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German National Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the German National Library; more details on: http://dnb.de/EN

First published in 2021

Proprietor: Cornelia Linder, Hirnsbergerstr. 52, D - 83093 Antwort

Tel. +49 8053 7992952, email: info@sheema.de

https://www.sheema-verlag.de

ISBN 978-3-948177-56-0 (paperback)

ISBN 978-3-948177-57-7 (hard cover)

ISBN 978-3-948177-58-4 (e-book)

Cover design: Schmucker-digital, copyright illustration:

Proofreading: Katherine Gardiner

Translation: Monique Arav

General editor: Sheema Medien Verlag, Cornelia Linder

Printed and distributed by tredition GmbH, Halenreie 40-44, 22359 Hamburg, Germany

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for ‘fair use’ as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual wellbeing. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and publisher speciically disclaim any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, that is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

Sheema Medien Verlag attaches importance to sustainable production.

Table of contents

The 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet

Comments on the transliteration

Preface

1^st day of Ramadan, ṣiyām, fasting

2^nd day of Ramadan, taqwa, God-consciousness

3^rd day of Ramadan, ṣalāt, prayer

4^th day of Ramadan, tawba, forgiveness

5^th day of Ramadan, ṣabr, patience

6^th day of Ramadan, du‘ā`, supplications

7^th day of Ramadan, dhikr, remembrance

8^th day of Ramadan, karam, generosity

9^th day of Ramadan, shukr, gratefulness

10^th day of Ramadan, adab, good manners in Islam

11^th day of Ramadan, niyya, intention

12^th day of Ramadan, zakāt and ṣadaqa, alms and charity

13^th day of Ramadan, jihād, struggle

14^th day of Ramadan, karāma, dignity

15^th day of Ramadan, al-khālq, creation

16^th day of Ramadan, qalb, heart

17^th day of Ramadan, riḍā’, contentment

18^th day of Ramadan, waqt, time

19^th day of Ramadan, mawt, death

20^th day of Ramadan, salām, peace

21^st day of Ramadan, ’a‘māl, deeds

22^nd day of Ramadan, umma, community

23^rd day of Ramadan, taghayyur, constant change

24^th day of Ramadan, qadar, destiny

25^th day of Ramadan, the Prophet

26^th day of Ramadan, Laylat al-Qadr

27^th day of Ramadan, the Mystery of the Qur’an

28^th day of Ramadan, taslīm wa ‘ilm, surrender and knowledge

29^th day of Ramadan, tawwakul, trust

30^th day of Ramadan, Aṣ-Ṣamad, the Eternal

Epilogue

Notes

About the author

Preface

The Prophet said: “There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Raiyan, and those who observe fasts will enter through it on the Day of Resurrection and none except them will enter through it. It will be said, ‘Where are those who used to observe fasts?’ They will get up, and none except them will enter through it. After their entry the gate will be closed and nobody will enter through it.”³

The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root r-m-ḍ, which means heated through the intensity of the sun, burning. This reminds us that the aim of the month of Ramadan is to burn the veils which prevent us from experiencing Allah’s omnipresence.

Allah has set this month as a clear, bubbling source, so that we can purify our life and the state of our soul, and set off towards the Divine light.

Ramadan is a month of spiritual development. It is the month of generosity and sharing.

“Ibn Abbas reported that the messenger of Allah was the most generous of people in charity, but that he was generous to the utmost during the month of Ramadan. The angel Gabriel, peace be with him, would meet him every year during Ramadan until it ended, and the messenger of Allah would recite the Qur’an to him; and when Gabriel met him, the messenger of Allah was more generous in giving charity than the blowing wind (touching everything and everyone).”⁴

The month of Ramadan is not meant to be a burden or to make your life more difficult. It is a Divine gift meant to inspire and transform you.

This month is about freeing yourself from the influence and the burden of your ego, nafs.

Allah tells us: “[…] Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might remain conscious of God:” (2:183)

The most beautiful aspect of this month is to serve Allah, the All-merciful, Ar-Raḥmān, and to strengthen our bond of love with Him.

The Messenger of Allah said: “There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. During it the gates of heavens are opened and the gates of hell are closed, and every devil is chained up. In it Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months.”⁵

Ramadan is a month of mercy and glory, in which every day is the best day, every night the best night and every moment the best moment. This month is particularly precious in view of its spiritual value and the high place it has for Allah.

OH, ALLAH, OPEN MY HEART TO YOU IN LOVE AND GRATEFULNESS.

In Arabic, the word for fasting is ṣiyam. It comes from the root ṣ-w-m which means self-control and abstinence.

The most beneficial aspect of fasting is self-knowledge. When we are asked to restrain our ego, our addictions, our weaknesses, our carelessness, they all come to the fore and we are given the awareness required to free ourselves from them. The aim of fasting is to fight the lower instincts and attain positive qualities.

