LESSONS OF THE BLESSED MONTH. LESSON 1 ABOUT THE EXCELLENCE OF THE MONTH OF RAMADAN
Praise be to Allah, the Creator and Creator, Who created water and earth and settled living creatures on it! Peace and blessings to the Prophet Muhammad, who brought the message of the Lord to the people, his family, companions and all who follow their straight path!
Ramadan is a month of fasting and worship, righteousness and grace, when Allah multiplies the reward for righteous deeds and bestows upon His slaves with generous gifts, when the gates of goodness and mercy open wide before everyone who thirsts for them. In this month, the Holy Qur’an was revealed – the correct guidance for people and clear signs from the correct guidance and distinction between truth and falsehood. This month is marked by God’s mercy, forgiveness and deliverance from torment in Hell. Its beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness, and its end is deliverance from Hell. His superiority is spoken of in many legends that do not count. It is narrated from the words of Abu Hureira that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are thrown open, the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are fettered in chains” (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
The gates of Paradise are opening this month, because believers begin to do much more righteous deeds than at any other time, and this circumstance should inspire them to new good deeds. The gates of Hell are closed, because believers commit sins less often, and the devils who are fettered in fetters can no longer commit the atrocities that they succeed at other times.
It is reported that Abu Hureirah said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In Ramadan, my followers were granted five features that were not bestowed on the previous communities: the bad breath of a fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the scent of musk; angels pray for forgiveness for them up to breaking the fast; every day Allah decorates His Paradise and says: “The time is near when My righteous servants, throwing off the burden of burdens and anxiety, will rush here”; rebellious devils are bound in chains, and they cannot do what they do at other times; and those who are fasting are rewarded with forgiveness on the last night. ” People asked: “O Messenger of Allah, is this the night of predestination?” He replied: “No, just a worker receives his reward in full when he completes the work he has begun” (Ahmad).
Allah has shown the Muslims a special favor, honoring them with these amazing features, in order to complete His blessing towards them. And these are just a few of the features that emphasize the superiority of Muslims over other communities. The Almighty said: “You are the best of the communities, who have appeared for the benefit of mankind; you command the approved, keep from the reprehensible and believe in Allah “(Sura 3” Imran Family “, ayah 110).
The unpleasant smell from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the scent of musk. This smell appears when a person’s stomach is empty, and although it is unpleasant for people, for Allah it is dearer than the scent of musk, because it is the result of worshiping Allah and a godly deed. Everything that is a consequence of worshiping Allah and obeying Him is pleasing to our Most Pure Lord, and He compensates for this to a person with what is better, more beautiful and more pleasant. Suffice it to say that the martyr who died in the path of Allah, fighting to exalt His Word, on the Day of Resurrection will appear before him with a bleeding wound, from which will flow scarlet blood with the smell of musk. And during the Hajj, Allah takes pride in front of the angels of the pilgrims who gather in the Arafat Valley, telling them: “Look at these My servants who came to me with disheveled and dusty hair!” (Ahmad and Ibn Hibban) On this day, Allah likes to look at slaves with disheveled hair, because they found themselves in such a state, trying to avoid luxury and deeds that are forbidden to pilgrims in ihram.
Angels pray for forgiveness for those who are fasting, even to the point of breaking the fast. Angels are venerable servants of Allah who do not disobey His orders and do only what they are ordered to do. And they deserve that Allah answered their prayers, because they do so with His permission. He allowed them to pray for the forgiveness of the fasting in order to emphasize their high position and clarify the importance of this rite of worship. And if the Lord forgives the sins of His servants, then He delivers them from the evil consequences of these actions both in this world and in the Hereafter. This is the very highest goal to which people should strive, because all the descendants of Adam sin, acting unjustly towards themselves, and need the forgiveness of the Almighty and Great Lord.
Every day Allah decorates His Paradise and says: “The time is near when My righteous servants will cast off the burden of burdens and anxiety and rush here.” In Ramadan, the Almighty decorates the Gardens of Eden every day, preparing them for the believing slaves and thereby increasing their desire to get there. Addressing Paradise, Allah says: “The time is near when My righteous servants will cast off the tiresome and restless burden of worldly concerns and devote themselves to righteous deeds, which are the guarantee of their happiness both in this world and in the Hereafter, which will help them to get here, to the abode of mercy and prosperity. “
The rebellious devils are shackled and cannot do what they do at other times (al-Bukhari and Muslim). They fail to achieve their goal – they fail to lead the righteous servants of God off the straight path and distance them from good deeds. Allah supports the believers and helps them overcome the enemy, who tirelessly pushes his followers to become the inhabitants of Hellfire. And therefore, righteous Muslims in Ramadan strive for good and shun sins more zealously than at any other time.
Those who are fasting are rewarded with forgiveness on the last night of this month (al-Beyhaqi). If Muslims regularly observe all the precepts of this blessed month, fast and perform night prayers, then Allah Most Pure gives them mercy at the end of it, rewarding them in full for the good deeds they have done. Truly, the worker at the end of his work must receive the remuneration he deserves in full.
Nevertheless, the reward of the fasting remains the grace of Allah towards them, and three circumstances testify in favor of this.
Firstly, it was Allah who legalized righteous deeds for them, which allow them to earn the forgiveness of sins and rise to a higher level. If Allah had not done this, then they would not have been able to worship Him and approach Him through these benefits. Any worship is based only on the revelations that Allah sent down to His messengers. And therefore, He rebuked those who independently invent religious laws, calling such a sin one of the forms of associating partners with Him: “Or do they have partners who legalized for them in religion what Allah did not allow? If it had not been for the decisive Word, their dispute would have already been resolved. Truly, excruciating sufferings are destined for the wicked ”(Sura 42“ Council ”, ayah 21).
Secondly, it was Allah who inspired the believers to do these righteous deeds, and if He had not done this, they would not have been able to walk this thorny path. He alone renders blessings to the slaves, instructing them on the straight path. The Qur’an says about this: “They reproach you for having converted to Islam. Say: “Do not reproach me for your conversion to Islam. It is Allah who has shown mercy to you by bringing you to faith, if you speak the truth at all “(Surah 49” Rooms “, ayah 17).
Thirdly, Allah, by His mercy, has established a great reward for them, and for every good deed, the believer receives a reward tenfold, which can grow to seven hundred and even more.
It is reported that Abu Said al-Khudri said that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, said: “If a slave converts to Islam and confesses it properly, Allah will forgive him any sin he had committed before. After that, the reward for him will be as follows: for every good deed, he will receive a tenfold reward, which can grow to seven hundredfold, and for every bad deed, he will be rewarded only as an equal, unless Allah forgives him “(Ahmad and al-Bukhari). Thus, the Almighty shows mercy to people when he inspires them to do good deeds and when he rewards them for these deeds.
That is why the onset of Ramadan is a great blessing for everyone who fulfills his duties this month and returns to the path of the Lord, who repents of sins and strives for godly deeds, who leaves with carelessness and remembers his Creator, His unlimited mercy and severe punishment.
SOURCE: https://e-minbar.com/majalis-ramadan/lesson-01