MyISLAM

Wednesday, 18 February 2026

The A to Z of the Holy Month of Ramadan

We are blessed to benefit from yet another holy month in our lifetime. Ramadan is nearly here and we all are spiritually charged and excited to receive unlimited bounties. It is the time of the year when we try to please Allah and are rewarded with the limitless mercies of Allah.

If you haven’t felt the thrill yet, then read on.

Listed below are the A to Z of Ramadan, the benefits, wisdom and lessons one learns from the fasting bonanza.

Abstinence

As-Siyam or fasting means to “abstain from something.” In Ramadan, one should abstain from food, drink, marital relations and other actions that displease Allah, from dawn to dusk with the explicit intention of doing so for the sake of the Almighty.

Blessings

The blessings and benefits of Ramadan fasting are too many to be listed. Some of these include: The blessed Holy Quran was revealed in this month, the doors of the heaven are opened, while the doors of the hell are closed and the devils are chained.

Charity

The benefits of charity to the poor and needy are tremendous. Ibn ‘Abaas said:

“The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most charitable among the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Jibreel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month.” (Bukhari)

The Prophet said:

He who gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the same reward as him, without nothing being reduced from the fasting person’s reward. (Tirmidhi)

Du’a

Ramadan is a great time to make dua (supplication). A dua list will ensure that you will not miss out on any important dua that you want to make to Allah during this holy month. The Messenger of Allah said:

The dua of the fasting person will not be refused. (Reported by Bayhaqi)

Eid

With the sighting of the moon at the end of the month comes the Eid Al-Fitr. It’s like the cherry on top of the cake as it’s a celebratory time that includes buying new clothes, parties, rides for kids and exchanging gifts with family members and friends.

Forgiveness

Ramadan is the best time to forgive and be forgiven. The Prophet said:

Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are those who repent. (Ibn Majah)

Allah provides many opportunities to repent to Him and seek His forgiveness.

Gheebah

The Prophet said:

Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allah has no need that he should leave his food and drink. (Al-Bukhari)

We must pay attention to the purification of our manners. Backbiting and slandering is forbidden and it is like eating the flesh of one’s dead brother. Therefore stay away from Gheebah to realize the true spirit of fasting.

Health

Fasting overhauls the body during the holy month. It speeds up the metabolism and improves brain function, because it boosts the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. It encourages Muslims to take care of their health and to build strong bodies. The Prophet said:

A strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone. (Muslim)

I’tikaf

It means seclusion and staying in the mosque with the intention of becoming closer to Allah. The Prophet would perform I’tikaf for 10 days every Ramadan. In the year that he died, he performed it for 20 days.

Jannah

It is one of the ultimate goals of all Muslims. Ramadan is essentially a shield from the hell-fire. The Prophet is reported to have said about Ramadan:

An angel calls out: ‘O you who intend to do good deeds, have glad tidings. O you who intend to do evil, refrain, until Ramadan is completed. (Ahmad and Nasa’i)

Kibr

Kibr is when a person feels a sense of superiority and behaves high-handedly with others. The Prophet said:

Never can the person who possesses a speck of pride inside his heart enter Paradise.

One should refrain from pride and self-glorification in Ramadan to please Allah. The act of fasting itself helps us to attain humility and get rid of arrogance.

Laylatul Qadr

The Night of Qadr is greater than 1,000 months of continuous worship; that’s over 83 years. Many will be freed from the hell-fire and granted Jannah on this night. Believers should therefore increase their worship, especially during its last third part when Allah descends to the lowest heavens asking for those who seek His forgiveness.

Miswak

Using the miswak is Sunnah when fasting and otherwise. However, a fasting person must be careful not to swallow anything.

Niyyah

One should be extremely mindful of his intention of fasting and do it only for Allah. The Prophet said:

Whoever fasts one day seeking the pleasure of Allah, if that is the last day of his life, he will enter Paradise. (Ahmad 5/391)

Obligatory Deeds

The reward of an obligatory deed in Ramadan is multiplied by 70 while a non-obligatory action commands the reward of obligatory action in this blessed month. This is a once-in-a-year opportunity to upgrade our rewards collection, thereby improving ourselves.

