Ramadan the Great Blessing
Introduction
Every year, Muslims around the world wait eagerly for one special guest: the blessed month of Ramadan. It is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the month of fasting, prayer, charity, and mercy. For a believer, Ramadan is not simply a month in which we stop eating and drinking. It is a great blessing from Allah, a yearly opportunity to clean our hearts and come closer to our Creator.
Why do Muslims call Ramadan such a great blessing? The answer lies in what Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have told us about this month. When we understand its virtues, fasting stops feeling like a burden and starts feeling like a gift — thirty days in which the doors of Paradise are open and rewards are multiplied.
Ramadan in the Quran
Allah mentions Ramadan by name in the Quran, which shows its special rank among the months. He says: “The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs of guidance and the criterion between right and wrong. So whoever sights the month, let him fast it.” (Quran 2:185)
From this verse we learn two great honours of Ramadan. First, it is the month of the Quran: the greatest gift Allah gave to humanity began to be revealed in this month, so Ramadan and the Quran are forever connected. Second, fasting this month is a direct command of Allah and the fourth pillar of Islam.
The Month the Quran Came Down
Ramadan is blessed because of the night hidden within it: Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree. Allah dedicated a whole chapter of the Quran to it: “Indeed, We sent it down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.” (Quran 97:1-3)
One thousand months is more than eighty-three years — longer than most human lives. Worship on this single night, which falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan, carries the reward of a lifetime of worship. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever spends the Night of Qadr in prayer out of faith and hoping for reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1901; Sahih Muslim 760). No other month contains a night like this.
The Month of Forgiveness and Mercy
Ramadan is the month in which Allah frees people from the Fire in great numbers and forgives the sins of those who turn to Him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and hoping for reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 38; Sahih Muslim 760)
He also described the opening of Ramadan beautifully: “When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1899; Sahih Muslim 1079). With Satan chained, the whispers that push us towards sin grow weaker, and the believer finds it easier to pray, read Quran, and do good. Every night of Ramadan, Allah frees people from the Hellfire. A month in which forgiveness is this close is a blessing no wise person would waste.
Fasting: A Shield and a Special Reward
Every act of worship has a known reward, but fasting holds a unique place. Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi: “Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward it Myself.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1904; Sahih Muslim 1151)
Why is fasting so special? Because it is secret worship. A person could eat and drink in private and no one would know — yet they do not, purely for Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: “Fasting is a shield from the Fire.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1894). And in Paradise there is a gate called Ar-Rayyan, which only those who fasted will enter (Sahih al-Bukhari 1896; Sahih Muslim 1152).
A Training for the Whole Year
Ramadan is also a blessing because it trains us. For thirty days we practise patience, self-control, gratitude, and generosity, and these habits can reshape the rest of our year.
Patience and Self-Control
Fasting teaches us that we are stronger than our desires. If we can leave food, drink, and bad habits for Allah during the day, we can also leave sins, anger, and careless speech. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If one of you is fasting, let him not behave in an obscene or foolish manner. If someone fights with him or insults him, let him say: I am fasting.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1904; Sahih Muslim 1151)
Gratitude and Kindness to the Poor
Hunger reminds us of the daily reality of the poor and softens our hearts towards them, which is why charity increases in Ramadan. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most generous of people, and he was even more generous in Ramadan (Sahih al-Bukhari 6). Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast will have a reward equal to his, without reducing the fasting person’s reward at all (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 807).
Family and Community
Suhoor before dawn, Iftar together at sunset, and Tarawih prayers in the mosque bring families and communities together like no other time of year. Old disagreements are forgiven and mosques fill with worshippers. This unity is itself one of Ramadan’s great blessings.
Duas Are Answered in Ramadan
Ramadan is a month of accepted supplication. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There are three whose supplication is not rejected: the fasting person until he breaks his fast, the just ruler, and the supplication of the oppressed.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2526). Allah also tells us, right between the verses about fasting: “And when My servants ask you concerning Me — indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.” (Quran 2:186). What a blessing: a whole month in which our Lord invites us to ask.
Conclusion
Ramadan is called a great blessing because everything about it is a gift: the Quran was sent down in it, the Night of Decree hides within it, sins are forgiven in it, duas are answered in it, Paradise opens its gates for it, and hearts are trained and softened by it. The fast that looks difficult from the outside is, in reality, Allah’s mercy wrapped in a few hungry hours.
The wise Muslim prepares for Ramadan, values every day of it, and leaves the month better than he entered it. Even if we have wasted Ramadans in the past, this coming Ramadan can be different — starting with sincere intention today. May Allah allow us to reach Ramadan, accept our fasting, prayers, and charity in it, and make it a means of our forgiveness. Ameen.
