YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Why is Ramadan called a month of patience? In the Hadith, Ramadan is called the month of patience. (Musnad Ahmad) This month is meant to serve as a training course in patience. Patience enables the individual to lead a successful life in this world by keeping his negative feelings under control. Negative feelings, it must be remembered, present the greatest obstacle to human progress. Fasting is the pious way to solve the biggest of human problems. How is Ramadan a month of sympathy? The Prophet said: The month of Ramadan is the month of sympathy. (Shu’abul Iman) Fasting teaches a man what basic human requirements are. It tells him what hunger and thirst are. Those who do not get a chance to feel hungry or thirsty, experience these feelings during this month when they fast. For a few hours, the rich also come to live in the same conditions in which a poor man lives. Ramadan is, therefore, a process of rejuvenation of a believer. He can look forward to applying the lessons learnt during Ramadan to everyday life. A person who has fasted in the true spirit can count on drawing upon the reservoir of fortitude that he has built up, on the power of dua, of patience and gratefulness when he is faced with any trying situation. Does a believer who fasts in the best of form and spirit contribute positively to the society? Contributing positively to society is possible for a believer by universalization of the spirit of fasting. Every person in this world who eats, and drinks should acknowledge the act of eating and drinking as exceptional, as if God Almighty were directly sending down these blessings to him. One must make the spirit of fasting a universal realization for oneself. That is, the profound feeling of God being the Giver and one’s own self being the ‘taker’ should inspire him to become a ‘giver’ member of the society. That is, one should strive to give to others what one is receiving from the Creator. What is Laylat-ul Qadr? One of the special features of Ramadan is the ‘Lailat-al-Qadr’ in Arabic. Its English equivalent is the Night of Destiny. It is also referred to as the ‘Night of Decisions’ and God takes decisions for the coming year on this night. This night falls on one of the last ten nights of Ramadan. Great