Ramadhan and Taq’wa

1. Ramadhan and Taq’wa A More On Islam Series Presentation. Edited by: A.S. Hashim, MD Turning Client Vision Into Results

2. The BlessedMonth of Fasting Time to purify and train body and soul RAMADHAN A quick and easy summary on the meaning, purpose and benefits of fasting in Islam. A More On Islam Series Presentation.

3. A warm welcome to you! The month of Ramadhan is almost over. This, we expect, would help to explore more about Ramadhan, and appreciate the significance of this blessed month. We hope that this presentation will make your fasting purposeful and rewarding. In another way, this is Ramadan gift for you. Introduction

4. Ramadan – sacred month in the Islamic Calendar Islamic Calendar or the Hijri Calendar is based on the lunar year. 3 1 2 Muharram Safar Rabi al Awwal 5 6 4 Rabi at thani Jumadi al Awwal Jumadi at thani 8 9 7 Rajab Shaban Ramadan 10 11 12 Shawwal Dhu al Qaidah Dhu al Hijjah It is obligatory on Muslims to fast in this month.

5. Fasting means abstinence To stop eating, drinking and sexual activity from dawn until dusk X X X Food Drink Sexual activity Smoking is also prohibited during fasting !

6. People who are exempted from fasting Very natural, very considerate religion • “… but whoever is sick or upon a journey, then he shall fast • a like number of other days; Allah desires ease for you, • and He does not desire for you difficulty, and He desires • that you should complete the number and that you • should exalt the greatness of Allah for His having guided you • and that you may give thanks.” -Quran- 2:185 Minors Aged* Sick** Traveler** Pregnant Women** Suckling Women** Menstruating Women** Mentally Retarded * Should donate a meal to the needy * * Should fast an equivalent number of days afterwards

7. Why fasting? The goal of fasting is to developself-restraint. Holy Quran states: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, so you may develop Taq'wa (self-restraint) ” [2:183] Example: God says about Mary in the Quran that she said: “Verily!, I have vowed a fast to the Most High…[Maryam 19:26]. What is Ta’qwa? Taq'wa is an Arabic word. It is the state of heart that motivates virtuous conduct and prevents or avoids evil action. leads to Love of God + Fear of God Taq'wa (Self-restraint) Taq'wa is the ability to safe-guard.

8. Taq'wa • Taq'wa is the Islamic concept of having self-restraint. • It is used 251 times in the Holy Quran as either a noun or a verb. • The term Taq'wa comes from the Arabic root “wa-qa-ya” which means “protection.” • It is important to note that Taq'wa is not about performing religious obligations such as prayer and fasting; Taq'wa is about living a pious life. • A person attaining Taq'wa abandons living an animalistic life and chooses to live a moral life. • The concept of human beings having to fear God actually refers to fearing the rule of divine justice. This notion is seen in the following supplication: من لا يرجی الا فضله ، ولا يخاف الا عدله O Who is not hoped but for His favor, and is not feared but His justice

9. “A great blessed month…” Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) address on the eve of Ramadhan: • People, a great blessed month has come upon you. • Allah has made fasting during it an obligation, and steadfastly observing its nights in worship a voluntary act. • Whoever undertakes an act of obedience to Allah during this month with a righteous deed, it is as if he has performed an obligatory act at other times, • and whoever performs an obligatory act during it is as one who performed seventy obligations at other times. • It is the month of patience, and the reward for patience is Paradise. • It is the month of goodwill, during which provisions are multiplied. “ ”

10. Ramadhan Time-table: What does fasting involve? Eating before dawn Special Prayers Special Prayers Break fast Eating, drinking and sexual activity forbidden Eating, drinking and sexual activity permitted Day Night

11. Fasting and sins don’t go together “ Allah has no need for the hunger and the thirst of the person who does not restrain from telling lies and acting on them even while observing fast.” Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “ When one of you is fasting, He should abstain from indecent acts and foul talk, and if someone begins an obscene conversation or tries to pick an argument, he should simply tell him, ‘I am fasting.’”

12. Annual training for character-building Ramadhan provides an annual training opportunity that is meant to fulfil the character-building needs for the rest of the year. Ramadhan Rest of the year

13. Benefits of Fasting in Islam : How character-building is achieved… God-fearing nature Afterlife Accountability Patience Self-control Fasting Taq'wa (Self-restraint) Self-discipline Responsibility Obedience Purification of soul

14. Days of Ramadan God’s Forgiveness God’s Mercy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Salvation from Hell-fire Accordingly, Let's beg for Allah’s mercy, His forgiveness and salvation from the hell-fire

15. Reward of fasting Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) proclaimed the reward of fasting: “Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving ten times its like, up to seven hundred times.Allah the Most High said, ‘Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me.’for the fasting person there are two times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk.”

