Spirit of Islam, Mar-Apr 2024

The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad) The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey. YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is the special relation between the Quran and fasting during Ramadan? The Quran states, “The month of Ramadan is the month when the Quran was sent down as guidance for humankind with clear proofs and criterion by which to distinguish right from wrong”. (2: 185) This shows the close link between the month of Ramadan and Quran. The Quran is a reward to His servants from God and fasting is acknowledgement of the reward. Through fasting man makes himself worthy of being thankful to God. The main purpose of fasting is to go through the Quran with complete focus and dedication. This is a very serious study. So, believers are required to stay away from all other activities and concentrate their minds totally on the study of the Quran so that they are able to discover the deep meaning in the Quran. How can we discover the deeper meaning of the Quran? According to a Hadith, “The wonders of Quran shall never cease.” (Sunan al-Darimi) From this we understand that just as taking more and more water from an ocean doesn’t dry it up; similarly, continually reflecting on the Quran keeps unfolding its deeper meaning. Materialists think on the lines of “more and more money” but the mindset of a believer should be “more and more wisdom from the Quran.” In other words, if you dedicate the month of Ramadan to the study of Quran, you shall discover newer meanings. Taking us away from the routine of life, fasting prepares one for the study of the Quran. And when a person studies the Quran with a well-prepared