadan on a public level - for establishing a proper and spiritual relationship between ourselves and other people, for making correct decisions and for adopting proper measures. In our relationships with other people, we should be optimistic, we should have trust in others, we should be kind and well-wishing.
2013
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Providing the people with simple iftar is a very appropriate act
Aug 9, 2013It is good to pay attention to this issue which is the act of providing the people with simple and unadorned iftar meals in our mosques and on the streets of many cities of the country. Unlike the act of offering extravagant iftar meals which we heard a number of people did, this is a very appropriate act. Under the pretext of offering iftar meals, these people engaged in extravagant acts. Instead of becoming an instrument for establishing a psychological relationship with the poor and the deprived in the month of Ramadan, they indulged themselves in carnal desires by doing this. We do not want to say that if somebody eats a delicious food during iftar, this is forbidden. No, according to Sharia, these things are not forbidden. But extravagance and overindulgence are forbidden. The extravagance which is sometimes witnessed in such occasions is forbidden. It is so much better for those who want to offer iftar meals to do this by cherishing the tradition which has become common.
2011
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Fasting is a divine gift that Allah the Exalted has bestowed on believers
Aug 7, 2011The late Hajj Mirza Javad Maleki Tabrizi - the famous Islamic mystic - says in his book "Al-Muraqibat" that fasting is a divine gift that Allah the Exalted has bestowed on believers and His servants. He says, "Fasting is not an obligation, rather it is an honor for which we should be thankful to God." Fasting, which is the sign of God's respect for His servants, is something which we should appreciate and for which we should be thankful to God. He mentions many benefits for the thirst and hunger of the month of Ramadan, which believers consider themselves obligated to tolerate. He extracted these benefits from Islamic narrations and the knowledge originated from the enlightened heart of this great man. Among the most important benefits is that this hunger and thirst give the heart a kind of purity which prepares the ground for thinking and "one hour of thinking is better than years of worship."
2010
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Ramadan is the month of penitence
Aug 18, 2010Among the characteristics that have been mentioned for the month of Ramadan... what particularly attracts my attention is "the month of penitence". I would like to discuss this point with you government officials. Penitence means going back when you realize that you are treading the wrong path, doing the wrong thing and cherishing the wrong thought. It means turning back to Allah the Exalted. This penitence has a meaning that is inherent to it. Going back means that we should find out where the problem lies and identify the path that is wrong. This is a very important point. As we move along, we often tend to turn a blind eye to the mistakes we make and to our faults. We fail to notice the problems that plaque our work. This happens in our individual responsibilities as well as our collective responsibilities - involving our nation, our party, our movement or our camp. We often ignore the problems with everything that is related to us. Therefore, other people should point out our flaws
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Month of Ramadan among other months of the year is like prayer times among other times of the day
Aug 18, 2010It appears that the month of Ramadan among other months of the year is like prayer times among other times of the day. That is to say, holy sharia has provided opportunities in the form of prayers for people who are restricted by material factors. The five daily prayer times are like an alarm. They provide us with a kind of privacy in order to illuminate our hearts and souls. Daily prayers have been made obligatory in order to prevent us from being submerged in the material world. They provide us with the opportunity to step out the material world, think about spirituality and not be submerged in the material world. It appears that the month of Ramadan has the same characteristic among other months of the year. It provides the human soul with an opportunity to break free.The month of Ramadan is an opportunity for our souls to be purified of material factors that surround us. It provides an opportunity for our souls to become illuminated.
2009
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One of the great achievements during Ramadan is repentance
Sep 20, 2009One of the great achievements of the month of Ramadan is repentance and returning to Allah the Exalted. In the holy dua of Abu Hamza Thumali, we read, "Let us gather around Mustafa and achieve the position of returning to you". We ask God to help us achieve the position of repentance so that we can return to Him and return from deviant, bad and indecent actions, thoughts and conducts. In the farewell dua of the auspicious month of Ramadan, Imam Sajjad (a.s.) says to the God of the world, "You are One Who opened a door for Your servants so that they can return to You and You named this door repentance" [Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, Dua 45]. He says to God that He opened this door for us so that we rush towards His forgiveness and benefit from the blessing of His forgiveness and mercy.This door is the door of repentance. It is a window to the pure view of divine forgiveness.
