The Objective of the Month of Ramadan | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

The Objective of the Month of Ramadan

Allah only discusses the act of fasting which is compulsory upon us in the month of Ramadan once in the Qur'an — once. He speaks about prayer 27 to 29 times. Speaks about taqwa about 115 times. Speaks about hajj more than a dozen times. Speaks about zakat in multiple places. But He speaks about siyam in the month of Ramadan once in the whole Qur'an.

And there are two verses which refer to the fasting of the month of Ramadan. The famous verse that we've heard multiple times:

This is the only time the name Ramadan is mentioned in the Qur'an. The only time. And then there is a pause for one verse. And the verse after that speaks about the internal benefits of the month of Ramadan — to become more grateful, to have more taqwa. And then there is a pause, and the verse after that speaks about the laws of the month of Ramadan — that we cannot eat, we cannot drink, we cannot do this, when we can start, when do we stop.

The Verse Sandwiched Between the Two

And coupled and sandwiched right between those two verses — the only two verses that speak about the month of Ramadan — is a very unique verse that we've all heard of, but it comes in this context. Right in between these two verses that discuss the beauty of this month, Allah says:

That when My slave asks of Me and where I am, let him or her know that I am extremely close. I am right there. And I will answer the caller's call whenever he calls. Let them call upon Me.

Our father would say to us that the number to Allah is three twos. It's three twos. What is it? Two drops of tears. Two raka'at. Two a.m. — middle of the night. Two a.m., no one is watching. Two drops of tears. Two raka'at. This will magnify and amplify the mercy of Allah.

So this verse is placed here not by coincidence, but by design. Where Allah is saying to us that one of the unique benefits and objectives of fasting is for a person to realize that they are close to Allah. That the objective of Ramadan is for that slave to understand: I am still close to Allah. In that nearness that I had felt — that was lost throughout the year, through our negligence, through our unawareness, through our leaving things and transgressing the orders of Allah — Allah is saying: despite all of that, when this month enters upon you, we should all experience and believe that we are close to Allah.

And the foundation of the benefits of this month are dependent upon that mentality. That I and Allah are close. That we and Allah have a relationship. And this relationship is strong. This relationship is unique. Allah has unconditional love for me. And in these difficult moments of not eating and drinking and hot summer days, through that, Allah wants to remind us: I am close to you. And you can still call Me. You can still think of Me. You can still use Me as a safety net. As a safety blanket. That I am always there for you. Regardless of what has happened throughout your year and what you went through, you are still close to Me.

Nearness to Allah in Moments of Difficulty

Nearness to Allah is normally experienced at the highest levels in moments of difficulty. Regardless of how much iman we have or we don't have, everyone experiences their highest moments in difficulty — where we are able to feel Allah at a different realm, and sense the help and the qudra of Allah. Anyone that has gone through any difficulty can attest to knowing how that feels. When there are no conversations that feel worth having, there are no foods that seem enjoyable, there are no friends that can give us a form of composure and support, there are no places which allow us to feel at home — in those moments where that person's heart is completely shattered, he finds a sense of salvation in speaking to Allah. He finds a sense of support in communicating with Allah.

In Ighathat al-Lahfan, Ibn al-Qayyim says that the only cure to a broken heart is to speak to Allah and to have a conversation with Allah. And in those difficult moments of resistance is where we experience Allah's nearness.

And Ramadan is also a month of resistance. And al-Ghazali says that it's not just a month of resisting food and drinks — it's also the month of resisting all those other habits that we have perhaps found so ordinary in our life. It's resisting what the eyes look at, it's resisting what the ears hear, it's resisting what we speak of. And Ibn al-Qayyim says: how is it so that Ramadan is a month where we are prohibited to do that which is permissible, and we feel that it is okay to be involved in that which is already impermissible? It was permissible for us to eat, permissible for us to drink, permissible for us to do all of these things — but now it becomes impermissible. And all the things that are already impermissible — it goes without saying that those are still things we should avoid to the best of our ability. What happens when we don't have time to eat and drink? We just talk more, right? And when we talk more we don't only talk about the best of things — our conversation flows towards the direction that can be ghibah, namimah, and so on and so forth.

Sabr, Salah, and Fasting

The nearness of Allah is felt when the physical body is going through some difficulties. And this is why when Allah says:

O you who believe, seek the nearness and the help of Allah through patience and prayer — Ibn Abbas says there is a consensus that sabr in this ayah means fasting. It is synonymous with fasting. Being patient is like fasting. Because we are holding back a natural urge to do something which is so normal to us. In that holding back is when we find Allah to be close to us.

