Column: Ramadan Month Of Fasting Part IV

[Written by Shabnam Jheengoor]

Part IV- Ramadan and the practice of Etikaf

A few weeks back, Muslims welcomed the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan. During this month, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from all food and drinks. An early breakfast is usually taken before dawn.

Etikaf is a form of worship, a type of spiritual retreat, which is generally observed during the last ten days of Ramadan, beginning from the Fajr prayer [morning prayer] on the twentieth in the month of Ramadan by staying in a mosque. After fasting for 20 days in the month of Ramadan, a believer feels an eagerness to attain as much pleasure and delight of Allah the Almighty as possible, and therefore, in the last ten days of Ramadan, with much enthusiasm and vigour, strives to achieve the nearness of Allah the Almighty.

The most suitable place to perform etikaf is a mosque, as it is stated in the Holy Quran: “While you remain in the mosques for devotion.” [Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.188]

It is reported that the Holy Prophet Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] used to stay awake for most of the night for prayers and exhort his family to do the same during the last ten days of Ramadan.

During etikaf, believers try to completely cut off from the material world and make a habit of sacrificing worldly desires. One does not leave the place of etikaf except for when necessary [for example, using the bathroom etc.]. These last ten days are marked by a search for Laylatul Qadr or ‘the night of destiny’, in which a believer is promised the power of the prayers of a thousand months. According to the Holy Prophet Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] it is to be found in the odd nights of the last ten days. Increased prayers, worship and recitation of the Holy Quran is thus practised during the last ten days of Ramadan.

Email us at amc.bermuda@gmail.com for a free copy of the Holy Quran with English translation and commentary.

- Shabnam Jheengoor, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Bermuda

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