It was again in this month of sublime excellence that the sacred Zabur saw the light of day through Hazrat Daud (AS), and Hazrat Isa (AS) had the privilege and honour of receiving the divine revelation of the holy Injil in this auspicious month of Ramadan.

And last, but not the least, it was in this month that the revelation of the Holy Quran commenced on the sacred night of Lailat-ul-Qudr. Sura Baqara testifies to the sanctity and excellence of this sacred month when it declares in unequivocal terms: "Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Quran, as a guide to mankind, also clear (signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong)." (2:185).

Ramadan is derived from the world Ramz which means to burn, to scorch. The root meaning of Ramadan is excessiveness of heat; the month was so-called because "when they changed the names of the months from the ancient language they named them according to the seasons in which they fell, and this month agreed with the days of excessive heat." Thomas Patrick Hughes in his work, Dictionary of Islam, corroborates this claim when he says: "The month is said to have been so-called because it used (before the change of the calendar) to occur in the hot season, or because the month's fast is supposed to burn away the sins of men."

Roza is a Persian word. Its equivalent in Arabic is al-Siyam. Although "fasting" and Roza are synonymous, Roza or al-Siyam must not be equated with normal fasting. There is a gulf of difference between Roza in Ramadan and mere abstention from food and drinks. Al-Siyam is something sublime, much nobler, more exalted and majestic.

"It is an armour," declares the holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), "with which one protects oneself" (Bukhari). It calls for full exercise of self-restraint of all the senses and limbs -- a total and absolute control of all evil acts and desires, control of not only wrath, malice, arrogance, greed, jealousy, hatred and enmity, but also of all indecent and unholy dreams and desires. The holy Prophet (pbuh) ordains: "So let not him (who fasts) utter immodest (or foul) speech, nor let him act in an ignorant manner; and if a man quarrels with him or abuses him, he should say twice: "I am fasting." (Bukhari).

Al-Siyam or Roza during the holy month of Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory for every Muslim provided he or she is in full possession of his or her faculties. There are, however, exemptions for temporary causes. The exemptions clearly signify that Allah never wants His bands to suffer and undergo self-torture. The Holy Quran testifies: "Allah does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period and to glorify him in that he has guided you: and perchance ye shall be grateful." (2:185).

Al-Siyam, or fasting, is indeed an ancient form of worship, prescribed for the Muslims as well as other nations which preceded us, ever since the time of Hazrat Adam (AS). Islam introduced a new meaning, a new vision, a new idea, a new spirit into the institution of fasting. Fasting was blessed with systematic regulation, a scientific method, a noble justification. In the days before the holy Prophet (pbuh) fasting meant the suffering of some privation in the hours of mourning and sorrow. Islam introduced a revolutionary innovation -- Siyam stood not for mere suffering or abstinence but was an institution for the moral upliftment and spiritual elevation of the human soul. Fasting, in the light of Islam, helps one to overcome lust and thereby sets him/her at the entrance to the road leading to perfection -- to be achieved through prayers and penance, Taqwa and Tarawwith, contemplation and acts of charity, total restraint and abstinence from all evil acts and thoughts.

Al-Siyam is indeed something unique. It enjoys, in the eyes of Allah, a divine grace unparalleled by any other act of piety or worship. According to a Qudsi Hadith (utterances attributed to Allah outside the Holy Quran), the most Gracious and the most Merciful Allah, in his infinite Mercy, declares: "A man's work belongs to him. A good deed is repaid from tenfold to seven hundred times. Fasting belongs to me and I repay." (Bukhari and Muslim).

Salman al-Farisi (RA) told of Allah's Messenger (pbuh) saying in a sermon which he delivered to them on the last day of Sha'ban: "A great month, a blessed month, a month containing a night which is better than a thousand nights has approached you people.

God has appointed the observance of fasting during it as an obligatory duty, and the passing of its night in prayer as a voluntary practice. If someone draws near to God during it with some good act he will be like one who fulfils an obligatory duty in another month, and he who fulfils an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfils seventy obligatory duties in another month. It is the month of endurance, and the reward of endurance is paradise. It is the month of sharing with others, and a month in which the believer's provision is increased. If someone gives one who has been fasting something with which to break his fast it will provide forgiveness of his sins and save him from hell, and he will have a reward equal to his without his reward being diminished in any respect .... It is a month whose beginning is Mercy, whose middle is Forgiveness, and whose end is Freedom from hell." (Baihaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman).

Ramadan has come back once again with all its pristine glory and spiritual excellence to teach us self-restraint and to provide us with a unique opportunity to receive divine mercy. Let us rise to the occasion and celebrate it in all sobriety and in a befitting way through prayers and penance, charity, and benevolence.

Syed Ashraf Ali is former DG of Islamic Formation Bangladesh.