Pars Today

Welcome to the first episode of the series “Blessed Month of Ramadhan”. We congratulate all Muslims on the arrival of this month of the divine banquet of fasting spread out for the believers, which indeed provides a golden opportunity for us to purify our souls, enlighten our minds and inculcate our hearts with the dynamic teachings of Islam.

We are indeed thankful to God Almighty for granting us yet another opportunity to witness blessed Ramadhan, the month in which, in compliance with God’s commandments, we forgo during the daylight hours, food and water, control our natural instincts, and even our legitimate sexual desires.

In his famous sermon, on the advent of the fasting month of Ramadhan, the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), remarked:

"O People! The month of Allah has come with its mercies, blessings and forgiveness. Allah has decreed this month the best of all months. Its days are the best of the days, its nights are the best of the nights and its hours are the best of the hours. This is the month in which He has invited you (to fast and to pray). Allah has honoured you in it. Every breath you take in it is has the reward of tasbih (praise of Allah); your sleep is worship, your good deeds are accepted and your invocations answered. Therefore, you must invoke your Lord in right earnest with hearts that are free from sin and evil, and pray that Allah may help you to keep fasts, and to recite the Qur'an. Indeed, miserable is the one who is deprived of Allah's forgiveness in this great month. While fasting, remember the hunger and thirst on the Day of Judgement. Give alms to the poor and the needy. Pay respect to your elders, have sympathy for your youngsters and be kind towards your relatives and kinsmen. Guard your tongue against unworthy words, and your eyes from scenes that are not worth seeing (forbidden sights), and your ears from sounds that should not be heard. Be kind to orphans so that if your children were to become orphans they will also be treated with kindness. Do repent to Allah for your sins and supplicate with raised hands at the times of prayer as these are the best of times, during which Almighty Allah Looks at His servants with mercy; (He) Answers if they supplicate; Responds if they call; Grants if they ask; and Accepts if they entreat.”

Among the highly recommended acts of this blessed month is recitation of the Holy Qur’an, the Last and Final Heavenly Scripture for the guidance of all mankind, which was revealed to the Prophet of Islam by God Almighty during the Grand Night of Ramadhan. In part of this series, we focus on the enlightening ayahs of the Holy Qur’an, and their explanation.

In Ayah 183 of Surat al-Baqarah, God Almighty says: “O you who have faith! Prescribed for you is fasting, as it was prescribed for those who were before you, so that you may be Godwary.”

As we said, blessed Ramadhan is the month of revelation of the Holy Qur’an, which instructs the faithful to fast in this month. Fasting is one the most important acts of worships, and the most effective means for promotion of piety in all domains and aspects. The interesting point in this ayah is that in order to motivate sentiments for acceptance of this divine commandment, this ayah refers to the faithful, to make those who have faith in God realize that they should accept all the instructions of God, even if they are temporarily denied of worldly joys and have to bear hunger and thirst.

The Prophet’s 6^th Infallible Successor, Imam Ja’far Sadeq (peace upon him), notes that the joy of reference to the faithful in the said ayah is such that it dissipates the hardships of this act of worship.

In fact, given that fasting, at first glance, appears to be a relatively difficult task, it seems that God Almighty by addressing the faithful has cleared away anxiety of minds. Thereafter, this fact is revealed that fasting is not exclusive to Muslims and was also observed by the nations of the past. This ayah points out that this has been the duty of all humans in any religion, and this in turn encourages all to carry out this task. In the next step, this ayah immediately points out the philosophy behind fasting, which is establishment of piety. The fasting individual denies himself of physical joys for the sake of God, as a means to contain his desires, and upon repeating these practices for a month, his self-restraint is reinforced and he gradually dominates his resolve, thereby easily avoiding sins, and refraining from trampling upon the rights of people.

In this series, we speak of the importance of a healthy diet in the blessed month of Ramadhan. Given that women, as spouses and mothers, play an important role in management of the family’s diet, today we listen to some of the recommendations of an Iranian lady on nutrition:

“This is the first day of the blessed month of Ramadhan, and I am preparing Iftar or food for breaking of the day’s fast at sunset. These are memorable moments, which enhance the spirituality of this month. It is the time of prayer to God for acceptance of one’s worships. Today, I have wholeheartedly prepared the Iftar. I am glad that my husband has also made every effort to join us, on time.  Grandmother is praying to God, and is regretful for not having the physical ability to fast. My daughter, Zahra, is experiencing her first month of fasting. She is sitting next to her grandmother and is awaiting the Call for Prayers. Broadcast of prayers has granted further spirituality to our house.

“Today, I have prepared soup, alongside tea, bread, cheese, and fresh vegetables. Our diet has changed in the holy month of Ramadan. According to physicians, those who fast should break their fast by drinking warm liquids such as water or milk, along with the eating of dates. Other victuals at Iftar are bread, cheese, walnut, fresh vegetables and soups. Many individuals in this month, due to their further focus on spiritual affairs, avoid detrimental habits such as smoking.

“Today, Dr. Majid Haji Faraji, emphasized consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits in the blessed month of Ramadhan, noting: “Due to concurrency of the warm season with the month of Ramadhan, those who fast should maintain further tolerance, which is tied to maintenance of an appropriate diet at Iftar and at dinner, enabling us to benefit from the advantages of this blessed month without any problem; and preventing troubles such as physical weakness, and fall of blood pressure. If we don’t comply with these points and consume a high percentage of calories, we may gain weight. Eating vegetables makes an appropriate change in our body. Consumption of fruits and vegetables leads to further storage of water in our body. In order to maintain the family’s health further, I consider a time gap between Iftar and dinner, and given that throughout the warm days of the blessed month of Ramadhan, there is a short time gap between Iftar and dinner, I try to prepare simple meals for dinner or Iftar, serving meals enriched with vegetables, proteins, and grains.”

AS/MG