Thus if we give up outer distractions such as phone, television, computer games and other pleasures, if we pay attention to our words and refrain from unnecessary talk, if we perform our deeds carefully, if we observe how we think about self and others, and resist our inner prejudices, if we deal with nature and our environment more thoughtfully, if we pray sincerely and go deeper into the Holy Qur’an, if we fill our homes with the healing sounds of the Qur’an, we create a space of self-knowledge where we can experience Allah’s mercy and love.

Ramadan is at the same time a taxing and a joyful time. During this month, the tension of abstinence and social celebration alternate thirty times.

As the whole Islamic world fasts, we experience an increased spiritual connection with the Muslim community, umma.

Through the movements of abstinence (during the day), celebration (sunset) and retreat (at night), we experience ourselves in all the shapes of life.

O ALLAH, LET ME FOLLOW MY HEART’S LONGING. DO NOT LET THE WORRIES OF THIS WORLD BE MY STRONGEST CONCERN AND PROTECT ME FROM THE DISTRACTIONS OF THIS WORLD SO THAT I MAY REMEMBER YOU AT ALL TIMES.

The month of Ramadan enables us to reach a level of awareness where all our deeds turn into an act of worship. To experience our nothingness, our poverty opens a space within us which spreads the fragrance of gratefulness and opens our eyes to all the wonders that surround us.

“And God’s is the east and the west: and wherever you turn, there is God’s countenance.” (2:115)

Fasting slows us down and so we find ourselves becoming more persevering. According to an Arabic proverb, “restlessness and rush come from the shaytan”. They come from the shaytan because they rob us of beauty.

The nafs loves speed and change, and it will avoid boredom and extended reflection at all costs; answers must come at once, things must be completed fast and pleasures be varied.

As our fast slows us down, touching an object, walking to a certain destination, breathing consciously can all grow into contemplating the beauty of Allah’s creation and awaken in our heart grateful thanks to the Creator, alhamdulillah!

The Prophet Muhammad said: “Allah said, ‘All the deeds of Adam’s sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it, I am the reward for it’.”⁶

These touching words of the Prophet show us how very much Allah loves us. My fast is the only thing which I can hold up to Allah in love and surrender. Allah acknowledges that I take willpower, abstinence and conscious effort upon myself in order to please Him.

To fast during this holy month is to offer all our weaknesses. It is to experience and to praise our surrender and our attachment to Allah, our utter dependence on Him.

“It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was [first] bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by which to discern the true from the false. Hence, whoever of you lives to see this month shall fast throughout it; […].” (2:185)

Allah describes Ramadan as the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, thus showing us that when we fast from the world, this helps us to a deeper experience of the guidance of the Qur’an. By experiencing our weaknesses through fasting, by experiencing how much we depend on Allah’s gifts, we experience His love, His closeness and His care. The words of the Qur’an touch every seeker just where they find themselves on their spiritual journey.

The Qur’an prepares our soul and our spirit to the forthcoming endless journey, to our return to Him.

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad describes it as follows: “There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord (on Judgement Day); then he will be pleased because of his fasting.”⁷

The Qur’an is the miracle which Allah has bestowed upon us through His Messenger . We read and hear about the miracles of the Prophets, Allah’s peace be with them, but we are the only ones who are now holding the miracle of the Qur’an in our hands and can now drink from it. What an honour, and what a responsibility!

May your pure hands hold the Qur’an, may your loving lips touch it and may your whole being drink from this spring.

Thus fasting helps us in this process of mastering our self. When we are being asked to leave everything that distracts us and everything that nourishes us from the outside, to a certain extent we find ourselves forced to look inside for our longing.

We start our journey by turning inwards, fasting from the creation and turning to the Creator.

It is at the beginning of our fast that we can feel most strongly Allah’s mercy and help.

When our hearts open, we experience Allah’s mercy and our plea for forgiveness grows.

Forgiveness helps us enter the next, deeper state of consciousness, and free all our senses from everything which does not bring us closer to Allah.

O ALLAH, TAKE US CLOSER TO THE BEST WE CAN BE. LET MY SPIRIT GROW FROM SELF-CENTREDNESS UNTIL IT CAN EMBRACE ALL OF YOUR CREATION IN MERCY, FORGIVENESS AND DELIGHT.

The next level of fasting is to see to it that our thoughts are not fed by our ego, nafs.

It is fasting from arrogance and complacency so as to experience how completely we depend upon Him.

This helps us free ourselves from the fires because fire arises when we put up resistance, when we are afraid to let go and to surrender in deep trust and devotion.

