Pick-Up 066: Why is it so important?
Peace be upon you, dear friends,
Ramadan Mubarak everyone. I pray that God helps us make the most out of this month, blesses us, and guides us to that which He loves and is pleased with. I think you already realize how much of a big deal this month is for Muslims around the world, but do you know why? What makes it so special?
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar which is a lunar calendar. As a consequence, it falls on different Gregorian dates each year and we get to celebrate it in different seasons on a cyclical basis; a very cool aspect to it by the way. Ramadan is the month in which the Quran has been sent down. God says in chapter [2: 185]
شَهرُ رَمَضانَ الَّذي أُنزِلَ فيهِ القُرآنُ هُدًى لِلنّاسِ وَبَيِّناتٍ مِنَ الهُدىٰ وَالفُرقانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهرَ فَليَصُمهُ ۖ وَمَن كانَ مَريضًا أَو عَلىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِن أَيّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُريدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ اليُسرَ وَلا يُريدُ بِكُمُ العُسرَ وَلِتُكمِلُوا العِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلىٰ ما هَداكُم وَلَعَلَّكُم تَشكُرونَ”
“The month of Ramaḍān is one in which the Qurʾān was sent down as guidance to mankind, with manifest proofs of guidance and the Criterion1 So let those of you who witness it fast [in] it, and as for someone who is sick or on a journey, let it be a [similar] number of other days. Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you, and so that you may complete the number, and magnify Allah for guiding you, and that you may give thanks. (185)”
Aside from fasting which was instituted in this particular month as one of the five pillars of Islam, this month is primarily an opportunity for us to renew our relationship with Allah’s Book and reflect on its teachings as a means to grow spiritually and build a stronger relationship with God. Though we’re supposed to be studying and reflecting on it throughout the year, Ramadan is when things get turned up a notch. I love the sight of people carrying it, heads down and reading it, in buses and trains during this time. There is a societal tradition that’s been established about the necessity to make at least one khatma (reading it from cover to cover) during this month. I believe this idea highly contributes to the dedication I get to witness during my commute. Though the quality of every act of worship, including reading the Quran, is far more important than its quantity, the scene bodes well.
Moreover, Ramadan holds a very special night; Laylat al-Qadr, or the night of destiny/ decree that God described as better than a thousand months. It’s believed that the worship performed on this night brings more reward than the worship performed in a thousand months. It occurs on one of the last ten nights of Ramadan and it is the exact night on which the Quran has been sent down to the world and also the night when the first verses were revealed to the prophet Muhammad (SAWS).
There is also a prophetic saying stating that Ramadan is when all the Books of Revelation have been sent down; Suhuf (pages) of Abraham, the Torah, the Injil, and the Qur'an.
That was a quick introduction to why this month is so important, If you’re interested to learn more about the historical background of this month and mooore, I highly recommend you check this video by Nouman Ali Khan. A MUST-SEE!
Keep me in your prayers, I’m keeping you in mine.
Take good care.
Much LOVE.
🎥 This Month’s Video
💭 This Week’s Quote
"We will never be able to say that we already know the Quran. There’s always going to be more left to study. Within it lies treasures that we havn’t even been able to touch."
―Nouman Ali Khan.
Thanks for Reading!
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Stay curious and have a great week. 🤟
Meriem.