“Ramadan’s Ten Days of Forgiveness! Blessed are those who are successfully gathering as many good deeds as possible in this month to attain the pleasure and satisfaction of Allah, the Lord of Glory.
Realise The Purpose of Fasting
In the Holy Quran, Allah, the Exalted, says: O believers! Fasting has been ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you so that you may attain piety. (Surah Al-Baqarah 183) The Creator of the universe, Allah the Almighty, stated that the purpose of fasting is so that you may become pious. The “Ten Days of Forgiveness” of Ramadan have begun, which contains even more reward and virtue compared to before.
Ramadan is the month in which the reward for voluntary prayers is equal to that of obligatory ones, and the reward for obligatory prayers is increased seventyfold. One does not know whether next year we will be able to benefit from the days of this blessed month or not; therefore, we should engage in as much worship and repentance as possible during these days. Blessed are those who are succeeding in gathering as many good deeds as possible in this month to attain the pleasure and satisfaction of Allah, the Lord of Glory.
Prophet Moses, the speaker to Allah, would converse with Allah, the Lord of Glory,
about time and space, and secrets and needs. One day, Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) asked his Creator that at this moment in the universe, he is the only servant honored with the ability to talk to Him. He asked whether this honor would be granted to anyone else. The Creator of the universe replied, O Moses! There will come a time when a nation will arise, and there will be no veil between Me and those servants.
Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) was astonished and said, O Lord! How will that be? Allah the Almighty responded: Remember, O Moses! There are countless veils between you and Me during our conversations and meetings, while this will not be the case with the coming nation. Upon this, Moses’ astonishment increased, and he requested to know who those fortunate individuals would be.
Allah the Almighty declared that they will be from the nation of Muhammad, among whom those who observe fasts in the month of Ramadan solely for My pleasure and satisfaction will have their prayers accepted at the time of Iftar, when they are physically weak, with dry tongues and pleasant smells from their mouths, as there will be no barrier or distance between them and Me at that moment.
Allah the Almighty has stated regarding the fasting person that fasting is specifically for Me, and I will grant its reward as I wish. My servant leaves his desires and food and drink for My sake (thus I, in accordance with My will, will reward his sacrifice and self-restraint). The fasting person has two joys: one at the time of Iftar, and the other when he is presented at the court of his Lord and meets Him.
The smell from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the fragrance of musk, meaning that the fragrance of musk is pleasing to humans as much as the odor from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasing to Allah. Fasting is a shield against the attacks of Satan and the self in this world and protects against the fire of Hell in the hereafter.
Ramadan is a month of goodness and blessings,
sympathy and brotherhood. During the nights of this month, Allah the Almighty announces three times that if there is anyone repenting, I will accept their repentance. Is there anyone asking, and I will grant them? Is there anyone seeking forgiveness, and I will grant it to them?
If any Muslim sincerely repents from all previous major sins during the Ten Days of Forgiveness, his minor sins will be forgiven through the blessings of fasting, and that person will be cleansed of sins as if his mother just gave birth to him.
Indeed, whoever receives Allah’s forgiveness has received everything. The Almighty seeks opportunities to forgive His servants. When a servant commits a sin, Allah the Almighty grants them respite, hoping that they may seek forgiveness or turn back to Him. A hadith states that when a servant commits a sin, the sky appeals to Allah, saying, “O Allah! Allow me to pounce on him.” The earth says, “O Allah! Allow me to sink him into myself.”
At this moment, the Lord of the Kingdom commands, “If this is your creation and you are its Creator, then you may act. But if this is My servant and I am his Creator, then leave his matter to Me; I will wait for him to return to Me and seek forgiveness for his sins.”
Abdullah bin Umr
(may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Fasting and the Quran will intercede for the servant. Fasting will say, ‘O Lord! I prevented this servant from eating, drinking, and fulfilling his desires; today accept my intercession for him.’ The Quran will say, ‘I prevented this servant from sleeping and resting at night; today accept my intercession for him.’ Thus, the intercession of both fasting and the Quran will be accepted for the servant.” (Mishkat)
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that “the supplication of three people is not rejected: one, the fasting person’s supplication at the time of Iftar; two, the supplication of a just king; and three, the supplication of the oppressed.”
Sahl bin Saad (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said that “there is a special door among the gates of Paradise known as ‘Bab al-Rayan.’ Only the fasting people will enter through this door on the Day of Resurrection; no one else will enter through it. On that day, it will be proclaimed, ‘Where are those servants who used to fast for Allah and endured the hardships of hunger and thirst?’
They will respond to this call and walk forward, and when they enter Paradise through that door, it will be closed, and no one else will be able to enter through it.”
Conclusion
The literal meaning of Rayyan is “fully quenched.” This complete satisfaction is the characteristic of the fasting person through whom the entry will take place. Once they reach Paradise, only Allah knows what rewards He will bestow upon them. Considering all these virtues of this blessed month, Muslims should make special arrangements for worship during this month and should not let any moment go to waste.
We can present ourselves pure and clean before Allah by seeking forgiveness for all our minor and major sins. May Allah grant us the ability to purify ourselves and adopt piety, Ameen.”
