The Month of Ramadan is also the month souls are purified. The social scientists studying ethics believe that acquiring ideal sublime and ethical conscience passes through three stages:

1. Getting rid of bad habits and attitudes;
2. Acquiring new good traits and habits;
3. Strengthening and crystallizing these traits.

To Allah we shall return at two bows length or nearer. O man, strive hard towards your Lord until you meet Him.

In this respect I believe that the month of Rajab, as it was related, is the month of asking forgiveness for one's guilt's and sins, and it is also the month of the Prince of the Faithful (A.S), while in the month of Shaaban Muslims try to acquire the manners of the greatest Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and then they will strengthen them and crystallize them in the month of Ramadan. Thus the month of Ramadan is the month of generosity, and feeding all who are needed.

It has been related that if one's sins were not forgiven in the month of Ramadan, they will not be forgiven until the following month of Ramadan or until he performs pilgrimage.

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Fasting in the month of Ramadan, like Namaaz (prayers) is a divine command. Allah says in the Holy Quran, "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil)." (2:183)

It was reserved for Islam to formulate and perfect a form of spiritual purification for every one of its followers, notwithstanding the state of society they belonged to, and which could be performed without interfering with their normal avocations and callings in every day life.

Whatever calling or vocation he is engaged in, does not hinder a Muslim from carrying out this annual requirement of the Faith, the fast of this month of Ramadan, which incidentally, is also one of the five cardinal points of Islamic tenet.

The Muslim fast means a complete abstention from eating or drinking between daybreak and sunset. The sighting of the thin sickle of the new moon of Ramadan heralds for the Muslim the beginning of a month of glory and of spiritual elevation, when, at Allah's command, he voluntarily and of his own free will, denies himself between day-break and sunset, the blessing of food and drink, and surrenders himself up wholly to Allah, observing the same abstention throughout the whole month in his thoughts, his speech, his behavior, his every act.

For this month, for the Muslim, means the triumph of the spiritual and the pure in his nature over all the grossness and carnation, which is an inevitable component of our human make-up. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the following words beautifully explains the actual significance of the fast: -

"One who, while fasting, does not guard his tongue from telling lies, does not refrain from doing bad deeds, is not respecting his fast and Allah does not approve of mere abstention from food". When you are keeping fast, you should not speak ill of anybody, nor should you be boisterous and noisy. If anybody speaks ill of you or tries to pick a quarrel with you return him not, but say unto him that you are fasting.

Divine Revelation: Ramadan however, has another deeper significance for the Muslim, Ramadan's greatness is manifest in the fact that Almighty Allah chose it for the revelation of His Scriptures from time to time.

Abraham [Ibrahim (A.S.)] received scriptures on the first or third of Ramadan, David [Dawood (A.S.)] on the twelfth or the eighteenth, Moses [Musa (A.S.)] on the sixth, and Jesus [Esa (A.S.)] on the twelfth or the thirteenth of Ramadan.

It was in the very month of Ramadan that the Holy Quran, the last revealed Book, started descending upon Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It testifies: (Ramadan is the month in which was sent down the Quran as a guide to mankind ...) (2:185)

But the Holy Quran, the divine revelation from Allah to mankind through the medium of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), has remained. In every Ramadan the Muslims celebrate the spiritual significance of that divine fact the eternal abiding permanence of the Holy Quran.

During this Holy month therefore, the Muslim takes himself more assiduously to the reading of the Holy Book of Allah, the standing miracle of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the miracle which he stated would remain to testify to the authenticity of Allah's message even after he, Muhammad (S.A.W.) passed away.

Throughout this holy month, therefore, from every Muslim home is heard, during the day and night, the pleasant and beautiful cadences of Quranic recitation.

