Ayesha Naseem, UK
As we come closer to the end of Ramadan, Muslims are making increasing efforts towards improving their worship and establishing a spiritual relationship with their Creator. This holy month serves as a comprehensive period for seeking Allah’s mercy, engaging in self-reflection, and striving for personal growth and purification.
Throughout Ramadan, Muslims dedicate themselves to drawing closer to Allah through acts of worship, charity, and the recitation of the Holy Quran. This dedication is rooted in the desire to seek Allah’s boundless mercy and forgiveness. If we turn to the Holy Quran for this, we find that the Holy Book’s first few verses of its very first chapter – Surah al-Fatihah – speak of Allah the Almighty as the Lord of all the worlds, who is the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful.
Surah al-Fatihah – Commentary of the Promised Messiahas
The first two verses of Surah al-Fatihah state:
اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ۔ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
“All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds, the Gracious, the Merciful.”
Regarding the attribute of Allah Almighty’s Grace and Mercy, the commentary of Surah al-Fatihah by the Promised Messiahas is crucial to mention.
The Promised Messiahas has written:
“In Surah Fatiha, Allah, the Exalted, has set forth His four principal attributes, namely, the Lord of Universal Providence (Rabbil-aalameen), Most Gracious (Rahman), Ever Merciful (Rahim), Master of the Day of Judgment (Malike Yaumid deen), giving priority to the attribute Lord of Universal Providence (Rabbil-aalameen) and setting out Rahman, Rahim, Malike Yaumiddeen thereafter in that order. Now why did God, the Exalted, adopt that order? The answer is that that is their natural order, because these four attributes come into operation in that order. An intelligent observer can discover for himself that God’s grace manifests itself in the world in four ways.” (Commentary on the Holy Quran – Surah al-Fatiha, p. 103)
Three kinds of Divine grace
Explaining the three categories of Divine Grace, the Promised Messiahas then stated:
“In Surah Fatiha the attribute Rabbil-aalameen (Lord of Universal Providence) is mentioned as the first of all the attributes of beneficence: Al-hamdu lillahe Rabbil-aalameen (all praise is due to the Lord of Universal Providence). That is so, both because in the natural order the attribute of providence comes into operation before the other Divine attributes of beneficence and also because it is the most comprehensive, covering as it does everything, animate and inanimate. The next in order is the second category of grace, which is general, the difference between the two being that the first is an all-embracing Providence by means of which the entire universe came into being and continues to be sustained and the latter is a special eternal grace which extends only to the animates.
“In other words, the special concern of the Divine for the entire animal kingdom has been called the general grace. The characteristic of this grace is that it extends to all members of the animal kingdom without reference to any merit or right of any of them, in proportion to their respective requirements, not being the recompense of any action on their part […] In short, through this grace of Rahmaniyyat man enjoys the fulfilment of millions of his wants.” (Ibid., p. 104)
Then, expounding on the attribute of Rahman, the Promised Messiahas said:
“The true worshippers of the Rahman are those who walk on the earth in humility and when the ignorant accost them roughly, they answer back gently: ‘Peace!’ In thus turning away wrath with gentleness and pronouncing blessings in return for vilification, they reflect the Divine attribute of Rahmaniyyat, as the Rahman pours forth His grace on all His creatures, without discrimination of good and bad, through the sun, the moon, the earth, and other innumerable bounties. Thus God, the Exalted, has made it clear that He is Rahman, in the sense that His mercy extends to everyone, good and bad, without distinction.” (Ibid., p. 106)
Al-Rahim – Special Divine benevolence
The first two categories of grace – as explained by the Promised Messiahas – is one that God bestows on all of His Creation out of His attribute that He is the Lord of All Worlds and out of His attribute of Grace. But the third category of divine grace is “the special benevolence” – as stated by the Promised Messiahas – which is not afforded and bestowed to all. Instead, it must be pursued with intense effort by a person.
