Fasting is one of the 5 pillars of Islam. It has been an integral part of all major religions.
Prescribing fasting, the Qur’an says: “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed to you as it was to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint” (al-Baqarah:183)
The original Arabic word translated here as self-restraint is 'Taqwa', which has a much broader significance. It symbolizes that the basic moral quality that demarcates the line between morality and amorality, distinguishing humans from animals as moral beings. It represents love of good with eagerness to respond to it, and a strong desire to keep away from what is evil and harmful.
This moral quality or taqwa is nourished and can be developed only by controlling and keeping in check one’s desire, impulses, and emotions, and that is precisely what fasting is prescribed to achieve.
Thus, Islamic fasting in not merely abstaining one’s drinking and eating, it is in fact leaving wrong doings. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “When one of you is fasting and someone abuses him or fights with him, he should tell him, “I cannot respond to you for I am fasting.” On another occasion he said: “He who does not leave evil, all he gets from fasting is thirst and hunger”
As we know, in the month of Ramadhan, the Holy Qur’an was first revealed for the Guidance of Mankind. =)
Those who Fast will be Called from the Gate of al-Rayyaan
It was narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In Paradise there are eight gates, among which is a gate called al-Rayyaan, which none will enter but those who fast.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3017).
Ramadhan, the Month of Victory!!
The Battle of Badr On the seventeenth of Ramadhan, 2 A.H., Almighty Allah separated truth from falsehood at the Great Battle of Badr. He, the All Powerful, gave them a decisive victory on this day of Ramadhan that would never to be forgotten. The battle of Badr was the first of the great battles of Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left Medina with 313 men, 2 horses and 70 camels to go to Badr. On the 17th Ramadhan 2 A.H they defeated an army of 1000 men, 100 horses and 700 camels that left Makkah under the leadership of Abu Jahl to go to Badr. [Refer also Surat Aali Imran 3:123 & 124]
The Opening of Makkah By Ramadhan of 8 A H., the treaty of Hudaibiyah had been broken and the Muslim armies had engaged the Byzantines in the North. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) felt the need to strike a fatal blow to disbelief in the Arabian Peninsula and conquered the city of Makkah in Ramadhan. This was one of the most important dates in Islamic history for after it, Islam was firmly entrenched in the Arabian Peninsula. During the same month and year, after smashing the idols of Makkah, detachments were sent to the major centres of polytheism and al-Lat, Manat and Suwa, some of the greatest idols of Arabia, were destroyed.
The Opening of Spain Ninety-two years after the Hijrah and in Ramadhan, Musa ibn Nusair the Umayyad governor of North Africa, and his courageous general Tariq ibn Ziyad succeeded in liberating whole of Spain, Sicily and part of France, beginning the Golden Age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for over 700 years.
The Victory Against the Crusaders In the year 682 A.H., Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, after battling with the Crusaders for years, finally drove them out of Syria and liberated the whole of the occupied lands in the month of Ramadhan. It was then that the Muslim world was destined to meet one of its greatest challenges.
The Victory Over the Mongols In the seventh century A.H. the Mongols were sweeping across Asia destroying everything that lay in their path. Genghis Khan called himself “the scourge of God sent to punish humanity for their sins. “In 617 A.H. Samarkand, Ray, and Hamdan were put to the sword causing more than 700,000 people to be killed or made captive. In 656 A.H. Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan continued this destruction. Even Baghdad, the leading city of the Muslim world, was sacked. Some estimates say that as many as 1,800,000 Muslims were killed in this awesome carnage. The Christians were asked to eat pork and drink wine openly while the surviving Muslims were forced to participate in drinking bouts. Wine was sprinkled in the masjids and no Azan (call to prayer) was allowed.
In the wake of such a horrible disaster and with the threat of the whole Muslim world being subjected to the same fate, Allah the Great One raised up from the Ummah, Saifuddin Qutz, who united the Muslim army and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on 26th Ramadhan, 648 A.H. Although they were under great pressure, the Muslims with the help of Allah, cunning strategy and unflinching bravery, crushed the Mongol army and reversed this tidal wave of horror. The whole of the world sighed in relief and stood in awe at the remarkable achievement of these noble sons of Islam.
Ps: Hope Ramadhan this year is a month of victory for all of us-for u and for me.. Ramadhan kareem.. :)
copy from : http://www.zawaj.com/events/ramadhan/ramadhan_victory.html
