Foreword Significance of Ramadan

SIGNIFICANCE OF RAMADAN In the month of Ramadan, believers are required to study the Quran more and more, in prayer and out of prayer. Then they rediscover the message and teachings of the Quran, and reshape their minds according to Quranic tenets. This saying of the Prophet is like a pledge and the month of Ramadan begins from the taking of this pledge. According to this, believers are required to live in peace, that is, be of a non-violent character. This is the true spirit of the month of Ramadan. Fasting is a conscious act, not a mere ritual. It is performed with full consciousness of its implications—the mark of a truly religious person. Sehri is the meal eaten before commencing the fast. The Prophet observed: ‘Sehri is a blessing bestowed on you by God, so you should partake of it.’” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 23142) Eating Sehri before dawn is a reminder that when God gives us a difficult command, (like fasting) He also grants some concessions (sehri) along with it.