Piety

Allah legislated fasting for gaining Taqwa (piety). Taqwa in this case means to make a shield between oneself and Allah’s anger and hellfire. The purpose is met when at the end of the fasting day we are able to fear Allah more and as a result are able to protect ourselves from the hellfire.

Qiyam Al-Layl

Numerous Quranic verses and prophetic narrations mention the excellence of the night prayer and the merit of those who perform it regularly. Abu Huraira said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah say:

“The one who does Qiyam in Ramadan with faith and sincerity, all his/her sins will be forgiven.”

Rayyan

There is in Paradise a door called Rayyan. It is for the fasting Muslims. Only those who fasted the month of Ramadan will be able to enjoy the bliss of Paradise inside that area.

Suhoor

Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal taken before the time of Fajr. The Prophet encouraged us to take suhoor by saying:

Have suhoor, for in suhoor there is blessing (barakah). (Bukhari)

Taraweeh

Special prayers after Isha during Ramadan are called Taraweeh. It is strongly recommended that both men and women attend the prayer in congregation as Taraweeh is a means for forgiveness of the sins.

Umrah

The one who does Umrah in Ramadan will attain a reward equal in amount to that of Haj.

Vision

Many young Muslims are clueless about what they should do in Ramadan. It is therefore important to have a vision, not only for the month of Ramadan but after that as well.

Goals should be set and a routine that will help you achieve those goals should be followed. Be it feeding 10 people, volunteering for charity work or reading the Holy Quran, list it on paper and start doing it.

Wudu

By purifying oneself for prayer, a person expiates all of his sins and his prayer is considered an extra reward for him, which in turn is multiplied several times for it being Ramadan.

A believer must try to do ablution to remain pure as much as he can in the blessed month. If a person makes wudu’ well, all his sins between two prayers (between the salat he will perform and the subsequent one) will be forgiven. (Bukhari)

X-ray your Life

Ramadan is a good time to introspect whether or not your life is being led according to the Quran and Sunnah. It is an exercise in improving the self and setting goals for the present and the future.

This month should make us reflect on the endless bounties that God has bestowed on us and thank Him profusely for the same. It is also time for Tawbah (repentance with a pledge not to repeat) for the past sins.

Yateem

The number of orphans worldwide has reached an all-time high.
Muslims should follow the example set by the Prophet Muhammad himself who said holding his index and middle fingers together upright:

I and the person who looks after an orphan and provides for him will be in paradise like this.

They should come together to care for, provide for, and support orphans who cannot otherwise help themselves in the holy month of Ramadan.

Zakat Al-Fitr

The Prophet enjoined Zakat Al-Fitr so that those who observed fasting are purified of their bad deeds and thus, are able to perfect their fasting, and so that the poor and the needy are able to arrange for their basic necessities of food and clothing. It should be distributed before the Eid prayer.

Source: Arab News.

Tuesday, 17 February 2026

Holy Moon, Ramadan, and Degrading Jesus

Muslim Jesus

You said that your first cultural shock was that Muslims degraded Jesus (peace be upon him). You did not say what exactly you heard that you felt was degrading.

We believe that Jesus was a human being, miraculously born of a virgin, and that he was a prophet and messenger of God. He miraculously spoke as a baby in the cradle, and later performed other miracles such as healing the sick and raising the dead – by the grace of Allah.

Are we degrading him because we do not accept that he is God or the Son of God? In fact, we Muslims feel that Christians are exalting him beyond his human nature.

We love and respect Jesus as a prophet and a messenger. We do not accept that he is “the Lord”. Rather Allah, the One Who created us all and Who sent Jesus and the other prophets, including Muhammad (peace be upon them all), is our Lord.

You referred to the Muslims’ Special and Great God. We worship the same God as you. We just have some disagreement about His nature and, of course, about the nature of Jesus. God – or Allah in Arabic – is the One Who created everything and Who will raise us and judge us all, on the Day of Judgment.

Your second shock, you said, was that Muslims “were not clear with you”. I do not quite understand this remark. They probably were trying to be nice, but you expected them to be either apologetic or aggressive and put things for you in: black and white.

