Islam: Welcome Ramadhaan!<TITLE> </HEAD> <body background="/user/gif/bg.gif"> <A HREF="index.html">Back to Islam: Main page</A><br> <CENTER><B>Welcome Ramadhaan!</B>*</CENTER> Humans are not autos. True, yet we do need maintenance. Physically, people go for regular medical checks; mentally, we study and revise every now and then to refresh our memories. But what happens on the spiritual level? Hearts do get "rusty" as well: we, out of human weakness, tend to take it easy and become "mean" with ourselves, with our families and friends and , of course, with our fellow human beings here and there. We begin to care less, we meet and the warmth of brotherhood is not there, we begin to develop the "me and not the rest" attitude and treat others from that selfish perspective - The sense of sharing and caring is not there any more and, in short, we digitize. The daily and weekly signals no longer produce the desired response. They become part of the 'background noise', if you like, and this is why extra energy need to be pumped in at regular intervals. In Islam, the month of Ramadan does this and a lot more. <p> Fasting was enjoined on other people before Muslims (no wonder since it came from the same source). In Ch.2:183 of Qur'an, we read what may be phrased in English as: O believers, fasting has been enjoined upon you as on those before you so that you may keep up your TAQWAA (piety and continuous fear of Allah). In Mathew's account of the life of the prophet Jesus (p.b.u.h) we find a number of references to fasting (e.g. 6:16-18). <p> Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam. To fast is to abstain (with intention) from eating and drinking (and intercourse, if married) from dawn to dusk. Fasting starts after a light meal before dawn (Suhuur) and ends with IfTaar (breaking of the fast) at sunset. Guarding one's tongue against uttering nonsense is an everyday Islamic practice but it becomes extremely imortant during the month of Ramadan - speaking nonsense could spoil the fast, so extra care has to be taken. The month-long fast starts with the sighting of the new moon of the (lunar) month and ends with the sighting of the new moon of the following month (Shawwaal). <p> Keeping up TAQWAA, the main benefit of fasting, speaks volumes in terms of how we manage our daily lives (or supposed to, I should say) both on the individual and community levels. Self discipline and endurance, the sense of unity and first hand experience of what others may go through are just the obvious merits of fasting. Pleasing Allah (S&W), for a believer, is what comes on top of all that. An empty stomach clears the way for passionate thinking, a sense of sharing and caring where a fasting person not only thinks of the poor and needy, but gives voluntarily and generously. In fact, the poor and needy are guaranteed a reasonable share that has to be given by those brothers and sisters who can afford it. And, during the month, Muslims increase their recitation of the Qur'an, focus more on learning about Islam and perform the TaraweeH congregational prayers. <p> The end of the month of Ramadan is marked by a feast (Eidul Fitr) on the first day of Shawwaal, where Muslims head towards a MUSALLAA ( a clean place that holds a large praying crowd) and display another sense of unity in their community as they gather for the Eid prayer (before which they make sure they fullfilled their duty towards the needy). Then they meet, congratulate each other, visit family, relatives and friends, eat some sweets and relax. Kids get gifts and have more fun. <p> Allah (S&W) enjoined fasting on us for our own benefit, not as a punishment. If, for any valid reason, a person cannot perform the fasting, s/he is allowed to break it (or not fast in the first place) and either do it later (if possible) or contribute toward the general welfare and well-being of the community (e.g. feeding a poor person instead of each day s/he won't be able to fast). Those who travel (reasonable distances and for legitimate reasons), the sick, the very young or very old, pregnant or breast-feeding ladies are among the exempted (or those who are allowed to compensate for the month later). Voluntary fasting is also encouraged and certain occasions throughout the year are recommended. <p> This is our dearest visitor, that is supoosed to breathe new life in our consciences. So, let's join all our brothers and sisters all over this miserable globe and give it a warm welcome. Let's ask Allah (S&W) to guide us and enable us to perform the fast and guard our tongues and actions from nonsense, to assist our brothers and sisters who may not have the courage at the moment, and last but not least, that He makes us true representatives of His true path - so that our fellow humans may see this great faith as it is: away from others' stereotypes and our own distortions. Let our resolution for this Ramadan be:"To strive to perform the fasting for the sake of Allah (S&W) and guard it from being spoiled, to increase our Islamic knowledge, to start to think and act Islamically, to care for ourselves and all others and to promote good rather than being used for the promotion of evil". <br> * This article first appeared in last Ramadan's issue of the local MSA newsletter. <HR><A HREF="index.html">Back to Islam: Main page</A> </BODY></HTML>