SYED ABDALLAH RIZVI Long before the steps are heard, long before the crescent becomes visible, long before the dawn of the glorious month of Ramadan, the heart of a Muslim can feel the arrival. He needs no barometer or calendar to tell his soul that the month of redemption is around the corner. Allah has given mankind numerous bounties; each magnificent and majestic. But the gift of Ramadan is infinite and borderless. This gives mankind the chance to pile up a mountain of good deeds to counter his already mountainous heap of misdeeds and mistakes. Allah is Merciful, full of compassion and Rahma. Alhamdolillah! Chapter 2 verse 183 of the Holy Qur'an confirms that fasting in prescribed for us. And the Qur'an also goes on to say why it is so. So that one may become a Muttaqqi. And here lies the essence of life and, for that matter, of the Hereafter. Life is a means to the Hereafter and Allah provides us with so many ways and means of building a comfortable Hereafter. Ramadan gives us time to reflect and contemplate. It is in many ways a sort of refresher course where we can fix the integrity of our actions and beliefs. With the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, one can see a new zest, a new sprightly gait in Muslims across the world. The first few days witness a surge in worshippers as we all want to benefit from this glorious month of mercy. Saudi Arabia is a wonderful home to millions of expatriates from across the world. Saudi Gazette had a chance to catch up with Shoaib Nagrami, an alumnus of the world renowned Al-Azhar, who first entered the Kingdom in 1981 after spending almost 22 years in Egypt and Libya. “Although I had been to Egypt and Libya, yet my first Ramadan in Saudi Arabia was an absolutely exhilarating experience. I had never experienced such feelings before. This was the first time that I was actually living my Ramadan," said an excited Nagrami. The author of around a dozen books in Urdu and Arabic, Nagrami said: “Saudi people have a unique way of spending Ramadan. It is very warm and with a genuine feeling of trying to earn the blessings of this blessed month. They really live the spirit of Ramadan and this is what makes Ramadan in the Kingdom so distinct." On being asked about the changed lifestyle during Ramadan, he said: “Even though I have nothing against shops opening late in the night, I do feel that one should not spend this valuable time in the market. Instead, one ought to devote oneself to supplications and the recitation of the Qur'an. For those who sleep right through the day, I can only say that they are really missing a great opportunity to build the Hereafter. I call upon the parents of such people to take the responsibility to show them the truth. Parenting is very important and they should lead by example." The Glorious Qur'an commands us to fast so that we can attain Taqwa. Allah is merciful and I see this as another instance of his mercy; He guides us so that we can reach the most cherished destination—the Jannah! For it is through Taqwa that we can select our path and the destination. But then I see that many of us forget the spirit behind fasting. We do abstain from the acts that are proscribed, but we forget the importance of the spirit of what we are doing. And this is where we are the losers. This is where we miss the essence of this wonderful act and of the whole month. We fast, but we fail to imbibe the values that will bring us closer to Taqwa. We fast right though the month, but only as a ritual. We fast and refrain from eating and drinking but are unable to assimilate the real spirit of fasting. Fasting is not about remaining hungry and thirsty. Fasting is not about withdrawing from active involvement in daily chores and sleeping the better half of the day. Fasting is not about eating the choicest of delicacies. Fasting is not about keeping awake and socializing all night. No, fasting is a lot more than what we are doing. Fasting is all about building Taqwa, the surest path to Jannah. And for this we need to really live the spirit of Ramadan. How can we do this? Inshallah, we can, if we seek the blessings of Allah and follow the path shown by our Prophet (peace be upon him). As a first step, we should stop going out for elaborate Iftar meals. We should instead create an ambience of religiosity in the house, recite the Qur'an and create a circle of friends who share Islamic knowledge. If we let this pervade our daily life, the Taqwa process will commence. The idea is not to be didactic or sermonizing, but to share a feeling that one should not lose this great opportunity! It is also reported by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih Bukhari, Book No. 2, Hadith No. 37 that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven." —The writer is a freelance radio and press journalist based in Dammam and can be reached at [email protected]
