Ramadhan is the month in which the Holy Qur’an was revealed which is the everlasting source of guidance for the whole of mankind. It is the month of piety and training of piety, and piety is the most essential quality of a noble soul. Ramadhan is also the time for self assessment for the individuals and the Muslim Ummah as a whole.
How close are we to our Creator? How God-conscious are we in our day-to-day life? How refined is our character? How far have we scaled the heights of human excellence? How much do we care for our fellow human beings? How much good have we done for humanity? These are some of the questions we need ask ourselves.
Every Muslim is a part of the larger Muslim Ummah and still larger humanity. Therefore he has to further probe how far he has fulfilled his duty to the Ummah and the humanity. In this regard we have to evaluate the present status of 150 crore strong Ummah.
The Muslim Ummah has 57 independent States where it can steer its own destiny and implement the teachings of Islam independently. These countries account for 90 crore or 60 per cent Muslims of the world. The remaining 60 crore or 40 per cent Muslims live in other countries where they are part and parcel of the plural society. In those countries they are less independent yet independent enough to shape their future according to the teachings of Islam.
It is a weakness which nations develop in difficult times that they blame others for their shortcomings. Let us raise ourselves above this and make in this month of self assessment a correct estimation of ours. Where there is will there is a way. We have to strive to change ourselves as God does not change the condition of a people unless they change themselves. So let us in this holy month make a beginning and resolve to do the following:
To submit and surrender to Him fully and remove every sign of His disobedience from our lives. To love Him in such a way that His will becomes the beacon lights of our lives. To make every effort to shape our individual and collective lives in such a way that we become living examples of Islamic way of life. To strive to convey His Message to every human being with a view to making it dominant in the world. To be ready for any and every sacrifice for the cause of Islam. To promote mutual love, cooperation and best human behaviour and desist from selfishness, narrow-mindedness and infighting. To do our best to promote good and forbid evil, and for this purpose support the forces of good and fight the evil in whatever form it may be.
Allah is witness to this resolve which we make in this month of Mercy, and in Him do we put our trust and from Him do we seek help.