Hassan Khomeini features virtues of fasting during Ramadan
Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic says fasting during the holy month of Ramadan holds a unique spiritual status and brings further proximity to God Almighty.
There is famous narration by the holy prophet of Islam that God the merciful said, “Fasting is for me and I shall reward for it.” The great scholar of the Muslim world made these remarks in a note while featuring the virtues of fasting during the holy month.
The intellectual referred to the famous mystics such as Ibn-e Arabi and well-know interpreter Allamah Tabatabaei who believe that the fasting is quite different in its essence from other worships.
There is risk of show off in other worships while the fasting is just observed for the willingness of God and to attract his favors. It is a secret between the merciful God and his obedient devotees and none is informed other than the Lord and the believers, the academic wrote in an article.
The fasting holds a very special status among other worships just like God Almighty had blessed the Moses with special spiritual privileges among the prophets. A verse from Surah Ta-Ha indicates that God had blessed Moses with special virtues and addressed him as following:
"I created you for myself and you belong to me". On the same pattern, the fasting has certain status and reward in divine abode, the great scholar of the Muslim world noted.
The faithful people and believers who observe the fast will be met with spiritual satisfaction and happiness at two junctures. First at a time when they break their fasts after observing it from dawn to dusk and the other when the believers will have spiritual encounter with God Almighty either in form of spiritual abode or on the day of resurrection, the famous Islamic cleric added.
It has been recommended in the Islamic traditions that seeking repentance from sins, saying prayers and reciting the holy Quran and supplications are important form of worships during this holy month, the well-known Islamic scholar said.
It has been narrated in one of the Islamic tradition "you might observe whenever you see it." Some interpreters and scholars say it means that someone must embark on fasting after seeing the moon of first night of month of Ramadan. This is while some others have rendered a mystic interpretation of the Hadith. They say the believer is blessed with spiritual encounter and divine manifestation of God Almighty after observing the fast, the great cleric of the Muslim world said.
The holy month of Ramadan is a sign of the divine blessings towards the Islamic community. This is also month of mercy as the numbers of believers who are forgiven by divine mercies during this month are unprecedented.
Following points must be observed during this holy month:
A) Avoidance from committing any type of sin
B) Islamic traditions strongly recommend seeking repentance from sins during these sacred times
C) Remembrance of God the Almighty which attracts abundance and divine mercies