Fasting in Ramadan as God's law and a blessing for the soul, with the Quran's revelation in the Night of Power and Muhammad's role as a follower of Abraham. With Thanksgiving falling during Ramadan, it urges daily appreciation of God. A second article explains meditation on God at night and dawn, prostration, and why God's names are not limited to 99.
R amadan
is the ninth lunar month in the Islamic calendar. Muslims (Submitters)
all over the world fast each day of this month from dawn to the sunset.
During fasting, the Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking and sexual
encounter. This is God’s law and stated in the Quran:
…You may eat and drink until the white thread of
light be-comes distinguishable from the dark thread of night at dawn.
Then, you shall fast until sunset. Sexual intercourse is prohibited if
you decide to retreat to the masjid (during the last ten days of Ramadan).
These are God’s laws; you shall not transgres
them. God thus clarifies His
revelations for the people, that they may attain salvation. (2:187)
Contrary to what many people believe, Muhammad is not the founder of
Islam (Submission). He was a follower of Abraham to whom God taught the
religious duties Submitters practice today (). Muhammad’s role
was to deliver the Quran to mankind, and purify the message and the practices
of religion distorted by the idol worshippers.
God revealed the Quran into Mu-hammad’s memory during Rama-dan in
the Night of Power (17:1, 44:3, 97:1-5). It was then gradually released
from his memory in
accordance with God’s will and written
down by him with the help of Gabriel over a period of 23 years.
Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed,
providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book.
Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein. Those who are
ill or traveling may substitute the same number of other days. God wishes
for you conven-ience, not hardship, that you may fulfill your obligations,
and to glorify God for guiding you, and to express your apprecia-tion.
(2:185)
Page 2
Ramadan
The religious practices instituted by God are blessings from God.
If we can practice our religious duties as we are supposed to, we
draw many benefits. Furthermore, these practices allow us to be
more conscious of God in our lives. They essentially constitute
the nourishment required for the growth and development of our souls
to make it to Heaven. They are for our own good. God is in no need
of any of our prayers and worship.
Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the obligatory duties
for the Submitters. Since Ramadan is a lunar month and the lunar
calendar moves through our Gregorian calendar, it makes Ramadan
move through the seasons. Fasting allows us to learn self-discipline
and restraint. It allows our soul to control our body and not our
physical appetites and desires to control us. Fasting is therefore
important for our salvation:
O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as
it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation.
(2:183)
Thanking God
God tells us to fast in order to glorify God and to express our
appreciation to Him for guiding us.
The Quran gives us specific examples of what happens to the communities
when they fail to remain appreciative of God’s blessings.
GOD cites the example of a community that used to
be secure and prosperous, with provisions coming to it from everywhere.
But then, it turned unappreciative of GOD's blessings. Consequently,
GOD caused them to taste the hardships of starvation and insecurity.
Such is the requital for what they did. (16:112)
Furthermore, God gives us the example of Sheba's homeland. When
they became unappreciative, God turned their beautiful, productive
gardens into gardens with thorny plants and skimpy harvest (34:15-17).
With Thanksgiving Day falling during
Ramadan this year, let us remember that we need to be appreciative
and thankful every single day.
Your Lord has decreed: "The more you thank Me,
the more I give you." But if you turn unappreciative, then
My retribution is severe. (14:7)
Abdullah
Page 3
Meditation
Another great way
to worship God
God has created so many wonderful ways for us to worship Him and
come ever closer and closer to Him. The religious duties and laws
which form an integral part of our lives help us do this all the
time. As yet another great way to worship God and strengthen their
souls, God has enjoined believers to meditate, several times in
the Quran. If believers wish to be raised to an honorable rank in
God’s eyes and earn His mercy, they should make the most of
this opportunity (25:64, 9:112).
17:79 During the night, you shall meditate for
extra credit, that your Lord may raise you to an honorable rank.
39:9 Is it not better to be one of those who
meditate in the night, prostrating and staying up, being aware of
the Hereafter, and seeking the mercy of their Lord?…
The dictionary gives us several meanings for the word meditate,
some of which are ‘reflect, contemplate, ponder and think
over’, all of which indicate that meditation involves a state
of conscious and focused thinking or reflection about something.
Since our salvation is highly dependent on our thinking about God
as much as we can (2:152, 33:41-42, 62:10), obviously, the requirement
to meditate (or reflect) in the Quran means that we must meditate
on God. The meditation can be upon His name, His great attributes
or His wonderful creations; anything that makes us reverently conscious
of Him, remember Him and love Him for what He really is.
3:190-191 In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the
alternation of night and day, there are signs for those who possess
intelligence. They remember GOD while standing, sitting, and on
their sides, and they reflect upon the creation of the heavens and
the earth....
Meditate on God
It is necessary to realize that the objective of meditation talked
about in the Quran, must be meditation (Zikr) on God. This is a
very important aspect because when most people refer to meditation,
they are not referring to a plan to meditate or reflect upon God.
