Welcome to the Blessed Month of Mercy
By Dr. Abd’nur
Every year, Muslims worldwide welcome the significant Islamic month of Ramadan. During this month, every Muslim above adolescence with a sound mind and body who can do so without harming their health must observe fasting (sawm) as one of the five obligatory practices in Islam (also known as the Five Pillars of Islam) from dawn to sunset.
Ramadan is anticipated to commence on Friday evening, February 28th, and conclude on Sunday evening, March 30th, pending the official moon sighting confirmation. The exact start date of Ramadan may vary across different Muslim regions, influenced by local moon sighting customs.
Fasting during Ramadan is a lifelong yearly duty, enjoined by the Quran, for every faithful Muslim. Failure to observe the fast of Ramadan without a valid excuse is considered “an unpardonable sin with eternal effects.”
The only ones exempted from fasting are young children below puberty, the permanently sick, the elderly who are too weak, and the mentally challenged. Others may also be temporarily exempted, such as women who are menstruating, pregnant, in labor, or nursing; those who are sick; soldiers on duty; travelers; and those performing heavy manual labor. These individuals may postpone their fast but must compensate for the days they missed once their circumstances allow.
Initially, during the Hijra (the migration of persecuted Muslims from Mecca to Medina), the day-long Jewish fast of Ashura was required for Muslims. However, after conflict with the Jews, Muhammad abandoned the original Jewish fast and instead required a month-long fasting.
Ramadan was selected as a time for individual spiritual renewal, a month-long thanksgiving for Muhammad’s victory at Badr, or a commemoration of Muhammad’s Night of Power. Tradition holds that it was during the final ten days of Ramadan, while Muhammad was fasting, that he received the Quran.
The fast calls for total abstinence from food, liquids, smoking, sexual activity, and even the drinking of non-emergency oral medicine or vitamins from sunrise to sunset for 29-30 days. Ramadan is a month of extreme religious devotion and self-denial, involving additional regulations such as no gambling, no cursing, no gossiping, no fighting or arguing, no lying, and no sinful actions. Even evil or sensual thoughts must be avoided, including violent movies, loud music, bad smells, or sweet perfumes.
During Ramadan, Muslims must read, recite, or listen to the Quran meditatively, perform good deeds for their neighbors, and make charitable contributions.
Muslims see Ramadan as a time of renunciation and self-denial, but also a time of joy. The breaking of the fast after sunset is a joyful social occasion, where family and friends gather for a meal. The celebratory atmosphere continues throughout the month and climaxes during Eid ul-Fitr (Feast of the Breaking of the Fast).
Caner & Caner (2002) describe Ramadan as an “antithesis to Christmas”, stating that it “pits the revelation of the Holy Bible against the revelation of the Qur’an.” However, Eid ul-Fitr shares similarities with Christmas, including family reunions, gift-giving, and exchanging of cards, as well as visiting relatives and friends.
According to Muslim scholars, the benefit of sawm depends on the intention of the one fasting. If a person engages in “normally undesirable behaviors,” their fasting is unacceptable to God. This is significant because “if God doesn’t accept your fasting, you may not go to heaven no matter what other good deeds you did.”
Various authors cite the life-changing benefits of Ramadan, such as reminding and training one for a life of sacrifice and dependence on God, making one pious, submitted, and committed to faith, acting as a remedial measure for vices, developing empathy for the poor, and deepening love, honesty, and social concern. It also enhances spiritual awareness, increases knowledge of the Islamic faith, helps one avoid sins throughout the year, and fosters a renewed appreciation for food and drink.
Emerick comments: “The real reward for a successful Ramadan is no less than the forgiveness of all our sins…. So, in addition to all the improvements Ramadan can make in our character and health, we get the slate erased and can start over.”
Scholars emphasize that Ramadan is a time of self-purification for Muslims. With these incentives, many non-Muslims have also started observing the Ramadan fast.
Muslims use various metaphors and symbols to express the spirit of Ramadan. It is often called the “Month of Mercy”, highlighting the blessings, forgiveness, and divine mercy believed to be abundant during this period. It is compared to a philosophical journey, as believers move toward self-awareness, self-development, and communion with Allah through fasting, prayer, and contemplation. Ramadan is also a time of self-reflection, meditation, deep thought, and soul-searching, where Muslims scrutinize their deeds, seek forgiveness, and strive for spiritual growth.
