According to the “Ramadan” entry in the Encyclopedia of Islam (TDV), our Prophet (s.a.w) stated that when the “blessed month of Ramadan” comes, the gates of heaven open and those of hell close; the devils are chained; and the sins of someone who has fasted with faith and sincerity, expecting the reward of his deeds from Allah (s.w.t), will be forgiven.
It’s these virtues of Ramadan that make it into a school, where we are disciplined to strengthen our willpower, purify ourselves, and thereby attain taqwa (God-consciousness; piety).
In the words of our teacher Mehmet Görmez, “The purpose of this school is mercy, forgiveness, purification, taqwa; its purpose is to bestow upon the individual a willpower that is disciplined and rid of the domination of human desires. In this school there is the bounty of the suhoor, the blessings of Quran recitation, the joy and excitement of iftaar, the comfort of the taraweeh, the beauty of tahajjud, the spiritual delight of worship, the start of fasting and patience, the protection of fasting, days spent in fasting, and nights spent in praying. There is the itiqaf, where we devote ourselves to worship in the mosques, and there is Laylatu’l Qadr, which elevates our strength and power.”
