And just as quickly as time passes, it’s the Spiritual month, the month of giving, the month of caring, the month of generosity, the month of discipline, the month of gratefulness, the month in which Muslims abstain from the minor and major sins and engage in maximum forms of worship, the month in which the revelation of The Holy Qur’an began and 23 years later got completed (in the same month), the month which brings back contentment to discontent hearts, the month that helps the wandering minds to concentrate again, the month that brings back the lost souls, the month of hope, Yes, The Holy month of Ramadan!
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar. Well known as the month in which Muslims across the globe fast and come together to perform acts of goodness on an individual and community level. It’s the month in which it’s a duty upon every Muslim to observe fasting from dawn till sunset, except for those who are ill, travelling (or come under other exceptions).
Fasting means to abstain, commonly misunderstood as abstaining from only food and drink, yet fasting is only meaningful if we abstain from foul language, backbiting, disrespecting, hurting others, and sins that we might be involved in.
As I began by mentioning that Ramadan is the month of discipline, although sins are to be avoided throughout the year, man is weak, so in this Holy month Muslims bring themselves back to purpose and goodness, a sign of an accepted fasting is that an individual continues in goodness even after having left behind this Holy Month. When individuals are able to resist their feelings and desires for one month, they feel the strength and gain the determination to follow it up for the rest of the 11 months. (it is encouraged, all though not compulsory to fast 6 days in the month that follows ‘Shawwal’, in order to remember and maintain discipline and determination).
A lot of Muslims like to pay ‘Zakat’ (a compulsory charity upon those who meet the eligibility) during this month, this is because in this month it is promised that the reward for each good deed would be multiplied up to 700 folds. People are also motivated to give ‘Sadaqah’ (voluntary charity) during this month.
In order to meet success in any field, the first thing we need to master is patience and the ability to resist short term gratification in pursuit of long term goals or objectives. Fasting teaches us how to be patient and reminds us that the reward of patience is promised. When Muslims fast from dawn till sunset, they know for fact that the patience they are observing, is leading them towards that satisfaction and victory that they achieve when they successfully make it to sunset.
Contentment is only achieved by the grateful and by those who ‘give’. When we as humans, get too used to something, we forget it’s value. Fasting from food and drink makes us realize how blessed we are and how difficult it is for so many people out there who go hungry for days, thus softening our hearts and bringing us forward to give as much as we love for ourselves.
Often people spend their nights in prayer during this month. A special prayer prayed after the 5th prayer ‘Isha’ is called Taraweeh, people observe Taraweeh during any part of the night before the prayer of dawn.
Every single day of Ramadan is a celebration. The celebration of having achieved humility, and a peace unexplanatory! The hearts of those who experience the blessings of this beautiful month are so attached to it, that on the final day they go on a roller coaster of emotions. The pride of having made it, and the pain of leaving behind this month, along with the excitement of Eid ul fitr. The month comes to an end with people praying for acceptance of what they did of goodness and forgiveness for where they might have slipped. Praying to be able to continue in the goodness for the rest of the year, and for having come out as a better person!
The next day Muslims celebrate Eid ul Fitr!