{"id":92208,"date":"2025-03-29T05:08:26","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T09:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muslimmatters.org\/?p=92208"},"modified":"2025-04-02T14:23:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:23:07","slug":"at-the-close-of-ramadan-reflecting-on-this-sojourn-of-restraint-and-spiritual-self-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muslimmatters.org\/2025\/03\/29\/at-the-close-of-ramadan-reflecting-on-this-sojourn-of-restraint-and-spiritual-self-help\/","title":{"rendered":"At The Close Of Ramadan, Reflecting On This Sojourn Of Restraint And Spiritual Self-Help"},"content":{"rendered":"

A man once asked Abu Hurairah \"ra\u1e0dyAll\u0101hu, \u201cWhat is taqwa?\u201d<\/em> He asked, \u201cHave you taken a path with thorns?\u201d<\/em> When the man said yes, he asked, \u201cSo what did you do?\u201d<\/em> The man replied, \u201cWhen I saw a thorn, I moved away, orcrossed over it, or avoided it.\u201d<\/em> Abu Hurairah \"ra\u1e0dyAll\u0101hu replied, \u201cThat is Taqwa.\u201d1<\/a><\/sup>Ad-Durr al-Mansur<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Self control and restraint when no one is watching is at the core of taqwa<\/em>. A quick look at contemporary culture and discourse shows self-restraint to be a highly sought-after trait. The admiration of the discipline of athletes, particularly Muslim ones (Khabib and co.), the glorification of the \u201chustle\u201d of entrepreneurs and business giants, the lineup of motivational speakers and entire sections of bookstores dedicated to self-help, all exemplify the existent urge to attain mastery over oneself in one aspect of life or another. Even with the current age pushing the boundaries of freedom and self-expression further, the need to limit oneself from falling into vanity persists. While people seek various means to attain it, Allah \"sub\u1e25\u0101nahu has blessed us with a month that embodies restraint and purifies us from all vices, as He has stated,\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>O you who have believed, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you (so) that you may attain Taqwa<\/span><\/i>.\u201d [Surah Al-Baqarah: 2;183]<\/span><\/p>\n

The beauty of the month of Ramadan is that it provides both a generic and personal path towards restraint and piety; it shows people their potential and lays down a blueprint to follow to achieve greater control over the self. Pivoting back to the aforementioned motivational gurus and self-help literature, the fundamental flaw of both is that their content is either too generic to offer unique insights or too specific to feasibly map onto every person who seeks them for guidance. <\/span><\/p>\n

The beauty of Ramadan lies in the fact that trends accompanying it (such as increase in voluntary prayers, supplications and forbearance, and eschewing of vices such as vain and foul speech) provide a substantive generic benefit to ones engaging in them in the form of multiplied rewards, while also revealing to each individual the areas they can very realistically improve themselves in.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"restraint

“The beauty of the month of Ramadan is that it provides both a generic and personal path towards restraint and piety.”<\/p><\/div>\n

To elucidate using a personal anecdote: every day, I would walk from my office to my residence, a journey of little over 20 minutes, while doing nothing. During Ramadan, with the aim of finishing the Quran during the month, I would read it during the walk and would finish nearly half a juz\u2019<\/em> during it. Hence, over 20 minutes from my day that could be infused with worship were not being utilised and were brought to my attention. This \u201cmethod\u201d can very easily be mapped onto each person\u2019s day and experience to find areas to improve in, whether it be time being under-utilised or areas of behaviour to be worked on.<\/p>\n

The virtue of this restraint is magnified to the highest degree as the honing of the self undertaken during Ramadan is done for the ultimate cause, the very purpose of creation: to worship and submit to Allah \"sub\u1e25\u0101nahu and seek His pleasure. It directs towards the attaining of an extremely worthy trait in the path of the noblest of aims; one disciplines themselves not for material gains but for an achievement described as <\/span>fawzan adheema<\/span><\/i>, a great victory. Orienting willpower towards the true purpose of our existence also aids in setting priorities straight, since attaining rewards in the Hereafter often comes with shedding worldly desires and gains. It reiterates the importance of the next life and the insignificance of this one, and purifies the soul by giving spiritual accomplishment priority over its material counterpart. In a culture geared towards extracting maximum material benefit out of things, a month emphasising the spiritual becomes an obstacle that puts one at a worldly disadvantage. Commitment to observe Ramadan then serves as a reminder to shed one’s h<\/em><\/span>awa<\/span><\/i> in pursuit of rewards that may not immediately bear fruit; to rise above the need for instant gratification for \u2013 as the Quran describes \u2013 a more fruitful and lasting <\/span>transaction that will never perish<\/span><\/i>.2<\/a><\/sup>Surah Faatir, 35:29<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, as the <\/span>training weights<\/span><\/i> of Ramadan come off, the celebration that is Eid ul-Fitr does not lift the restrictions to make way for excess and extravagance, but exhorts towards sacrifice and praising Allah \"sub\u1e25\u0101nahu with zakat al-fitr<\/em> and reciting of the takbir<\/em>; it further emphasizes on being mindful of the ultimate purpose, even in celebration. Ramadan is an exercise in restraint, the ultimate self-help guide for the loftiest goal. The path to eternal doom in the Hereafter is littered with desires, and it is through perfecting <\/span>khair az-zaad<\/span><\/i>, the best provision for the journey of life that one safeguards oneself from that fate. The month of Ramadan provides the perfect conditions for stitching the garment that will shield one from the allure of desires,<\/span> the garment of Taqwa – that is best<\/span><\/i>.3<\/a><\/sup>Surah A\u2019raaf, 7:26<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

– Before You Seek Answers, Seek Him First: A Muslim Chaplain\u2019s Ramadan Reflection<\/a><\/p>\n

– Why We Fast: The Theological Danger Of Awkward Apologetics<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A man once asked Abu Hurairah , \u201cWhat is taqwa?\u201d He asked, \u201cHave you taken a path with thorns?\u201d When the man said yes, he asked, \u201cSo what did you do?\u201d The man replied, \u201cWhen I saw a thorn, I moved away, orcrossed over it, or avoided it.\u201d Abu Hurairah replied, \u201cThat is Taqwa.\u201d Self […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":483,"featured_media":92222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"yes","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10162779835525413_128059875822":"","twitter_22332114_22332114":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_payment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_user_ghostwriter":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6041,8992,6044,6047,17,95,8959,4528,92],"tags":[400,4158,9689,7214,154,403,11167,11206,130,483],"coauthors":[11205],"class_list":["post-92208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-islam","category-featured","category-featured-home","category-featured-islam","category-inspiration-and-spirituality","category-quran-and-sunnah","category-ramadan-4","category-ramadan","category-worship","tag-fasting","tag-featured","tag-featured-islam","tag-islam-3","tag-muslim","tag-ramadan-2","tag-ramadan-2025","tag-restraint","tag-spirituality","tag-taqwa"],"yoast_head":"\nAt The Close Of Ramadan, Reflecting On This Sojourn Of Restraint And Spiritual Self-Help - 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