households for months now has fully sprung. Spreading through the
world, crossing every kind of barrier—literal and figurative,
manmadeand natural Ramadan seeks every square foot on the face of
earth wherein is a fasting Muslim, to cheer his heart, inspire his
soul, and enrich his sense oftaqwa.
What an amazing mode of worship is the fasting of Ramadan!
Sure, fasting Ramadan is the Third Pillar upholding the edifice of
Islam. Yes, it is a time for profound reflection and nurturing that
special God-consciousness oftaqwa. True, it is a way of boosting
self-control, an extended training period of intensive worship.
But that's not all. Ramadan is a season of harvest, a time of year in
the time of man to reap joy in sowing the fruitful seeds of happiness
for our Hereafter. In fact, so much is the delight of Muslims of all
backgrounds and places in the fertile fields of Ramadan that some
scholars openly worry that our Ramadan euphoria grows so overwhelming
that it may distract us from the essence of fasting.
In a well-knownhadeethof Prophet Muhammadwe are told that a fasting
person is promised with certainty two joyous moments every time we
fast:"One at the time one breaks his fast. And another when one meets
his Lord"]Muslim[. Thehadeethdoes not limit the joy of fasting to only
these two moments. But you better believe it does, indeed, restrict
them to just those who fast. These twin joys are exclusive to fasting
and fasters. They come only to the latter because of the former.
It's not that the fasters may again eat and drink when they break
their fast. That's not the sourceof their joy. It's the fact that they
succeeded to establish their reward with Allaah, who enabledthem to
keep their fast pure, however hard it was physically or mentally and
in spite of their being able to break it when no other human was
looking. That's the sheer joy of a faster. He was able to
overcomehimself, hisnafs, and keep it honest and whole-some, inside
and out. That's the cause of celebration.
ThehadeethI just mentioned is a divine pronouncement, ahadeethqudsi.
It actuallybegins with the Prophettelling us that Allaah Says:"All the
deeds of a Son of Aadam are his]since he claims sincerity in doing
them for Me, butcannot prove it in this world[ except for fasting.It
is ]always genuinely done[ for Me, and I]consequently give unspecified
abundant[ reward for it."
So whoever fasts cannot but fast honestly and purely for Allaah's
Sake. Every Muslim knows this. This is what fills every Muslim with
glee in and about Ramadan, plain and simple.
Ah! Now that's real and absolute happiness, the kind of gladness that
only comes from having certain knowledge that one has achieved
sincerity in worship and gainedtaqwa. Meet rare contentment! It's a
feeling that only issues from a secure place of sheer confidence
within us, one that guarantees us an unimaginable reward from a Loving
and Merciful Lord—the true and only God who has Himself shown us a
recurring way of worshipthat solidifies our relationship with Him
through trust and conviction.
It is surely awe-inspiring to realize that worship is joyful, and that
the more sincere and authentic our worship, the more joy we will find
in it and because of it. The significance of Ramadan in the spiritual
storehouse of man cannot be overstated or overestimated. And it is all
ours! And it comes with a divine warranty ofhuman success, along with
a Heavenly security that it will perfect the way we worship our Lord
and serve Him exclusively!
The Muslim asks for nothing more. That is why Muslims used to do more
in Ramadan, though they were doing it on a lot less. Some of the most
important achievements of our 'Ummah materialized in this least
materialistic of months.
Is this do-more-with-less ethic of our righteous predecessors true for
you? What did you attainlast Ramadan? The one before?
Many of us do more for ourselves in Ramadan than any time of year. But
compared to what? And what have you done for your family, your local
community, your Ummah in past Ramadans?
Do you know what you want to achieve this Ramadan?
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