16. Developing ethics through fasting: Social responsibility and Individual morality Muhammad Asad (formerly Leopold Weiss) perspective on fasting in his book Road to Mecca “Two-fold , I learned is the purpose of fasting. One has to abstain from food and drink in order to feel in one’s body what the poor and hungry feel. Thus, social responsibility is being hammered into religious consciousness as a religious postulate. The other purpose of fasting during Ramadan is self-discipline, an aspect of individual morality strongly accentuated in all Islamic teachings (as for instance in the total prohibition of all intoxicants which Islam regards as too easy avenue of escape from consciousness and responsibility). In these two elements- brotherhood of man and individual self-discipline- began to discern the outlines of Islam’s ethical outlook.” Social responsibility Self-discipline Islamic Ethics

17. Ramadhan: Cultivating feelings for poor and hungry These are familiar images from Africa. But poor and hungry people may be present in your neighbourhood. Do you feel how the hungry and thirsty feel? Photo courtesy: Reliefonline.org and refugeecamp.org The condition of hunger gets highlighted on each fasting person leading to: • Care and concern for the poor and hungry • Helping attitude towards have-nots • Charity and donations • Refrain from wasting food and drinks. • Social responsibility

18. The month of the Revelation of the Holy Quran “The month of Ramadhan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the distinction”- Holy Quran 2:185 Do you know this about the Quran? And in truth We have made the Quran easy to remember; but is there any that remembers?- Holy Quran 54:17

19. Fasting for good health Recent Perspectivesby others • “Fasting gives the body the environment to heal itself--physiologic rest” • “Abstinence from food for a short time can in no way operate to the disadvantage of a normal person.” • “In fact, individuals affected with certain types of gastrointestinal disorders are benefited by fasting.” • “Fasting has also been used in cases of diabetes and obesity.” • “It is a cleansing process and a physiologic or functional rest which prepares the body for future correct living.” • “Fast and you • shall • become healthy” • Prophet Muhammad • (pbuh) Stated 1400 years ago

20. The role of fasting according to Dr Jack Goldstein* It gives vital organs a complete rest It promotes elimination of metabolic wastes It allows the body to adjust and normalize its biochemistry and also its secretions  It lets the body break down and absorb swellings, deposits, diseased tissues, and abnormal growths; Fasting is good for the human body It restores a youthful condition to the cells and tissues It increases the powers of digestion and assimilation (absorption and utilization of food into the system) It permits the conservation and re-routing of energy; It clears and strengthens the mind; * From the Book Triumph Over Disease By Fasting and Natural Diet

21. Misbeliefs about fasting* • Fasting does not: • cause the stomach to atrophy • paralyze the bowels • deplete the blood • produce anemia • cause the heart to weaken or collapse • produce deficiency or mal-nutritional disease • reduce resistance to disease • harm the teeth, the nervous system, glands or vital organs • weaken the vital powers or cause mental disturbances. Blood sugar is little depressed; it is synthesized from protein. * From the Book Triumph Over Disease By Fasting and Natural Diet

22. Major Events in Ramadhan

23. Special Days in Ramadhan: Revelations Quran Ramadhan Bible Torah Psalms

24. In a Nutshell: • Ramadhan is a time of spiritual reflection, improvement and increased devotion and worship. • Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. • The fast (sawn) begins at dawn and ends at sunset. • In addition to abstaining from eating and drinking, Muslims also increase restraint, such as abstaining from sexual relations and generally sinful speech and behavior. • The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the soul by freeing it from impurities. • Ramadhan also teaches Muslims how to better practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity (zakat).

25. About Taq’wa • Taq'wa is the prerequisite for a person who wants to live his life by certain principles, whether they are religious or not, and he is to have a clear direction in order to move towards a specific goal. • In religious context, Taq'wa is the quality of those who protect themselves from all what is considered by religion as wrong and sinful. • In stating this, there are two kinds of Taq'wa: • the first is just to avoid facing situations, in which sins may take place and this is the quality of the weak people and leads to seclusion and isolation, (Preventive) • while the second is to face challenges and remain persistent and this is the quality of those who are strong in their faith and can play an active role in society. (Proactive)

26. About Taq’wa • The Quran prescribes fasting for believers in these words: • يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ • “O you who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as they were enjoined upon those before you, so you may attain Taq'wa” (2:183). • Taq'wa in Ramadhan is a measure of a man’s genuine worth. • The best of men is the one with the most Taq'wa.  • In Allah’s measure, the worth are not the ones with riches and position, but rather those with Taq'wa especially in Ramadhan. • The faithful Muslim endeavors to attain Taq'wa, especially in Ramadhan.

27. About compensation for Taq’wa • وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ • And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord; and a Garden as extensive as the heavens and the earth, it is for individuals of Taq'wa. • When asked, the Messenger of Allah pointed to his heart saying: “Taq'wa is over here” three times, • In fact, Taq'wa in Ramadhan is a level of earnestness one can’t guarantee effectively. • Ramadhan in any event gives and encourages a gigantic chance to land at such level of Taq’wa, if the guidelines of Ramadan were watched honorably.

28. :Taq’wa سورة آل عمران - سورة 3 - آية 102-103 The Commandment to pursue Taq’wa: • يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ • وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنْتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا • وَكُنْتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّارِ فَأَنْقَذَكُمْ مِنْهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ • O ye who believe! HEED ALLAH as He should be heeded, and die not except in a state of Islam. • And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited, • and remember the favor of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favor you became brethren; • and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He saved you from it, thus does Allah make His Signs clear to you, that you may follow the right way.

29. Ramadhan at IEC: Praying Together

30. Learn more… Please get to know more and change your life. For further information, suggestions and comments contact moreonislam@hotmail.com Thank you and May Allah bless you and reward you aplenty for your fasting Dr. Hashim

31. Ramadhan at IEC: Breaking the Fast together