My Learning from Every Ramzan

By Moin Qazi, New Age Islam 9 March 2023 Religious Fasting Traditions- From Ramzan To Ekadasi To Yom Kippur And Lent -Are Meant To Relieve Believers From Many Avoidable Mundane Compulsions, Helping Them Replenish Their Spirituality, Remember The Poor, Give Up Bad Habits, Make Amends For Moral Deficiencies And Get Closer To Their Faith. ------ O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain Taqwa [God-consciousness] – (The Qur’an, Al-Baqarah: 183) Religious fasting traditions- from Ramzan to Ekadasi to Yom Kippur and Lent -are meant to relieve believers from many avoidable mundane compulsions, helping them replenish their spirituality, remember the poor, give up bad habits, make amends for moral deficiencies and get closer to their faith. The most prominent among these spiritual fasting customs is Ramzan. Islam does not have a tradition of monasticism. Instead, observant Muslims become ascetics during Ramzan every year. For them it is a month of sacred abstemiousness. Fasting ("Sumoo", derived from the Arabic root of "Saama" and Syriac, "Sawma”) means "to refrain" - and not only is it abstaining from eating, drinking , smoking and sex , but all forms of immoral actions including talking about others behind their backs, or indulging in impure or unkind thoughts. Like prayers, fasting is an essentially solitary act; it represents a personal relationship each one of us has with God. When fasting, Muslims have one meal before sunrise, called Sahur-the predawn meal -together, and share another meal with friends and family after sunset, called Iftar-the fast-breaking meal. The fast is much longer than what everyone perceives .It commences at the first ray of dawn, or, as it is said in the Qur'an, "when the white thread of day becomes distinct from the blackness of night. The simultaneity of all these Muslim rituals is Islam's way of fostering fellowship and a powerful sense of solidarity. Fasting during Ramzan is obligatory for all able-bodied Muslims from when they reach the age of religious observance. Those exempt from fasting are those who are sick, the elderly, those who have a mental illness, those who travel a long distance and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating. However, the exemption states that those who skip the fast have to make up for the lost equivalent days after Ramzan. But if a person cannot fast at all – particularly if that is for health reasons – they can compensate and partake of the holy month's blessings by feeding a needy person for each day they do not fast (Fidiya, or "expiation"). Ramzan commemorates the descent of the word of God, the Qur'an, from heaven to earth. Just as the word of God has come down, in Ramzan, the expression of supplicants goes up to God more vigorously and efficaciously than at any other time. The most significant hallmark of the month of Ramzan is the Night of Destiny, Night of Measure or Night of Value: Lailat ul Qadr, in Arabic. According to the Qur'an, angels descend from heaven on this particular night -most important, the archangel Gabriel — bringing peace and divine presence into the world. Prophet Muhammad did not mention exactly when the Night of Power would be, although most scholars believe it falls on one of the odd-numbered nights of the final ten days of Ramzan The Qur'an says: "The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand: Peace... This until the rise of morn!” (Q97) Better than a thousand months. A thousand months are equivalent to 83 years and four months. The importance of this night is also mentioned in Hadith, which are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad as remembered by his companions: "Whoever establishes the prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards (not to show off) then all his past sins will be forgiven." (Sahih Bukhari Vol 1, Book 2:34). Ramzan is always a very amazing month. We undertake a month-long spiritual odyssey meant physically and morally rejuvenate us. It enables us to detach from worldly pleasures to invest our time in intense prayer, charity and spiritual discipline and focus on our deeds, thoughts and actions. Every Ramzan, we undergo illuminating and enriching experiences that provide valuable lessons in understanding life and ourselves better. The test's extremity reminds us of human life's fragility and is meant to foster a relationship with God. I remember the early years of fasting when my mother would tell stories about Ramzan when she was little and growing up--how the table at sunset would be full of delicacies, how she and her siblings would hold handfuls of food in front of their mouths, waiting for the cue from my grandfather to eat. At the end of the month of fasting, he would sacrifice a lamb in the name of God and feed it to the poor. The first time I fasted was when I was attending school away from home. Marching up to the man in charge of the cafeteria, I fully expected to be rebuffed when I asked for food to return to my dorm for a pre-dawn breakfast. But he just looked me and asked what I would like to eat. Had I not been so stunned by his acceptance, I might have asked for a table full of treats. I fortified myself with hearty food and sealed the fast with whole fruit juice. The fast seemed interminable and intolerable because, as every Muslim would confess, no matter how much food or water or liquid you pour into yourself at dawn, it is enough to drown the body's yearnings until sunset. Later that night, nibbling on the meat sandwich, I realized, ''I'm fasting for Ramzan!'' For the first time, I was doing something that wasn't primarily for myself or my parents or good grades. By fasting, I was doing something for God that would bring me closer to the creator and sustainer of all existence.it is said that it's the only Islamic practice invisible to an observer. Later in college, on Saturday nights, other Muslim students and I would take the college van to a pancake house at 4 a.m. I told my non-Muslim friends, who always accompanied me to dinner in the dining hall at sunset, how the entire holy month of Ramzan was about feeling spiritually charged and elevated despite hunger and deprivation. The fasting ritual is an eagerly awaited interlude for abstaining from food, drink and other indulgences to