So we must check ourselves, are we following the behaviour ofthe
Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him)? For example:
Do we give salaam to those we don't know and those we do know? Do we
follow the manners of Islaam, by telling the truth and only telling
the truth? Are we sincere? Are we merciful tothe creation?
LESSON 6: Recognizing that one can change for the better
The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said,
"Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinnersare those who
repent." (Ibn Maajah) Allah providesmany opportunities to repent to
Him and seek Hisforgiveness. If one was disobedient they can become
obedient.
LESSON 7: Being more charitable
Ibn `Abbaas said, "The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace
upon him) was the most charitable amongst the people, and he used to
be more so in the month of Ramadaan when Jibreel used to meet him on
everynight of Ramadaan till the end of the month…" (al-Bukhaaree) The
Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "He who
gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, hewill receive the
same reward as him, without nothing being reduced from the fasting
person's reward." (at-Tirmidhee)
LESSON 8: Sensing the unity of the Muslims
The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "…
Those of you who will live after me will see many differences. Then
you mustcling to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided
khaleefahs. Hold fast to it and stick to it." (Aboo Daawood) In this
month we sense that thereis a possibility for unity, because we all
fast together, we break fast together, we all worship Allah together,
and we pray Salaatul-`Eid together. Therefore we sense that the unity
of Muslims is possible. It is possible for Muslims to be a single
body, but this will only be achieved when obedience is only to Allah
and His Messenger.
LESSON 9: Learning discipline
The Prophet (ma Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) made us
adhere to discipline and strictness, strictness that does not lead to
fanaticismor going outside the bounds that Allah has laid down. One
cannot knowingly break the fast before the sunset, as this will not be
accepted by Allah. Muslims should learnto be very strict in their
lives, because they are people of an important message, which they
moldtheir lives around.
LESSON 10: Teaching the young to worship Allah
It was the practice of the people of Madeenah, that during the fast of
`Aashooraa (which is now a recommended fast of one day) to get their
children to fast with them. When the children would cry of hunger and
thirst, their parents would distract their attention by giving them
some sort of toy to play with. The children would break their fast
with their parents. (as mentioned in al-Bukhaaree).
So the young should be brought to the masjid and they should pray with
their parents, so that they are able to get into the habit of becoming
worshippers of Allah. If one does not encourage children to fast when
they are young, they will find it very difficult to fast for thirty
days at the age of puberty. This is why the Prophet (may Allah send
His blessing and peace upon him) said, "Commandyour children to pray
at the age of seven and spank them at the age of ten (if they do not
pray." (Haakim)
LESSON 11: Caring for one's health
Fasting has many medical benefits and it teaches Muslims to take care
of their health and too build strong bodies. The Prophet(may Allah
send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "A strong believer is
better and is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is
good in everyone." (Muslim)
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