As we eagerly anticipate the beginning of the Blessed Month
of Ramadan, the staff of Zaytuna Institute wishes all of our volunteers,
friends, and supporters an accepted and purifying fast. We pray that this
blessed month is a time of spiritual renewal for all of you, a time when you
are able to fully benefit from the many Divine Gifts that have been offered to
the worshipper during this most special season.
Those who have failed to take advantage of the months of
Rajab and Sha’ban to prepare for the blessed month of Ramadan should be
especially careful to take full advantage of the latter month. Reflect on the
poet’s words:
Harken! O you who was not content to sin throughout Rajab.
His rebellion against his Lord had
to continue the duration of Sha’ban.
The month of fasting has now come to shade and shelter you,
Do
not transform it also into a month of sinning.
Recite the Qur’an and glorify [God], with diligent assertion.
Indeed!
It is a month for glorification and the Qur’an.
Deny your bodily appetites, seeking your soul’s salvation.
Eventually,
the earth will consume the body.
How many deceased people have you known who fasted?
Amongst
your family, neighbors, and brothers.
Death has erased them, leaving you behind.
Get
serious [about your religion], for the living are quite close to the dead!
You take delight in the ‘Eid outfits being cut out now for
the festival.
But
soon they will be your burial shrouds.
How long will the person be happy with his worldly home?
Knowing
that his ultimate home is the grave.[1]
We pray that this month is a means for our spiritual
ascension. When our spirits are ascendant, and our carnal lusts retreat, we
will be able to engage in the type of fast described by one of our righteous
forebears when he advised:
Fast your entire lifetime. Make
death your ‘Eid! Life itself is a fast for the righteous. Their fast is from
all forbidden lusts. When death comes to them their fast has ended. At that
time they find the new moon of ‘Eid.[2]
We encourage all of the believers to try to adhere to
all of the Sunans of Ramadan. Even though the days are still relatively
short and cool, everyone should attempt to take the pre-dawn meal (Sahur),
no matter how small, and hasten to break the fast, once the sunset has
been confirmed. The purpose of the month is to grow in obedience to the
Lawgiver. This is facilitated by scrupulously adhering to all of the
rulings related to the fast.
O you who believe! Fasting is
prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those who preceded you; that
perhaps you will be mindful of God. Al-Qur’an 2:183
We
encourage everyone to be especially generous during this blessed month.
Our beloved Prophet  , was normally
exceedingly generous. In Ramadan, he was even more benevolent.
Ibn ‘Abbas, May Allah be pleased with him and his
father, relates: “The Prophet , was the
most generous of people. He was even more generous in Ramadan when Gabriel
would meet him and review the Qur’an with him. Gabriel would come to him every
night of Ramadan to review the Qur’an. During these times, the Messenger of
Allah , was more generous than the
freely blowing wind.” Al-Bukhari and Muslim
We
encourage everyone to read through the Qur’an at least once. Those who can
read the Arabic script should do so in Arabic, even if they do not fully
understand what they are reading. They should also try to read through the
English translation. Those who are unable to read Arabic, should try to
read through the entire English translation. Ramadan is, among other
things, a celebration of the Qur’an. We should join the celebration by
reading the Book of God much during this blessed month. Our Imams, Abu
Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi’i, and others, May God have Mercy on them all,
would cease teaching Hadith and Jurisprudence during Ramadan and devote
themselves exclusively to the Qur’an.
God says, concerning His Majestic
Book: The Month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for
mankind, [containing] clear proofs of guidance, and the criterion of
distinguishing right from wrong. Al-Qur’an 2:185
We
encourage everyone to refrain from all of the ruinations of the tongue
during Ramadan. In his seminal work, “Quickening the Religious Sciences,”
Imam al-Ghazali mentions them as the following:
Speaking in matters that do not concern one.
Excessive speech.
Speaking about sinful matters.
Disputation and contestation.
Argumentation.
Excessively embellished speech.
Lewd, insulting, or crude speech.
Invoking the Curse of God on someone.
Singing indecent songs, or relating immoral poetry.
Excessive joking.
Sarcasm and ridicule.
Revealing secrets.
False promises.
Lying and false oaths.
Backbiting and slander.
Instigating tense relations between people.
Being two-faced.
Praising someone who is either undeserving, or unable to remain
humble when praised.
Speaking about involved subjects and ideas one lacks the
necessary knowledge or eloquence to adequately convey.
Ordinary folk speaking in subjects that are the domain of
specialists.
May God spare us from these ruinations both during and after
Ramadan.
The Prophet, Peace and Blessing of Almighty God be upon Him,
said: “Whoever fails to leave off ruinous speech, and acting on it [during
Ramadan], God does not need him to leave off eating and drinking.” Al-Bukahri
We
encourage everyone to avoid all arguments, disputes, and unnecessary
worldly entanglements during this blessed month. This is a time for deep
devotion and dedication to Allah.
We
encourage everyone to work to restore any severed relations or kinship
ties they may be experiencing. This is a time when the gentle breezes of
Divine Facilitation are blowing. Any good we endeavor during this blessed
month will come to bear its proper fruits, Insha Allah.
We
encourage everyone to eat simply during this month. One should try to make
a vow to give up unnecessary, and generally unhealthy fare during this
blessed month. Pizza, ice cream, fast food, pastries, and soda should all
go. We should make our solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters
in other lands real, and not something confined to speeches and pamphlets.
If one
is in the habit of watching television, or listening to commercial music,
one should also try to give these things up for Ramadan. They are things
that divert us from the remembrance of God in any case. During this
special month when every letter we recite from the Majestic Qur’an is
tremendously rewarded, we should busy ourselves with recitation, and drop
frivolous pastimes.
Married
couples should encourage each other to engage in spiritual pursuits during
this month, i.e. reciting the Qur’an, attending Tarawih, etc. Those in the
habit of hosting extravagant dinners in Ramadan should try to avoid doing
so, especially if they involve burdening cooks with long hours in the
kitchen at a time when everyone should be increasing acts of worship.
Usually, the womenfolk are disadvantageously affected in this regard.
While it is certainly virtuous to provide the wherewithal for the
believers to break their fast, dates, water, and simple, easily prepared
dishes suffice.
Everyone
should endeavor to pray the Tarawih Prayers. This is practice that should
not be left without an excuse. The Prophet , mentioned, “Whosoever stands for prayer during the nights of
Ramadan will have his/her prior sins expiated.” Al-Bukhari and Muslim
The prayer is the symbol of our
devotional life. Ramadan is a great time to rediscover the power of the prayer,
and to renew our commitment to our Lord through the prayer.
These are some of the things we wanted to convey to you.
Hopefully, they will prove of benefit. Please take this message in the spirit
with which we have conveyed it, as sincere advice. Again, we wish you a very
successful Ramadan and would like to thank all of you for past, present, and
future support.
On behalf of the Zaytuna Staff,
Your Brother in Islam,
Imam Zaid Shakir
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