The attribute of al-Rahim is that special kind of benevolence and grace. The Promised Messiahas expounded on this further and wrote:
“The distinction between this and general benevolence is that it is not required of the recipient of general benevolence to conform his conduct to virtue or to pull himself out of the grip of dark barriers or to exert himself and put in any particular effort. On the contrary, God, the Exalted, extends this grace to every animate to the extent of his requirement, without supplication or effort on his part.
“But for special benevolence, effort, exertion, purification of heart, prayer and supplication, and earnest direction of the mind towards Allah and every kind of appropriate striving are necessary conditions. It is only one who earnestly seeks this grace who receives it. It attends only those who work hard for it. This grace is also comprehended through a study of the law of nature. It is obvious that those who strive in the way of Allah and those who are indifferent towards it cannot be equal. Doubtless, those who strive in the way of God with a sincere heart and keep away from every kind of darkness and mischief, become recipients of special grace. Because of this type of grace God, the Exalted, is called Rahim in the Holy Quran […]
“In other words, His Rahimiyyat attends those who seek it earnestly. There is none who sought it earnestly and did not achieve it.” (Ibid., pp. 107-108)
Fasting and righteousness (taqwa)
While revealing the commandments regarding fasting, Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ
“O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.184)
The Five Volume Commentary explains the relevance of the mention of righteousness:
“The clause, so that you may become righteous, explains the deep philosophy underlying the commandment relating to fasting. It is a special characteristic of the Quran that, whenever it gives an important commandment, it does not give it arbitrarily but also explains its usefulness so that the addressee may be convinced of, and satisfied about, the wisdom underlying it. The object of صیام or fasting has been stated in this verse as the attainment of تقوی i.e., righteousness.
“As explained in Chapter 2, verse 3, the word تقوی or اتقا from which the word تتقون used in the present verse is derived means, to guard oneself against (1) harm and suffering, and (2) evil and sin. Thus, the verse points out that the real object of fasting is, first, to be saved from harm and suffering, and secondly, to be saved from sin and evil.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. I, p. 293)
Achieving taqwa in Ramadan
Expounding on the concept of taqwah in a Friday Sermon on 8 June 2018, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa states that the Promised Messiahas has written:
“‘The entire spiritual beauty of a person lies in him treading on all the subtle paths of righteousness. The subtle paths of righteousness are the minute details and pleasant features of spiritual beauty. It is evident [that this is achieved through] upholding the trusts of God Almighty and to act in accordance with one’s spiritual pledges to the best of one’s abilities […] Furthermore, it is achieved through utilising every faculty and limb from head to toe, which are outwardly visible in the form of eyes, ears, hands, feet and other limbs, as well as those that are internal such as the heart and other faculties and moral qualities, on their appropriate occasion and to the best of one’s ability.”
In other words, restraining from all forms of evil that can be incited using the outwardly visible features of man, one can become responsible and regulate their life and behaviour according to the commandments of Allah the Almighty. In the context of Ramadan, this is something that fasting and increased effort towards worship and seeking Allah’s Mercy can help us with.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has said that only when one achieves this, “will one truly be able to tread on the path of righteousness and only then will one truly be able to fulfil the commandments of God Almighty.” (Ibid.)
The Promised Messiahas has also stated:
“On the other hand, he should also be mindful of the rights of mankind. The entire spiritual beauty of a person is attached to this aspect. Furthermore, God Almighty has defined righteousness as a garment in the Holy Quran. Hence, Libas-ul-Taqwa [garment of righteousness] is an expression from the Holy Quran. This indicates towards the fact that spiritual beauty and elegance can only be attained through righteousness. Furthermore, righteousness is that a person upholds and fulfils every trust of God and spiritual covenant made with Him, as well as the trusts and covenants made with His creation to the best of one’s abilities. In other words, he should uphold and fulfil even the minutest aspects of it to the best of his abilities.” (Ibid.; Zamima Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part 5, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 21, pp. 209-210)
Elaborating on this further, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said:
“When a person acquires this standard, they reach the stage where the mercy of God Almighty becomes incumbent upon His servant. In other words, God Almighty makes this incumbent upon Himself.” (Ibid.)
