The Mutual Services of the Qur’an and Ramadan

Seyed Hashem Moosavi

Introduction

Within the sacred geometry of Islamic devotion, certain times and certain truths are so deeply intertwined that they are inseparable.

The Noble Qur’an, the Book of guidance and the month of Ramadan, the month of Divine hospitality are among the most beautiful and blessed of these bonds. If we regard the Qur’an as «ثقل اکبر» the Greatest Trust and the eternal guide of humanity, then Ramadan must be seen as the season of its manifestation, the sacred time in which that truth blossoms.

In verse 185 of Surah al-Baqarah, Allah makes this relationship unmistakably clear:

«شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِی أُنزِلَ فِیهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَ بَیِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَ الْفُرْقَانِ؛

“The month of Ramadan is that in which the Qur’an was sent down, guidance for humanity, and clear proofs of guidance, and the Criterion (between right and wrong).”

In this verse, the identity of Ramadan is defined through the Qur’an. It is as though this month cannot attain its full meaning without the Qur’an, and the Qur’an, without the fertile ground of Ramadan, does not fully unfold its social and transformative power.

This is the essence of the mutual services of the Qur’an and Ramadan:

the Qur’an breathes spirit and meaning into Ramadan, and Ramadan provides the living arena in which the Qur’an can be realized and embodied. Together, they are like two mighty wings, lifting the believer toward spiritual completion and nearness to God.

Section One: The Qur’an’s Service to Ramadan

Breathing Spirit into the Body of Time

1. Giving Meaning to Fasting: From Hunger to Taqwa

The Qur’an elevates fasting from the level of a dietary discipline to the horizon of spiritual transformation. If Ramadan is presented without the Qur’an, it risks being reduced to a simple religious custom or a form of physical austerity. But when the Qur’an stands at the centre of Ramadan, everything changes.

• Silence becomes remembrance and recitation.
• Night vigil turns from mere sleeplessness into living communion with revelation.
• Fasting rises from hunger to taqwa, God-consciousness.

As Allah declares in Surah al-Baqarah (2:183):

«كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“Fasting has been prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain taqwa.”

Here, taqwa, the highest moral awareness is presented as the ultimate goal of fasting. It is the shared fruit of the Qur’an and Ramadan. According to this verse, fasting is a training in saying “no” to what is lawful, so that one gains the strength to say “no” to what is unlawful.

The one who can set aside water at the height of thirst acquires the inner power to resist sin.

Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) beautifully expresses this reality:

«الصِّیَامُ اجْتِنَابُ الْمَحَارِمِ كَمَا یَمْتَنِعُ الرَّجُلُ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ وَ الشَّرَابِ؛

“Fasting is to refrain from sins just as one refrains from food and drink.”

Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) deepens the insight:

«ما یصنع الصائم بصیامه اذا لم یصن لسانه و سمعه و بصره و جوارحه.؛

“What benefit is there in the fasting of one who does not guard his tongue, his hearing, his sight, and his limbs?”

Thus, the Qur’an gives Ramadan its meaning. It transforms it from a physical restriction into a moral academy, an intensive school of ethical refinement.

2. Directing Laylat al-Qadr: The Beating Heart of Ramadan

Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:

«قَلبُ شَهرِ رَمَضانَ لَیلَةُ القَدرِ»

“The heart of the month of Ramadan is Laylat al-Qadr.”

And this heart beats with the descent of the Qur’an.

The Qur’an itself declares:

«إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِی لَیْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ؛

“Indeed, We sent it down in the Night of Decree.” (97:1)

By introducing Laylat al-Qadr as the vessel of revelation, the Qur’an sets the spiritual compass of the believer in this month.

Without the Qur’an, Laylat al-Qadr would simply be a blessed night. But with revelation, it became a turning point in human history. The Qur’an transforms it into the night of conscious destiny, a night in which one reflects upon divine verses and reorients the course of one’s future.

The value of Laylat al-Qadr, therefore, is not merely in staying awake, it is in waking up through the message of the Qur’an.

3. Preventing Fasting from Being Reduced to Hunger Alone

One of the great dangers of Ramadan is reducing fasting to outward abstention. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) warned:

«رُبَّ صائِمٍ حَظُّهُ مِن صِیامِهِ الجُوعُ وَ العَطَشُ»

“Many a fasting person gains nothing from his fast except hunger and thirst.”

The Qur’an prevents this reduction by extending fasting to the entire moral being. It speaks of lowering the gaze, guarding the tongue, restraining the limbs, and avoiding vain talk.

It teaches:

«وَلا تَقفُ ما لَيسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلمٌ ۚ إِنَّ السَّمعَ وَالبَصَرَ وَالفُؤادَ كُلُّ أُولٰئِكَ كانَ عَنهُ مَسئولًا؛

“Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, each of these will be questioned.” (17:36)

«قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity.” (24:30)

«يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ؛

“On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will testify against them for what they used to do.” (24:24)

«قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ… الَّذِینَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ؛

“Successful indeed are the believers… those who turn away from idle talk.” (23:1–3)

True fasting, then, is the fasting of the eyes, the ears, the tongue, and the heart.

Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) summarized it with profound precision:

«صَوْمُ الْقَلْبِ خَیْرٌ مِنْ صَوْمِ اللِّسَانِ، وَ صَوْمُ اللِّسَانِ خَیْرٌ مِنْ صَوْمِ الْبَطْنِ؛

“The fasting of the heart is better than the fasting of the tongue, and the fasting of the tongue is better than the fasting of the stomach.”

