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Ramadhan


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Deen (Religion)

PUTTING ON THE PIOUS MASK

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There always comes a time in our lives whereby we are required by religion to take certain actions that have higher benefit in our lives. But what may seem ironical yet so great is how the new era youth can temporarily change to suit the trend. A good example is how we may find Christian and Muslim youth dragging to the churches and mosques during Christmas and Ramadan only. So Ramadan is finally here, you and I as a youth what are our main aims and goals during this very short period?

Ramadan is the holy month among the Muslims whereby they fast for an entire month and get closer to God. It is during this month that people work (spiritually) tirelessly to clear their previous sin accounts by doing sincere repentance. The beauty in all this is how mosques can be filled twice or in triples the normal number of mosque attendance. This is when the ladies will start searching for their over sized buibuis full of dust and stuffy that hasn’t been worn since the previous Ramadan. The tight and bright, shining ones will be kept pending for a while. The makeup kit will also have to be kept aside. The changes go on and on to fill an entire list.

The young lads on the other hand would remove their blings and at least have the courtesy to wear their trousers well without showing us their inner wear. The boy probably hasn’t prayed since the previous year a time like this- Ramadan. Yet we should never insult or be hard on those of us who change only during ramadhan, but instead, lets encourage them! Let us tell the girl wearing her over sized buibui that she looks prettier than in her tight ones. Let us tell the boy who has only

come to the masjid one year ago that he is a blessing to the masjid so that they can have the morale to go on with the ramadhan habits even after it ends.

However, just when the time of breaking the fast comes in, a lot goes on in the surrounding. Taking a walk in the streets in town may make you more than perplexed. While others are busy worshipping, young ladies are back on the streets just hanging around aimlessly, back on their skimpy buibuis with screaming make up all over the face. The young boys on the other hand are back at their ‘maskani’ busy chewing miraa, smoking weeds and all (which are illegal acts in Islamic religion). This brings up the question, ‘why keep yourself hungry for a whole day with an aim of developing spiritually while just at the break of the fast, you are back to your old habits??’ it may just as well be a waste of your energy.

Others yet, may be patient enough to stay off sinful acts for the entire month but just at the announcement of the sighted eid moon, its hurrah! for them. They wouldn’t even wait for the night to end for this is probably like ‘good riddance!’

On one hand, putting on the pious mask during Ramadan has its positivity in that; we get to know our deeper spiritual capabilities. The one who is always sinning may stop during the month and one is supposed to ask oneself, ‘if I could avoid it for an entire thirty days then why not for the next thirty and the next?’ Some individuals have actually put themselves together and were able to continue developing spiritually but what of the rest?

Holy months are actually a golden chance that many don’t live to see every year. It is like being given a whole mountain of pieces of gold and you are asked to pick to the level you can. Of course in such a scenario, we would all be scrambling for the pieces but now imagine, after you have decided to carry four sacks of gold and walking all the way with it to your home, you decide to go pour all the gold pieces in the sewage. What a waste! The above mentioned may have concentrated on the Ramadan but doesn’t mean it can’t apply to the holy months amongst the Christians and Hindus or any other religion. We all know our purpose in life so let’s not work hard to end up vomiting it all out aimlessly. To all the Muslims, as Ramadan is here with us, please let us be focused and try to change for the better God willing. I’ll humbly end it with wishing you all ‘Ramadan Mubarak!’

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RAMADHAN- THE MONTH OF GLORY

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One of my most awaited times in a year is the month of Ramadhan. I always anticipate it just the same way a child anticipates the coming of her mother from a long time journey. But for sure, I am never the only one awaiting it’s coming; everyone does for it is the month of glory.

Ramadhan is like a visitor who comes only once in a year, carrying with him blessings in abundance. It is that time of the year where unity holds all the people of the same faith, bringing them close together. People forgive each other, forget their grudges, visit one another, spend more time remembering their God…it’s the month of worship, the month of peace.

