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Rasoolullah
(sallallahu `alaihe wasallam) said: "Every good action
of the son of Adam shall be multiplied ten to seven hundred
times. But Allah Almighty says, "Fasting is exemption,
because it is for Me, and I shall Myself reward for it, as
he gives up his passions and food for Me". The one who
fasts gets two joys, one at the time of iftar and the other
when he will meet his Lord. Certainly the smell of the mouth
of fasting man is liked Allah more than the fragrance of Musk.
(Sihah-I-Sitta)
Fasting
is the means of forgiveness for past sins
Rasoolullah (sallallahu `alaihe wasallam) said: "Whoever
fasted during Ramadan with faith and hope of seeking its reward
from Allah, his past sins will be forgiven".
(Bukhari and Ahmad)
Satans
are chained during Ramadan
The messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alaihe wasallam) said:
"When the month Ramadan comes, the gates of Jannah are
opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the satans are
chained". (Agreed upon)
Specific
door of Jannah for a fasting man
In paradise, there is a gate, which is called "Rayyan".
It is said that those who fasted will be called to it (to
enter into Jannah through this gate). Therefore, all those
who fast will enter through it. And one who entered through
it will never be thirsty. (Bukhari and Muslim)
One
who gives iftar to a fasting man gets equal reward
Whoever gives iftar to a fasting man, will get reward equal
to the reward of fasting man. And there will be no cut in
the reward of fasting man. (Tirmizi-Nasai-Ibn Maja)
Warning
against breaking the fast
If any one who (intentionally) breaks one fast of Ramadan
without any valid excuse, he cannot shall never be able to
recoup that even by fasting for the rest of his life. (Tirmizi,
Abu Dawood, Ahmad, Ibne Maja)
How
to get these merits?
To get the merits mentioned above, it is indispensable to
refrain from all types of sins and bida`at, and that tongue,
ear, hands, feet, eyes, nose, heart and mind are characterized
by obedience and devoid of sins.
One should try to save himself and others from disobeying
Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu `alaihe wasallam) in earning
a livelihood, mutual dealings, social behavior and in all
the matters concerning the rights of Allah and the rights
of human being.
Fast is a magnificent worship; the Holy Quran has regarded
it to be a prescription for renouncing sins. There are a lot
of people who have been observing fasts of Ramadan for fifty
and sixty years, but there are no prominent changes in their
lives. Even after fasting for several years, they continue
to commit the sins. The only reason for this is that the Muslim
of today do not keep fasts with the intention of warding off
evils, and they do not fast with the effort of avoiding sins
that is indispensable for the cure of internal diseases.
Fast of such people, according to Jumhoor `Ulama, will be
only meant for discharging the obligation, but they cannot
get any rewards and virtues of it. Therefore Rasoolullah (sallallahu
`alaihe wasallam) said: "One who does not give up untruthful
words and actions, Allah is not in need of his being hungry
and thirsty (i.e Allah will not accept his fasting) Bukhari
"There are many people who do fast but do not get any
reward for fasting except for hunger and thirst. And there
are many people who worship in the night but do not get any
reward except for (discomfort of) staying awake. IbnMaja-Nasai
(2) In the present age, merits are described with
much emphasis but there is very little mention of the things
that hinder the achievement of those merits. As a result,
a misconception has become established among the people that
they would continue to commit sins and in the end they would
get all the sins of past and future forgiven through Laila-tul-Qadr
or some other good deed. So, it should be kept in mind very
clearly that the Hadiths which speak about the forgiveness
of sins through fasting, prayer in laila-tul-Qadr or any other
good deed, refer to the forgiveness of minor sins only.
Watching T.V, VCR, singing and listening to music and songs,
photography without any need, keeping pictures in the house,
back-biting and its listening, shaving or trimming of beard,
women's non-observance of Hijab, men's not covering ankles,
make earning through bank, insurance or any other haram means,
accept invitations and gifts from people who involved in it,
buying or selling in prohibited ways and shirking the obligatory
duties are major sins and one cannot have his sins forgiven
until he repents of these sins with a vow not to repeat them.
Sins are not forgiven merely by performing a good deed.
Therefore its due upon every Muslim that from the very beginning
of this month, he should avoid every sin completely and keep
fasts with an intention to give up the sins, which have become
his habit.
If the short time of Ramadan is spent in observance of these
codes, one will, Insha-Allah, find himself equipped with a
spiritual strength and get rid of sins which destroy one's
life in this world and the Hereafter. The prescription by
Allah can never by wrong
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