It is also known as the “Festival of Fasting”, emphasizing the core ritual of abstaining from food, drink, and other physical desires from dawn to sunset. Ramadan serves as a time of renewal and regeneration, when Muslims reaffirm their faith and religious practice. It is also called the “Month of the Quran”, as it is believed that the revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad began during this sacred month. Muslims are encouraged to read and reflect on the Quran. Finally, Ramadan is often referred to as the “blessed month”, as it is believed to be filled with opportunities for prayer, worship, and acts of charity, all of which are said to bring multiplied rewards.
This year, the SSD Interfaith Services Office is praying for God’s spiritual blessing on every Muslim in the Islamic world.
We invite you to join us in praying the oft-repeated Islamic prayer from the Qur’an: “Lead us to the Straight Way” (Al-Fatihah 1:6).
Let us pray that as our Muslim friends seek God, they may find Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
1 Caner & Caner, 2002, p. 127. “Sura 2:183-185…spells out the rationale for fasting….” (Zepp, 1992, p. 120).
2 Zepp, p. 128. “One scholar notes, ‘Abu Hurairah reports the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whoever breaks one day’s fast of Ramadan without an authorized permission form Allah, he will never be able to redeem it (with another) day’s fast, even if he fasts for eternity.’ The sin of abandoning this duty, therefore, is irreversible.” (Zepp).
3 Emerick, 2002, p. 145.
4 Caner & Caner, 2002, pp. 127, 128; Emerick, 2002, p. 145.
5 Newby, Sawm, 2004, p. 192.
6 Lewis, 1997, p. 27. “If the fast adversely affects one’s health, that person is exempted. Pregnant, nursing, and menstruating women are exempted and may compensate for their lost days during other times in the year” (Zepp, 1992, p. 121). See also Newby, Sawm, 2004, p. 192.
7 Watt, Bell’s Introduction to the Qur’an, 1970, p. 163. This is enjoined in Surah 2:183.
8 Machatschke, 1990, p. 14. This is enjoined in Surah 2.185.
9 Zepp, 1992, p. 120 and Watt, Bell’s Introduction to the Qur’an, 1970, p. 163.
10 Zepp, 1992, p. 120. “According to tradition, the night the Qur’an ‘came down’ – the Night of Power – occurred in Ramadan. The month of fasting builds up to the Night of Power, which generally falls on 27 Ramadan but is dependent on the timing of the new moon” (Baldock, 2004, p. 53). See also Machatschke, 1990, pp. 14, 15; Zepp, 1992, p. 120.
11 Newby, Sawm, 2004, p. 192; Emerick, 2002, p. 146; Baldock, 2004, p. 53; Zepp, 1992, p. 121 and Lewis, 1997, p. 27.
12 Emerick, 2002, p. 146.
13 Zepp, 1992, p. 121 and Baldock, 2004, p. 53.
14 Caner & Caner, 2002, p. 127. Muhammad is said to have commented, “Every good act that a man does shall receive from ten to seven hundred rewards, but the rewards for fasting are beyond bounds, for fasting is for God alone, and He will give the rewards.” (Adamec, Fasting, 2003, p. 94) It is further believed that during Ramadan, the recording angels “record each good deed as doubled or trebled or more” (Emerick, 2002, p. 147). See Zepp, 1992, p. 122.
15 Zepp, p. 121, 122.
16 Baldock, 2004, p. 53.
17 Zepp, 1992, p. 122.
18 Caner & Caner, 2002, p. 127.
19 Zepp, 1992, p. 122. During this festival, they “greet each other…with … ‘Eid Mubarak!…‘A Blessed ‘Eid to you!’ Gift giving is common, especially for children, and cards are exchanged” (Emerick, 2002, p. 149).
20 Baldock, 2004, p. 53.
21 Emerick, 2002, p. 146.
22 Emerick.
23 Zepp, 1992, p. 121.
24 Emerick, 2002, p. 146
25 Bowker, 1998, pp. 19, 20.
26 Zepp, 1992, p. 121.
27 According to the Quran, fasting aims to “gain more spiritual awareness” (Emerick, 2002, p. 146). (See Surah 2:183).
28 Emerick, 2002, p. 148.
29 Emerick, p. 149.
30 Zepp, 1992, p. 120
31 Emerick, 2002, p. 149. It should be noted, however, that Muslim scholars consider the fast of a Christian unacceptable to Allah. “Fasting is not obligatory on a non-Muslim because he is not commanded to fast and even if he decides to fast and follows all the regulations, it will not be accepted by Allah (SWT). If he or she wants to fast the Islamic fast, he has to declare the Kalimah first, and only then will the fast be accepted.” (Shu’aib). Also see Caner & Caner, 2002, p. 127.
