3.) Fasting strengthens the will of the human being and his ability to make decisions based on awareness, logic, heart, and soul. It weakens the desire of the human being to deviate in pursuit of his desire for food and sexual satisfaction and his anger. All of these ailments are remedied by fasting so that we may become godly servants.

Let the Muslim be honest with himself, without deceiving himself or attempting to deceive Allah (SWT) as hypocrites do, and ask himself an important question. If I had the opportunity to work overtime in my field, be it medicine, engineering, education, etc, and get paid over seven hundred times my regular pay, and the opportunity to work one single night and get paid the salary of one thousand months, would I refuse? Let the godly servants answer this question for themselves.

Let this example, set for us by the Prophet (pbuh), be a driving force for all those who have memorized and then forgotten what they memorized. It would also be prudent of them to be fearful when they recall the hadeeth of the Prophet (pbuh) in which he says: “Whosoever memorizes the Qur’an and then forgets it shall meet Allah (SWT).” (Transmitted by Abu Dawoud) We need to make a record of all the verses and portions of the Qur’an that we mentioned at one point or another and begin the process of reviewing, for perhaps when we meet Allah (SWT) we can ascend one level in paradise for each verse that we memorized. A clear mind and pure heart no doubt will make the process of reviewing much easier, as well as remembering the words of Allah (SWT): “And We have indeed made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition?”

I recommend that you make a supplication for all your Muslim brothers and sisters, that Allah (swt) returns us to His commandments, that He used us in the service of Islam.  Also, let each brother remind his wife, children, and brothers at the masjid to make a supplication when breaking their fast.  The sister also has an important role in reminding her children to make a supplication when breaking their fast.”

Hence, the Muslim’s desire and love for food diminishes and is replaced by love for Allah (swt) above all things. He hurries to break his fast not out of hunger and love for food but in order to attain the love of Allah (swt). He delays his suhoor because it is a blessing and because Allah (swt) and His angels pray on those who eat suhoor. This understanding makes us the quickest of people to follow the sunnah in breaking one’s fast with dates, water, or juice, praying maghrib, and then eating one’s meal.  It also makes the Muslim delay his suhoor until the end of the night and right before fajr.  Otherwise, he may oversleep and miss both suhoor and fajr prayer, and hence miss the blessing of suhoor with the prayer of Allah (swt) and His angels, and miss fajr prayer, the greatest of all prayers in reward.

There are many ways to do good and be generous during this month, the most important of which is feeding the poor and the needy and sponsoring them wherever they may be. Start with your relatives because it is both an act of generosity and a connection to your relatives. Then there are acts of goodness such as establishing masajid and schools and calling people to Islam. It is also preferred that you pay your zakatul maal during Ramadan because the reward for performing a mandatory duty during Ramadan is multiplied seventy times the reward for performing it any other time. If you give $1,000 for example, the reward will be equivalent to giving $70,000. Also, zakatul fitr is a cleanser for the fasting person and a source of food for the needy as the Prophet (pbuh) tells us in his hadeeth transmitted by Abu Dawoud. Hence, this month is an opportunity for each one of us to build his hereafter with some of the blessings and provisions given to us by Allah (swt) in this life.

A sincere and devout servant cannot do without these four characteristics of remembrance and supplication if he wishes to please his Lord and benefit himself in the hereafter. Make use of the time on your way to work, on your way home, on your way to the masjid, or one your way anywhere, and enliven it with the remembrance of Allah (swt), perhaps Allah (swt) will remember us with His boundless mercy and blessings. Remember that on the Day of Judgment you will regret most those moments that you wasted without remembering Allah (swt).

It is clear from this hadeeth that the Prophet (pbuh) knew the time of Laylatul Qadr, and he was coming out to inform the companions and the entire Ummah of its time. However, when two of the Muslims disputed with each other, the Prophet (pbuh) was made to forget it. From this serious hadeeth, one can conclude that any fight or hate instigated with a Muslim brother can lead to delay in victory, loss of rewards, division in the Ummah, and loss of blessings. Perhaps, Ramadan can be an opportunity for us to reunite and to cleanse and purify our hearts.