Then there is the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) saying as an incentive to renewed reading of the Holy Quran especially in this month: "A man gets the same reward by reading one verse of the Holy Quran as others do by reading the whole of the Holy Quran in other months." In this holy month of Ramadan it should be the duty of every Muslim to read the Holy Quran and thereby gain an insight into the Divine secrets. It breathes peaceful spirit to the human body. It imparts purity to the human soul and removes many a curtain hanging between man and God.

As the month of Ramadan is a specified period of purification, so the Holy Quran must carefully be studied by every devotee of Islam for self-guidance. Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth and the Holy Quran a light for the seekers of truth. It wards off the evil effect of unhealthy atmosphere, it sanctifies the cause of the fast and keeps the true believer in direct communion with Allah, and it does but speaks His own words.

Only constant experience can tell the tremendous amount of pleasure one finds in reading the Holy Quran.

"Says verily, my prayer, my sacrifices, my living and my dying are but offerings to Allah, the Lord of Creation" - like a beacon of hope for the faithful, these heartening words occur in the Holy Quran to strengthen the hearts of the believing Muslim in the realness of their whole-hearted surrender to Allah.

What has the believing Muslim to fear after reading this clear promise by Allah of His nearness to His servants, not only throughout this life but also in the hereafter?

In the holy month of Ramadan, especially, this promise of Allah's has a particular significance for the believing Muslim who dedicates his prayers and his sacrifices (in the form of his fasts) up to Allah, the Lord of Creation.

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Holy Prophet Muhammad's (saw) Teachings about the Month of Ramadhan

Imam al-Baqir (A.S.) said that Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to face the people and say: "O ye people, when the crescent of the month of Ramadhan shines, all devils will be chained, the doors of heaven will open, while the doors of hell will be closed; prayers will be answered... Then with the advent of the month of Shawwal, the believers will be told to count their rewards... These rewards, I swear by God, could not be compared with material rewards of money". Yes, all these blessings are awarded by the blessing of the Holy Quran in the month of Ramadhan. But it is man who unties the devils by committing sins. It is he who opens the gates of Hell which Allah has closed. The Prince of the Faithful Imam Ali (A.S) said: "I asked Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) what are the best deeds in the month of Ramadhan, and he (saw) answered: "The best deeds are to deter oneself from doing what Allah made unlawful" and he (saw) cried: I asked him what he was crying for and he explained: "I am crying about what is going to happen to you in this month. I can almost visualize you praying to your God, when the most evil man in the history of mankind will stake you with his sword... The Prince of the Faithful then asked: "Would this ensure the safety and the wellbeing of my religion" To this Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) answered: "Yes it would, but who ever kills you will be killing me, and who hates you hates me, and who offends you is offending me. You are to me, in the same position as myself. Your soul is my soul, and your body is my body." May Allah bestow on us his blessings and guide us to fast the month of Ramadhan praying to Him and reciting His holy book.

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Shaikh Abul Futuh Razi narrates from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) that: He the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "On the night of Isra and Miraj (Shab-E-Meraj) when I ascended to the heavens, I saw an Angel who had a thousand hands. On each of his hands there were a thousand fingers, and he was counting something on them.

I asked Jibreel (pbuh) as to who that Angel was, and what was he counting? Jibreel (pbuh) replied that the Angel had been appointed by Allah to count the drops of rain, so that it may be known as to how many drops have fallen down to the earth.

I turned towards the Angel and asked him, "Do you know the total amount of the raindrops which have fallen down on the earth from the day Allah created this world till now"?

To which he replied, "O Prophet of Allah! I swear by my Lord who has chosen you (as a blessing) for mankind, verily I know the total amount of raindrops fallen on the earth till now. Even to the extent that how many drops have fallen in the wilds, in the prosperous lands, in the gardens, and also in the cemetery."

Then I told him that I was very much surprised by the power of his mind and intellect and the ability to remember, to which he replied, "O Prophet of Allah! Verily this ability to count proves futile when I try to count only one thing." I asked him as to what calculation was that. He replied, "When people of your Ummah gather at one place and send Salawat (Salat and salam) upon you, it is beyond my ability and capacity to count the rewards for it."

