Living the Quran

Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}It was the month of Ramadan in
which the Quran was ]first[ sent down as guidance for all people,
having ]in it[ clear proofs of ]Divine[ guidance and the
criterion.{]Quran 2:185[
Since that first Ramadan revelation, believers the world over and
across history have drawn nearer to Allaah Almighty, rejuvenated their
faith, found their purpose in life, saved their souls from hellfire,
and found the key to eternal happiness in Paradise with their Beloved
Lord through the Quran.
Almost exactly 1,433 years ago, the Beloved Messenger of
Allaahcommenced his journey form Makkah to Madeenah and laid the
foundations of the greatest community of believers ever to have lived.
Among the foundations of that Community of men and women was a radiant
and vibrant faith in Allaah Almighty, unflinching love for His
Prophetand brotherhood and sacrifice for each other. These virtues
were implanted in their souls by the Prophetthrough the guidance of
the Quran. The foundation of that Community was the Quran. The Word of
God was what that blessed Community stood for.
Allaah's speeches, delivered and explained to them by His impeccable
Messengerhad created and nurtured that community in Makkah for the
previous 13 years. In the second year of Hijrah or shortly afterward,
the verses about fasting were revealed that eventually made the
fasting of the month of Ramadan an obligation. Just like all other
foundational markers and rituals of that blessed Community, the month
of fasting was connected to the Quran.
The pillar of Islam prior to fasting, that of Prayer, was also built
around the Quran. The Prophetand his followers prayed from the very
beginning of his blessed call, and read Quran in it. The five regular
prayers had been revealed toward the end of Makkan life )in the year
10 or 12 of prophethood( at the occasion of the Prophet's Ascension
)Mi`raaj( to Heaven. The Quran had already alluded to the number of
obligatory prayers, their times, and content, and the Prophethad given
them their final form by way of instruction from the Archangel
Gabriel.
The month of fasting was designed, in the wisdom of Allaah, to
celebrate the Quran in a different way, but one which complemented the
prayer. While the regular prayers set the tone and the rhythm of the
daily life of the believers, Ramadan would challenge them and all
their spiritual descendants to soar even higher in their worship and
remembrance of their Creator, and specifically to rejuvenate that
daily routine of prayer.
Allaah, Most High, is, of course, all aware of His servants, whose
habitual practices inevitably become monotonous. Thus the heart rusts.
Feelings mellow. Intellectual acuity in the form of spiritual
understanding clouds over. Hence, perspectives blur. The journey of
faith begins to seem long and uneventful from day to day. Impulsive
and short-sighted—"Man has been created from haste"]Quran 21:37[—the
human being is nonetheless capable of rising to great heights,
provided he is prompted with proper reminders that hold his attention
to his task and path. For no matter how great the reward, how high the
stakes, when the human heart loses sight of its purpose and road, it
gives up the struggle. It needs peaks from where to see the end
clearly, oases wherefrom to fill up on hope in order to gain the
stamina required to cross the many difficult vales along the way.
The Month of Ramadan provides that climax, that summit, that
viewpoint. It comes with intense physical training. But its soul is
the Quran. It is only as good as the closeness to the Quran—both
spiritual and intellectual—that one attains in it.
Without exemplifying the meanings of the Quran, without pondering its
signs, and rethinking the whole life in a coherent way through it,
Ramadan becomes empty. That is why the Prophethas tied fasting and the
Quran together as the two intercessors on the Day of Judgment: The
Prophetsaid:"Fasting and the Quran will intercede on behalf of the
servant on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say: `O Lord! I
prevented him from food and satisfying his desires during the day.
Therefore, do Thou make mean intercessor for him.' The Quran will say:
`I prohibited him from sleeping at night, therefore, do Thou make me
an intercessor for him.' Thus shall they intercede'"]Ahmad[
An intervening plea, then: Let us both strive, then, you and I, to
make this Ramadan truly the month of the Quran, a month in which we
transcend the monotony of life and reach a new level of faith and
bliss. For we know not how many Ramadan peaks we have left before our
way ends.