In this way, the Qur’an lifts Ramadan from a bodily experience to a comprehensive human transformation, reshaping not only appetite, but character; not only routine, but destiny.

Section Two: The Service of Ramadan to the Qur’an

Creating the Capacity for Renewed Revelation

If the Qur’an gives Ramadan its identity, Ramadan in turn prepares the human soul, and the wider community to receive and live the message of revelation more deeply. It creates the atmosphere, the receptivity, and the spiritual readiness necessary for the Qur’an to descend again, not as written words, but as lived guidance.

1. Creating a Public Culture of Intimacy with the Qur’an

The Qur’an is the springtime of hearts, and Ramadan is the springtime of the Qur’an.

Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said:

«لِكُلِّ شَیْءٍ رَبِیعٌ وَ رَبِیعُ الْقُرْآنِ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ؛

“Everything has a spring, and the spring of the Qur’an is the month of Ramadan.”

Spring is the season of blossoming. In Ramadan, the public atmosphere of society naturally inclines toward the Qur’an. Recitations become widespread. Qur’anic gatherings flourish. Even those who may have felt distant from the Qur’an throughout the year find themselves drawn back to it.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described this transformation beautifully:

«يَا مَعْشَرَ النَّاسِ إِذَا طَلَعَ هِلَالُ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ غُلَّتْ مَرَدَةُ الشَّيَاطِينِ؛

“O people, when the crescent of Ramadan appears, the rebellious devils are chained.”

This imagery signifies a reduction of the external obstacles to guidance. The noise that distracts the heart is quieted. The social environment becomes more receptive to truth. In such a climate, the Qur’an is not merely read, it is heard.

Ramadan, therefore, does not only encourage personal devotion; it creates a collective awakening. It opens a shared space where revelation can once again resonate within the life of a community.

2. Reviving the Culture of Recitation

Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) taught:

«مَنْ قَرَأَ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ آيَةً مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ كَانَ كَمَنْ خَتَمَ الْقُرْآنَ فِي غَيْرِهِ مِنَ الشُّهُور؛

“Whoever recites a single verse from the Book of Allah during Ramadan is like one who has completed the entire Qur’an in other months.”

This is not simply encouragement; it is a divine educational strategy. Ramadan brings the Qur’an from the margins of life to its very centre. It transforms the Muslim community into a grand Qur’anic school. The sound of recitation echoes through homes, mosques, and gatherings.

In the prophetic tradition, it is reported that during Ramadan, the Angel Jibril would review the Qur’an with the Prophet every night. This annual review reveals something profound: Ramadan is the season of returning to revelation. It is the time to reread, to reassess, to realign oneself with the divine word.

Through this revival of recitation, Ramadan renews the Qur’an’s presence, not only as scripture, but as a living conversation between heaven and earth.

3. Softening the Heart and Preparing It for Reflection

Fasting reduces the dominance of bodily impulses. Hunger lightens the self and refines the heart. The sages of spirituality have said:

«إِذَا خَفَّ الْبَطْنُ ثَقُلَ الْقَلْبُ بِالْحِكْمَةِ،

“When the stomach becomes light, the heart grows heavy with wisdom.”

The Qur’an repeatedly calls for reflection:

«أَفَلَا یَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَى قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا؛

“Do they not reflect upon the Qur’an? Or are there locks upon their hearts?” (47:24)

Ramadan is the key to unlocking those hearts.

The atmosphere of fasting, between fear and hope, tears in the nights of Qadr, whispered supplications at dawn creates a profound inner vulnerability. In this sacred vulnerability, the heart becomes receptive.

When a person restrains physical desires through fasting and simultaneously illuminates the mind through engagement with the Qur’an, the conditions for deep contemplation are formed. An inner reconstruction begins.

But when one approaches the Qur’an with a full stomach and an unrestrained self, one may hear only its sounds without absorbing its spirit. Ramadan, therefore, does more than increase recitation, it increases receptivity. It prepares the heart not merely to read the Qur’an, but to be read by it; not merely to recite its words, but to be transformed by its light.

Conclusion

The Qur’an and the month of Ramadan share a dynamic and reciprocal relationship, one that is deeply transformative.

The Qur’an gives Ramadan:

• Purpose and meaning; elevating it toward taqwa and divine guidance.
• A spiritual axis; cantering it upon Laylat al-Qadr.
• Depth; transforming fasting into the fasting of the soul, not merely the body.

And Ramadan gives the Qur’an:

• A living social arena,
• A revived culture of recitation,
• Hearts prepared for reflection and inner transformation.

When this sacred interaction is properly understood, Ramadan is no longer just a month of ritual devotion, it becomes a Qur’anic revival, a movement of renewal rooted in revelation itself. As Allah declares:

«إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ یَهْدِی لِلَّتِی هِیَ أَقْوَمُ؛

“Indeed, this Qur’an guides to that which is most upright.” (17:9)

Ramadan is the finest opportunity to walk that upright path.

The secret of Ramadan’s flourishing lies in the Qur’an, and the secret of the Qur’an’s renewal lies in Ramadan.

Together, they are the two wings of the believer’s ascent:
one wing illuminated by the light of divine speech, the other lifted by the sacred season of divine hospitality.

Blessed are those who live with the Qur’an in this month, not merely reading it, but embodying it.