I really wonder why you got that impression, instead of feeling that they wanted to offer you their admiration and respect, without offending you in any way? Maybe it was simply cultural differences here.

Is the Moon Divine?

There also seems to be a misunderstanding about Muslims’ excitement over sighting the new crescent of Ramadan. So let me elaborate a bit on that.

First of all, ask yourself, why do many Americans get so excited about watching a ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve? It is just to mark the passage of time, the beginning of a new year. It is not because Americans worship this ball.

I think you could draw an analogy with the sighting of the new moon at the beginning of Ramadan. It is marking the passage of time, the beginning of a blessed month. In all cultures you will find similar celebrations, rituals, and social events.

Ramadan

Ramadan, as you probably know, is a month of fasting and additional worship schedules. It is supposed to be a time of spiritual renewal and extra efforts to give charity, read Quran, pray… etc.

Even many Muslims who do not keep their prayers regularly will fast during the month of Ramadan. As for others, who worship regularly, they feel it is time for renewing their commitment. Worship will become to them a renewed serenity because of their conscious devoted relation with Allah.

So, the sighting of the moon at the beginning of Ramadan is not, as you interpreted, because Muslims worship the moon. It is just that they are happy to see the start of a happy and blessed month.

Ramadan and change of behavior

You remarked that people’s behavior changed completely during this month. It is true, unfortunately – that for many people – Ramadan has become a month of consumerism.

This is as much as Christmas is not any more a purely religious event, but a season for the capital market, sales, shopping, and even partying in five start hotels for rich people while the poor are hungry.

On the other hand, it is also good and not far from the spirit of religion to consider it as a time for frequent dinners with family and friends, thus strengthening the social ties.

Again, you can see how many similarities run between different cultures and traditions, through their struggle to keep the spiritual aims of such times in tact, while coping with modern lifestyles.

The Lunar Calendar

As for sighting the moon, Islam follows a lunar calendar for its religious celebrations. In some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, the Islamic calendar is regularly used for everyday affairs. In other countries, the Gregorian calendar is used regularly, and the lunar calendar is referred to, for the religious holidays only.

In either case, the lunar calendar is a great mercy from God. Even if someone is stranded in a deserted place, he only needs to watch the moon and keep track of the new moons to mark the passage of time.

There is no need to be an astronomer and add occasional extra days, as with the solar calendar, so that the same months fall in the same seasons.

Also, by following the lunar calendar, Ramadan and Hajj (pilgrimage) fall in different seasons of the year throughout a 33-year cycle. This way, one country does not always fast during a very hot or a very cold season, and likewise, the Hajj falls during various seasons of the year.

Hope that we have clarified things. Continue to search for answers to your questions, but remember not to judge Islam by what you see Muslims do. For, like in the case of Christians, Jews, and followers of any religion or creed, some Muslims do not practice what their religion teaches.

May God guide us all to the truth.

- aboutislam.net

About AElfwine Mischler

Monday, 16 February 2026

Why Do We Fast During Ramadan?

It’s one that I’m sure a lot of children are asking this time of year, especially as they get to the age where they begin fasting, as well.

Allah Commands It

When it comes down to it, the simplest reason that we fast is because Allah commanded us to do so in the Quran. In Surah Baqara, verse 185 He said:

Allah Commands It

When it comes down to it, the simplest reason that we fast is because Allah commanded us to do so in the Quran. In Surah Baqara, verse 185 He said:

“Ramadan is the [month] in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind, also clear [signs] for guidance and the differentiation [between right and wrong].” He also said, only two verses before, verse 183: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn piety and righteousness.”

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is something that Allah has told us to do, and so we do it.

However, having children myself, I know that this is not an answer that will be satisfying to young minds. So there are two other options to explore.

Empathy for those Less Fortunate

This is a reason often cited during Ramadan: that during this time we deprive ourselves of food and water so that we may be grateful for those blessings. We are fortunate to be able to break our fast at the end of the day, but we are mindful that there are many around the world who are not so fortunate. There are many who are in more or less a perpetual state of fasting, due to famine, war, poverty, etc.

