Ameer Hamzah :The holy month of Ramadan builds character, ameliorates ethics and morality, teaches man to develop fellow feeling for a society where no man shall exploit another. In this month, the Muslim, all over the world, stays away from food, drinks and sex with spouses from dawn to dusk. The Quran says, “Eat and drink until the whiteness of the day becomes distinct from the blackness of the night at dawn, and complete the fast till dark of night,”-2/187. Fasting is an ordinance of God. The Quran says, ” 0 ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evils),”2/183. Guard against all kinds of sins and vices is a condition of fasting. These are ascribing partner to Allah, 2. to disobey parents, 3. to tell a lie, 4. to abandon compulsory prayer (salat), 5. to kill an innocent man, 6. to establish illegal sexual relations, 7. to steal, 8. to drink, 9. to give false statement, 10. perjury, 11. to show sorcery, 12. transacting usury, 13. devouring properties of orphans, 14. to run away from Jihad, I5.to accuse a woman falsely, 16. to snatch away properties of others, 17. breach of promise, 18. to abuse a Muslim and 19. to punish an innocent. Since the number of days differs in the Arabic months, The Prophet said, “An Arabic month may be 29 or 30 days. You will not, therefore, keep fasting until the moon is sighted. If the sighting is not possible due to clouds in the sky, fulfill the month (of Shaban) 30 days,”-Bukhari Sharif at page No. 175. The Prophet has distinctly said, “Keep fasting with the sighting of the moon and break fasting with the sighting of the moon. If the sighting of moon becomes not possible (due to inclement weather), fulfill (the month of Ramadan) 30 days,” -Bukhari Sharif in Bengali at page No. 176. Fasting is compulsory, and not optional. There is no room for a man of sound health to escape it. The sick man and the traveler shall fast a like number of other days. In case of a sick man having no chance to recover, he will feed a poor twice a day- (Ref: 2/184). Regarding the number of days feeding a poor, the Prophet said that a man would feed the poor, as many days he was sick- (Ref: Bukhari Sharif in Bengali at page No. 189. Roza or fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. The four others are Namaj (prayer), Zakat (poor-due), Hajj (pilgrimage) and Jihad (striving hard for justice and equality to end exploitation of man by another)-Ref: Ma Areful Quran by Mufti Muhammad Sharif at page No. 1080. Society is divided into two classes. These are the rich and the poor. The rich does not want to understand the sufferings and agony of the poor. By keeping fast, the rich takes a taste of appetite and a lesson of standing by the poor in time of need, sharing their sorrows. In the month of Ramadan, the rich is under obligation to pay Zakat (poor due) @ taka 2.50. In the days of early Islam, the Prophet had a separate ministry to collect Zakat from the well off. The amount so collected was used to rehabilitate the poor. Zakat is not a mercy nor optional. With nightfall, a man keeps fasting and breaks it taking food and drink as ordained by Allah (Ref: 2/187). At the same time, he has been warned not to wast and exceed the limit (Ref: 2/60, 5/87). In this connection, Hazrat Fatema (AS) quoted the Prophet to have said, “Whoso takes varieties of foods, wears different designs of dresses and resort to useless conversation is unfortunate, really unfortunate-Murshid-e- Ameen by Imam Ghazzali at page No. 231. Allah says, Iftari must be taken at the fixed time with minimum foods. Such a person is favourite to Me- Ibid, Hadith No. 175. In the society of Bangladesh, a very bad practice has grown over years of taking food as much as possible at the time of Iftar. This is dangerous, as Islam does not permit it. Allah says, “Eat and drink of the provision of Allah and act not corruptly in the earth, making mischief, “-2/60. Again, He says, “0 ye who believe! Forbid not the good things, which Allah has made lawful for you and exceed not the limits,”-5/87. Allah does not like lavish expenditures on foods or any other thing, be it in the month of Ramadan or any other month.. The Quran says, “Verily Allah will take account of all things,” -4/86. Imam Ghazzali writes that fasting is of three categories. These are ordinary, special and extra ordinary. About fasting, Allah says, I shall reward whoso fasts with My own hand. Its measure is endless. Surely the bad smell coming out from their mouths will be sweater on the Day of Judgment than the fragrance of the musk- (Ref: I ladit h-e-Qudsi, Hadith No.169). Fasting is like a shield for the believers against evils and the hell-fire. Abstaining from all kinds of crimes, vices and sins starting from the Ramadan through out the year and on, a man can from this world see the world of Angels before death. Allah says, whoso does not control his limbs from doing things forbidden by Me, there is no need of him/her abstaining from food and drink and abstaining from sex with spouses-Ibid, Hadith No. 177. We read in Hadith No. 180 that Allah accepts his fasting which the Holy Spirit Jibreel recommends for. He does not recommend for those who are involved with crimes, even though they fast. There is a night in the Ramadan, which is better than a thousand months-Verse No.3, Surah Al Qadr.. This night is preferably in the 27th Ramadan. On this night, Allah decrees the fate of every human being for the next one year-Verse No.4, Surah AI Qadr, Verse No.4, Surah Ad Dukhan. In the holy Quran, this night is attributed as both Lailatul Qadr and Lailafrul Barat, or the Night of Power or the Night of Fate or the Night of Magnificent. In the month of Ramadan, Allah begins the revelation of the Holy Quran-Verse No. 185, Surah AI Baqarah. After receiving the first eight verses (recorded in Surah Al Alaq), the Prophet Muhammad (SM) went out of the cave on to the hillside, he saw Archangel Jibreel in the likeness of man standing in the sky above the horizon. Wherever the Prophet looked, he saw the Archangel comforting him. The Archangel said, “0 Muhammad! Thou art Allah’s messenger, and I am Jibreel.” The Prophet saw him yet another time by the lot-Tree during his journey to the heavens. In fine, Ramadan is the month of fasting for the Muslims in which Allah began to reveal the Quran and decrees the fate of every human being for the next one year. Allah says: The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, as guidance for mankind, clear proof of guidance, and criterion (of right and wrong)-2/187. About the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad (SM) said, “Whoso does not know how to recite verses from the Quran and understand is an empty house.” He again said, “One understands the Quran as much as his heart is pure.”
