Classroom

The Month of the noble Quran

Haidar Ali Madani

“Dear children, a very special guest will arrive soon”, the principal said, “We must begin preparing to welcome it from now. Our Islamic studies teacher, Mr. Bilal will tell you more about this,”. He handed the microphone to Mr. Bilal.

It was the last Friday of the month, which meant that all the children were standing in the dua assembly. The principal gave them this good news of an upcoming guest, which help warm the children’s spirits amidst the cold weather.

After reciting بسم اللہ and sending ṣalāt upon the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, Mr. Bilal began to say:

A very special guest will soon arrive. We must welcome it in a special way too. Let me tell you about this. Around 1400 years ago, this guest was about to arrive during the time of our Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. He told his Companions to welcome this guest in a way nobody had welcomed another before.

Our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “O people! An auspicious and sacred month is about to arrive, which contains a night better than a thousand months. Allah Almighty has made fasting farḍ in this month, whilst standing in its nights is nafl. Whoever performs a virtuous deed in this month; it is as though he performed an farḍ act in any other month. Whoever performs a farḍ action; it is as though he performed 70 farḍ actions any other day.”

“Sir, what does this mean?” Muawiya asked, raising his hand.

“This means the reward for a nafl is equal to a farḍ, and one farḍ is equal to the reward of 70”, Mr Bilal said. He continued by saying,

Our Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم then said, “This is a month of patience, and the reward for patience is Paradise. This is a month of sympathy and goodness, and the believers’ sustenance increases during it. Whoever gives a fasting person ifṭār; there is forgiveness for the sins, whilst their neck is freed from Hell. Whoever does this receives the same reward as the fasting person.”[1]

“Sir, this means we don’t have to fast”, Sufyan Raza said, “We can just give someone food to open their fast and not fast ourselves.”

All the teachers began to smile, and Mr. Bilal explained, “Children, the reward of fasting is one thing, but fasting itself is something different. Fasting is compulsory for us, and we can only fulfil this obligation by fasting.”

“I think you must know who this guest is by now,” Mr. Bilal then said.

The children began saying yes aloud, whilst nodding their head enthusiastically.

Mr. Bilal summarised:

Yes, children. That special guest is the month of Ramadan, which the Greatest Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم prepared his Companions رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُم to welcome 1400 years ago. Remember, their preparation was getting ready to worship Allah Almighty as much as they could.

A special guest like Ramadan comes once a year for only 29 or 30 days. We must welcome it by making intention to keep all our fasts, offer tarāwīḥ salah, recite as much holy Quran as possible, help the poor and needy, and spread happiness by inviting our friends and family for iftar meals.

You know Ramadan is also called the month of the noble Quran, as Allah Almighty revealed it in this month. The most important goal we must achieve this Ramadan is to recite the entire holy Quran. Yet, we must be careful to not make any mistakes in this just because we want to recite more. If we do this, instead of getting reward, we become sinful. So, those who can recite properly should make intention to recite all the noble Quran, and those who do not should set a goal of learning to recite it properly with a qualified teacher. Like this, we can welcome Ramadan in a unique way, and when it leaves, it will be happy with us.