Allah (SWT) has always shown his love ,kindness and mercy toward his creatures but there are some special months, days and times which are told above from rest, Ramadan is also one of those special months in which Allah showers his countless blessings.
THE WISDOM BEHIND FASTING
There are reasons and wisdom behind every single act in Islam, no matter how small. It is possible to know the wisdoam behind some acts, and for others we may never know. Salaat, for instance, is a daily training for purifying the believer and reminding him or her that he/she is a member in a community of believers. Fasting, on the other hand, is an annual institution containing all conceivable attributes for human excellence. It is a training for the body and soul, a renewal of life, encouraging the spirit of sharing and giving. The following are some of the general benefits:
Self-Restraint (Taqwa)
Allah (SWT) states: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that you may (learn) self restraint.” (Al-Qur’an, 2:183)
This verse indicates the first lesson or wisdom to be gained in fasting is Taqwa (self-restraint or the conscious of Allah (SWT)). That is to say, fasting instills in the heart the essence of consciousness of the Creator, moral courage both in secret and manifest, guiding the heart, the seat of emotion from spoilage and moral indecency.
Fasting instills taqwa or conscious of Allah, and does so by controlling two aspects of the human body, which are the root causes of human downfall, namely the stomach and the private parts. The human body is constructed with the need to please the two of them and, in the process, man transgresses the rights of others, fellow human beings, and the commandments of Allah are violated. By Fasting one raises the level of taqwa, thereby the person avoids the sins, which are detrimental to life itself.
Behavior Modification
It is possible for a fasting person to control or changes his or her habits; the reason being human life is an embodiment of acquired habits. To change or control a habit is to wage a war on oneself. If jihad is mandatory on every believer because it is the peak of the essence in Islam, and it entails changing habits, then fasting is the training ground for the inevitable that will occur. For a fasting person who controls the consumption of food and drink, it will undoubtedly be easy for him to control other habits, including the habits of smoking, drug abuse and illicit sex. If you can control your tongue, hands and all other parts of your body, it will be easy for you to apply the same training for the rest of the year.
Heath Benefits
The benefits of fasting transcend guiding the faster from idle talk and indecent acts. Fasting is a guard against disease, provided the faster follows the strict dietary rule: eating during Iftar (fast breaking) and avoiding over-eating. Allah (SWT) states: “…Eat and drink, but waste not by excess, for Allah loves not wasters.” (Al-Qur’an, 7:31).
Some disorders originate from stomach indigestion. This is why the Messenger of Allah (sas) says: “The son of Adam will never fill a container with something worse and evil than his stomach. It will suffice him some morsels (food) that will keep him on his feet, otherwise, he should divide his stomach into three parts: one third for his food, one third for his drink and the other third for his breath.” (Ibn Hibban)
The fast helps to correct the problem of obesity and diabetes. Doctors over the years have used fasting as a prescription for certain ailments.
An American physician published a report on fasting and its benefits saying: “It is mandatory on every person who is sick to restrain from food certain days in a year whether he be wealthy or poor because if bacteria can find food in abundance in the body, it will grow and multiply. But with fasting it becomes weak.’’ He then praised Islam. It should be considered as the wisest religion, because by mandating fasting it has mandated health care. He continued: “Indeed, Muhammad, who brought this religion, was the best physician who succeeded in his teachings, for he called for prevention before ailment, that is apparent in fasting and the nightly prayer (Taraweeh) that Muslims observe after fast breaking every day of Ramadan, for these physical acts contain big benefits in digesting food.” (Arkanul Arba`ah by Abul Hasan Nadwi)
Patience
Fasting helps in conditioning the heart, the soul, and the body on the virtues of patience, tenacity, and firmness in the face of adversity. Patience is the pinnacle of self-mastery, discipline and spiritual agility. Patience is to turn the phrase “I can’t” into “I can.” It is to say, the difficult is easy. It is an inner and psychological demolition of things perceived by others as impossible. Fasting helps in all these shades for the virtuous, patient person because, the conditioning is that if a believer can exercise patience, and forsake gourmet food and drink, and the exhilaration we enjoy while eating or drinking our favorites, as well as marital association, the gratifying of other normal appetites for a whole day, for a month the realization that the barrier between you and food is your consciousness of your Creator, can better make you able to exercise patience in virtually everything in life.
Social Benefits
Socially, fasting is an expression of solidarity with the poor, the family and the whole society. This is a period in which the rich have first-hand experience of what it is to be poor, the pains the indigent suffers in normal living conditions. The process of disciplining resulting from Islamic fasting instills in the rich the virtue of mercy, Rahmah, which is very important in terms of social well – being and proliferation of harmony. Allah bestows His mercy upon those who themselves are merciful to others. “Those who are merciful to others, the Merciful will have mercy upon them,” the Messenger said. He continued, “Have mercy upon those on earth, and those in heaven will have mercy upon you.” (Abu Dawud/Tirmidhi)
Family Ties
Fasting strengthens family ties, especially in that the family is an endangered institution in western society. It helps the family gather together to break fast, at Iftar, and eat Sahur together at least twice a day for a month. The family even makes Salaat, together with the father as Imam. Fasting enhances and energizes friendship, as Ramadan is known as the month of invitations and visitations. Friends, family members and neighbors extend invitations to each other to come to their homes to have Iftar together. Muslims communities have Iftar in the Masajids. The Messenger said, “When a believer invites you, you should respond.” In addition, Muslims get together in the Masajid for Taraweeh and ta’ aleem.
This great month is one of the most virtuous roads to Allah. As each moment of this glorious month is vitally important, we should make all our efforts to receive maximum benefit from this blessed month. May the holy month of Ramadan bring peace and tranquility to our country and may it bring succour to Nigerians for security, economic and other pressing national problems. Ramadan Mubarak!
