Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Pillars of Islam | Spirit of Ramadan
According to the Quran, ‘the call to God.’ (41:33) is called dawah ilallah. Calling people to God means communicating the message of God—Quran and Islam—to all mankind.
The call to God aims at bringing people closer to their Creator and Sustainer, and therefore, inviting them to adopt the God-oriented life, and warning man of the consequences of the self-oriented life. Calling people to God is telling them that the only right way of life for them on this earth is to become true believers in God. Primarily, the purpose of dawah ilallah is to acquaint man with the creation plan of God.
As we learn from the Islamic history, calling people to God was the greatest goal of the Prophet of Islam. It was for this purpose that the Prophet Muhammad was sent as the messenger of God to the whole of humanity as mentioned in the Quran: “We have sent you forth as a mercy to all mankind.” (The Quran, 21:107)
However, Prophet Muhammad lived in this world for a limited period of time and now the question arises as to how, after the Prophet’s death, the prophetic responsibility had to be discharged. In his lifetime the Prophet performed this duty directly. After he had gone, this mission had to be carried forward indirectly by his followers, the Muslim ummah. It is, therefore, incumbent upon Muslims as the Prophet’s followers to carry out this mission from one generation to the next and, in presenting the preserved message of Islam to people of every age and time till the Last Day.
Ibn Ishaaq, the Prophet’s earliest biographer, said that when the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) came to the Companions and reminded them of their responsibility of dawah ilallah, he said: ‘God has sent me to the entire world as a blessing, so you should carry out this responsibility on my behalf. God will show His mercy to you.’ (Sirat ibn Hisham, Vol. 4, pp. 268-269)
It is, therefore, incumbent upon the followers of Prophet Muhammad to carry on the work of calling people to God, dawah ilallah after him. This prophetic responsibility devolves upon the Muslim Ummah. Fasting prepares a believer to dedicate oneself for such a higher mission.
The Quran is a book of mission. In the month of Ramadan, every believer goes through the Quran to discover the message of the Quran. This deep study of the Quran awakens in him the spirit of sharing this message with others. Understanding his responsibility of dawah ilallah, he adopts the communication of this message of calling people to God as his mission. Therefore, every year, one month is meant to prepare a believer to carry on this divine mission and he devotes eleven months to spread the message of the Quran (and Islam) to all mankind. One who observes fasting to prepare himself for the mission of the Quran and dedicates himself to this dawah mission, has been promised unlimited reward by God.
Spreading the message of the Quran is a divine mission. According to the Quran, it is akin to providing support to God as mentioned in this verse” “Believers, be God’s helpers.” (The Quran, 61:14)
That is why the Prophet of Islam informed that fasting is to prepare oneself for the sake of the divine mission. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1151) This is the greatest mission, so one who devotes himself will be held deserving for the greatest reward.