Ramadaan - A great Renaissance or a dry Routine?
01-09-2008
Excitement is building
as yet another Ramadaan approaches. But is Ramadaan causing an impact on the
Ummah leading to a spiritual renaissance or is it treated as just another dry
routine. This is the burning question. The month will come and go like a
spiritual flood but will it leave behind its rich deposits or will it wash away
whatever little we had?
Why is the impact not there? A deep question many
would like answered in a simple and down to earth way. Some of the leading
scholars provide us the answers. It should be remembered that this is mainly due
to bad habits formed over years that continue to plague us during Ramadaan, even
though the Shayateen are chained.
Shaitaan’s chained
Allah has chained up
the Shaitaans. These were the ones who troubled us all year round. They are the
ones that showed us and taught us various types of sins. Allah has now saved us
from these (evil ones). And the mischief of Shaitaan is such that not everyone
is able to detect them. “Shaikh Maseehullah Jalalabadi (R).
Time Wasting
Because a proper time table is not structured before or upon the advent of time,
a lot of time is wasted in useless & unproductive activities. In the meanwhile,
the clock ticks away silently. Before long, a week, 10 days, 2 weeks, 20 days,
27 days are gone…and Ramadaan is almost over in a flash!
Solution: Design a good timetable, allowing reasonable time for necessary tasks.
The balance of the time is for Ibadah. Most important stick to the time table
strictly.
Lethargy and laziness
Ramadaan is a month of intensive activities. Hardly a month for those who are
lazy and laid back. Laziness and lethargy will deprive one of most of the
blessings of Ramadaan. The lazy ones do not awaken for Sehri, sleeping right
through and even missing Fajr Salaah in such a holy month! Reciting the Holy
Quran is a huge effort for the lazy, some of whom do not complete even one
completion (Khatm) of the Quran in the whole month! Taraweeh Salaah is like
climbing a mountain for the lazy. They read a few Rakaats and leave or do not
read at all or sit down talking until the Imaam goes into Ruku and then hastily
join in. In this way these, lazy ones are deprived of listening to the entire
Quran in Taraweeh, which is an important Sunnah practice of this Holy month.
These are the ones who dread the coming of Ramadaan and cannot wait for it to be
over.
Solution: Realisation that being lazy and indolent will deprive us of many
benefits, blessings and rewards is the first step in over coming laziness.
Laziness must be fought vigorously and overpowered with strong will power and
courage. There is no better time and opportunity to fight it than the month of
Ramadaan.
Overindulgence
Strange as it may seem, many people put on weight in Ramadaan! Yet it is
supposed to be a month of fasting! This is because of over indulgence and over
eating at Iftaar, at night and at Sehri. As it is, Lavish dishes are prepared in
Ramadaan that are packed with colonies, and due to being hungry throughout the
day, there is a tendency to gobble huge amounts of these Ramadaan delights. The
result is not just a feeling of gloated ness and lethargy, but also results in
rapid weight gain and also makes a person lethargic and drowsy, which results in
missing out on important acts of Ibadah.
Solution: The objective of Ramadaan is to teach us self control, discipline and
trying to eat less. Overeating defeats this objective. It contributes to bodily
ailments and diseases whereas Ramadaan contributes to good health and gives the
body a chance to recover after eleven months of abuse and indulgence. So eating
should be reduced.
Spirituality Missing
For many Ramadaan is the carrying out of Ibadah in a routine and mechanical way
without reality tasting the secret flavour of spirituality in their Ibadah.
Although the ability and Tawfeeq of Ibadah, Tilawah, Nafl Salaah, Zikrullah, Dua
is by itself a great blessing, the benefit would be if it is spiritually rich
and charged. Spirituality makes these acts of Ibadah highly enjoyable and
enhances the rewards a hundred folds and more.
Solutions: Spirituality is developed by suppressing animalistic tendencies. This
is achieved through Mujahada, fighting excessive bodily demands of food, sleep,
comfort and luxury. There is no better time for this than Ramadaan, which is a
month of Mujahada. Once the batteries of spirituality have been fully charged,
it only requires a small recharge from time to time. This is the month to put
our spiritual battery on full charge.
Mufti Zubair Bayat
Submitted by a Mujahid