In Islamic culture, Ramadan is the 9th holly month of the year. Muslims abstain from consuming meals and water from sunrise to sunset, devoting themselves to worship and meditating on their faith for 30 days. It is also the month of forgiveness, charity, spiritual reflection, and growth, and also the best time to get the closeness of Allah. Here in this article, we will discuss the history of Ramadan, its significance, and why Ramadan is important for Muslims complete detail.
Why Ramadan Is Important For Muslims:
Here is complete history of Ramadan, importance, blessing, its significance, and why Ramadan is important for Muslims mentioned below.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the month of the blessing of all Muslims across the world. There are five pillars of Islam and fasting in Ramadan is one of them. It is the ninth month according to the Islamic calendar and the holy month of fasting for Muslims in Islam. In this month, Allah showers his countless blessings on Muslims. During this month, Muslims throughout the world observe a fast from dawn to dusk and abstain from consuming any food and liquid including water. It also helps them to abstain from sinful things for the mind and body throughout the fast and allows them to focus on prayer and bonding with Allah.
It is stated in Holly Quran; “O believers fasting is mandated for you, as it was mandated for those before you in order for you to become righteous”.
What is the History of Ramadan and when did it start?
The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic word Ramida which means scorching heat and dryness. It symbolizes the spiritual act of burning sins with good deeds. The month of Ramadan marks the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad (SAW) by an angel Gabriel. This month has its origin in 610AD when Hazrat Muhammad SAW was forty, he begins to spend time alone in the cave of Hira on mount Jabal-al-Noor in Macca.
He was visited by an angel Gabriel, who revealed the verses of the Quran to him for the first time and command him to read. This revelation night is called Laila-Al-Qadr and believed that have taken place during Ramadan. Muslims fast for a month in celebration of the revelation of the Quran.
Why Ramadan is celebrated?
Ramadan is the holy month in which the prophet (peace be upon him) said that it is the month of blessings. Every year Muslims throughout the world celebrated Ramadan by keeping away from all food, and liquid, and also abstaining from all prohibited/ haraam things. The month of Ramadan along with the practice of fasting serves as a reminder for all Muslims to empathize with the poor and needy as well as means to reduce distractions. It assists people to recognize their faith and their relation with Allah. Fasting offers closeness and consciousness to Allah. It is celebrated by the entire Muslim community across the world because it is massively significant in Islam.
Why Ramadan is important?
Do you know why Ramadan is important? Ramadan is a Holy month of fasting for Muslims. The Quran tells its importance. Ramadan is the month of fasting, charity, and self-accountability, and also the month of forgiveness during which every Muslim strives to become close to Allah. Ramadan is one way to get taqwa, which means that believers do what Allah has commanded and avoid what he forbade.
Surah-Al-Baqarah Ayat 185 stated that; “this was the month of Ramadan, in which Quran was sent down to the people as a guide with clear proof of divine guidance and because of the criterion between good and bad”. So let’s those of you who are alive observe the month of Ramadan fast for it and let’s those who are sick or on a journey fast the same number of other days.
Ramadan is the most important holy month of the year for all Muslims. It is considered the most blessed month because Allah granted his countless blessing to Muslims and the rewards of every payer are multiplied. Allah said; “for my sake the fasting person gave up food, drink, and desires. The fast is for me and I will reward for it. The reward of the good deed is multiplied 10 times”.
Continued fasting during the month of Ramadan doesn’t mean providing hunger, thirst, and emotional deprivation. The goal of Ramadan is to give the believers moral agency. Muslims fast is an act of worship and a chance to get closer to Allah and a way to be more empathetic with those in need.
Why Ramadan is such a blessing month?
The month of Ramadan is a gift from Allah (SWT) for all Muslims around the world. It is said that Ramadan is a month of forgiveness, countless blessings, a month of Lailat-ul-Qadr residence, and much more. During this month the rewards of each kind of worship, and every act of kindness, are multiplied 10 times.
Every good deed has greater weight and blessing in this month and Allah SWT showered his blessing and generosity upon Muslims. It is stated that in this month the doors of forgiveness open and all prayers are heard. That’s why Muslims in addition to paying zakat, generously denotes charity and perform many other good deeds.
The prophet PBUH stated that when the month of Ramadan begins, the gates of hell are closed and the gates of heaven are open, and the devils are chained”.