The Examples of Maryam and Zakariyya

And we find this to be true not only in our ummah. The closest that Maryam felt to Allah is when she was fasting. When she had given birth to this miraculous child — this miracle baby in Isa — and now she is anxious, she is scared, she is wary, she is scared of the unknown. What are people going to say to me? And Allah says:

Eat and drink and be of good cheer. And if you see any person, say: I have vowed a fast to the Most Merciful. That I am fasting. I am in this moment of difficulty — I am fasting. And that's where she felt close to Allah. Where Zakariyya, in need of a child to carry on his legacy, Allah says to him: fast. The greatest miracles of prophets took place when they were fasting. When they were holding back a natural temptation. When they were holding back a natural urge.

So Allah is reminding us at the commencement of Ramadan: forget everything else for a moment. Forget having to pray more, fast, read more Qur'an, do more tilawat. I want you to know — sandwiched between these ayat — that you are still near Me. And I have not left you. I haven't let you go too far. So it is upon you to also love Me.

Allah says: O son of Adam, you haven't done Me justice. I love you so much but you don't respond with love. It is My right upon you that you love Me.

The Story of Mahmud and Ayaz

The Bitter Apple

There is a famous story of Mahmud and Ayaz. There was a king whose name was Mahmud, and he had a slave whose name was Ayaz. No one liked Ayaz. Ayaz was a person who came from the outside. He wasn't a part of the royal family. But he earned the trust of the king and he made him the treasurer. So people were jealous of him and were thinking of him as a spy or whatever he may be.

So one day, Mahmud calls all of his people — of his family, of the royalty — to his palace for breakfast. And he puts an apple in front of them and says: eat the apple. So everyone goes ahead and takes a bite of the apple. Every single one of them, without exception, takes a bite and spits it out. Except for Ayaz.

So the king says: you don't like my apple? What's wrong? Everyone replied: this apple is so bitter. How can we ever eat it? There's no way. So he looks at Ayaz and says: why did you eat the apple? He says: O king, I did not look at what you gave me. I looked at who gave it to me.

When we create and cultivate a relationship with Allah, we don't look at what He gives us. We see that it came from Him. And if it came from Him, there needs to be a goodness within. There needs to be some form of wisdom in it. Or else it wouldn't come from Him. I'm not looking at what you placed in front of me. I know that it came from you. And everything you've given me till today is good for me. So how can you give me something which isn't good for me? Ya Allah, whether you give me or you take from me — it's still coming from you.

Even the Prophet ﷺ felt this form of distance from Allah at a time — after the second year of Nubuwwah. And in that feeling of distance from Allah, Allah responded to him by saying: I swear by the morning light, I swear by the night's darkness — your Lord was never far from you. He never left you. But He is teaching you a lesson, that there is something better to come to you. It came from Allah. And if it came from Allah, that means I'm still close to Allah.

The Secret Cabinet

The second test they gave him — everyone kept saying that this Ayaz goes to his room every morning, and there's a cabinet that he has and he's doing something in it that no one knows of. Only he has a key for it. So he must be stealing your money. So the king goes to him and says: do you have a cabinet that no one has a key for? He says: yes, I do. Open the cabinet. He says: no, I don't want to open it. Open the cabinet.

So they go ahead and open the cabinet. And there is an old, raggedy, ripped-up pair of clothes, and there is a mirror. He says: O Ayaz, what is this? He says: O king, this is my secret. Every morning before I set out to work for you, I go into this cabinet, and I put these clothes on and look in the mirror. And I say to myself: O Ayaz, this is who you were when you walked into this palace. These were the clothes that you came in with. So look in the mirror and remind yourself that without Mahmud, this is who you actually are. You're a person that has no worth, wearing a pair of ripped-up clothes.

And from this, we understand what our relationship with Allah could be like. That every morning I start my day saying that I really don't have much. My ability to move, my ability to wake up came from Allah.

All praises to Allah who gave me life after giving me death. So I remind myself that when I start working in the day, I should not cheat You, I should not deceive You, because this is who I actually am without You.

My dear friends, brothers and sisters, if this is how a slave could think of his master in this world, what should be our sentiments with Allah? Ya Allah, what do I really have? If You decide today —

Allah said: if I decide to take something from you, the world can get together but they cannot give it to you. And if I decide to give you something, the world can get together to take it back, but they can never take it back.

