RAMADAN 1

Ramadan is the ninth month of the islamic calendar, it is a time when muslims all over the world observe fasting every day of the month. During this period muslims all over the world abstain from eating, drinking, and other physical needs in the daytime.

The Arabic word for "fasting" (sawm) literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words. Ramadan is a time when muslims re-evaluate their lives in light of islamic conduct. During this holy period, not only the mouth is restrained (from eating and drinking), but all other body parts must be restrained also. The tongue must be restrained from gossip, backbiting, and other forms of vulgarity, the eyes must abstain from looking at illicit things, the hand must do well to refrain from doing bad or taking what it does not own, the ears must desist from listening to oscene words or idle talks, the feet must refrain from going to sinful places e.t.c. But i think that the most important part or organ of the body which must be controlled to refrain the most during this blessed month, is the heart.

Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of Allah, in trying to do that, one must find solace in his heart, and control the needs and desires of the heart. We must restrict our heart desires and we do so with the help of the aforementioned fasting of other parts of the body. During this blessed month we must suppress our hearts and do away with the hype to attain worldly things and reflect back on our lives and how we can be better muslims. 'When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object' Ramadan is a time when we must battle our hearts, and only accept the good it suggests, it's a time when we resist from falling for the clutches of unreasonable judgements of the heart. When somebody offends you, supress your heart and move on, when your heart tempts you to react badly, supress your heart and move on, when you are tempted towards something amiss or something abominable, don't listen to your heart, listen to your stomach and remind yourself that you cannot be hungry for no reason with no reward at the end of the day. The heart they say has its reasons which reason knows not. We must devote our time and our resources during the month of ramadan, and also conquer our hearts, if we hope to achieve the endless blessings and bounties of this blessed month. I wish my brothers and sisters all over the world a blessed Ramadan and may Allah spare us to see many more to come. Alhamdulillah