RAMADHAN - The Blessed Month of Ramadhan al Kareem

INTRODUCTION The ninth month of the Islamic calendar is Ramadhan. It is the month that is generally known as the month of fasting. It is in this month that Muslims, the world over, abstain from eating, drinking and sexual activity from dawn till sunset. With these abstentions there are much deeper meanings than merely staying hungry. In this act of fasting Muslims from all over the world, from all backgrounds and from all financial levels, together leave aside their most basic needs and turn their attentions to Allah, acknowledging that none besides Him can provide. It is a time when the rich feel the hunger of the poor, and thus increase their alms-giving and their expression of gratitude. It is a time when even the irreligious leave bad habits behind them to present themselves before Allah the All-forgiving. One automatically notices the increase of religious fervour that Ramadhan brings about. This would be a natural step, judging that Ramadhan brings about an increase in reward of each deed by a minimum of ten times. Fasting is exclusively for Allah: He states, "Fasting is for me and I shall give its reward. And good is (rewarded) with ten times its like." al-Bukhari Besides fasting, there is an abundance of ways and actions that a person can adopt to try to please his Lord. These have been presented in this book as well as the relevant Masail of Ramadhan. It is hoped that the actions that one finds time to perform in Ramadhan, will be developed as a habit to continue throughout the year. Note: The Masail presented within this book are those generally followed by the Hanafi Madh-hab.