How long is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Ramadan normally lasts 29 or 30 days and ends with the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. The starts and ends of Ramadan change every year because it is based on the emergence of the crescent moon and the Islamic lunar calendar. Ramadan begins 10 to 12 days earlier every year because the Islamic calendar year is shorter than the gorgeous calendar. In 2022, Ramadan takes place from Sunday, April 3, 2022, to Monday, May 2, 2022.
Why is Ramadan fasting?
Fasting during Ramadan is considered a form of worship in Islam and has spiritual significance for Muslims. Fast insists Muslims in remembering that only Allah is the source of all sustenance. The Quran commands that all able-bodied Muslims, who are mature and healthy and have a sound minds should fast from dawn to sunset. During this time period, fasting is more of a means of worship than abstinence, which is a source to develop a close and deep connection between a Muslim and Allah.
The act of Fasting teaches us to be pious, obedient, and dedicated to one, and to abstain from sensual pleasure. It allows Muslims to understand the ways to quit vices, develop virtues, and obtain Allah’s blessing. It also permits them to feel the pain and struggle of the millions of people who stay in poverty and famine and be thankful for all that Allah has given them.
Why is Ramadan special to Muslims?
Ramadan is so special for Muslims as compared to other months because Muslims pay more attention to worship as much as they can during this month and Muslims strive to improve their spirituality and strengthen their relationship with Allah. They accomplish this through praying and reciting Quran, deliberately and selflessly making their action, and avoiding lying, jealousy, anger, gossiping, fighting, and others. It enables Muslims to focus on faith, get closer to Allah, and develop patience and kindness. It is nurturing your soul instead of focusing on body. Fasting Muslims get a lot of satisfaction because they show deep love for Allah by obeying his commands.
Ramadan structure:
The month of Ramadan provides an opportunity for Muslims to pursue salvation. In Ramadan, there are three Ashras, and each Ashra signifies a different kind of reward. Every Ashra of Ramadan contains 10 days and each has its own dua.
What is the dua of the first 10 days of Ramadan?
The first Ashra or first 10 days of Ramadan represents the mercy of Allah (Rahmah). This is the dua of the first 10 days of Ramadan;
What is the dua of the Second 10 days of Ramadan?
The second Ashra also contains ten days. The second Ashra signifies the forgiveness of Allah (Maghfirah). In this Ashra, Muslims seek forgiveness from Allah and repent of their sins. The Dua that can be recited during the second 10 days of Ramadan is;
What is the dua of the last 10 days of Ramadan?
The final 10 days or third Ashra of Ramadan represents the safety from the hellfire means Nijat. The final Ashra finishes on the 29th or 30th of Ramadan and has special importance to Muslims because it singles the protection from the fire of hell. Moreover Lailat-ul-Qadr, the most significant night is falls during this time period. The dua of last or final Ashra is;
Which dua to read in Ramadan?
Ramadan is an important element of Islam and it comes with a lot of rules and restrictions and also contains many common prayers (duas) that are recited read during Ramadan. These prayers are as follows;
Moon Sighting Dua:
The month of Ramadan starts when the crescent moon appeared in the sky. When the moon of Ramadan appears recite this dua.
Is there a dua before fasting?
The pre-dawn meal is called suhoor or sehri. Eating sehri is an important factor during Ramadan because it is the last meal consumed by Muslims early in the morning before the day of the fasting starts. This is the dua that Muslims recite before keeping fast;
Is there a dua for breaking fasting?
The evening meal consumed by Muslims at sunset to break the daily fast in Ramadan is called Iftar. Here is the dua for breaking fast in Ramadan.
How do you pray and make dua in Ramadan?
The typical fasting day Muslim starts with a pre-dawn meal (suhoor) after that offered the morning fajr prayer. During the daytime, spent time in normal routine work, recitation of Holy Quran, offering prayers, and doing other worship activities. When the sunset the Muslims break the fast with Dates which is the Sunnat of Muhammad then followed by Maghrib prayer. After that, it is time for night prayer which is Isha, and after this followed by a Ramadan extra prayer called Taraweeh prayer. Then do some other worship and sleep. There are a lot of duas that we can recite in the month of Ramadan. Some of them are here.
Hopefully, you have understood the complete guidance regarding the month of Ramadan, its structure, duas, specialty, and why Ramadan is important for Muslims.
