The lessons learnt in the holy month need to be refreshed
tostrive for the aftermath of Ramadhan
By MUHAMMAD ABDULLAH JAVED
After a few days, the dusk will not be the same. It will, God willing, raise the curtain from the month of Ramadhan. With the advent of Shawwal, we will celebrateone of the happiest days of our life, Eid al-Fitr. Happy Eid al-Fitr, may Allah accept our acts of devotion and prayers.Aameen
Just remember the blessings of the graceful month that passed. It all started with the sighting of moon which bid adieu to the month of Shabaan and welcomed Ramadhan. Now after a month of intense training we have been assignedwith a phenomenal task of purification of self and development of talents. The taskbegins along with the celebration of Eid. Theprocess of purification and development requires both individual and collective efforts and inter-personal and intra-personal efforts in order to make the entire humanity beneficial with what we have been bestowed.
LET’S FOCUS CELEBRATION FIRST
Generally the way one celebrates his festival or any happy occasion reflects the tradition and culture he follows. Thetraditional values, in turn, reveal the basic teachings of that particular religion. The religion of Fitr (original nature)-Islam – taught us to rejoice with Allah in view; celebration is absolutely incomplete if Allah is not remembered. If He is born in mind, the festivity limits to the extent of joy, never allows a person to transgress. The people around find a true way of expressing joy; they never get hurt with the behavioral attitude of the persons engaged in celebration.
HOW TO CELEBRATE EID AL-FITR?
The way we have been ordained to celebrate the event has ‘remembrance of Allah’ at its nucleus. Obviously every beneficial thing is a favour of Allah asthe Qur’ānmentions (An-Nahl: 53). Allah has showered the moments of happiness; without His remembrance the celebration lacksluster. The hearts should be filled with complementaryfeelings and the tongue mustacknowledge the words of appreciation. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) has taught us to say Takbeer(glorification) while on the way to the prayer ground (Eidgah):
Allahu Akbar, AllahuAkbar. La ilaha ill-lal-lah. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Wa-lilahillhamd.
Allah is great, Allah is great. There is no God but Allah. Allah is great, Allah is great. And all praises be to Allah.
Offering of Salaatul Eid in congregation in an open place is highly preferable except in case of bad weather like rains. Usage of two separate routes to and from Eidgah is also favoured as it sends a lively message to the carriers and viewers alike. One should try to accompany as many persons of his family as he can, not only men and children but women too.WhatUmmeAtiyah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported actually communicates the true spirit of such a celebration.She said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) ordained us to bring out on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, young women, Hijab-observing adult women and the menstruating women. The menstruating women stayed out of actual Salaat but participated in good deeds and Dua (supplication).”(Muslim)
One should leave his home along with his family members and neighbours, march towards Eidgahcollectively proclaiming the Greatness of the Almighty Allah.
After offering prayers, meeting with relatives and friends, both Muslims and non-Muslims and greeting themwith good words is also taught.
WHY SUCH AN INTENSE JOY?
The Eid celebration knows no bound. Though celebrationon various occasions is usual, but the enjoyment of Eid is something different, isn’t it? After the completion of one full month of dawn-to-dusk fasting we taste the true joy of Eid. This taste has its own exclusivity, can’t be expressed as such. Have you ever pondered over the facts behind such happiness?Here the list goes…
Strict obedience of Allah and His Messenger;
Depiction of true love of Allah and His Messenger;
In-time and regular observance of prayers;
Strong attachment with the Qur’ān;
Standing in prayers at night;
Seeking the mercy of Allah;
Being merciful to one and all;
Helping the needy…
It means true happiness lies in the obedience of Allah and His Messenger(peace and blessings of Allah be to him). This brings not only joyous moments but also triumph that helps one emerge as a winner in this life and the hereafter.Therefore obedience of Allah and His Messenger has been termed as greatest victory (Al-Ahzab: 70-71)
THE LESSONS LEARNT
We often get stunned with the behavioural change after Ramadhan. Baring a few, the aftermath of Ramadhan tellsa sad story. Comparatively the mosques appear less filled; the Qur’ān does not find its readers; the hands of beggars remain largely unattended; dialects get the same old tone and the transactions lack transparency. It seems thata particular group had been subjected to a stereotype of ‘Ramadhan culture’ and that has immediately lost its shine. If this is the story of even today, nothing will result except deprivation from the Mercy of Allah.
Keep your hearts refresh and the souls revitalisedwith the noble benefits of the blessed month of Ramadhan.This is the only way to be a Muslim of Ramadhan, always. Keen observation of the moments passed will certainly enlighten us again with numerous acts of loyalty, a few of them:
Attachment with Allah–Don’t you think that getting up earliest in the morning, spending the whole day without food and water, abstinence from material desires and observance of prayers suggests that we had a very strong attachment with our merciful Lord?When we term TalluqBillahor attachment with Allah, it means that we are forming, by virtue of our deeds, a strong relationship with Allah. The warmth of relationship with Allah can be voiced only in terms of deeds. Look at the Qur’ān; it presents before you a variety of deeds while explaining what TalluqBillahis in the real sense?Those who have strong attachment with Allah are the ones who bow down humbly (Al-Maeda: 55), and patiently persevere and seek countenance of their Lord (Ar-Rad:22)and so on.
TalluqBillah is not merely a term to spell out; it’s a Divine terminology that demands serious thoughts and disciplined actions to prove one’s true faith. Ramadhanactually nourishes this very nature.
