Ramadan and the Quran

Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, 

Khalifatul Masih II^ra

Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 2, p. 393-394

Ramadan reminds us of the days when an absolute book like the Holy Quran was revealed for the world; a reminder of the blessed days when the most fortunate era of the world began; a reminder of the days when Allah opened up the gates of His grace and blessings and when the Holy Prophet^sa turned away from the ugly and miserable shape of the world and its pitiful state. 

He left this world behind, along with his loved ones, went to the Cave of Hira to immerse himself in the remembrance of Allah. He thought that turning away from the world would enable him to perform the duty that he was created for. It was in this state of solitude, isolation and meditation that the month of Ramadan dawned upon him. 

It is known, from authentic traditions, that it was the twenty-fourth of this blessed month when the Creator, the Mentor, the Teacher and the Loving God of this man, who had confined himself in a cave, commanded him to go back to the world and lead it to the right path. Allah said to him that instead of seeking Him in caves, he should find Him in the hustle and bustle of the streets of Mecca. He was ordered to tell the people of Mecca that Allah had not created them from a lowly state and then evolved them to a higher one merely to eat, drink and die, without being held accountable for any actions.

The Holy Prophet^sa was perplexed to hear this voice. He looked at Gabriel in astonishment and said, “I do not know how to read!” meaning that he found it strange; Would it suit me to say such words before the people of Mecca? Would they even listen and accept? But Allah the Almighty repeatedly commanded him to read. It was in obedience to this commandment that the Holy Prophet^sa gave up his solitude and appeared before the world…

So it was in the month of Ramadan that the Holy Prophet^sa was given this instruction and it was the blessed month of Ramadan that he went out and started preaching it to the world. It is to this that Allah points when He says that it is in this month that the Quran was revealed (Ch.2: V.186).

At another point, Allah says, 

اِنَّا اَنْزَلْنٰہُ فِیْ لَیْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ

that it was in this month that the Quran was revealed (Ch.97: V.2).

Ramadan is therefore a month of immense importance. Anyone who values their faith in Islam begins to feel a special motivation in their heart and a thrill in their body. 

So many centuries have fallen between us and the Holy Prophet^sa and so many years continue to pass. Every passing day separates us from his time but with the coming of Ramadan, it feels like this month has wrapped up all this span of centuries, bringing us closer to the Holy Prophet^sa. In fact, not only the Holy Prophet^sa, but since the Quran has been revealed by Allah the Almighty, it feels that Ramadan has shrunken this vast span of time and brought us closer to God. The distance that exists between man and God, between the Creator and His creation, between a frail being and the Creator of the whole Universe all contracts and vanishes, just like the rays of the sun eliminate the darkness of the night. This is the state that Allah refers to when He says:

اِذَا سَاَلَكَ عِبَادِیْ عَنِّیْ فَاِنِّیْ قَرِیْب

meaning that when, in the month of Ramadan, My creation enquires about how to find Me, tell them that Ramadan and God are not two different things. It was this month that God appeared before his servants with the desire to attract His servants towards Himself.