The days of Ramadan – Righteousness and attaining the special mercy of Allah
An act of kindness, a smile to a stranger passing by, giving charity, and shunning the ill habits of gossiping, lying, and being inconsiderate towards other human beings are simple acts that can take us one step closer to attaining righteousness. Even if we start with these little things this Ramadan, we will come to ponder over why we are doing these things. That’s when most of us will acknowledge that we are doing this because it is our duty as Muslims – this is part of our rights owed to mankind. After all, being kind, respectful, considerate, and giving alms to the needy are all commandments of Allah the Almighty.
While these are things that people with no belief in religion or a god would practise too, because we have belief and our purpose of existence is to attain the pleasure of God Almighty, we are inclined to do every little and big that could win us His Pleasure and Love – and inevitably, His Mercy.
Of course, there is the aspect of worship, albeit very significant. To attain the highest level of righteousness, one must have firm faith in God Almighty. Alongside the obligatory five daily prayers, Muslims make sincere efforts towards increasing their voluntary worship, special attention is given to the recitation of the Holy Quran with translation and commentary, and a determined attempt is made at making fervent and relentless supplications during salat. Even during one’s normal day at school or work, through Ramadan and fasting, Muslims make conscious efforts towards their religious duties.
And remember, these practices during the whole month are meant to be carried forward throughout the year as habits that become part of one’s life. This is why if one attains the level of righteousness that is required of them in this month, the chances are that, with God’s grace, benevolence, and special mercy, they will maintain that spiritual condition in the hope of improving it even further.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa once explained in his Friday Sermon:
“Drawing our attention towards the fulfilment of these due rights, the Holy Prophetsa said on one occasion that the person who fulfils the requirements of faith and wakes up during the nights of Ramadan in order to pray with the intention of acquiring its reward, their previous sins would be forgiven. All of their previous sins would be forgiven.
“This is another manner in which the vastness of the mercy of God Almighty has been manifested, in that a person makes a small effort and God rewards him manifold. His graciousness and mercy are manifested in various ways. Thus, fortunate are those who derive benefit from these days.” (Ibid.)
Huzooraa then stated:
“During Ramadan, when a person observes the fast and along with it, acts in accordance with the commandments of God Almighty greater than before, and when they increase their worship and progress in righteousness, they then become the recipient of God Almighty’s mercy even greater than before. The reason for this is that God Almighty says that when a person observes the fast for His sake and refrains from certain lawful aspects in these days purely for His sake, then God Almighty Himself becomes the reward for the one who observes the fasts. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Saum, Hadith 1904)
“If God Almighty Himself becomes the reward, then surely such a person has acquired the means for their forgiveness. Furthermore, if they have acquired these means and God has forgiven them and accepted their repentance, then a person shall surely also be saved from the fire; they are saved from the fire of this life as well as from the fire of the hereafter. However, the condition is that they observe the fast sincerely for the sake of God Almighty and also act in accordance with the commandments of God. Following this, these deeds become a perpetual part of one’s life and become the means of permanently remaining immersed in the mercy of God Almighty. The mercy of God Almighty is not limited to the days of Ramadan. Rather, it also carries forward to the middle ten-day period as well as the last ten days. As a matter of fact, it will permanently remain with an individual as long as one’s deeds are performed with righteousness and firm faith. Similarly, His forgiveness is not limited to the second ten days [of Ramadan]. Rather, it remains with a person until the end of Ramadan and even beyond that. As a matter of fact, it remains with a person for as long as they live. It protects a person from the punishment of God Almighty. Similarly, a person does not remain safeguarded from the fire in only these ten days. Rather, even if a person passes the month of Ramadan, considering the fact that they derive benefit from the mercy of God Almighty and seek forgiveness from Him, they will continue to remain distant from the fire. Therefore, God Almighty has made Ramadan a source for obtaining His mercy more than ever before and to attain His nearness.”
May Allah enable us all to understand the essence of taqwa and make us among those who succeed in attaining Allah the Almighty’s Mercy and Benevolence in this blessed month of Ramadan. Amin.