This reason provides an easy explanation to young children. But in my opinion, it is a fairly weak reason. Nowhere in the Quran or Hadith that I am aware of does it mention this as a reason for fasting. Yes, we may gain empathy for those less fortunate and this should increase our charitable giving during this time, but it is not really the reason.

A non-Muslim cannot understand what it is like to be Muslim by wearing a hijab for a few hours – and those of us fortunate enough to have sufficient food every day cannot understand what it is to be destitute just by fasting for daylight hours. Empathy is good, but providing this as a reason for fasting is rather shallow.

Taqwa

In a Hadith from Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet (saw) told us:

“Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards … all his past sins will be forgiven.”

This, to me, is much more the crux of “why” we fast. We fast with the intent of pleasing Allah and with the hope of having our sins forgiven. During the month of Ramadan, Shaytaan is chained up and cannot influence us. So what better time to dedicate ourselves to worship?

During the month of Ramadan, the goal is to attain taqwa and to draw our hearts nearer to Allah. When we fast with sincere intention, He forgives us for our sins.

My best advice is to explain to your child how important it is for Allah to be pleased with us and how pleased He is when we fast during Ramadan. Explain that even though fasting is hard, we get reward for struggling. It isn’t that Allah wants us to suffer – after all, going for a few hours without food or drink is not suffering, and if it would cause us harm to go without, He wants us to eat and drink – but that He is pleased to see the small sacrifices we are willing to make in hopes of making Him happy.

Insha’Allah this helps – children can really ask some tough questions!

And Allah knows best.

- aboutislam,net

Sunday, 15 February 2026

Ramadan 101… Your Guide for a Fruitful Ramadan

Get ready for Ramadan with our comprehensive guide to a fruitful and fulfilling experience.

With just a few days until the start of the month, millions of Muslims around the world are eagerly anticipating this special time of year.

Have you set your Ramadan goals? Are you ready to maximize your rewards and reap the benefits of this blessed month?

Ramadan offers a golden opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries, draw closer to Allah, and make positive changes in our lives.

Let us help you prepare with this special collection, designed to help you get the most out of this transformative time.

From practical tips to inspiring insights, our guide is your ultimate resource for a successful Ramadan.

Saturday, 14 February 2026

Overcoming Feelings of Lower Self

A person’s lower self is open to all sorts of negative feelings.

Being angry, getting upset, sulking, getting offended, getting sad, getting jealous and being vindictive; all of our lower-selves are made to feel these emotions as a requisite of the test we’re being subjected to. The superiority of a faithful, God-fearing person who loves God intensely would be recognized by the willpower he shows against those feelings.

The prompting one is given to show a reaction in line with what one feels in his lower-self. If one is bored, he is taught to sulk. When he is angry, he is taught — if not with words but with a general demeanor — to shout and do uncontrolled movements. People are instilled with the idea that crying when feeling sad is normal.

When people watch those around them from their childhood, responding to those feelings in such a common language, they naturally adapt these reactions into their lives as well. And all through their lives they suffer the pain of these negative feelings.

God gave us all negative feelings, emotions and desires for us to be tested in our lower-selves. But at the same time, He also gave us a conscience to refrain from them:

(by) the self and what proportioned it and inspired it with depravity or piety. He who purifies it has succeeded, he who covers it up has failed.} (Quran 91:7-10)

God wants us to use our good conscience and show the most beautiful, most noble morality with which we will attain His love the most.

In one sense, life is sort of a constant struggle, one carried out by using one’s good conscience against the evils instilled by his lower-self. If our good conscience gains the upper hand in this struggle, we both feel the constant inner peace of pleasing God and strongly hope to attain the endless life in the heaven after death.

But if a person constantly turns a deaf ear to what his good conscience tells him and gets defeated by his lower-self, he might both suffer the Wrath of God in this world and might be rewarded with something he didn’t expect in the Hereafter.

Struggling with the lower-self is easy for those who believe, but some people still think that it would cause them pain, since they convince themselves that it is a very difficult struggle. Such people imagine that it is almost impossible to forgive someone when they fume at someone. They believe that apologizing would be insulting for them.

