Ramadhan

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (2:183)

“O you who have attained to faith! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might attain Taqwa” (Al-baqarah 2:183)

Allah (subhana Hu wa ta’ala ) reminds us in this ayat that the raison d'être of fasting is to achieve taqwa (piety/God-consciousness).  The discipline of Ramadhan enables us to exercise a systematic restraint on the base carnal soul, the nafsul ammarah, and in the process trains the human soul to achieve a desired sense of disconnect with this world.  Fasting with pure intention and complete faith enables us to understand that we have a higher purpose beyond this ephemeral material existence, as we deliberately choose to side with God instead of choosing to give in to our carnal desires. If done right, this is thus one of the core elements pertaining to the attainment of taqwa. It is no surprise therefore that according to several traditions, the Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasallam) loved fasting very much. 

As we welcome this month, we must keep this objective foremost in our minds so that we can protect ourselves from unfortunate Ramadan solecisms that habitually crop up in our societies like binge eating, edacity, luxurious and elaborate meals, reduced performance of our duties, excessive sleeping, general malaise, lethargy and the like, which are in direct contravention of the principles laid down for this month.  Let us also resist with tenacity the desire to offer our patronage to the shopping centers and malls, and instead frequent our place of ibadah, be it in the masjid or be it in the corner of our house/office. Let us refuse to waste our time with frivolous activities and instead engage with the Qur’an.  

Just imagine that we struggle 8 to 10 hours to restrain a wild and dangerous beast, and then after iftar we let it run amok, not only risking losing everything that we achieved during the fasting period but also endangering both our physical and spiritual well-being.

Moving on from restraining the nafsul ammarah, to a more collective and social objective, this month should also enable Muslims to be harbingers of kindness and mercy to others. There is a narration in which the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) has reportedly said:

“O Muslims! A noble and generous month has come to you. A month in which a night is better than one thousand months, and this month is the month of charity, patience, and mercy. In this month the gates of Paradise become wide open and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are chained” (Sunan Al Nasai, Classified as Sahih by Albani). 

Let us resolve, in the spirit of charity and kindness mentioned above, to show solidarity with the underprivileged, the orphans and the needy.  Let us reject filling the coffers of restaurateurs with over-the-top Ramadan buffets (even if such iftar parties are in vogue), and let us focus instead on diverting as much of our wealth and time to charitable efforts as possible. 

Let us take great care that we do not waste this opportunity, for like some of our loved ones who have departed from us, we may not live to see Ramadhan the next year.