Ramazan is coming!!

So, the Holy Month of Ramazan is coming up. And yes, Microsoft Word does not believe in these spellings of Ramazan. Or Ramadan for that matter. Wait. It does believe in Ramadan. End of discussion. So please stop arguing about this now. It’s a very petty argument.

Anyway, I was saying that Ramazan is coming up and even though people are scared about how they will fast in this prickling heat and humidity with such long hours of loadshedding, there is a general enthusiasm for the coming of Ramazan. People have already become a little bit spiritual; not lying, not smoking or drinking, not doing anything bad, trying to pray five times a day, and reciting the Quran. Some are even trying to read its translation, to get into the true meaning of the Quran. People have goals for Ramazan. To be honest, to come closer to Allah, to be a better person as a whole.

All around me, in my family, in my social circle, at my workplace, there’s a hype – Ramazan is coming. The month, in which all vices and sins are removed, the month in which it’s possible to gain as many “sawaab” (reward) as a person possibly can. Ask for Allah’s mercy, ask for His forgiveness, be His humble servant.

All of this is good; I mean, we, as Muslims, should probably be doing all of this, anyway. Why Ramazan then? Why is it a culture now to be impossibly good in Ramazan, to do every possible thing that pleases Allah for 30 days, and then as soon as Eid arrives, we just forget every single thing? I’ve heard of cases where people have gotten drunk on Eid, or are getting high, or didn’t even bother going to Eid prayers. What is the purpose of Ramazan if your soul is just purified for 30 days, and then you are back to all the vices you were already subject to? What is the purpose of Ramazan when you only decide to be good for a month and then decide to be horrible and unkind throughout the year? Isn’t that considered hypocrisy?

It goes on. Lots of maulvis, religious scholars, even actresses, designers and models (hint – Veena Malik, and Maria B) are airing their own shows, relating to Ramazan. They’re talking about religious issues, Quran sermons (Dars) and so on and so forth. The women are wearing dupattas over their heads. The morning shows are very humbly aired, with usually no music in the background, talking about the blessings of Ramazan. As soon as the moon of Shawwal is sighted, music starts blaring everywhere, the women anchors and all the women hosting their shows take off their dupattas and start wearing sleeveless dresses. What is the point of all this? What is the point of pretending to wear a dupatta in Ramazan, since it’s a Holy month, and taking it off and wearing clothes which reveal your body, for the whole year. Personally, I don’t have any issues with how any one dresses oneself; it is all up to them. But I don’t like when a person pretends to be all holy for one month, and then just stops for the rest of the year, thinking that 30 days in a year is enough time to be good. I mean seriously.

Then there’s another scenario; be nice during the period you’re fasting, and as soon as you break the fast, you’re lying and cheating and stealing and doing everything that you should not be doing anyway. So was the whole spirituality period just from Fajr (morning prayers) to Maghrib (evening prayers)? That should not be how a roza (fast) is kept. Allah is ever-Watching and He sees everything.

The holy month of Ramazan starts tomorrow in Pakistan. I know we’ve all decided to be at our best, for Allah is ever-Forgiving this month. However, on the other hand, we must also vow, to keep being good. We must vow to pray five times a day, to recite the Holy Quran every single day. We must promise ourselves that we will not lie, or cheat, or backbite, or hurt someone through our tongue or our hands, or in any other way possible. We will not spread hatred. We will only spread love. We will not indulge in any bad activities. We will instead help the poor, the needy, the orphans and the widows. We will make peace. We will control our urges, our anger, and our tantrums. And we will do our personal best to be a better person, not just for ourselves, but for the world to see as well. It is only then, that the spirit of Ramazan is truly fulfilled. It is only then that fasting in the name of Allah counts. Otherwise, Allah has no use for your fast if you don’t eat or drink for 12-17 hours.

Here I would like to mention another thing. Allah asks Muslims to fast because he wants them to realize how hard it is for the poor and the needy, for well off people to be thankful for what they have and be grateful at the time of iftaar, and to break the fast with humbleness and simplicity. I think all of you would agree here that as soon as the sound of Azan is heard, a lot of people don’t even bother reciting the prayer for iftaar, and rush to the food. They’re literally stuffing pakoras in their mouths, making mountains on their plates of deliciously lavish foods. The whole purpose of Ramazan is to be grateful for what you have, to be humble, and meek, and modest. To not spend foolishly and to not indulge in gluttony. But I think most of us, rather all of us, forget that as soon as we see food on the table at iftaar time.

Last but not the least; I would like to say that I’m not playing a blame game here. I’m not saying that everyone is sinful and I’m the only righteous person alive. I’m dead sure I’m not, and I have my own set of flaws. But if all of us, me included, could just intend on keeping our virtues after Ramazan, maybe all of us would be much content and happier, and much more loved by Allah. After all, actions are judged by the intention behind them.

I hope and pray that Allah gives us all the guidance and the strength to be the kind of people who are loved and protected by Him, and who He considers to be the true Muslims. I also pray that we are able to retain all the good things we learn during this Ramazan and all the others to come, and that an aura of spirituality always hangs around each and every one of us until the day we die. Amen.