“God is enough for us; and how excellent a guardian is He!” (3:173)

May Allah raise us above the state which the beloved of Allah was concerned about and described as follows: “How few are those who truly fast and how many those who (merely) go hungry.”⁸

When humility touches our nafs and shakes the walls of resistance, we overcome isolation and are ready to enter Allah’s kingdom of mercy and peace. Experiencing our humility and Allah’s love opens our hearts and makes them more generous towards those in need. Allah puts generosity, serenity and peace in our hearts. The worries of the past vanish, the fear of the future leaves us and we remain in the moment, in the presence of the Divine:

“Now, verily, it is We who have created man, and We know what his innermost self whispers within him: for We are closer to him than his neck-vein.” (50:16)

May our hearts always be in Allah’s hands, may our deeds always express our love, and may our thoughts and words be filled with the beauty that He, praised be His magnificence, subḥāna hū wa ta’ala, has put in us.

This book is meant to bring support and inspiration to all those who are on the path to Allah, all the sincere seekers and all those who fast out of love. May Allah accept our fast, for we all drink from His eternal mercy, raḥma, to which we turn in deep hope and wakeful fear.

“And hold fast, all together, unto the bond with God, and do not draw apart from one another. And remember the blessings which God has bestowed upon you: […].” (3:103)

1^st day of Ramadan

ṢIYĀM

FASTING

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad said: “By Him in whose hands is my soul, the unpleasant smell coming from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk.”⁹

Ramadan is the month during which Allah calls us to continue and perfect our spiritual development. By calling upon us to give up things which are usually allowed, He gives us an opportunity to strengthen our will.

The month of Ramadan starts with letting go. It is a process which leads us from doing into non-doing, and where we surrender to the peaceful flow of contemplation and self-knowledge:

I THANK YOU AND I ENTRUST MYSELF TO YOU. LET ME FEEL YOUR GUIDANCE IN MY HEART, LET ME SEE YOUR MERCY IN EVERYTHING. STRENGTHEN MY FAITH AND FREE ME FROM THE ILLUSIONS OF SEPARATION AND COMPLACENCY!

It is not easy for the ego, nafs, to renounce habits; it irritates and troubles us, and shows us the extent to which we can be disturbed when our needs are not being fulfilled.

We are often slaves to our attachment to our desires and to our needs. Allah calls upon us to leave those things aside which burden us and prevent us from being truly free.

Letting go of those things because such is Allah’s wish, surrendering to relinquishing our habits – if we are ready to leave everything and to allow for devotion bathed in trust, taslīm, then a liberation process can begin.

Ramadan is the month of intimate dialogue with Allah. It is to break the shell of the mundane world in order to find a new direction. It is the time to transcend forgetfulness and distraction, and to live again consciously the meaning of our existence.

It is to become sensitive again to all the blessings Allah has bestowed upon us. It is to step out of that prison we have built for ourselves and go beyond those lower human qualities which keep us in chains.

Discipline and abstaining from mundane, material food and pleasures – drink, food and sex –, laying them off like we remove a garment enables us to stand in front of Allah, the One, in all our weakness, and to recognise that Allah is Aṣ-Ṣamad, the Absolute, to whom all creatures turn to seek help.

When Allah sets boundaries for us, they are not meant to restrict our freedom, but to enable us to pause and step out of the treadmill of our secular world in order to relativise things in our life.

It is the time to focus on our relationship with ourself and with our fellow human beings, with our environment, and above all on our relationship with Allah, the All-Merciful, Ar-Raḥmān. Such is the cornerstone of true surrender.

Fasting is not mere renouncing, fasting is also creating – in our life and within ourselves – a space of awareness open to the mercy and the blessings of Allah.

When we let go of the ego’s lower wishes, we discover that the key to the door of our self-made prison had always been in our hands.

ALLAH, FILL MY HEART WITH TRUST, GRANT ME SURRENDER AND GUIDE ME TO YOU.

PRACTICE SUGGESTED FOR TODAY

Decide to take five minutes at the end of every hour to repeat Allah with all your heart, aloud if you are at home, silently if you are outside.

You will find it helpful to set an alarm on your phone or on your alarm clock every 55 minutes.

A teacher once told his students: “Keep knocking on Allah’s door and never stop, for in His mercy, Allah will finally open His doors to those who sincerely seek Him.”

The mystic Rabia Al-Adawiyya heard him as she was passing the mosque, and asked: “Was Allah’s door ever closed?”

DID YOU KNOW…

The first ādhān (literally: announcement) in the history of Islam came to ʿAbd Allah ibn Zaid as an inspiration in a dream, approved by the Prophet and called for the first time by Bilal al-Habashi in 623, shortly after the exodus, hijra, from Mecca. For the Shi‘ites, the angel Gabriel was ordered by Allah to come to the Prophet with the call for prayer. The Prophet then appointed Bilal as the first muezzin.

2^nd day of Ramadan

TAQWA

GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS

The Prophet Muhammad said: “Have taqwa of Allah wherever you are, and follow an evil deed with a good one to wipe it out, and treat the people with good behaviour.”¹²

The word taqwa is often translated as fear, yet taqwa is being conscious of God, afraid of not being connected with Allah and at the same time loving to be with Him.