Taking revenge is like an irresistible instinctual desire for them. Yet hissing at someone, quarrelling, raising one’s voice, lovelessness, having spite against someone, lying, offending someone, being hostile towards another person are all personality traits that would distress a person deeply and would literally darken his soul. On the other hand, being resolute in the good morality God defined in the Quran is quite easy, joyous and restful.

In the Quran, God has told us how to give a struggle against and train our lower-selves. For instance, He teaches us how to behave when we feel angry. God describes Muslims as:

{Those who control their rage and pardon other people.} (Quran 3:134)

Consequently, controlling rage and approaching others with forgiveness is a beauty of good morality.

A Muslim would never accept being in such a state of weakness to be dragged into a fit of fury or to be weak enough to be defeated by that rage.

A person who is able to think that everything takes place under the control of God in times of anger would also know that God is testing him and that he will attain much merit in the Hereafter for the good behavior he will be showing.

Someone who is aware of the fact that he is actually watching the course of destiny unfold would instantly think that if he were given an opportunity and were allowed to rewind his life to relive it, the same thing would certainly be repeated exactly as it did in the first place and he would never forget that there is good in everything God has created within destiny. Such a person would most definitely display the most appropriate attitude according to the Quran.

In the Quran, God openly informs us that He doesn’t like a disputative spirit that constantly forces others to accept his opinions and constantly insults others while doing so. A moderate attitude that recognizes everyone’s right to speak up, and that calls to truth with kindness and love, is the one described in the Quran.

When one speaks with an attitude that avoids offending others, that constantly honors and highlights the other side’s rightful attributes, he would lay the grounds for swiftly settling disputes between two parties and avoid unnecessary discussions. Actually God draws attention to the necessity of taking mutual love, respect, compassion, forgiveness, unity and solidarity as basis in order to avoid separation and corruption among Muslims numerous times in the Quran.

It is in human’s nature to argue about everything. Getting angry, being sad, getting offended, getting upset and being dragged into materialistic ambition and competition are all feelings embedded in the lower-self. All these are negative traits everyone knows, recognizes and harbors in his lower-self but a wise, rational, strong willed Muslim would never let his lower-self lead him into these negative traits.

Such a person would be well aware of the fact that those negative instincts in his lower-self would be harmful for both himself and for those around him. He abides by the Qur’an and aims to be a servant of God who is worthy of His love and never lets himself be dragged into a weak frame of mind.

Instead of behaving as he has learned in his childhood, he thinks in line with the Qur’an and instantly decides what he should be doing in good conscience and behaves in the way that most pleases God.

A Muslim always focuses all his attention on keeping his soul strong and his lower-self under control. Consequently, he always acts wisely and uses his will power to behave in accordance with the Quran.

Source: Harunyahya.com

Friday, 13 February 2026

This is Why it’s Important to Prepare for Ramadan

If you have a very important exam that you know passing it will change your life to the best, would you prepare for it beforehand?

Ramadan is an excellent training for our spirituality that we should prepare for it in advance. There is a scary hadith in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst. (Ibn Majah)

Can you imagine when the 18 or 19 hours of fasting become fruitless like carrying water in a sieve?

Why?

Because you haven’t fixed yourself beforehand. You are still backbiting while fasting, you’re still getting angry, you still have a hard heart.

Fasting is more than abstaining from eating and drinking. If a person doesn’t have taqwa, if he can’t avoid committing sins, if his heart is not clean, it means that his fasting is missing many other parts of it.

This is why the companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) make themselves ready well in advance. They would be so aware that they need to spiritually prepare for Ramadan.

May Allah prevent us from being among those people who don’t get anything spiritual from their fasting.

If you haven’t started preparing for Ramadan yet, you still have the chance to do. It’s never too late.

- aboutislam.net

Thursday, 12 February 2026

Ramadan Is Almost Here – Are You Ready?

Many of us think that Ramadan preparations is not a crucial thing because once Ramadan is here, we’d definitely get in the mood. However, this assumption is wrong in many ways.

If we intend to make the most of the holy month, we should get well prepared for it. We should prepare ourselves physically, mentally and psychologically.

This episode discusses how we can best prepare for Ramadan, what some of its benefits are and other things to consider for supervisors and neighbors as well as children. - aboutislam.net