I remember as a child how I’d strive really hard to fast like everyone and when it gets to mid day I’d innocently surrender to hunger and eat. Or those other times when I’d drink water secretly as a child so everyone believes I’m still fasting. I remember how I’d anticipate the futaar (the breaking of the fast) so that I may eat the delicious food that sometimes we get to eat only in Ramadhan. Actually, many children get to think that the only way to get the tasty food is to fast, and parents always took advantage of that thought and encouraged their children to start fasting at a very young age so they may get to eat good food. Or even how I’d anticipate waking up for the suhuur (late night- early morning meal), I just thought it fun having all the family waking up at such odd hours of the night to eat.  But as I grew up, I learnt that fasting is not all about food as many misunderstand; there is real wisdom behind fasting. It is just like a psychological way to teach mankind to appreciate what they have to eat from food and remember that there are so many people out there having nothing to eat at all. It is a reminder for the more fortunate to give charity to the less advantaged in the society.

Ramadhan comes with its own glow. It is just one of the most beautiful times in a year where everyone is yearning to get closer to God. The fun and beauty of it is how both the young and the old would compete to complete the recitation of the Qur’an (the holy book) as required, first or who would read it the most times by the end of the month, how we as family would all crowd up together to go perform the taraweeh and tahajud prayer (the night prayers done specially in Ramadhan) or how the Muslim society in general would call for donations from all over so that the poor may have good food and clothing as well or doing any good deed in general.

It is the time for repentance, the time to go into one on one conversation with the Lord. And as our prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said that whoever lives through Ramadhan and he still wasn’t forgiven, is in a very great loss for this is the time the doors of mercy are open and God forgives whoever repents truthfully. But human kind should be more sincere in repentance than they do for quite many people change their ways for only this particular month and just by the end of it, are back to their old evil ways. It is such a pity if someone thinks God doesn’t know what they hold in their hearts but alas! He knows what they even know not.

Among the benefits of fasting is that within the first ten days you get ‘Rahma’- Allah’s mercy, within the second ten days one gets ‘maghfira’- forgiveness from the Lord and from the last ten days one gets the blessing of being shun away from the hellfire. Apart from that, two great happiness from fasting is when one breaks their fast and when one will finally get to meet their Lord.

I usually consider this month a great blessing to live up to each year. The privileges are many and it brings along so much love and harmony among family, friends, neighbours, the poor and the rich…the entire Muslim society. We pray that we are among the lucky ones to live through the entire Ramadhan, get the blessings from it and are totally forgiven by our Lord. It is the only thing I’d pray for right now…amin.

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GETTING INTO THE RAMADHAN MOOD

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Can you feel the aura of ramadhan? Its slowly creeping in our environment and you just feel its presence as if it is lingering around us silently, waiting for the right time to knock at the door. There is that special ramadhan mood; the tranquility, the peace, the calmness and its signs that are already visible in the darkness of our nights. Dates are already in the market and ramadhan programs are all set. Yes.. after a whole year’s wait..here it is at last!

Oh how wonderful if the whole year was ramadhan. How wonderful would it be if in a whole year’s time, we all are willingly submitting to none other than Allah. If in a whole year,  the barbies become hijabis and playboys become prayboys as the common quote says? How wonderful would that be? Well..Unfortunately it is just one month but in that single month we are still able to collect rewards worth a whole years ibadah! So why not get into the ramadhan mood already?!

So here’s the time, as we count down days to ramadhan let us start by asking for forgiveness to all those we wronged. Let us swallow our pride for once and approach all those we have hurt. This is the time. Don’t wait till ramadhan is here for you to ask for forgiveness.  Ask in advance!  Yes! Because you wouldn’t want to waste any more precious time of ramadhan still asking for forgiveness, would you? Finish up with these small things that need to be done. Be more helpful, be more compassionate,  start giving out your charity from now, start reading the qur’an from this moment such that during ramadhan, you are already accustomed to the new rituals and routines.

Start waking up for tahajjud, start making lots of duas. Get into the mood already and furthermore, make sure to enjoy what you are doing. Let your ramadhan start as early as now. Maybe not literally but action-wise and psychologically.

One thing that ramadhan has proved to us is that we have the will power. We have the ability to change yet we only tune ourselves to change during this one month. This is actually sad because it just shows how our imaan is low and how easy it is for shaitan to play with our minds. If you can do it in ramadhan then you can do it before just as you can do it after. So tie your seat belt and start preparing your soul by feeding it with the remembrance of Allah and ibadah. We all seem so sure to live to this ramadhan which is just a couple of days away but still, the unknown remains known only by Allah. Therefore let us start the sincere submission from now, let us start repenting from now, let us stop sinning from now…but most importantly,  let us focus on Allah only from now. Yes, not any other time but now. Let us get into the mood of ramadhan.

