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On the sunset of June 5, Muslims all over the world will be preparing for and be excited about the beginning of the Holy month of Ramadan. The excitement about the suhoor, about the whole family gathering at the table an hour or two before sunrise, discussing various topics, preparing the scrumptious food, and above all, the blessed feeling that comes with it by just waking for the sake of Allah.
Abu Huraira RA reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: When there comes the month of Ramadan, the gates of mercy are opened, and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained. (Muslim – Book 6, Hadith 2361)
The blessed month of Ramadan itself brings this very strong feeling of contentment and tranquility, this peculiar feeling which most of us are unable to feel almost all year round and it enables us to gain proximity towards Allah, we all connect on a very strong and different level.
Whereas this blessed month is a great opportunity given to us by Allah. The hype that we create in ourselves before the month starts can often lead to not being able to gain that certain proximity with Allah. One hour after suhoor, the Azan for Fajr prayer is called, everyone stops eating and goes to pray Fajr before beginning their day. Two hours after the suhoor and you’re already immersed in the daily busy routine. A routine that keeps you so absorbed into the word that you won’t notice when the time for iftaar hit and you’re either at the table, exhausted from the day’s work or you’re still at work and you order-in. The days go by and before you know it, Ramadan is gone and Eid celebrations have commenced and among all the excitement for Eid, there is this slight guilt produced, in all of us, the guilt that keeps knocking from the inside that perhaps we could have done better, perhaps we could have gotten more close to Allah. A chance terribly missed.
Let’s rewind the day and begin again, this time, seeking Him. As we commence our day, we keep our tongues moist with the Dikhr (remembrance) of Allah. Our body and mind may become busy in the world but we make that effort to still find the time and pray for Zuhr and Asr. This time, we don’t just read the Quran, we let it transform us, to redeem us. We make that effort to not lie, even when we’re stuck in a terrible situation. We make that effort to not get angry, even if we can’t seem to control our anger, just remembering that we’re doing it for Him. We lower our gaze because it’s a direct order given to us by Allah and the eyes are the windows to our soul. We give more in Charity as “the best charity is that given in Ramadan” (Tirmidhi). We feed the poor and talk politely to everyone around us. We reconcile with people we weren’t speaking to before.
This time, with that little effort we make, maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to feel that blessed feeling we felt when we got up for the sake of Allah for suhoor on the very first day of Ramadan.
This time, we will miss Ramadan but we’ll also be moving forward with this inner transformation, this inner satisfaction that we really did earn our proximity with Allah and we’ll be content while preparing for Eid celebrations.
This article is written by: Saiem Amer