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Eid ul-Fitr prayers show our appreciation for divine blessings during Ramadan
Sep 20, 2009In a sense, Eid ul-Fitr prayers are our appreciation of divine blessings in the month of Ramadan. It is an appreciation of this new birth. During Eid ul-Fitr prayers, we repeatedly say to God, "Make us benefit from all the goods which Muhammad and his household benefitted from". We say to God, "Let us enter the pure paradise of faith, morality and action which you allowed these chosen ones enter". Then we say, "And get us out of all the evils which you helped Muhammad and his household (Your greetings be upon him and them all) get out of". During Eid ul-Fitr prayers, we ask God to help us get out of the hell of immoral actions, conduct and beliefs from which He protected these great and dear Imams. We illustrate this great goal for ourselves on the day of Eid ul-Fitr and we ask God to help us reach this goal. Of course, we ourselves have a responsibility to make efforts to stay on this straight path. This is what piety is.
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The month of Ramadan enlightens, and cleanses hearts and souls
Sep 20, 2009Muslims finish the month of Ramadan with enlightenment. The month of Ramadan enlightens and cleanses hearts and souls by fasting, engaging in dhikr, dua and divine prayers, by reciting the Holy Quran and by engaging in many other virtues which religious people benefit from. In fact, from the Night of Qadr onwards, the religious people who engage in fasting begin a new year. During the Night of Qadr, their fate for the whole year is recorded by the divine angels who record our actions. During the Night of Qadr, one enters a new year, a new stage and in fact, a new life and birth. From this night onwards, one begins to take a path with his provisions of piety.
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Some of the characteristics of the month of Ramadan
Aug 18, 2009Certain characteristics of the month of Ramadan have been mentioned in the duas recorded in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya or other books... The month of Ramadan has been referred to as "the month of penitence"... and "the month of surrender" which is in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya. The meaning of "surrender" is identical to that of the word "submit" in the ayah "And whoever submits himself wholly to Allah and he is the doer of good (to others), he indeed has taken hold of the firmest thing upon which one can lay hold" [The Holy Quran, 31: 22]. "Whoever submits himself wholly to Allah" means surrendering one's heart and soul and making them submissive to divine will, divine orders and sharia. Ramadan has also been referred to as "the month of purification" which means that Ramadan contains a quality that purifies people of impurities. When an impure precious metal like gold is placed inside a furnace,it is purified. Purification means purifying human soul of impurities.
2007
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People benefit from speaking to Allah the Exalted during Ramadan
Sep 14, 2007People benefit from speaking to Allah the Exalted, being addressed by Him, praying to Him and opening up their hearts to Him. They do these by reading the prayers of the month of Ramadan. Reading the Abu Hamza al-Thumali dua and the duas that one reads during the days, nights and early mornings of Ramadan are actually a kind of speaking to God, making requests from God and getting close to God. These people benefit from these things too. Therefore, they benefit from all the blessings of this celebration. Avoiding sins is of higher priority and, perhaps, it is more important than these duas in some ways. These people do not commit sin in this month either. In the same sermon which was delivered by the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.), the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) asks the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) which act is the most blessed act. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) answers, "Avoiding sins". Avoiding sins is of higher priority than Islamic obligations. It prevents one's heart and soul from corruption.
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Fasting is the greatest blessing of Ramadan
Sep 14, 2007The hardships that exist in Ramadan's celebration - the hardships that one endures because of fasting and hunger - are perhaps the greatest achievement of this divine celebration. Fasting has such a large number of blessings - in terms of the spirituality and enlightenment that it bestows on one's heart- that, perhaps, it can be said it is the greatest blessing of this month. A number of people fast and thus these people have joined in this celebration and they have benefited from it.But, as well as fasting, these people follow Quranic teachings in a perfect manner. They think deeply when they read the Holy Quran. Reading the Holy Quran at nights and at midnights, developing a close relationship with it and being addressed by God while one is fasting or while one is enlightened as a result of fasting gives one a special kind of pleasure and it has a special significance. The thing that one obtains out of such reading of the Holy Quran cannot be obtained in normal conditions.
