A special enlightenment and serenity generate in the spirit of man.

A special enlightenment and serenity generate in the spirit of man. For the worshipping of Allah, the purification of the soul, and moral reformation, a special preparedness becomes manifest in those who have sawm. On the last . Friday of the month of Sha'ban, the Holy Prophet (SA) stated the following concerning the magnificence and value of "the month of Allah". "O people, the month of Allah, along with its blessings and salvation, has revealed itself to you.

It is a month which is regarded as the best of all the months by Allah. Its days, nights, and hours are the best of all. It is a month in which you are invited to be the guest of Allah and are entitled to His favour and generosity." "In this month, your breathing will have the thawab of tasbih saying "Subhanallah" (Glory be to Allah) and dhikr and your sleeping will have the thawab of the worship of Allah." "If you resort to Allah in this month and worship Him, Allah will grant your prayers.

Therefore, with all your truthfulness and sincerity and with a pure heart pray to Allah to grant you His Divine dispensations for having sawm and reciting the Holy Qur'an, for one who remains deprived of the forgiveness and blessings of Allah in this bountiful and blessed month is indeed unfortunate." THE SAWM LEADS TO TAQWA The Almighty Allah states in the Holy Qur'an: "O you who believe!

the sawm is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may have taqwa (2:183)." Islam enjoins its followers to have sawm for a complete month (during the month of Ramadan). By having sawm for one month, Muslims prepare themselves for the state of taqwa in its entirety, because when a man refrains from satisfying his natural physical desires, he can very well abstain from satisfying his carnal desires.

In order to attain such a degree of perfection, Islam surely does not consider only abstaining from eating and drinking to be sufficient for the sawm, rather it orders a person who has sawm to abstain from whatever causes indulgence in evils and the commitment of sins or leads him to satanic temptations and indulgence in his unruly carnal desires. MUFTIRAT WHICH RENDER THE SAWM BATIL Several muftirat (certain acts which invalidate the sawm) render the sawm batil.

These include the following: (i) Eating and drinking, although these things may not be usual drinks or eatables such as soil or the gum of trees. (ii) The sexual intercourse renders the sawm batil.