The month of Ramadan enlightens and cleanses hearts and souls through fasting, engaging in dhikr [remembrance of Allah], dua [supplications] and divine prayers; through reciting the Holy Quran; and by engaging in many other virtuous activities which religious people benefit from. In fact, from the Night of Qadr onwards, religious people who engage in fasting begin a New Year. During the Night of Qadr, their fate for the entire 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 a path with his/her provisions of piety. On the middle of this path, certain stages have been determined for us, in order to refresh our memory and remind us of certain other things.
Without God's help, no person or no people will achieve dignity and happiness. And divine help has certain requirements as we say in this dua: "Oh God, I ask you to give me the requirements for Your mercy." One of the most important requirements for divine mercy is that the Iranian officials and managers, in charge of different sectors, feel committed before Allah the Exalted and the people. Without a doubt, the stronger and the more dynamic or enthusiastic this feeling is, the more we benefit from divine mercy. We should move forward, and we should accompany our movement with divine intentions and with the intention of getting closer to God.
We should know that if we apply these methods, God's assistance and blessings will be definite. The month of Ramadan is an opportunity for gaining piety; and the purpose of fasting is "that you may learn piety," [The Holy Quran, 2: 183]. Allah the Exalted has commanded us to fast with this purpose in mind. At least, one of the purposes of commanding people to fast during this month--fasting is one of the important characteristics of the month of Ramadan--is to exercise piety.
In daily duas, after saying prayers, we read: "And this is a month on which you bestowed greatness, dignity, and honor; and on which you bestowed superiority over other months." Allah the Exalted has made this month superior to others. One of the reasons for this superiority is the act of fasting; another reason is that He sent down the Holy Quran in this month: another reason is the Night of Qadr: these things have been mentioned in this dua as characteristics of this month. This is good ground for our growth and fruitfulness: it is like the springtime. As each season of the year has certain natural characteristics, some seasons, and sometimes, days, nights, weeks and months, have certain characteristics for growth and for the spiritual dynamism and transcendence of the people.
October 10, 2006
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