In short, Ramadan is a month if properly accomplished by a Muslim, will help to purify his/her soul and bring him/her closer to Allah (SWT).
The Qur’an also mentions on the eminence of Ramadan:-
“The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” (Al Quran 2:185)
Etiquettes
Etiquettes of Azaan, Iqaamat & the Muazzin
- The Muazzin should be a pious, mature Muslim male who is knowledgeable in the laws of Shariah. (Fatawa Hindiya)
- The Muazzin should have a loud voice. (Mishkaat)
- The Azaan must be called from a high place. (Fatawa Hindiya)
- The Muazzin should stand while making Azaan. (BehishtiZewar)
- The Muazzin should clog his ears with his fingers Whilst making the call. (Fatawa Hindiya)
- One has to pause (at appropriate stages) when calling out the words of the Azaan. (Ibid)
- To turn to the right when calling out “HAYYA ALAS SAWLAAH ” and to turn to the left when saying “HAYYA ALAL FALAAH.” (Raddul-Muhtaar)
- To face the Qiblah when making the call of Azaan. (Ibid)
- The Muazzin should not be in state of uncleanliness (i.e. in need of Wudhu or ghusl). (Sharhut Tanweer)
- The wordings of Azaan and Iqaamat should be called in sequence. (Shami)
- When making the call of Azaan or Iqaamat the Muazzin should not indulge in any other conversation or talk (even if it should be answering a greeting). (Raddul Muhtaar)
- Should the Azaan or Iqaamat be called without the required intention, although such Azaan or Iqaamat is valid, it shall not merit any reward. One must therefore make the intention that one is calling Azaan to gain the pleasure of Allah. (Ibid)
About Islam
The word "Islam" is an Arabic word that means "submitting and surrendering your will to Almighty God". The word comes from the same root as the Arabic word "Salaam", which means to achieve peace - with God, within oneself and peace with the creation of God through willing submission to God, and accepting His guidance
Unlike the names used for other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, the name for the religion of Islam was both revealed by God and carries a deep spiritual meaning - only by submitting one's will to Almighty God can one obtain true peace both in this life and in the life hereafter.
Islam teaches that many religions originally had the same essential message - which was to submit whole-heartedly to the will of God and to worship Him and Him alone. For this reason, Islam is not a new religion but is the same divinely revealed Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
Who are Muslims?
The Arabic word "Muslim" literally means "someone who submits to the will of God".
The message of Islam is meant for the entire world and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim.
Some people mistakenly believe that Islam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world's Muslims are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists.
If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups and nationalities.
From the very beginning, Islam had a universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God.
A Muslim is a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you don't see it as much today, the word "Mohammedans" was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer and is the result of either wilful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.