Introduction
Muslims observe fast because it is one of the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars of Islam are:
- To worship only God, the Creator of everything and to shun worship of anyone or anything other than God.
- To perform the prayer five times a day
- To pay the poor people’s tax as charity
- To perform the Hajj pilgrimage and
- To fast during the month of Ramadan
What is Ramadan and why is it special?
Ramadan is one of the twelve months in Islamic calendar. Ramadan is the month in which God revealed the Quran to mankind. Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan to express their gratitude to God and to acquire the noble traits of patience and piety.
What is the Quran?
The Quran is the final scripture sent by God to the whole of humanity. The Quran was not authored by Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). The entire Quran is the Word of God which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) through angel Gabriel. The Quran has remained unchanged without any loss, amendments, additions or deletions for the last 14 centuries.
Is the Quran only for Muslims?
No! The Quran introduces itself as a message of guidance sent by God for the whole of humanity. The Quran helps us distinguish between good and evil.
Surely, this (Quran) is a message to the whole world!
Quran Chapter 81 Verse 27
What does the Quran teach?
The Quran primarily teaches us three important things. They are:
1. Purpose of our Existence
The Quran’s message of our purpose of existence can be summarized in four points. They are:
- Worship our Creator alone and do not worship the creations like idols, images, sun, star, planets etc.
- Do not elevate anyone or anything to the status of God.
- Do not deny the existence of God.
- Live a life of obedience to God by following the way of life given by God.
2. Characteristics of God
- God is only One and there is none equal to God.
- God is all powerful and not like His creations.
- God is not in need of anything like food, sleep, family, wife, children etc. Hence, God does not sleep, eat or have parents, wife and children.
- God has no weaknesses. God does not get tired or forget or make mistakes.
- God loves all humans, and does not differentiate on the basis of caste, colour, race or descent (vamsha).
3. Life after Death
The world will come to an end one day. All the human beings from the first man to the last will be brought back to life on the Day of Judgment and will be questioned for their deeds. People who have worshiped the One true God and did good deeds will receive a reward and people who have disobeyed God will be punished. The reward will be Paradise and the punishment will be Hell. The life in Paradise and Hell will be eternal and never-ending.
Please do check our articles “Is there life after death” and “Do we have birth and rebirth cycles?”
What is so unique about the Quran?
The uniqueness of the Quran is that it addresses the root cause of all human problems and provides practical solutions by providing complete guidance and a criterion on every aspect of human life like economics, law, trade, politics, psychology, marriage, divorce, gender issues, inheritance, counseling, parenting etc. The Quran’s message is eternal and universal, transcending our differences in race, color, ethnicity and nationality.
How do Muslims observe fasting?
Muslims do not eat or drink and avoid conjugal relations from dawn till sunset. However, that is merely the physical aspect of the fast; the spiritual aspects of the fast include controlling all our senses by staying away from evil acts.
The tongue does not lie, abuse or backbite; the eyes do not look at unlawful things; the hands do not commit evil acts; the ears do not listen to evil and dirty talk; and the feet do not go to sinful places. Thus, every part of the body observes the fast and purity of both thoughts and actions are emphasized while fasting.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“He who does not stay away from indecent language and evil acts (during the period of fasting), God is in no need of his giving up food and water.”
Bukhari # 6057
Why should you read the Quran?
Irrespective of the religion we practice, we are all cherished by our Merciful God. The bounties and favors from God we enjoy every moment are innumerable. The least we can do in return is to be grateful to our Creator Who has given us so much and the Quran teaches us how to express that gratitude. It invites all of us to lead a life of obedience to our Creator and thus achieve peace in this world and also in the life after death. To read the Quran in your own language, click here.
