REFLECTIONS: The Month of the Qur’an, and Its Effect Upon Us

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, so that you may gain Taqwa.” [2:183]

The blessed month of Ramadhan is upon us. It is the month chosen by Allah (swt) as a month of fasting. He (swt) favored this month over all other months by making it the month of mercy and reverence for all the believers. Indeed, Ramadhan is the most superior of all months – it is the month in which Allah (swt) commenced His final revelation, the Qu’ran.

We read the Qur’an every day and recite it at length during the Taraweeh prayers, but do we understand it deeply and implement it completely? And does the guidance in the Qur’an affect our daily lives as it should?

Aisha (ra) described the Prophet’s (saw) character as “a walking Qur’an.” Does our character reflect the message of the Qur’an? Do we implement its comprehensive solutions in our lives? Do we feel the weight of its responsibility on our shoulders? Allah (swt) informs us:

“Had We sent down this Qur’an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and split asunder (crumbling) out of fear of Allah. Such are the parables that We put forward to mankind so they may reflect.” [59:21]

In this verse, Allah (swt) revealed to mankind that the mighty mountains – which are far greater in size and strength than man – would crumble out of fear of Allah (swt) if it were made to carry such a responsibility! Do we, in our petty and insignificant stature, then not feel humbled by the weight of the responsibility of carrying the Qur’an, which was revealed to us and not to the mountains? Do we live by the commands and prohibitions that Allah (swt) has laid down in His final revelation?

If Allah (swt) wills, we may live long enough to see the end of this blessed month, but will we be alive to see the next Ramadhan? Will this be our last opportunity to witness the Mercy of Allah (swt) during this month?

Due to this great responsibility and the short lifespan we have all been given, we must assess our behavior and actions, and reflect on whether the Day we meet Allah (swt) will be our best day, or will it be a Day of regret and disaster. Every one of us will meet Allah (swt) alone, with no parents to protect us and no wealth to save us. Allah (swt) revealed:

“That Day shall a man flee from his own brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his wife and his children; each one of them, on that Day, will have enough concern of his own to make him indifferent to the others.” [80:34]

We only have our actions in this life, so let us look back to the year that has passed and reflect. Let us look at what we did right according to Islam so we can continue doing it, and look at what we did wrong so that we can ask Allah (swt) for forgiveness and strive not to repeat it again. The Prophet (saw) said:

“If Ramadhan arrives, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of hell are locked, and the Shayateen are chained” [Al-Bukhari]

Let us use this opportunity, where the Shayateen are chained, to overcome our Nafs and become accustomed to obeying Allah (swt) in all actions of life without exception – whether we are at the Masjid or in school, whether we are at home or at work, whether we are buying a house or selling a car, and whether we are praying Salat or discussing the political reality of the Ummah and the Islamic solution for it. In short, we must follow Islam in all aspects of our lives.

The month of learning

Ramadhan is one of the greatest opportunities of the year to seek Islamic knowledge and increase our awareness of the Islamic culture and the history of our Deen. The more we are aware of the details of the guidance of Islam and the history of its implementation the better chance we have to run our lives according to it and understand the lessons in it correctly. Allah (swt) revealed:

“Those who truly fear Allah from among His servants are those who have knowledge.” [35:28]

During the month of Ramadhan, the Prophet (saw) used to study the Qur’an every night with the Angel Jibreel (as). Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported that Ibn 'Abbas (ra) said: 

'The Prophet (saw) was the most generous of people. He used to be the most generous in Ramadhan when he would meet with Angel Jibreel and study the Qur’an with him. The Angel Jibreel would meet with the Prophet every night in Ramadhan to teach him the Qur’an. The Prophet was so generous when he met with Jibreel – more generous than the wind that brings rain.' 

So, during this month, let us learn more about the Ibadaat of our Deen and how to draw nearer to our Lord and Creator. And let us study the commands of Allah (swt) related to contracts in Islam, whether in trade, finance, agriculture, or others. And let us understand what Islam instructs us regarding the relationships between men and women, family, and children.

And let us once again return to the political laws of Allah (swt), which have been suspended and abandoned for almost 100 years. Let us study these commands and guidance deeply and understand their proper application, and only refer to them when dealing with any of the political problems that the Ummah faces around the world today.

Islam is a complete way of life, so let’s make the sincere intention to cover the parts of the Deen that we lack knowledge of during this blessed month.

The month of victory

The month of Ramadhan is also the month of victory and societal change for the believers throughout history. During this month, in the 2^nd year Hijri under the political leadership of Rasool Allah (saw), the Muslims defeated the disbelievers in the Battle of Badr; and in the 8^th year Hijri they brought Makkah under the shade of the rule of Islam.

During this month, in the year 15 Hijri, the Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah took place, which brought the region of Iraq under the rule of Islam and spelled the beginning of the end of the Persian Empire at the hands of the believers united under the Islamic rule of Umar bin Al-Khattab (ra).

During this month, in the year 582 Hijri, the Crusaders – who had occupied Al-Quds for almost 100 years after massacring every man, woman, and child upon occupying it, and who had converted the Al-Aqsa compound into a stable for their pigs and horses – were defeated in the Battle of Hattin under the leadership of Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi, restoring the rule of Islam over the blessed land of Al-Israa’ wal-Mi’raj.

And during this month, in 656 Hijri under the Islamic leadership of Saifuddin Qutuz and the great scholar Al-Izz ibn Abdul-Salam, the believers defeated the Mongols in the Battle of ‘Ain Jalut, who had been undefeated in 43 years since the beginning of their westward attack.

So, let us read about the political leadership of the Prophet (saw), and the leadership of his great Companions (ra) who ruled after him, and the great Khulafaa who ruled after them throughout the 1300 year history of the Khilafah. Let us reflect on how they lived and how they sacrificed life and limb to make the Word of Allah (swt) supreme and ensure that all of Islam was implemented at all times and in all spheres of life.

The month of ordering good and forbidding evil

The month of Ramadhan in the time of the Prophet (saw) was a time of enjoining the good, forbidding evil, and striving hard with one’s life and wealth to make the word of Allah the highest. After the death of the Prophet (saw), Muslims carried this Sunnah on and Allah (swt) used the believers to affect the course of history. It was a time of intense activity – spending the day on the saddle, and the night in prayer, while calling upon Allah for His Mercy and Forgiveness. This was the spirit of Ramadhan that enabled our righteous forefathers to face seemingly impossible challenges.

So let us make this month of Ramadhan the month of prayer, the month of recitation of Qur’an, the month of charity, the month of helping the needy, the month of strengthening relations between our relatives, the month of being aware of our speech and actions, the month of  fortifying  our relationship with Allah (swt) and purifying our intentions, the month of increasing our knowledge of Qur’an, Sunnah, and Fiqh, and the month of engaging in the call to fully implement the Qur’an and the Sunnah and unite the Ummah once again under a single sincere Islamic leadership.

May Allah the Most Glorious make us the generation of Muslims who lay the proper foundations of the Islamic rule for the coming generations and make us among those who fully implement our Deen during Ramadhan and beyond.

“(It will be said to the pious) O you soul that is tranquil and at ease, return to your Lord well-pleased and well-pleasing. Enter among My honored slaves, and enter into My Heaven.” [89:27-30]