Allahumma balighna ramadhan. Ameen

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RAMADHAN; THE MISTAKEN MONTH OF FOOD?

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With the beginning of the Ramadan season among’st the Muslims, all we see around is the food stalls all over the roads in the evenings with very diverse kinds of foods on display. It is at this time that many of the forgotten foods in our homes are actually cooked once again and I bet the children wait for the breaking of the fast so impatiently.

Ramadan is the month whereby Muslims are required to fast such that they may be able to feel the pangs of hunger of the poor and thus remember them. Yet, it is rather ironical how our tables at home get filled to the brim when it comes to breaking the fast. You may find almost ten different foods have been cooked for a family of three? And you wonder what happens to all that food that will obviously remain.

Many consider this month the time to feast and it can get to a very ugly scenario where one eats and eats till they can’t breathe well anymore leaving alone not being able to stand up from the place they are seated. This is obviously not the agenda of this season for it is meant to keep us healthy and not deteriorate our health even more. People with diabetes, high blood pressure and many other diseases break their diets while the rest eat a lot of oily and sugary foods that are obviously unhealthy.

It is even more ironical that during this season, the food stuffs in the markets double and triple in their prices instead of going lower. This happens because the business personnel have realized how much people eat quite more in this month. This beats the expected because initially, this season is meant for people to eat less but it is very evident everywhere how food has been made a priority.

Extravagance is a very unlikeable behavior and however much we may want to eat a variety of foods, it is very important that people set a limit to the amount of food they cook or buy. Let us not cook too much such that the extra ends up in dustbins while many people out there have nothing to eat. I really admire the people who barely change their food menus in such a season or maybe just add single food stuff on the table.

We all have to understand that this is not a month of eating nor is it an eating competition such that we act on the food with so much vengeance. It is important to keep healthy by not over eating or eating too much of oily and excessive sugary foods. Let’s avoid extravagance by sharing the extra food with the poor and needy rather than throwing it away.

As William Londer said, ‘to ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness and maintain an interest in life.’

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WHY I LOVE RAMADHAN

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There is so much in Ramadhan that I love. Apart from God’s grace, mercy and blessings there is much more spiritual uplifting that automatically comes with the month. Maybe it is because this is the time that Satan is locked away from human reach or maybe that people decide to focus on straightening themselves in this month. But definitely what I love most is the change!

It is in Ramadhan that the boy, who doesn’t pray, prays. The girl who yells at her mother, watches her mouth a bit. The man who stays all night at maskani eating all the illegalities and drinks, comes back home early to his family. The woman who is always gossiping around and spying on people’s lives is settled in her home. The person who is always abusing and vulgar in their talk, learns to speak kind words instead. The meanest of them all, gives charity willingly. The one who commits adultery on normal occasions, controls himself/herself. The lady who is always in full time shouting make up and cologne walking aimlessly in the street with hair exposed in styles, is now as natural as ever without a scent from her and fully covered. The boy who is a thief restrains from it. The person who doesn’t even remember when last they read the quran, is now yearning to complete it several times. The prostitute is out of the roads. The liar is now encouraging others to speak the truth. The ones who never steps in the masjid to pray jama’a is now going there many a times and even praying the sunnah prayers. The masjids are now over loaded past the entries. The hard hearted ones are now forgiving each other and so much more. Glory be to God for the wonderful twist but then the question here comes, isn’t the Lord of Ramadhan, the same God you run away in all the other eleven months in the year?

This may be termed as temporary hypocrisy by some but I will call it the chance of a lifetime that such a Muslim is wasting. It may be wrong for anyone to change just for the one month, clear his sins account with God in this month and just by the coming of Eid, one is back to their old ways in full force. But maybe we should be more encouraging to them and to each other. Maybe the religious leaders and imams shouldn’t just concentrate on criticizing them but instead give them moral that they are doing great work and should continue on the same spirit. Tell the lady that she is more beautiful as natural as she is, fully covered. Tell the abusive lad that the kind words suit his tongue more. Tell the man he looks happier going home early to spend time with his family. Tell the prostitute she looks gorgeous as she is at the time…tell them so that one day one time after Ramadhan, they might remember the sweetness of Ramadhan and decide to change for good.

We might never live to see the chances Ramadhan gives us ever again. That is why I love Ramadhan and that is why I wish all year was Ramadhan!

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