How Do Muslims Respond to Ramadan?       

    Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“When the first night of Ramadan comes the devils and the rebellious jinn are chained, the gates of hell are locked and not one of them is opened; the gates of paradise are opened and not one of them is locked, and a crier calls, ‘You who desire what is good, come forward, and you who desire evil refrain.’ Some are freed from hell by God, and that happens every night.”

Being blessed with the opportunity to reach Ramadan is a great gift from Allah that every believer should appreciate, especially the believers whose hearts and minds are filled with love and fear of Allah. For this reason, the righteous predecessors used to make Dua for six months that may Allah reach them to Ramadan for its great virtues.

    If Allah bestows this blessing upon you and allows you to witness Ramadan, you should appreciate this blessing and seize this opportunity, and seize this opportunity. It is a great loss to let Ramadan pass without taking advantage of its blessings, and you miss all the ways which lead to Mercy of Allah, The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, “May a man upon whom Ramadan enters and then passes, before he is forgiven, be humiliated.” Generally, people differ in how they respond to the commands of Allah, Some wrong themselves, some are moderate, and some are foremost in good deeds by the permission of Allah. So, how do people differ in the way they respond to Ramadan and what are the types of people who fast in Ramadan?

 

Three Types of People Who Fast in Ramadan

Scholars have divided types of people who fast in Ramadan into three types:

The First Type: Fasting Without Guarding the Tongue and Limbs

This type of Muslim refrains from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset but continues to commit sins with the tongue and limbs. For example, he abandons food, drink, and sexual intercourse, but his tongue engages in backbiting and gossip. Abu Hurairah (BAA) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions and does not abandon foolishness, Allah is not in need of his leaving food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his FASTING).” His heart becomes tainted by sins and evil deeds. This type of people of fasting Ramadan may abandon sexual intercourse but he continues to look at inappropriate content. Allah has commanded Muslims to avoid:

”Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts”, and Allah commanded women with the same rule. It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are those who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night.” This type suffers the greatest loss, may Allah not gather us with them.

The Second Type: Fasting While Avoiding Sin

  This type of Muslim avoids the invalidators of fasting and guards his tongue and limbs against sins and wrongdoing. This type refrains from lying, gossiping, backbiting, and giving false testimony. He refrained from listening to Haram (forbidden contents), at the same time, he protects his entire body from committing forbidden acts. Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu’z Zinad from al-A’raj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Fasting is a protection for you, so when you are fasting, do not behave obscenely or foolishly, and if any one argues with you or abuses you, say, ‘I am fasting. I am fasting.’ People of this type truly benefit from the countless blessings of Ramadan, which are reflected in the way they live. Their hearts are filled with both love and fear of Allah. They understand the purpose behind Allah’s command to fast.

He says:

”O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ), Surah AlBaqarah: (1:183).

The Third Type: Striving for Excellence in Ramadan

These are the people who strive for excellence in their fasting and worship. They follow all of Allah’s commands related to Ramadan, They go beyond simply fulfilling the basic requirements of fasting. They guard their hearts against evil feelings and their minds against sinful thoughts. In addition, they strive to perform many good deeds during Ramadan. in the month of Ramadan. Their days are filled with various acts of worship and obedience to Allah, such as performing night prayers, reading the Quran, and giving charity. They make dua to Allah, asking Him to give them the strength to obey His commands and stay within His limits.