Ramadhan - 15 days left 15 days to go, Hurry up!

Assalamualaykum w.b.t,

How are you doing my dear brothers and sisters? Wishing you all a greatly great level of iman. Today, we are in the halfway of Ramadhan, 15 days left 15 days to go. So, how was it so far? Did you complete reciting at least half of the Quran? Did you stand (qiyam) everynight? Did you make donation? Did you utter zikr? Did you utter solawat? Did you make repentance? All these questions are for me too. The most important thing is the effort we put to achieve something. But the problem lies on how much the effort we put. Don’t get frustrated. Don’t give up hope. There is still time. Make full use of the remaining days. This Mega Sale from Allah S.W.T only comes once a year. Are we so sure that we are going to meet the next Ramadhan?

You know, for over one billion Muslims throughout the world, Ramadhan is a special month of the year, a "month of blessing" marked by prayer, fasting, and charity. In many places this month has become widely commercialized. In my village, it is very easy to recognize the month of Ramadhan (I don’t know if other places are the same). Say if tourists from other countries come to my village, I am sure they are able to guess this is the month of Ramadhan. You know why? The mosques are crowded with people including those who have never shown up before! And guess what, it is increasingly true that the non-muslims are the ones who are extremely eager to welcome Ramadhan. Yes, it is (increasingly) true. For them, it is the month of food. I thought there would be less food during the month of fasting. I might have a false definition of fasting or they might have wrongly pronounced ‘fasting’ with ‘wasting’.

However, Alhamdulillah, for some people Ramadhan retains its focus on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah S.W.T. During the month of Ramadhan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day. Ramadhan was the month in which the first verses of the holy Qur'an were revealed to our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW. It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God and self-control. The sighting of the new moon at the end of Ramadhan heralds the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr.

Hmm why this month?

We believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Around 610 A.D., the prophet Muhammad SAW used to go out to the desert near Mecca to think about faith, society and God.

One night a voice called to him from the night sky. It was the Jibril, who told Muhammad he had been chosen to receive the words of Allah. In the days that followed, The Prophet SAW found himself speaking the verses that would be transcribed as the Quran.

At many mosques during Ramadhan, about one thirtieth of the Quran is recited each night in Tarowih. In this way, by the end of the month the complete scripture will have been recited. In my village? No comment.

Why do we fast?

We muslims practice Sawm, or fasting, for the entire month of Ramadan. This means that we may eat or drink nothing, including water, while the sun is up as well as making a special effort to avoid sins. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars (duties) of Islam. As with other Islamic duties, all able Muslims take part in Sawm from about age 7. Do you agree? I started at 8 though :).

Fasting serves many purposes. While we are hungry and thirsty, we are reminded of the suffering of the poor. Fasting is also an opportunity to practice self-control and to cleanse the body and mind. And in this most sacred month, fasting helps us feel the peace that comes from spiritual devotion as well as kinship (close connection) with fellow believers.

During Ramadhan in the Muslim world, most restaurants are closed during the daylight hours. Families get up early for sahur (a meal eaten before the sun rises). After the sun sets, the fast is broken with a meal known as Ifthar. I guess for some people this is the most exciting part of Ramadhan. Ifthar usually begins with tamar and sweet drinks that actually provide a quick energy boost.

A sense of generosity and gratitude colors these festivities. Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance at the end of Ramadhan. As the month draws to a close, Muslims are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor and making contributions to Mosques.

So, let us exponentially increase our level of ibadah. All out!!!

Well, that is a brief view of Ramadhan. There are many more things about Ramadhan. What I potray is just the tip of the iceberg. I think that’s it for now.

Assalamualaykum w.b.t.