By Femi Abbas
Monologue
At no time in the life of man can the true nature of human existence more manifest than in the month of Ramadan. It is in that sacred month that Muslims reflect mostly on the purpose of their existence on earth. Some people fasted actively last year but are no more today. Some put their feet at the door step of Ramadan this year but never entered it. Some fell by the way side along the line. Some fasted with absolute faith in Allah and confidence in making use of the lessons of Ramadan. Some joined the spiritual train with no idea of their destination in the month. Yet the month cruises on without minding any un-gored horse.
Preamble
At the beginning of this sacred month, an analysis was done in this column classifying the 30 or 29 days of Ramadan into three segments. The first segment was said to contain the first ten days of the month during which the blessings of Allah came to the faithful Muslims freely and in abundance. Except for meeting that segment with faith and good intention, there was no working for it. That segment ended after the fist 10 days, thereby paving way for the second segment that began on the 11th day of Ramadan to take the baton for the spiritual race.
The Second 10 Days
During the second 10 days, most fasting Muslims intensified worship (Ibadah) by spending their days and nights seeking Allah’s forgiveness and by chanting Istighfar. But such forgiveness was neither automatic nor free. Usually, conditions were attached to it. One of such conditions was for every fasting Muslims to admit his/her misdeeds and repent of them. The second was to voluntarily and genuinely seek forgiveness. And the third condition was to resolve never to return to such misdeeds again. To seek Allah’s forgiveness during the month of Ramadan, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was reported to have said that “if you want to speak with Allah, make your request on prostration. And if you want Allah to speak to you recite the Qur’an”. No one who abided by the above conditions and followed it scrupulously would ever be disappointed. Allah is both promising and fulfilling. He never reneges on His promise. In Qur’an 2:186 He promises thus: “…when my servants ask you (Prophet Muhammad) about me, tell them that I am very close to them. I answer the prayers of whoever seeks My favour if he seeks from Me (without any intermediary). So, let them expect My favourable response and trust in Me so that they may be rightly guided”
Midway Ramadan
Those second ten days were not just to consolidate on the blessings of the first ten days, they were also to prepare the fasting Muslims for the last ten days when they would be fully liberated from the evil machinations of any Satanic forces.
The Weight of Death
Reward of human life is not spiritually measured by the time or manner of his/her death. In Islam, death is neither the consequence of iniquities nor the repercussion of ignorance. There are instances when the sinless dies and the sinful lives. There are also instances when the learned dies while the ignorant lives. The schedule of life and death is not in the custody of any human being and no man can judge the volume of its reward. Death is a debt which every living being owes and must pay regardless of time or manner.
Not even Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was spared of death or given a foreknowledge of its time or manner. Allah ordered him (Prophet Muhammad) to say as follows: Q. 10:49 thus: “Say I have not the power to benefit or to harm myself except what Allah pleases. Unto every nation is a fixed term. When their terms expire, it can neither be delayed by an hour nor quickened by one minute”. Q. 10:49.
This is a verse of the Qur’an which some ignorant non-Muslims have severally quoted and interpreted according to their satanic whim as if Jesus did not express a similar fact in the Bible thus: “I can do nothing on my own, I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just because I do not seek my own will but the will of him who sent me…” John 5:30. In the wild imagination of those ignorant people, the Prophet should claim infallibility to enable them call him a liar and an impostor.
Nostalgia
Before the commencement of 1442 AH Ramadan fasting, some people dreamt but never lived to realize their dreams. Some looked but never saw. It is only in the imagination of man that age should be a factor of death. We shall all die at our scheduled time. Therefore, whoever is privileged to pass through this year’s Ramadan successfully should endeavour to add spiritual value to his or her life and not diminish in faith after the sacred month. We shall all account for that value before Allah.
End of Ramadan
In a few days time this year’s Ramadan will come to an end by the grace of Allah. And, we shall continue to look back, with nostalgia, to the good things we have done in the sacred month. For instance, we shall remember that in no other month of Hijrah calendar is the role of Muslim women more pronounced than in Ramadan. Like in other months, they (women), display the roles of wives, mothers, daughters and sisters. But more than in other months, they exhibit their religious dedication in Ramadan.
Even as they (wives) assist their husbands financially in maintaining the homes, they still take care of those husbands as well as the children and relatives domestically. At the time of the day when the husbands are knocked out by fatigue arising from fasting, in Ramadan, the wives are still busy in the kitchen preparing Iftar for the household. At the time, in the night, when some husbands are engaged in Tahajjud, or are snoring in bed, the wives are already up in the kitchen preparing the Sahur for the family.
