| PREFACE All sections of our society are sensitive about Ramadhan. When Ramadahan arrives, the mosques are filled, tarawih parayers are performed, Qur'an muqabalas are recited. Ladies go to the mosque with their Qur'an to listen and follow the recitations. There are lines for fresh pita bread when the sunset time is closer. The traffic increases on the roads. At the time of iftar, the streets look empty. Even in the modern districts of large cities one could feel this atmosphere. Ramadhan preparations in the houses start much earlier. People are invited for iftar. Zakah, charity and other help are directed to the poor and needy. Abundance and serenity are felt at homes. Drummers awaken people at night; lights are turned on at suhur time. Days pass with joy. Are these enough? What is the wisdom behind fasting? What are the virtues and subtleties of Ramadan? How could one benefit from the goodness and abundance of Ramadhan better? What do we need to pay attention for the acceptance of our worship? With the hopes of providing some answers, we have prepared this book. This book includes some of the discourses given by Prof. Dr. Mahmud Es'ad Cosan in various cities in the Ramadan of 1995. In the first part of the book, information about the blessed three-months is provided. Then the wisdom and benefits of fasting are explained in the light of verses of the Qur'an and the ahadith of the Prophet SAS. It is stated that Ramadhan is a month of taqwa course and training of nafs. Hadith Qudsîs that suggest having taqwa are explained, and recommendations to benefit from Ramadhan better are given. We thank brothers who provided the audio recordings of the discourses. We hope that this book will be helpful for us to benefit from Ramadhan better. Dr. Metin Erkaya Translator's note: It has been a true pleasure and a great learning experience for me to translate this book. I am sure it will be a priceless treasure for anyone who is interested in learning about the virtues of Ramadhan and the taqwa training. I am indebted to the members of naqshi_bridge@yahoogroups.com for their patience :) and feedback and two dear friends for their proof reading. May Almighty Allah open our hearts for His love and have us appreciate the message in this book. Hasan Huseyin Erkaya
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