Ramadhan : The Month Of Charity, Patience And Mercy
By Ni'mah Ali
I have titled this article ‘the month of charity, patience, and mercy because this month is just that. Certainly, it is the month of starting over. It’s the month when we Muslims are most hopeful in Allah’s’ forgiveness and mercy. It is the month when you will see those who are religiously committed and those who are not rushing to the masaajids, women who have not observed the hijab before covering up, people who never performed salaat before praying and why is this we wonder? Why do people put up so much effort in Ramadan that they otherwise don’t? Because in Ramadan the biggest of the shayateen (devils) are chained up and people rush to do good so they can be forgiven for their past sins. It is this month that many people are guided to the straight path, and many people are forgiven for their previous sins and Allah turns to them in mercy and gives them true guidance. But it is only those who take full advantage of this great months’ many benefits who will reap its fruits. The prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to say to the people in Sha’ban just when Ramadan was approaching
"O Muslims! A noble and generous month has come to you. A month in which a night is better than one thousand months, and this month is the month of charity, patience, and mercy. In this month the gates of Paradise become wide open and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are chained" (An-Nasa'i).
So we must take full advantage of this month and not let a single minute pass us by without remembering Allah, without doing good deeds such as praying more, giving charity, helping the poor, and calling on Allah night and day to help us, save us from our false desires, the shaytan’s tricks and always asking for Jannah. Not that we should not do good deeds on a daily basis during other months, of course we should, but during Ramadan, every good deed we do is worth so much more. It is a blessed month in which there is peace and calmness among people and on earth and in this month there is a great opportunity to get closer to Allah. The sahaaba used to ask Allah to bless them to witness and participate in Ramadan six months before Ramadan even started—this shows us how great and blessed this month truly is. People of knowledge and those who want to get closer to Allah will yearn for Ramadan because they know the benefits it carries.
Ramadan is not only about fasting, but it is about doing all good deeds which will get you closer to Allah; it is about staying far away from all bad things for the sake of Allah so we can discipline our souls, purify our hearts and have patience in the long hours without food during the day. Ramadan is the time in which we have a glimpse at what many people in the world go through; hunger, thus we become more thankful to Allah for giving us good food, not only that but we remember all the good things in our lives with which Allah has blessed us with. During Ramadan it is good to forgive those who have hurt you knowingly or unknowingly for Allah is most forgiving and loves those who forgive others. In part two of this article, I will inshaAllah, attempt to discuss exactly what are the best deeds we can focus on during Ramadan. Also, just like Ramadan is most special among all the months, there are days in Ramadan which are more special—I am talking about the last ten days, and specifically laytul Qadar. So stay tuned!
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