By Sadullah Khan
Ramadaan is the month of heightened Allah-consciousness, of attaining unto taqwa (piety and God-consciousness); of training ourselves to be the best we can be; a month to initiate improvement of reputation, character and for cultivating good habits.
Ramadaan is also the month of the initiation of the Final Divine Revelation, Al Quran. In order to truly benefit from the Quran we have to be able to relate to the Quran in a practical way, every day of our lives. The month of Ramadan, this month of siyaam, this month of qiyaam and of the Quran; provides the ideal opportunity for us to fully reconnect our relationship with the Quran and to enhance that relationship by maintaining the following five responsibilities :
1. Belief and Honour
We regard the Quran as the words of Allah and believe it to be the best book of guidance for those who want to live righteous lives. We respect its message and honor it above all other books and commit ourselves to abide by its precepts.
2. Reading and Recitation
Since the Quran was communicated to the Prophet through angel Gabriel orally and the Prophet in turn conveyed it to his companions and family orally we should learn to read the Quran properly and recite it correctly.
There are great blessings /barakah in reading the Quran in the correct manner and it is our duty to recite it the way it was revealed; thus maintaining its originality.
3. Understanding and Reflecting
Many Muslims learn to read the Quran but few strive to understand its meaning. Since the Quran is primarily a book of guidance (2:185), we have a responsibility to understand its message and reflect on what it says. What is not understood can not truly be implemented.
4. Implementing the Guidelines
One of the greatest duties we have is to live by the commands of Allah. The primary reason why Divine revelation was sent was to guide human beings to be good and to be of benefit to the world; neither to do wrong, nor to harm the world.
5. Conveying and Clarifying
Each Muslim has the responsibility of conveying the message of Islam to others; with wisdom, beautiful preaching and practical example.
If we believe in the Quran as we ought to, respect the Quran, read it how it is supposed to be read, recite it with propriety, understand its message and live by its commands then our behavior will reflect the Quran.
The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) wife was asked to describe his conduct and she said: “His character is the Quran.”
The Prophet’s (PBUH) life was an embodiment of the values of the Quran. In the words of the poet Akbar Allahabadi; “a unique phenomena many people do not seem to realise is that a truly believer is seen reading the Quran but in reality the believer is a reflection/embodiment of the Quran.”
May we elevate ourselves in this Ramadaan, from being a reciter of the Quran to being an embodiment of the values of the Quran.www.islamcity.com