Some people spend hours and big amounts of money learning various
forms of meditation in the hope that they can concentrate better
on things or be more at peace with themselves because of pressures
created by excessive worldly pursuits. The methods involve adopting
rigid postures, reciting mantras, attempting trance-like states
or even making the mind go completely blank, but never with the
objective of consciously remembering or commemorating God. Why would
believers want to deliberately make their minds go blank and unaware
when they could use the same precious moments to consciously remember
and be aware of God?
7:205 You shall remember your Lord within yourself,
publicly, privately, and quietly, day and night; do not
be unaware.
On the other hand, believers get the best of all benefits when
they meditate on God because they get to develop the soul as well
as experience a sense of relaxation, assurance and happiness (20:130).
How does one meditate; what is the
technique?
3:191-194 They remember GOD while standing, sitting,
and on their sides, and they reflect upon the creation of the heavens
and the earth: "Our Lord, You did not create all this in vain.
Be You glorified. Save us from the retribution of Hell....
As we see from the above verses, there is no particular position
or technique for meditation or reflection upon God, and believers
may have different ways to enjoy this. Some may prefer to lie down;
some may choose to go for a walk or a drive in the car while thinking
about all His wonderful creations; some may fall prostrate (recommended
in the Quran) or be with a group of believers and sing His praises
(15:98). While any time is always the best time to think or reflect
upon God (3:41, 19:11), the Quran makes specific mention of meditation
at night and dawn.
3:17 They are steadfast, truthful, submitting,
charitable, and meditators at dawn.
73:6 The meditation at night is more effective, and more
righteous....
73:20 Your Lord knows that you meditate during two-thirds of the
night, or half of it, or one-third of it, and so do some of those
who believed with you...
Though we are free to meditate as we wish, believers should also
take note of the references in the Quran about falling prostrate
before God and seeking His mercy, in addition to the requirement
to meditate on God (3:113, 7:206, 9:112, 25:64, 39:9, 50:40, 53:62,
76:26, 96:19).
Page 4
Meditation
Prostration, as all believers are blessed to experience, is one of the
body positions in the powerful Contact Prayer (Salat), where we put out
foreheads down on the floor while glorifying our Lord that He is the Most
High (Subhaana Rabbiyal A’laa). Prostration is a very humble pose
of supplication and possibly assists us in ‘feeling’ the prayers
and repentance we make to God in this position (19:58).
25:64 In the privacy of the night, they meditate on
their Lord, and fall prostrate.
Meditate on what?
The answer is probably the most obvious and abundant, yet Satan manages
to stall us into wondering about even this. God is Omniscient and Omnipresent.
Everything that we see around us and within ourselves is a sign from Him.
It is His and is because of Him. There is absolutely no limit to His beau-tiful
names and attributes (7:180, 20:8), or His beautiful creations (67:3-4,
40:57), or His Infinite Grace (8:29, 57:21), or the endless blessings
He showers upon us (14:34, 16:18), or the innumerable times He has mercy
upon us
(18:58, 22:65) and so on. The meditation content
is already there in front of us and around us without limits (3:190, 51:20).
Just make your intention to meditate on Him and you may be surprised to
find how quickly you will be on your way. Here are some starters from
the Quran.
59:23 He is the One GOD; there is no other god beside
Him. The King, the Most Sacred, the Peace, the Most Faithful, the Supreme,
the Almighty, the Most Powerful, the Most Dignified. GOD be glorified;
far above having partners.
23:116 Most exalted is GOD, the true Sovereign. There is no other god
beside Him; the Most Honorable Lord, possessor of all authority.
The 99 names of God
God has given us several of His names and attributes in the Quran. Popular
among traditional Muslims is a set of names referred to as ‘The
99 names of Allah’ which they may use for their zikr or in their
supplications. While it is good to have a list of God’s names and
attributes, it is a misleading idea to stop at only 99 names. God tells
us that we can never fathom His greatness (39:67) while to
Him belong all the best names and ascend all
the good words (7:180, 17:110, 20:8, 59:24). Therefore, to advocate only
these 99 names as a standard set of names for God is suggesting a limitation
to His greatness. Believers are entirely free to perceive and meditate
on God as they wish.
17:110 Say, "Call Him GOD, or call Him the Most
Gracious; whichever name you use, to Him belongs the best names."
...
59:24 He is the One GOD; the Creator, the Initiator, the Designer. To
Him belong the most beautiful names. Glorifying Him is everything in the
heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty, Most Wise.
Indeed, meditation is another great and powerful way to worship God.
So God willing, let us hasten to take advantage of all the ways He has
created for us to worship Him, and relax in His assurance that He will
look after us.
26:217-220 And put your trust in the Almighty,
Most Merciful. Who sees you when you meditate during the night. And your
frequent prostrations. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
Kais R.
About this work
Kind
Document
Author
International Community of Submitters
Publisher
International Community of Submitters / Masjid Tucson