Today is the first of Ramadan, the month for spiritual reawakening and reaffirmation of faith. Ramadan is the month in which Allah “sent down the Criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition to all worlds”. Allah said, “When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them); I respond to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me; let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me; that they may walk in the right way.”
I hope and pray that this Ramadan will be a time when He responds to our prayers and we listen, with a will, to His call.
“Oh ye who believe, fasting is prescribed to you just as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint. (Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (with hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more, of his own free will, it is better for him and it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew.
“Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an as a guide to mankind, also clear (signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So everyone of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting. But if anyone is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.”
These Qur’anic verses (Surah Al-Baqarah: 183-185) refer to the importance of Ramadan and emphasize the spiritual aspects of fasting — a month devoted to worship, but not one in which the believer renounces the world or runs away from his responsibilities. He abstains from food and drink for a limited period. The stress is on self-discipline. Fasting is not meant to punish the body, but to strengthen the mind, directing it to higher things.
Scientists agree that machines require a rest period due to “metal fatigue”. Almighty Allah created us and knows that we are weak in body and spirit; we are in need of occasions to boost and revitalize our weak Iman (faith) so that we may adhere to the commands of Allah in the way shown to us by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). During Ramadan, mosques are full of worshipers, and acts of charity increase, ties of brotherhood strengthen, anger and temper are controlled and an atmosphere of peace prevails. According to psychologists, these are several of the beneficial aspects of conscientious fasting.
We should also resolve to be steadfast in the good habits acquired during the holy month of fasting. Let us all once again pledge ourselves to follow the example of the Holy Prophet who was the most active during the month of fasting.
One is saddened to see today when all the comforts of life are available, many people view the month of Ramadan as a time for sleep, laziness and, therefore, of decreased productivity. For example, we go to an office or workplace and ask for someone and we are told to return later or maybe after prayers or the next day. At times if someone loses his temper, we are told he is edgy because he is fasting. We notice that many shortcomings and many lapses in discipline are attributed to fasting.
We should remember that fasting itself is an exercise in discipline. It is a total act of worship. You cannot fast and at the same time trouble other people. This is what we must realize. Employees who deal with the public should realize that this is not a month to delay matters affecting other people’s interests. The student should realize, or be told by his parents, that this is a great month to read about religion and to understand it or not to spend the day sleeping or sitting idly and the night watching television, strolling in shopping malls or driving aimlessly about the city.
I think it is high time that the media, parents, the family and sociologists emphasized that Ramadan is a month of worship and active work and that by adjusting our lifestyles in the proper way we can do both and also be more productive. The turning away from Islamic precepts and teachings has ushered in a host of problems. And turning night into day defeats the whole purpose of the fast.
Indeed, the month of Ramadan should be used to reflect and to contemplate in order to determine whether we Muslims are really on the true path. An honest answer will clearly reveal how far we are from the teachings of Islam. Muslims should be bold enough to admit that many of their problems are created by themselves. To admit this is the first step toward solving the numerous problems facing the Muslim Ummah. We, as Muslims, are obliged to follow the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). I believe that the only solution to our present difficulties is to read, understand and follow the teachings of the Qur’an in its proper perspective.
If we do that, we will know that those of us who see dark conspiracies behind our ills are way off the mark. The Qur’an says: “Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves.” The conspiracy that is destroying us is not hatched by others, but by ourselves or it is a conspiracy of inaction.
So let us put an end to this habit of blaming others for our own shortcomings and inertia. Our enemies, real and imagined, can harm us only to the extent we remain lacking in initiative and outmoded in our thinking and way of doing things. What is needed is some soul-searching and a readiness to think and act differently.
And let us also remember, on this day and in all the days ahead, that our faith demands that our concerns should go beyond our own selves and families to our brethren in faith and brothers in humanity. In a world that has become a global village with a free market and free economy, an increasing number of people are falling victims to wars, hunger, incurable diseases, internal strife, genocide and human rights abuses.
Afghanistan is going through another tragic war which has been its bane throughout centuries. People, many of them children, women and elderly, are getting killed, forced to flee their homes and are starving. TV channels bring their cries and suffering to our living rooms. Let us pray for peace and tolerance in the Muslim world, especially in Afghanistan.
Palestinians are still denied the minimum decency and dignity due to human beings. Chechnya is in turmoil. The Russian assault on its cities and villages has killed thousands, over 200,000 have become refugees, and Kremlin, emboldened by an indifferent world, has intensified its murderous assaults on civilians, all sick or elderly. Our heart goes out to all those who suffer on account of their faith, occupation or simply because they find themselves on the wrong side of a border or wrongly accused of a crime they learned about only after the news was flashed on TV screens and newspaper pages. The victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and Pentagon in Washington also deserve our sympathy. We pray this is the last of its kind of horror ever to visit a city or a people. Let the families of those who lost near and dear ones in these attacks and in the recent plane crash in the US have the fortitude to bear this tragedy.
Let us once again pray that in this Ramadan a sincere effort will be made by all Muslims to come closer together and closer to Almighty Allah through fasting, prayers, zakah and charity. And, through hard work, let us make this a better world for us and our children. And while doing our duty by our fellow men, our families, children and community, let us pray, as Abraham and Ismail did, while raising the foundation of the House (Holy Kaaba): “Our Lord, accept from us, for Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing; Our Lord, make us Muslims, bowing to Thy Will.”
If I have only one prayer, it will be to see that no child anywhere in the world has fear in his eyes — the fear of losing his parents, of his home being demolished becasue of man’s inhumanity toward man, and fear of the unknown.