Some of these women are pregnant. Some are suckling their children. Some of them are knowledgeable enough to do the Tilawah (recitation of the Qur’an) like their husbands. Some are even financially buoyant enough to finance their homes fully or partially.
And, in all these activities, they never feel tired. Where and when they feel tired, they never show it. If any month has ever depicted the virtues of women, it is Ramadan and the women activities in it. If for the reason of their activities in Ramadan alone, they deserve tolerance and dignified treatment in the hands of their husbands.
Role of Children
We shall also remember the role of our children in the month and then endeavour to ensure the continuity of those rewarding activities.
Children are Allah’s greatest gift to man. Their presence in a house is blessing. Their contribution to security and joy is immense. Those are children for you. They can play the role of teachers just as they do that of students. They learn fast, they teach fast. They are a major security for parents in any given environment.
Children play both temporal and spiritual roles in a matrimonial life. And with such roles, they sometimes create hope for humanity and sometimes, they signal despair. They are the greatest asset in the possession of parents in time of peace. They are also the greatest weapon for those parents against the forces of Satan.
Because of their innocence, they pave way for God’s forgiveness and quick acceptance of prayers. And, most importantly, children guarantee the continuity of man’s existence on earth. It is only with them that the fulfillment of today’s promise is possible tomorrow.
In the Qur’an, children are mentioned many times and most often with reverence. They are treated in that glorious book as a major issue in the life of man. As orphans, they do not only have a role to play, they also compel some adults to play a role relating to them.
As heirs to their parents, they have substantial shares in inheritance. Muslim children are like cubs of lions. They follow the footstep of their parents or guardians very closely. They are often with their parents during the five daily prayers. They watch their parents as the latter give charity to the poor. They accompany them to public lectures and Islamic social gatherings.
And, in Ramadan, children are part of the Muslims’ total spiritual package. They wake up with them at night. They fast with them in the day. They break the fast with them at sunset. They join their parents at Tafsir and night lectures. They participate in Laylatul Qadr and in giving Zakatul Fitr to the poor. Who can substitute the role of children in a matrimonial home?
In all the above mentioned activities, children are supposed to be encouraged. At the tender age of seven, they should be guided to fast even if for half a day. And when they reach the age of 10 they should be strengthened in faith and in religious deeds. They should be provided with necessities of life both in the temporal and spiritual realms. With these, they will grow up to become the fulfillment of their parents’ dreams. Most children grow up as good or bad citizens by emulating their parents. A child is therefore what his parents make him/her. If advantage of Ramadan is not taken by Muslim parents to mould their children into good Muslims what other platform will be used? Your child is your sun. Make hay with it while it shines.
Neighbours
We shall also recall how we relate with our neighbours, especially the non-Muslims among them, in that month of Ramadan. In Islam, neighbours are as important as the next of kin. And, Islam attaches so much respect to them.
New Toga
In the month of Ramadan a good Muslim is expected to wear a new toga of sobriety and repentance. He doubles his good deeds to his neighbours, extending generosity to them and cultivating a new atmosphere of friendliness and trust with them. He genuinely gives them as much impression of love and brotherhood as he does with his consanguine relatives.
It does not matter whether those neighbours are Muslims or non-Muslims. Neither does it matter whether they are tribesmen or non-natives. In Islam, good neighbourliness should be an inalienable posture of a Muslim. Therefore, whoever, had quarreled with his neighbours before Ramadan, should go and settle the quarrel.
Besides abstaining from foods, drinks and intercourse, in the days of Ramadan, a good Muslim must mind his relationship with people around him, including neighbours. Fasting in the month of Ramadan cannot be taken in half measure. It is not made a pillar of Islam by accident. Its purpose is to return man to the original state of purity in which he was created. That Allah entrusts the world to man is also not by accident. Allah consulted widely before entrusting this great responsibility to man when the latter volunteered to bear that responsibility. See Qur’an 33:71 for details.
Needs and wants
It is in during Ramadan that Muslims reconfirm NEEDS rather than WANTS as the necessities required for the sustenance of their lives.
Muslims, by their faith and orientation, are not supposed to be given to material wants. Rather, they should be more concerned about temporal and spiritual needs than temporal wants alone. The reason for this is not far-fetched. With needs come contentment and satisfaction while wants are the causes of greed and avarice. And those are the factors of disharmony in the world today.
If you are a participant or a witness to it this year’s Ramadan, utilize your experience maximally. You do not know whether or not you will have that opportunity again. RAMADAN KARIM!