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O People! The month of Allah (Ramadhan) has approached you with His mercy and blessings. This is the month that is the best of all months in the estimation of Allah. Its days are the best among the days; its nights are the best among the nights. Its hours are the best among the hours.

This is a month in which he has invited you. You have been, in this month, selected as the recipients of the honors of Allah, the Merciful. In this holy month, when you breathe, it has the Sawab/thawab (heavenly reward) of 'Tasbeeh' (the praise of Allah on rosary beads), and your sleep has the thawab of worship.

Your good deeds are accepted in this month. So are your invocations. Therefore, you must invoke your Lord, in right earnest, with hearts that are free from sins and evils, that Allah may bless you, observe fast, in this month, and recite the Holy Quran.

Verily! The person who may not receive the mercy and benevolence of Allah in this month must be very unfortunate having an end as bad (in the Hereafter). While fasting, remember the hunger and thirst of tomorrow in Qiyamat. Give alms to the poor and the needy. Pay respects to your elders.

Have pity on those younger than you and be kind towards your relatives and kinsmen. Guard your tongues against unworthy words, and your eyes from such scenes that are not worth seeing (forbidden) and your ears from such sounds that should not be heard by you.

Be kind to orphans so that when your children become orphans they also may be treated with kindness. Do invoke that Allah may forgive your sins. Do raise your hands at the time of Salat (Prayers), as it is the best time for asking His mercy. When we invoke at such times, we are answered by Him, when we call Him, He responds, and when we ask for anything, it is accepted by Him.

O People! You have made your conscience the slave of your desires; make it free by invoking Him for Istighfar (repentance/forgiveness). Your back is breaking under the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate before Him for long intervals and make it lighter.

Do understand fully well that Allah has promised in the name of His Majesty and Honor that He will not take to task such people who fast and offer Salat in this month and perform 'sajda' (prostration), and will guard their bodies against the Fire of Hell on the Day of Judgment.

O People! If anybody amongst you arranges for the Iftar (food for the ending of the fast) of any believer, then Allah will give him a reward as if he has set free a slave. He will forgive his minor sins.

Then the companions of Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "But everybody amongst us does not have the means to do so?"

Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) told them: - Keep yourself away from the Fire of Hell, by inviting for 'Iftar', though it may consist of only half a date or simply with water if you have nothing else. O People! Anybody who may cultivate good manners in this month will walk over the 'Siraat' (Bridge) in 'Qiyamat', though his feet may be shaking.

Anybody who in this month may take light work from his servants (male or female), Allah will make easy his accounting on the Day of Judgment.

Anybody who does not tease others in this month, Allah will keep him safe from His wrath in Qiyamat. Anybody, who respects and treats an orphan with kindness in this month, Allah shall look at him with dignity in Qiyamat. Anybody who treats well his kinsmen, in this month, Allah will bestow His mercy on him in Qiyamat, while anybody who maltreats his kinsmen in this month, Allah will keep him away from His mercy, in Qiyamat.

Whoever offers 'Sunnat' (Recommended) prayers in this month, Allah will give him a certificate of freedom from Hell. Whosoever offers one 'Wajib' Salat in this month, for him the Angels will write the rewards of 70 such prayers, which were offered by him in any other months.

Whosoever recites repeatedly 'Salat and salam (Salawat)' on me, Allah will keep the scales of his deeds heavy, when in Qiyamat the scales of others will be tending towards lightness.

Whosoever recites in this month only one 'Ayat' (verse of the Holy Quran), he will be rewarded in a manner as if he had recited the full Holy Quran in the other months.

O People! The Gates of Paradise remain opened in this month. Do invoke that the gates may not be closed on you, while the Gates of Hell are closed. Do invoke that these gates may never be opened. During this month Shaytan (Saten) is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you.

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