The Advice to Ibn Abbas

When the Prophet ﷺ said to Ibn Abbas — a young boy riding behind him — and he says to him: O my young son, listen to this closely. These things will never change. Number one:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2516)

O my son, when you make du'a, only ask from Allah. Only ask from Allah. Don't ask from anyone else. Ask from Allah.

Ibrahim and the Fire

Ibrahim's story is a reminder of what happens when a person directs their help to Allah without any person in between them. When Ibrahim was being thrown into the fire, the books of tafsir narrate that the angels came down and said to him: O Ibrahim, do you need help? We can send water and extinguish this fire. Do you need help? And Ibrahim says: Were you sent? Or are you coming on your own? They said: we come on our own. Allah didn't send us. And he says:

Allah is enough for me. I don't need your help. And every angel that came, he responded in the same way. So when Allah decided to help Ibrahim, He did not use any physical form of help. He directed Himself to that fire and said:

Ibn Abbas says that when Allah said "O fire, become cool," every fire in the world became cool — not knowing who was being spoken to. And then he says: if Allah had not said wa salaman — "and become a place of peace" — it would have been so cold that he would have frozen over. So Allah said: wa salaman, become a place of peace as well. He directed his help directly to Allah without using anyone else. This is not a religion where we need people in between. Christianity has perhaps that. We can speak to Allah directly.

Remembering Where We Came From

What is up with this human being? It's literally what it means. What's up with this human being? It's like when parents have kids and the kids grow up and become somewhat arrogant and egotistic, and the father and mother say: what happened to this guy, man? Just a few years ago he was hardly crawling. Just a few years ago she hardly knew how to drive a car. What happened? Did we blink and miss something? Allah is saying: what happened to this human? Just a little while ago there was no strength in their teeth — they couldn't bite, they couldn't chew. There was no power in their hands. What happens when a child first learns how to grab? How excited do the parents become? You had hands, but you couldn't grab with them. Min ayyi shay'in khalaq — this is why in tafsir it is said that for a person to truly remember who they are, they should never forget where they came from and where they're going. Allah says: you all came from this clot of blood and your ending is the same. If your beginning is the same and your ending is the same, then why struggle in between to compete with things that perhaps are not worth competing for.

Allah says: the successive competition of things has made you forget about things that are actually important. And when do you remember? The moment you visit the graveyard.

The graveyard is — as Shaykh Suleiman Munir, the great scholar, says — the most silent place with the loudest message. It is the most silent place with the loudest message. When a person goes to the graveyard, he realizes that there is no difference between a king and a slave. You can't tell the difference.

It says: how many people were healthy but they died without a sickness?

The grave is a place of amal — of deeds. The currency that holds value in the court of Allah never fluctuates. And that currency is good deeds. Bitcoin, everything comes, changes, moves. The currency that holds value in the court of Allah never changes.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2450)

The Prophet ﷺ says: know that the reward of Allah is very expensive. And it's worth it. The reward that Allah has in store for us is Jannah — where a person will never feel the sense of sorrow and grief. That in itself is enough to understand the beauty of Jannah. That I will not have to grieve anymore. I won't have to cry, I won't have to struggle, I won't have to face my anxieties. That is the greatest reward of Jannah. I can just relax. I can be at ease.

The Third Test of Ayaz — Breaking the Diamond

And the third test that they gave to Ayaz — and I'll end with this. The king called everyone into his palace and said to them: take this diamond — this is the queen's diamond — and I want you to break it. So every person who came forward took the diamond and said: we can't break the diamond. The diamond is far too precious. We can't break the diamond. And they would let the diamond go. Finally, Ayaz comes, and the king says: break the diamond. He grabs the hammer and tries — obviously he can't break a diamond with a hammer — but he attempts to break it. The king says: stop, stop! What are you doing? Don't you know the diamond is so precious? Why would you break the diamond?

He said: O king, when you gave me an order, you left me with two options. Option one: break the diamond and preserve your order. Option number two: break your order and preserve the diamond. O king, your command is more worthy of keeping than the diamond. I would rather break the diamond and preserve your command, because your command is far more worthy.

