In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
As we enter the blessed month of Ramadhan, we should remind ourselves that the purpose of our existence is to work for the pleasure of our Lord.
Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wassallam said, “Ramadhan, a blessed month, has come to you during which Allah the Most High has made it obligatory for you to fast. In it the doors of Heaven are opened, the doors of Hell are closed, and the rebellious shaytan are chained. In it there is a night (worshipping in it) which is better than (worshipping for) a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good (and blessing) has indeed been deprived of all good.” [Nasa’i]
Allah chose the month of Ramadhan for us to fast for the entire month, not just parts of it. The purpose of the fasting is not to starve and dehydrate us or make us feel what the homeless and poor feel without food and water for a whole day.
The very purpose of fasting is so we may become people of taqwa (righteousness, piety, God fearingness). Fasting is an act of self control/restraint from which a person is meant to acquire a state which is of the most and emphasized of human state -- a state of being conscious of your Lord and wary of disobeying Him in one's action. It is to break the desire for lust, and to cool the fire of selfishness, so that the soul instead of being inclined towards the desires of lust, it becomes obedient towards the commands of the Almighty.
Allah Almighty says,
... يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ﴿١٨٣﴾ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَٰتٍ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:183-184]
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous - (183) [Fasting for] a limited number of days. ...
Tawqa of Allah (iitaqullah) means to do something (shield of good deeds) to place between yourself and the anger of Allah. It is also used with respect to Hell (ittaqunnar) or the Last Day (wattaqu yauman fihi illallah). Each of these, Hell and the Last Day, there is something to be frightened of.
If you are not going to chase after taqwa this Ramadhan, then there is no point of starving yourself. If you are fixed to do what you regularly do -- watching TV, wasting, etc, then there is no point of starving yourself. If you are not going to leave the prohibitions (making haram money, gambling, selling/drinking liquor, taking riba, showing awra (nakedness), etc) and other bad actions (malice, lying, bad/harsh speech, backbiting, breaking promises, cheating, anger, arrogance/pride, arguing, taking or neglecting the rights of others, smoking shisha at night, etc) then there is no point of starving yourself this Ramadhan.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassalaam said,
“When any of you is fasting, let him not commit sin…”
"If one (who is fasting) does not give up falsehood and action according to it, Allah has no need that he should give up his food and his drink." [Bukhari]
"How many a faster has no share of his fasting save hunger and how many a person who stands the night in prayer has no share of his prayer except sleeplessness." [Al-Nasa'i]
Don't feel too happy because you have performed 8 or even 20 rakaat of taraweeh prayers every night while you disobeyed Allah during the day, while the food you just ate at iftar time is haram or from haram source and your clothing you are wearing is purchased from haram earnings and you are feeding your family from haram. Allah is pure and He only accepts what is pure.
Turn to Allah and ask for Him for His forgiveness and for taqwa.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassalaam said,
“Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward (from Allah) all his past sins will be forgiven. Whoever prays during the night in Ramadan with faith seeking his reward (from Allah) all his past sins will be forgiven. And whoever passes Lailat-ul-Qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward (from Allah the Most Exalted) all his past sins will be forgiven.” [Bukhari]
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Every deed of the son of Adam will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold. Allah said: ‘Except fasting, for it is for Me and I shall reward for it’”
When the Generous One says this, it is a tremendous reward, something you cannot imagine. Only Allah knows the extent of his reward and how much his good deeds will be multiplied.
Fast is half of patience and patience is half of truth. The patient will be given rewards without measure. Paradise has got a gate named Rayyan. None except a fasting person will enter Paradise by that gate."
As you enter the month of Ramadhan, ask yourself what you will do to improve your connection with Allah. Commit to it this entire Ramadhan. Tawfiq (success).
May Allah bless us with His closeness, taqwa, and accepted works. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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