Patience – The days and nights of the blessed month bore witness to our utmost patience, through fastsand various forms of worships we really stored in ourselves as an invaluable treasure – patience. It is so invaluable that the one who patiently perseveres finds none other than Allah by his side. Patience does not allow one to be surroundedwith a pessimistic behaviour, rather it’s an exceptional attribute that in turn illustrates different shades of dynamic personality; the Holy Qur’ān elaborates that through patience one can be steadfast (Al-Ahqaf: 35), courageous (Ash-Shura: 43) and victorious (Al-Anfal: 65), etc.
Zikr and Dua – If one stays away from evils and performs good deeds,the attitude reveals that his inner self is adorned with remembrance of Allah, as if Allah was not remembered he would have indulged in evil things. So remembrance (Zikr) is not just uttering of words of praise but also adhering to the Divine injunctions. We have been taught that the supplications before Iftaar (breakfast) are highly acceptable;so we prayed a lot, for self and for near and dear ones, all the days of Ramadhan witnessed our intense interest is seeking the mercy of Allah. Zikr and Dua are vital weapons as far as the struggle in day-to-day matter is concerned. In order to face the onslaught of capitalist materialism and materialistic thoughts one has to be well equipped with these weapons. The Qur’ānsays true success comes only with such remembrance (Al-Juma:10) & Allah loves those who seek His mercy through prayers (Al-Baqara: 186).
Attachmentwith the Qur’ān– Various forms of worship in the holy month were due to Qur’ān, since Allah has sent down the book of guidance in the month of Ramadhan;as thanksgiving we follow the Divine guidance. We have been subjected to a lot of exposure to this Holy Book, through itsrecitation and discourses. Moreover, we stood and listened to the Qur’ānic verses. It insists that the standing position should articulate intoa constant and untiring struggle. Everyone should resolve to understand and disseminatetheteachings of the Qur’ānto entire humanity. The Qur’ānpresents a blend of characters; it says the recitation of verses increases the faith (Al-Anfal: 2), our faith must. The verses are bound to compel one’s reflections (An-Nisa: 82), we must reflect. If one forms such an organicaffiliation with the Qur’ān, his behaviour would reflect the true understanding of the verses.
Concentration in Worship – Right from the Morning Prayer we were quite regular to all the prayers of the day. In due process we learnt a very basic principle of doing things right at the right time, that is make up the mind. The precise regularity, be it waking upearly in the morning for Sehr or offering of prayers in time, was due to the mental (heartily) preparation. If this practice is lengthened and if a strict self-assessment system is evolved, concentration in all forms of worship will surely find its due place. We will be Haneef (concentrated) then, as was the case of Prophet Ibrahim(An-Nisa: 125 & Al-Anaam: 79).
Control over self – Abstinence from food, water and vain desires is not that easy. By Allah’s grace we had been bestowed with an exceptional power of self-control, not to mention of the adult even children demonstrated unique control over the self. If this power of self-controlis retained and groomed from time to time, the developmental process of one’s self will be in accordance with the Qur’ānandSunnah.
Mercy to others – If we think,another astonishing aspect comes to light:we were simply merciful to everyone. In spending we showered mercy on the deprived ones. Through our dealings we benefitted others. With Iftaar and a treat thereafter we addressed hunger and thirst. By means ofZakat and charity we fulfilled the needs of the needy. Mercy of Allah played the role of a motivating force behind this merciful conduct. We need to grow higher with Mercy as one of the striking attributes of our personality. Today if we find millions of people suffering from hunger, it means the hearts of millionothers are void of Mercy. Here implies a reciprocity principle:show mercy and get mercy, this is what Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said: show mercy to the dwellers of the earth, the One Who is in the heaven will shower His mercy on you.
Abundance in sustenance– We found abundance of sustenance all around. Though our stomachs were empty most of the time, yetonly after breaking the fast we really enjoyed a variety of foods. Alhamdulillah.Our hearts convinced that it’s the destiny that ensures resources of life. No man can earn more than what he has been destined with, nor can anyone earn less than that. In view of this Divine principle if one strives hard and keeps faith in His Lord, certainly he will be bestowed with what he wants. Don’t you think today’s chaos about corruption lacks the description of people’s unrealistic approach towards the destiny or what you can call contentment?
Discipline – Another noble character that marked our efforts inRamadhan. Right from the advent of a day till the end, everything was dealt with discipline and sincerity. To be very precise we noticed even a second of the prescribed Iftaar time. The way we began fasting and the way we are taught to break it is simply the hallmark of discipline. As per the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) keeping and breaking of the fasts is purely based on sighting of the moon. The nobility of Muslim Ummah is that the lesson of discipline is being taught with the promptness of a celestial object. It means if one is disciplined on earth, the One Who is in the heaven will be prompt in rewarding his good deeds. It also suggests that if one sticksto discipline, he finds his place in the highest ranks. Discipline should find its due place in all our engagements, be it personal or otherwise, be it religious or so-called worldly matters.
STAND UP AND CHANGE THE WORLD
We have been benefitted with such invaluable blessings of Allah; now it is expected of us that we must come out with a lively message for the entire humanity, teach others how to live and what the world is.Illustrate what human dignity is all about.Show the way how to serve the purpose of life and how to utilise the resources around.It is simply an acid test for us. The advent of Ramadhan has an edge with its aftermath:
Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’ān, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present during that month should spend it in fasting…. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance you shall be grateful (Al-Baqara: 185).
Let’s remember the days and nights we spent for self-purification and development.Every single moment of the graceful month witnessed our utmost submission to the will of Allah. After the blissful days of fasts and Qiyaam, now let us stand up to change the world in and around. It’s the only way out to meet the demands of aftermath of Ramadhan…walitukabbirullahaala ma hadakum.
[The writer is Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Karnataka. He can be reached at [email protected]]