Imbue Every Month With The Spirit Of Ramzan

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 21 April 2023 Divinity resides in a heart That throbs with compassion Spirituality lives in a soul That goes beyond religion Nizami, translated from Persian by the writer To feel for all Whether big or small This is the crux of existence All else is nonsense American poet Ogden Nash Most of us are religious but only a few are spiritual and imbued with an ever-present fellow-feeling. In fact, we all love to tom-tom our religiosity at the drop of a hat. Yet, we remain unperturbed by the sufferings of not only the human beings but of all creatures. Once Hakim Sanai was returning home. He saw a wounded piglet. The compassionate Sanai immediately attended to the piglet and saved it. When someone said that even touching a pig was haram in Islam, Sanai said, ' Ostracise me from Islam. Because I know what I did have nothing to do with my scriptural faith. I can again and again save the same piglet and for that I'm ready to face Allah's wrath. To me, a simple act of kindness is the greatest sample of spirituality and humanity. 'When the heart melts at each and every creature's pain/ When the soul cries even for those, it hasn't seen/ When your spirit bleeds at the bloodshed far away, you feel you're soulfully connected to the whole universe. The sooner we all understand this, the better will it be for the entire mankind. In these times, when sanguinary instincts are overwhelming and we're killing each other in the name of religion, it's time to introspect and look within. When the holy month of Ramzan is drawing to an end, shouldn't we say in the words of Ali Sardar Jaffrey, "Bana Har Maah Ko Ramazan/ Uthkar Aadmi Se Ban Insaan" (Make every month a Ramzan/ From a mere individual, become a human). Why the generous spirit of a holy month should remain limited to a definite period of stipulated days? Shouldn't it get suffused all over to make every month and moment holy and sacred? Always remember, sacredness is not momentary. It's momentous. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/imbue-spirit-ramzan/d/129616 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