Meaning of Ramadan
According to some Hadiths, Ramadan is among the names of God.
The word Ramadan comes from the root “Ra Ma Dha” and its plural form is Ramadanat and Armidha. It means severe heat and it is said that when the Arabs wanted to name the months of the year, they named this month Ramadan because at the time it was in a period of the year when the weather was very hot.
But some Quran interpreters like Tabari, when interpreting Verse 185 of Surah Al-Baqarah, “The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed; a guide for the people, the most authoritative of all guidance and a criteria to discern right from wrong”, have cited Mujahid bin Jabar, saying that Ramadan is likely to be one of the names of God and has not to do with severe heat.
There are also other views about the name of Ramadan, with some saying it comes from Ramada as-Sa’im, meaning the time when a fasting person feels heat in his body as a result of extreme thirst. Some others say Ramadan comes from Armadh, which means catching fire, as sins burn and are destroyed by good deeds.
Some say Ramadan comes from Ramadha, which means hot stone, as hearts melt from contemplating the hereafter.
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Others say it comes from Ramdhat an-Nasl, which means sharpening a sword, as the Arabs sharpened their swords in Ramadan to go to war before the months of Haram (when war was forbidden).
In the time of Jahilliyah (before the advent of Islam) this month was called Natiq and the Arabs held it in respect. The people of Thamoud called it Dimmir and their year began with this month.