concentrate on prayer, meditation and worship. This, in turn, encourages more excellent reflection on one's life and appreciation for resources we sometimes take for granted. It teaches us patience, self-restraint, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God. The act of fasting for spiritual prowess makes us more conscious, not just of food habits but of how we think, behave and interact throughout the day. Fasting does not mean Muslims retreat from their daily chores; instead, they are encouraged to continue their regular routine. This is the real challenge, and fasting helps us hone our patience and endurance because, by refraining from consumption throughout the day, we learn the benefit of refraining from gratifying each of our desires at the moment. Each fasting day during Ramzan is a trial of the body and our spiritual resolve. Removing the everyday comforts from daily routine is intended to focus the mind on spirituality, prayer and charity. By fasting, we cut ourselves off from the temptations and distractions of our busy, hectic, materialistic lives and try attaining "Taqwa", "piety", or "God-consciousness". With a decaffeinated, empty stomach, and a thirst that is difficult to tolerate, fasting connects us to someone else. Tending to the welfare of the less fortunate members of the community is a central tenet of Islam and a critical tradition during Ramzan. On several occasions, I have read that handing someone charity first passes through the Hand of God before it reaches the recipient's hand. I always imagine that when I give, it helps me do it with greater humility. Holding wealth is an immense blessing that comes with great responsibility and untold rewards when we pass it along. All good deeds done in Ramzan fetch manifold rewards in the afterlife. Thus, apart from being a personal religious voyage, the season of sharing and giving reconfigures one's social bonds. Our fasting draws us to the story of a woman in Somalia who has been walking for miles to reach and fetch firewood and water; successive droughts have ravaged her land, her body, and her children. The baby she is carrying no longer gets milk from her breast; she feels him shrinking in her arms as she walks. The little hands of her other small children clutch at her as they patiently trail her. The mother repeatedly tells them they must put their trust in God and keep moving. One can understand her thirst as she utters words of prayer with every precious drop of water she goes without giving to her children for their survival. Our act of fasting brings greater empathy for her than any ordinary day. I remember her when my head would be dizzy with thirst after running out on a simple errand in triple-digit heat. I can step back into my air-conditioned refuge; she can't. I won't complain of my exhaustion from too little sleep because I know she won't find a sheltering place to rest in the harsh landscape. I'm hungry, but I can break my fast in a celebratory mood when the day is finished; I'll take a cooling sip of clean, filtered water and feel it splash down in my empty gut at sundown. As I think my body reviving, I remember the Somali woman's fast has been going on since well-before Ramzan, and it will continue past the 30 days that Muslims will observe. It has been her way of life for years on end. For her, "fasting" is not a choice. For her, hunger is part of daily life. We keep seeing this poor woman as we slice up exotic fruits to refresh our families after fasting. How can we set the table with melons, dates, rice, other lavish goodies and dollops of dainty creams when she has none? How can we keep stocking up on provisions featuring a variety of exquisite tasty food, such as sweetmeats, spices, savouries and sugary drinks, with which to break our daily fasts without thinking of the woman's broken heart when she has to tell her children she has nothing for them; the crops failed, the livestock died, and food prices have risen so high. She has no way to feed them. The suffering of these unlucky ones reminds us to be grateful for our fortunes. Sometimes we don't realize how hard and coarse our hearts have become. The absence of regular and consistent times for self-reflection and contemplation has made us insensitive to the suffering around us. The pursuit of complacency has become our goal rather than the purpose of contentment, and we sacrifice things that would bring us everlasting comfort in the quest of those things that give us the facade of comfort. The empathy for the suffering of those less fortunate people around us, created by the act of fasting, is only worth something to them and us if we do something about it. The emphasis on enduring the fast stimulates us to move beyond simply the physical aspects of it and reach out in the direction of a spiritual fast. It's not about the mortification of the flesh. It's about refraining from complaining, a fast from thinking ill of others, a fast from coarse language and harsh speech, a fast that focuses not on food or drink, but how the absence of those things leads towards the development of a strong heart and soul. That's the fact that we should strive for - one that moves beyond not feeding our bodies but feeding our souls. The essence of Ramzan is to become humble, simple and free from ill will, anger, meanness and hate. It is a one-month refresher course from which we can emerge as the greatest version of ourselves. It is a month of penance, peace, forgiveness, atonement and reconciliation. I pray that Ramzan gets into our hearts and minds and makes us embrace all shades of humanity with dignity, respect and care, acknowledging the diverse swath of traditions and cultures. The greatest lesson every Ramzan teaches me is indeed the wisdom expressed in Qur'an, Al-Hujurat: "O mankind! We have created you male and female and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of God, is the best in conduct. God Knows and is Aware of everything you do." (Q49:13) ------ Moin Qazi is the author of the bestselling book, Village Diary of a Heretic Banker. He has worked in the development finance sector for almost four decades. URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/religious-traditions-spirituality-ramzan/d/129278 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism