Ramadhan is Qur'an and Fasting Not Sahur and Iftar

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

When a child keep doing wrong, the mother will come to him and say, "What will I do with you?" to remind the child of her and perhaps he will stop doing the wrong by himself.

Today is the start of Ramadhan for many of us. When you think of Ramadhan, only two things should come to mind -- Qur'an and fasting, not sahur and iftar. This is the time to leave many of the the things we normally do and spend most of our time with the Qur'an to develop that actual relationship with our Lord.

While many Muslims are fasting, many more are not fasting (out of heedlessness) and lots more don't go to their local masjid for prayers.

Allah says to mankind,

يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ ﴿٦﴾ الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ ﴿٧﴾ فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَّا شَاءَ رَكَّبَكَ ﴿٨﴾ كَلَّا بَلْ تُكَذِّبُونَ بِالدِّينِ ﴿٩﴾ وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ ﴿١٠﴾ كِرَامًا كَاتِبِينَ ﴿١١﴾ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ ﴿١٢

O man! What has deceived you about your Gracious Lord, (6) Who created you, then perfected you, then brought you in due proportion? (7) He composed you in whichever form He willed. (8) Never! (i.e. one should never be heedless towards him.) But you deny the Requital, (9) While (appointed) over you there are watchers, (10) Who are noble, writers (of the deeds), (11) Who know whatever you do. (12)

[Qur'an, Al-Infitar 82:5-12]

Allah has endowed human with such natural faculties and abilities that every limb and every joint of his body was enough to remind him of His Creator, and to make him obedient, but he is lured away from his gracious Lord, has forgotten Him and disobeyed Him.

The question is: How did he forget his Lord, how did he become heedless of Him, and how is he lured away from his Lord? On this occasion, بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ the adjective karim (Gracious) used for the 'Lord' points to the answer. The reason for such an ungrateful attitude is that Allah is Gracious and does not punish man immediately after his committing a sin. Rather, his sustenance, welfare and well-being, and worldly comforts [and pleasures] are not curtailed. He misinterprets Allah's magnanimity, and thus falls into deception. If man were to think rationally, he would adopt a grateful attitude and obedient behavior, rather than adopting an ungrateful attitude and imprudent behavior.

If you are not fasting or not praying at the masjid or if you are busy with preparing iftar or sahur and not reciting or listening to the Qur'an, remember this very loving statement from our Lord, "O man! What has deceived you about your Gracious Lord ... ?"

May Allah increase our iman (faith) and bring us closer to His Book this Ramadhan.

اللهم أهله علينا بالأمن والإيمان والسلامة والإسلام

Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam