Fruitful Living
Welcoming Ramadan, the month of mercy (Part 1)
Praise of Allah and benediction upon the Prophet (s.a.w.) ALL praise and gratitude are due to Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of mercy and forgiveness. We praise Him for granting us life, guidance, and the blessing of Islam, and for allowing us once again to approach the noble season of Ramadan. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), the seal of the Prophets, his family, his companions, and all those who follow their path in righteousness until the Last Day.
Understanding Ramadan in the Islamic calendar
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar (Hijri) calendar, a calendar that is divinely rooted in the movement of the moon and deeply tied to Islamic acts of worship. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Islamic calendar revolves around lunar cycles, making Ramadan rotate through different seasons of the year. This variation itself is a manifestation of divine wisdom, ensuring that Muslims experience fasting under varying conditions, thereby reinforcing patience, gratitude, and resilience.
Ramadan occupies a unique position in Islam because it is the month in which the Qur’an was revealed as divine guidance for humanity, a criterion between truth and falsehood. Allah says:
“The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.” (Qur’an 2:185)
Thus, Ramadan is not merely a period of abstaining from food and drink, but a comprehensive spiritual season aimed at moral reform, spiritual elevation, and societal harmony.
The imminence of Ramadan and its spiritual significance
In just four to five days, Muslims across the globe will commence the observance of a month-long fast, from dawn (Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib). This nearness of Ramadan is a powerful reminder of the swift passage of time and the urgency of preparing oneself spiritually, mentally, and physically. The righteous predecessors used to supplicate to Allah for months, asking Him to allow them to reach Ramadan and to accept their deeds within it.
The arrival of Ramadan is not only a personal spiritual event but also a global manifestation of unity, as millions of Muslims, regardless of race, nationality, or social status, engage in the same act of worship at the same sacred time.
Ramadan as a sacred obligation and pillar of Islam
Ramadan holds a central place in Islam as fasting during this month is a divinely mandated obligation (farḍ) upon every eligible Muslim. Allah explicitly commands:
“O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa (God-consciousness).” (Qur’an 2:183)
This verse establishes fasting as a means to cultivate Taqwa, a heightened awareness of Allah that governs one’s actions, thoughts, and intentions.
The obligatory nature of fasting is further emphasized in the well-known Hadith narrated by Ibn ‘Umar (r.a.), where the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said:
“Islam is built upon five pillars: bearing witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving Zakah, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj for those who are able.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
This Hadith firmly situates fasting in Ramadan as one of the foundational acts upon which a Muslim’s faith stands.
The Sermon of the Prophet (s.a.w.) as Reported by Salman al-Farsi
One of the most profound narrations highlighting the virtue of Ramadan is the Hadith of Salman al-Farsi (r.a.), who reported that the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) addressed the companions at the end of the month of Sha‘ban, saying:
“O people! A great and blessed month has cast its shadow upon you. A month in which there is a night better than a thousand months. Allah has made its fasting obligatory and standing in prayer during its nights voluntary. Whoever draws nearer to Allah by performing a good deed in it will be like one who performs an obligatory act in other months…” (Reported by al-Bayhaqī)
This sermon demonstrates the prophetic method of psychological and spiritual preparation, conditioning the minds and hearts of the believers to receive Ramadan with reverence, discipline, and optimism.
By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai
(Kpone Katamanso Municipal Chief Imam, Certified Counsellor and Governance Expert)
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4. Correct the falsehood
If someone misrepresents Muhammad (pbuh), teach people who Muhammad (pbuh) really was.
Tell them about his mercy.
Tell them about his justice.
Tell them about his patience.
Tell them about his forgiveness.
5. Report genuine offences
Use lawful channels.
The Muslim does not become the police, prosecutor, judge and executioner.
6. Protect the innocent
If one Christian insults Islam, do not attack another Christian who knows nothing about it.
If one Muslim makes an offensive statement, do not blame all Muslims.
7. Restore peace
After the controversy, bring responsible Muslim and Christian leaders together.
Talk.
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Clarify.
Forgive where forgiveness is appropriate.
And rebuild trust.
Ghana must not become a battlefield of religious provocation
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
Let us look around Ghana.
Muslims and Christians have lived together for generations.
We have Muslim fathers with Christian in-laws.
Christian mothers with Muslim sons-in-law.
Muslim and Christian business partners.
Muslim and Christian neighbours.
Muslim and Christian classmates.
Muslims and Christians serving together in the military, police, public service, universities, hospitals, markets and businesses.
This is Ghana.
We must protect this peace.
Religious freedom is precious.
But religious freedom comes with religious responsibility.
A microphone is not a weapon.
A pulpit is not a battlefield.
A smartphone is not a licence to spread hatred.
A viral video is not a fatwa (religious decree).
And anger is not evidence.
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A word to Muslim scholars
To my fellow Imams and Islamic scholars:
Allah has placed a trust upon our shoulders. You are the best of generations selected for the guidance of mankind. Quran chapter 3:110.
When people are angry, we must calm them.
When people are confused, we must educate them.
When people want revenge, we must teach justice.
When people want violence, we must remind them of Allah.
Our microphone should extinguish fire—not pour petrol upon it.
The Prophet said:ِ
لَيْس َ الشَّدِيد ُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ، إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيد ُ الَّذِي يَمْلِك ُ نَفْسَه ُ عِنْد َ الْغَضَب
“The strong man is not the one who can overpower others; rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when angry.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6114; Sahih Muslim, 2609)
This is strength.
Self-control is strength.
Restraint is strength.
Wisdom is strength.
Justice is strength.
A word to Christian preachers
And to our Christian brothers and sisters, especially those who preach:
We Muslims deeply revere Jesus (peace be upon him)
He is not an ordinary man in Islam.
He is ʿĪsā ibn Maryam عليه السالم, a mighty Messenger of Allah.
The author is the Chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governance Expert.
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When Paul tells us that our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” he had summarized in the previous two verses what such an attitude was: selflessness, humility, and service. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” – Philippians 2:3-4.
In other words, the attitude a Christian should reflect is one that focuses on the needs and interests of others. Without question, that does not come naturally to us. When Christ came into the world, He established a whole new attitude to relationships with others. One day when His disciples were arguing among themselves regarding who was to be greatest in His kingdom, Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Matthew 20:25-28. Jesus is teaching us that, when we become preoccupied with our own things, it can cause conflicts and other problems with people we know. Instead, God wants us to have an attitude of serious, caring involvement in the concerns of others.
Paul speaks more about this Christ-like attitude in his letter to the church in Ephesus: “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.– Ephesians 4:22-24. Many religions of today, including the New Age philosophies, promote the old lie that we are divine or that we can become gods. But the truth of the matter is that we will never become God, or even a god. Satan’s oldest lie was promising Adam and Eve that, if they followed his advice, “- and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5, NKJV.
Each time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and the people around us, we’re only demonstrating that we want to be a god. But we must understand that, as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want us to try to become gods. Instead, He wants us to become like Him, taking on His values, His attitudes, and His character. We are meant to “be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” – Ephesians 4:23-24.
Finally, we must always keep in mind that God’s ultimate goal for His children is not our comfort, but the transformation of our minds into the attitude of godliness. He wants us to grow spiritually, to become like Christ. This doesn’t mean losing our personalities or becoming mindless clones. Christlikeness is all about transforming our minds. Again, Paul tells us, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” – Romans 12:2.
It is God’s will that we develop the kind of mindset described in the Beatitudes of Jesus – Matthew 5:1-12, that we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23, that we emulate the principles in Paul’s great chapter on love – 1 Corinthians 13, and that we strive to pattern our lives after Peter’s characteristics of an effective and productive life – 2 Peter 1:5-8.
Establishing our actions in righteousness
Every person is commanded to live up to divine standards.
a. In the words of Jesus
“ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your Father, who is in heaven, is perfect” – Mt. 5:20, 48.
Every person in the world is required to live up to that standard. You say, “You’ve got to be kidding!” No, I’m not. You are obligated to live up to that standard with a pure inside as well as a right outside. But you say, “I can’t!” You are absolutely right. That’s why we are given the solution…
b. In the words of Paul
As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;– Rom. 3:10, 21-22a.
Though you can’t obtain on your own the righteous standard Christ set, you can receive His righteousness if you are one of those who believe. Isn’t that great? God set the holy standard. And when you acknowledge that you can’t live up to it, He says, “My Son is not only the Lawgiver, but He is the Redeemer as well, who makes it possible for you to live on that level.” Beloved, it’s a fantastic thing! The standard is so high we can’t obtain it. But Christ met that standard and imputes to us His righteousness. Oh, what a blessed thing!
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