It is a protection, a bond, an attitude and an inner guidance which comes from feeling and knowledge: inna li-llāhi wa-inna ilayhi rāji‘ūn, “Verily, unto God do we belong and, verily unto Him we shall return.” (2:156)

The deep certainty that I belong to Allah, that every blessing I enjoy, every one of my experiences and possessions, everything that I am comes from Him, opens the heart and enables me to step out of the fear and the worries which keep arising in life, and to grow and develop trust, faith and surrender.

When the heart places itself more and more in Allah’s hands and experiences its peace, sakīna, in God’s presence, the light of the heart begins to conquer the intellect and to spread to the senses and perceptions.

Our dignity, our inner beauty and our compassion towards self and others grow out of this inner attitude. It helps us to live to the full the potential given to us by Allah and to experience the true freedom of our soul.

Ittaqi llāh! Take heed of God wherever you tread!

When we know deep in our heart that there is a Creator, we will make our decisions in such a way as to be beneficial to God’s creation and to treat it with kindness.

Being aware of God’s existence at all times and in all places leads us to draw this knowledge, this deep feeling, into every decision we make, not out of fear, but out of love, deference and self-respect.

For only when we trust in the Divine and become Allah’s servants does our soul experience Allah’s beauty. Then we can live the innate goodness, fiṭra, which Allah has placed in our hearts and which blossoms when we are in alignment with the Divine.

The blessed month of Ramadan is a special time that Allah bestows upon us so that our heart may turn away from the world’s ceaseless wishes and focus on His eternal love.

It is a month during which we align ourselves anew with Allah, expressing this in our deeds, our words and our behaviour, for “verily, the best of all provisions is God-consciousness.” (2:197)

Thus does our faith in Allah manifest in our life.

“Verily, those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds will the Most Gracious endow with love: […].” (19:96)

Ramadan is a month of trust and courage. Only when we know, when we hold our heart to Allah can we experience how much God loves us; only then can we become free of our fears and dread of the unknown future.

The more we trust in God’s perfect wisdom, the more harmony we feel in our life, the more we embody this conviction on our path and in our aims.

It is this mixture of reverence, trust, mindfulness and love which enables us to come into the state of dignified and mindful behaviour, adab. And taqwa helps us embed ourselves in the natural movements and laws of life and the universe.

Taqwa is an inner attitude which relates to our soul and builds the meeting point between surrender and freedom.

Taqwa helps us become responsible human beings and a conscious part of the Divine creation with rights and obligations.

Taqwa makes us free inside because we find our bearings through an inner attitude which makes up our character.

“Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him.” (49:13)

Taqwa gives us orientation, discernment and the ability to decide, as well as steadfast courage, thus helping us to be friendly and compassionate, without judgement.

PRACTICE SUGGESTED FOR TODAY

Today, decide to become aware that everything you touch, everything you see, everything you carry, everything you buy and prepare, every encounter, everything you hear and smell, comes from Allah and that He is the Mālik, the One who rules over and owns everything.

Repeat:

lahū l-mulk wa lahū l-ḥamd

Everything on earth comes from You and belongs to You,
praise be to You

DID YOU KNOW…

The concept taqwa, including the corresponding verb and derivatives, occur 285 times in the Qur’an, thus showing how essential this attitude is for us.

The same root w-q-y also carries the following meanings: to be on one’s guard, caution, to protect, to preserve, to take a preventive measure, defence.

Comments on the Transliteration

The transliteration in this book follows the rules of the IJMES transliteration system for Arabic, as recommended by the International Journal of Middle East Studies.

While not so well-known Arabic names have been transcribed, some Arabic concepts and names such as Qur’an (Qur’ān), Ramadan (ramaḍān), dhikr (dhikr), jinn, mashallah (mā shā`a llāh), alhamdulillah (al-ḥamdu li-llāh), jihad (jihād), shaytan (shayṭān), hadith (ḥadīth), shahada (shahāda) have usually not been transcribed since they are frequently used.

Allah guides us and tells us: “it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know.” (2:216)

lā ilāha illā llāh – muḥammadun rasūlu llāh

“There is no reality but God alone
and Muhammad (the perfect one)
is God’s messenger.”

This small book scoops a drop
from the one rich ocean of Islam,
without making any separation or difference.

When you break the fast, say:

“O Allah, I have fasted for You
and with Your provision I break my fast.”¹

allāhumma laka ṣumtu wa-‘alā rizqika ’afṭartu

After you have broken the fast, say:

“The thirst is quenched, the veins are wet and the reward
is constant, Allah willing.”²

dhahaba aẓ-ẓama’u wa-btalati l-‘a‘urūq wa-thabata l-’ajru
in shā’a llāh