The Glorious Month Of Ramadan

 The holy month of Ramadan enjoys a special importance in the Islamic calendar. As said by the holy prophet (P) it is Allah’s own month. It is the chief of all months and the most glorious one. As we have already read, Fasting’s is one of the important pillars of Islam and it is the very month of Ramadan during which fasting has been made obligatory for all adult and sane Muslims. The blessings of Ramadan are not limited to fasting alone, because the performance of all sorts of worship and good deeds during this month is also a source of great Divine favor. The revelation of the holy Quran commenced during this very month and it is therefore the duty of every Muslim to read and try to understand the meaning of the holy Quran and thereby gain an insight into the divine secrets enshrined therein. It brings peace and illumination to the mind and imparts purity to the soul.

Ramadan is the month of fasting, intensive prayer, sacrifice and divine worship. Throughout this month a devout Muslim fasts during the day in the true sense of the world i.e. he not merely denies himself food and water but, as explained by the holy prophet, exercises strict control over his tongue, eyes, ears, thoughts and deeds and does everything possible to seek the pleasure of Allah. Some nights, among the last ten nights of Ramadan, are called the “ Nights of Glory” ( Layali Al-Qadr). These are the nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty third nights. Muslims keep awake during these nights and offer special prayers. Even among these nights, the twenty-third enjoys excellence over all the others. It is accompanied by great blessing, and the supplications made to Allah during this night are usually granted by Him. The month of Ramadan, besides being the month of worship and Divine blessings, carries a historical importance as well as already mentioned above, the revelations of the holy Quran commenced in this month. The epoch-making battle of Badr and the conquest of Mecca also took place during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan month is the month of Divine blessing.

Woman in Islam

There is not a time in history, neither old nor modern, in which the woman has attained the status that Islam has raised her to. We do not find one single verse in the holy Quran that indicates that the woman should be subordinate to the man, but rather the person who complements him, or as they say, his other half.

Lord says in holy Quran 195\ Al Imran:

 (That I will not waste the work of worker among you, whether male or female, the one of you being from the other). This verse is a clear proof of the equality between male and female, when it comes to work and reward.

The holy Quran verses 20 to 23 (Al araaf) The Lord did not lay the responsibility of disobedience on Adam alone, but on Eve as well saying (But Satan made an evil suggestion to them that he might make manifest to them what had been hidden from them of their evil inclinations, and he said: Your Lord has not forbidden you this tree except that you may not both become two angels or that you may (not) become of the mortals. And he swore to them both; most surely I am a sincere advisor to you. Then he caused them to fall by deceit; so, when they tasted of the tree, their evil inclinations became manifest to them, and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of the garden; and their Lord called out to them: ‘ Did I not forbid you both from that tree and say to you that Satan is your open enemy?

In this respect, Islam has equated between the man and the woman in all rights and responsibilities, and it did that fourteen centuries ago, when society considered the females to be a shame and used to bury the newborn girl alive, If there are differences that Islam took into consideration, they are the physiological ones between the male and female, and this is the substance of wisdom and fairness. These differences were for the woman’s advantage in more than one respect. For example, she could own property and run economic transactions at an earlier age because her body and mind mature earlier. As for the man’s guardianship over the woman, and his greater share of inheritance, these are justified by the fact that his duty, as dictated by the law, is greater than hers.

This, anyway, is irrelevant to our study. Furthermore, the Quran has honored the female with a chapter called “Women”(An-Nisaa), and a chapter about the Virgin Mary called “Mariam”, where as there is no chapter for men therein. It also revered every chaste and virtuous woman also of the most remarkable Quranic styles, in honoring the woman, is using the finest and most noble terms when expressing intercourse between the man and the woman, as in “ He it is Who created you from a single being, and of the same did He make his mate, that he might incline to her so when he covers her she bears alight burden, then moves about with it.( verse 189  Al-A’raaf). Then Islam elevated the status of women by giving them the right to divorce, the right to have financial independence and support and the right to be identified as dignified women (Hijab) also Islam allows women to keep their maiden name after marriage and the holy prophet Muhammad (p) told Muslim men (the best among you is the one who is best to his family).

Sheikh Mazin  Al – Sahlani

malsahlani@hotmail.com