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During Ramadan people are invited to a divine celebration
Sep 14, 2007In the same sermon which was referred to, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) said, "This is a month in which you have been invited to a divine celebration". One should think deeply about this sentence. It says that we have been invited to a divine celebration. It is not obligatory for all people to benefit from this divine celebration, no it has been made a faritha. We have the power to choose whether or not to benefit from this celebration. There are some people who do not at all find the opportunity to pay attention to this invitation. They are so ignorant and they pay such careful attention to materialistic issues and the materialistic world that they do not notice when the month of Ramadan arrives and when it ends. They are like the people who are invited to a very impressive and blessed celebration, but they do not have the time to take part in it and they do not even look at the invitation card. These people deprive themselves of all the blessings.
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Ramadan is the month of opportunities
Sep 14, 2007Once again, the auspicious month of Ramadan arrived with all its blessings and spiritual beauties. Before the beginning of the auspicious month of Ramadan, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) used to prepare people for entering this important, lofty and blessed arena: "The month of God has come to you with its blessings and mercy" [Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, v 1, p. 295]. According to a certain narration, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) in a sermon which was delivered on the last Friday of the month of Sha'ban, "He said to the people that the month of Ramadan arrived" [Iqbal al-A'maal, v 1, p. 2] If we want to describe the month of Ramadan in a sentence, we should say that it is the month of opportunities. In this month, there are many opportunities ahead of you and me. If we can make use of these opportunities in the right way, a great and very valuable resource will be accessible to us.
2005
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Eid ul-Fitr is an eid of divine mercy
Nov 4, 2005Spending the month of Ramadan in worship, fasting, tawassul, dhikr and humility until the last day is a true eid for a faithful person. This Eid is not similar to materialistic and worldly celebrations. Eid ul-Fitr is an eid of divine mercy. It is an eid of divine forgiveness. It is an occasion for thanking God, an occasion for the people to thank God for having been able to worship God for a month and to successfully celebrate the great divine Eid at the end of it, for having been able to benefit as much as possiblefrom dhikr, dua, tawassul, humility, fasting and praying in the month of Ramadan. This is an Eid for pious Muslims who have successfully spent a month in worship and abstinence, hoping that Allah the Exalted would bestow mercy and divine rewards on them.
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Do not forget to recite the Holy Quran, particularly during the month of Ramadan
Oct 9, 2005The dear friends who have attended this meeting should not forget to recite the Holy Quran at all times, particularly during the month of Ramadan. The Holy Quran must not be eliminated from your life. Try as much as you can to make the Holy Quran part of your daily life. Recitation of the Holy Quran is beneficial only when it is accompanied by careful thinking and contemplation. A hurried and inattentive reading of the Holy Quran, without gaining an appropriate understanding of the meaning, is not what is meant by "reciting". This is not to say that such a reading is worthless. After all, the mere awareness that one is reading God's words creates a bond with God, which is valuable and nobody should prohibit such a reading. However, this is not the best or the recommended way to read the Holy Quran.
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What are the things offered at Ramadan feasts?
Oct 9, 2005It is said that the month of Ramadan is the month of a divine feast and I would like to tell you, dear brothers and sisters, what could be expected to be offered in this feast. One of the things that are offered and people like you and I should benefit from it, is fasting. Another thing is the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran has been placed on this blessed table and we have been given more opportunities to recite it in the month of Ramadan than in any other month. Another thing is prayers such as Dua Iftitah and Dua Abu Hamza. All of these things are the blessings that are offered at this divine feast. There are some people who are so much distracted by other things that they do not even notice these blessings.
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