My dear friends, brothers and sisters — for all of us, we have options. Break the diamond, preserve Allah's command. Or break Allah's command, preserve the diamond. We face these options on a daily basis. Do I compromise on this? Or do I break Allah's command? Every single morning we wake up, as the Prophet ﷺ says, we wake up as buyers and sellers. We either buy our deen by selling our dunya, or we buy our dunya by selling our deen. Every single morning, this is what's happening.

Building an Appetite for Worship

So I conclude with how we started. This month is — regardless of where we are — like the absolute common denominator that everyone shares. We all start from the same place. Allah said: you start Ramadan on the same starting line — that you are close to Me. And now you compete on who can get closer to Me. But no one is far from Me. Everyone starts close to Me.

And the way that this month of Ramadan works for us in the few days that we have left is: we build an appetite towards worship. Really, build an appetite towards worship. Here's an example — when there are kids, you gotta force feed them vegetables. You force feed them vegetables for long enough, and they build an appetite towards vegetables. Now they start liking it. There was a time you could just eat appetizers and be full. Now you walk into a wedding like: what's appetizers? I need a full course meal. And dessert. And I gotta take home as well. The appetite grew. Why did the appetite grow? Because the person grew. The person grew, got bigger, stronger, had more needs. So the appetite grew as well.

How is it so that we have the same appetite for spiritual worship for 10 years in a row? Did we not grow? So our appetite of worship needs to grow. And at times we force feed it — and then it becomes natural. Force feed it and the appetite grows. So this last week of Sha'ban is where we build our appetite for ibadah. And Ramadan comes around and we're able to continue giving ourselves as much as we need.

The Meaning of Ramadan — To Burn

Allah makes us among those that can truly define the word Ramadan — which means to burn away all of those things. Ramadan literally means to burn. That's what it means. Ramadan means a month of burning. And there are two reasons why it's called burning: A, it burns away our desires. And B, it burns away the fire of Jahannam. Because in Ramadan everyone is freed from the fire of Jahannam. And Allah allows us to learn how to burn away those desires.

And for the youngsters — I'm not speaking to the elders, because I have no right to speak to you in this way — but for the youngsters I would say: spend as little time as possible on these things. I always tell people: i'tikaf nowadays is not staying in the masjid for 10 days. I'tikaf is literally staying away from the phone for 10 days. That is i'tikaf. The whole idea of i'tikaf is to isolate. Why are we really isolated if we have these devices, right?

The Du'a of Jibreel on the Minbar

Allah gives us the ability to benefit from this month. Allow this month to be a month where we are forgiven. The Prophet ﷺ was standing on the minbar, and as he was climbing the minbar, on the first step he said: Ameen. On the second step he said: Ameen. On the third step he also said: Ameen. So the Sahaba were very curious: what are you doing, Rasulullah? It's not normal. Why do you say Ameen three times?

He said: on the first step, Jibreel made a du'a. He said: may Allah's curse be upon that person who finds their parents at an old age and still cannot enter Jannah. What an unworthy person of Jannah — and upon this person is a curse — because they had a shortcut to Jannah: to serve their parents. So Ramadan is also a month of service. I often tell people and myself and our own students: there's worship and there's service. The Prophet ﷺ's worship did not overwhelm his service, and his service did not compromise his worship. Because service was in the day and worship was at night. And a lot of us may have one that is dominant — which is fine — but we need to have both in order for us to be balanced.

And in the second du'a, on the second step, Jibreel made a du'a: may Allah's curse be upon that person who lives through the month of Ramadan and still leaves without being forgiven. When a person lives through Ramadan, it is literally like raining mercy. All we gotta do is hold our bucket up and make sure it doesn't have a hole in the bottom.

And Allah makes us among those that can be forgiven. Enjoy it. Recognize that it's really a month for us to realize how close we are to Allah. That's it. That's why that ayah came in between — to remind us, regardless of how you fast, what you do in your fast, you are close to Allah. And the benefit of this month is to remind us how close we are to Allah. And that is indeed a very empowering feeling — knowing that we are close to Someone who is so powerful. It gives us confidence.

How many times has it happened — youngsters are with five people and they're like, yeah man, let's go. Then you're alone, like — what happened? We're so strong, right? Our confidence oozes from our people. Or from people around us. We don't have people around us — we're not confident anymore. So our confidence comes from Allah.

May Allah's curse be upon the person who hears the name of our Habib ﷺ and does not send durood upon him. Because we were given this through the wasilah of our Prophet ﷺ. We were given Laylatul Qadr through our Prophet ﷺ. We were given Ramadan through our Prophet ﷺ.