“O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah (taqullah) with right observance,
and die not save as those who have surrendered (unto Him)” Qur'an 3 verse 102
There is no measuring equipment to gauge taqwah, therefore it cannot be determined by percentages or any sort of scale, at least here on Earth. Further, no one can be said to have a full dose of taqwah (say 100%). Hence, Ramadan is observed every year and not once in a lifetime like hajj. Every year, we need to increase our consciousness of God in all aspect of our life. Ramadan is the mechanism that provides the opportunity and activities to renew and increase our taqwah.
In Ramadan, we are more conscious of our sins and we stay clear of them so as not to vitiate our fast. Being Sin Aware is an act of taqwah. Although we made the efforts to avoid sins, but we would have been unable to achieve this by ourselves. Allah, Blessed is He, helped us by taking away the cause of temptation, the whisperer to waywardness, the voice of vice, Ash-Shaytan (The Devil). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” (Bukhari)
The soul has desires and if left unchecked, it will lead man to the very edge of disaster. The process of acquiring taqwah will discipline the soul from its desires and excesses. The soul desires to show off good deeds, but Ramadan teaches us that fasting (like others acts of worship) is personal between you and God; any action performed for the sake of showing off will not be accepted by God. Ramadan is used to tame the soul and nourish it with sincere intentions and actions. Not just the soul, Ramadan, through the process of pursuing taqwah, also adorns the character. A person of taqwah will possess a beautiful character, will have a helpful attitude, will be filled with humility and would desire a better society.
Well, to help us towards taqwah, certain characteristics and actions have been incorporated into Ramadan. Ramadan disciplines the desire for food, sleep, sex and leisure. We are encouraged to moderate these and be in control instead of our desires controlling us. We are also motivated to improve our relationship with the Qur'an. There are rewards for reading it, listening to it, memorising it, listening to its expositions and understanding its meaning. Further, we are scheduled to undertake some acts of worship (ibadah) like tarawih or qiyam-ul-Layl, dhikr (supplications), meditation and taking the sahur (early morning meal). Also, our earnings are supposed to be shared with others through abundance of sadaqah (charity), Sadaqat-ul-Fitr, iftar sponsorship etc. The daily hunger encourages us to feel what the less privileged feels on a regular basis.
Generally, Ramadan is a month of action, exhaustion and reformation. By the end of Ramadan you must be tired, if not, check if you seized the various opportunities and if you met your specific targets.
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