Good-Bye Ramdhan

abdul rehim
All praise is due to ALLAH Taala, may peace and salutations be upon His Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasalam) , His household and conpanions. The blessed and honorable month of Ramdhan ended!.... A month for renewing our faith , strengthening our will power, and seeking forgiveness, a unique opportunity to strengthen the bond of love with our creator, through fasting, recitation of Quran, Taraweeh, Salaah, and through acts of charity. Fast is a natural reformer for both the body and soul, and the guarantor of physical and moral health. Fast teaches us the lesson of austerity, and to accustom our disposition to patience and endurance. In this special month the Masjids were full, the people were running to the call of the Muazzin. During the whole day people flocked the Mosques, praying Salaah, reciting Dhikr and the Noble Quran. Because the accursed Shaitaan and his allies were imprisoned praying salaah with concentration and performing other acts of worship was easier. Blessings of ALLAH Taala were descending round the clock, enveloping the believers and increasing their faith. Finally the crescent of the Shawwal was sighted and the blessed month came to an end. Eid was celebrated with great fervor and reverence. People flocked the EID-GAHs and prayed Eid Salaah. It is said that celebrating and enjoying on the day of EID benefits the soul more than observing 30 days of Nafl Fasts. Next morning Ahmed, a child of 10, went to his local Masjid to offer Fajr prayers. As he entered the Masjid he was shocked. Alas! Where are the people? he inquired. An elderly man sitting in the corner of the Masjid replied Son, Ramdhan is over!. Ahmed replied Oh Chacha, the Holy month of Ramdhan has ended but we are still servants of ALLAH. His reply dumbfounded everyone present in the Masjid. His statement hit me like a bullet. I was reminded of the days of Sahabah (Radhiallahu-anhum) and the Khair-ul-Quroon when people flocked the Masjid throughout the year. Unfortunately today most of the Muslims have confined worship of the Creator to Ramdhan and Fridays. Every act of ibadah one does has an essence on his life in this world and in the hereafter. The main aim of the acts of ibadah like Salaah, Fast (Saum), Hajj, Zakah, etc is to inculcate the sifaat of these acts in oneself. Fasting demands that one must develop in oneself the Sifat-e-Saum. It means we must behave and act in the same way in our day to day life as in Ramdhan. Yes! It is true that the Shaitan is out and his effect is all over again. But ALLAH (SWT) says in the Noble Quran, Verily! The practices if the Shaitaan are very weak. We therefore need to ponder on the schedule we were following during Ramdhan and what we are upto now. During the Ramdhan the Masjids were happy and flourishing, but now it feels as if they are weeping for the people and bear a lonely look. We because of our own wretchedness and misfortune, waste and ruin the good of fasting.

The holy month approaches us every year and next year will come again InshaAllah. But the main concern is that how many Ramdhans have passed and how much have we changed! If someone has been fasting for 20 years, is he 20 times better now? There is a need to inculcate the Sifaat of these acts of ibaadah in us so that we can do complete justice to our life. May ALLAH (SWT) bestow us the understanding of the true spirit of being his servant. Aameen!!

About the Author: abdul rehim(pen name) The author is pursuing B.Tech in NIT Hamirpur.