The Do's And Don'ts In Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth Islamic month. In Ramadan, the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on laylat-al-qadr. In this Holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.

In Ramadan, Muslims follow a set of protocols and abide by them. They believe that the holy month of Ramadan signifies self discipline, self control, brotherhood and gives rise to empathy towards the poor. Here is the list of "what a Muslim must and must not do during the Holy month":

• Do's In The Holy Month Or Ramadan:

1. Do recite the Holy Quran :

In the month of Ramadan, Muslims communicate to the Allah without any barrier. Muslims are expected to read the Holy Quran and seek for Allah's forgiveness. This is because during this month, Satan is bounded in chains.

2. Observe a fast and offer prayer five times a day :

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. Therefore Muslims are expected to fast during this month. A fast starts from Fajr and conclude with the Isha. Five times prayer in Islam are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha. There is a great importance of offering prayer daily five times because it creates a link between a man and the creator of this Universe - Allah.

3 Make use of your time and help others :

During this Holy month of Ramadan, offer your help to others. There are many people who are needy and poor, and as a Muslim you should reach out to them and offer a helping hand.

4. Do offer Zakat :

In the Holy month of Ramadan, donate and offer Zakat to charitable causes, as Zakat is also one of the five pillars of Islam. It involves getting a percentage of one's wealth and share it to poor and needy. Zakat can be in any form - money, food, clothes (unless used for business purpose).

5. Do forgive everyone :

The month Ramadan is about forgiveness. During the month of Ramadan, forgive everyone who has done anything wrong to you. If the Almighty Allah can forgive us of the sins then why not we?. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "Ramadan is the month, whose beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness, and its end is emancipation from the fire of hell" (source Bihar-al-Anwar 93-342). Therefore forgive everyone and ask for forgiveness from Allah.

6. Be calm, patient and tolerant :

Practice self discipline, self control and stay calm. Since the month is about compassion, Muslims are expected to keep calm and practice self discipline. It is not good to raise your voice high or to get angry with others. Even when you are not happy with something, try to handle the situation with calmness.

• Don'ts In The Holy Month Of Ramadan :

1. Don't hold grudges :

Maybe someone had wronged you or might even wrong you during the month of Ramadan, which results in holding of grudges against him/her. You might think that you will never forgive that person. But as we mentioned above that the month of Ramadan is all about forgiving and asking for forgiveness. If you cannot forgive someone then "what makes you think that Allah will forgive you for your sins?". If you are willing of collecting rewards in this Holy month then forgive everyone and remove all the grudges from your heart.

2. Don't lose patience and never get violent :

There are many situations when we get angry at someone. But whatever the situation might be, try to avoid getting angry. Don't fight, never beat your children or your spouse and avoid any type of quarrelling. Whether you are at home or outside, try to control your anger and be patient. Violence is against the teachings of Islam.

3. Avoid Backbiting :

Backbiting (Gheebah)  means that a Muslim mentions the faults of  another Muslim in his absence, which he would not like if he heard about it, when there is no need to mention them. In Quran (49:12), Allah says " And backbite not one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?. You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the one who forgives and accepts repentance, most merciful". Backbiting is the one thing you should be careful about. There is no need for you to be hungry in the name of fasting when you cannot refrain yourself from backbiting.

4. Don't waste time :

Instead of watching TV, oversleeping or shopping, make full use of your time in doing good deeds and reciting Quran. Ramadan is the time for nurturing discipline. You should give up the worldly pleasures in the Holy month of Ramadan in order to get more close to Allah.

5. Avoid listening to music or songs :

Music should not be listened as it is haram and results in deviating you from the path of Allah. Use this precious time to repent and pray to Allah in order to attain Taqwa (closeness to Allah).

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