Ramadan is a month in which fasting is observed among Muslims throughout the world. It is a reward and blessing as it avails a chance to repent and ask for expiation for all sins by doing Ibadah or by giving charity to poor people.
A holy book ( Quran) regarded as a manual for all Muslims was revealed in this month on our beloved Prophet Mohammed ( SAW) in which it is mentioned how to live a life of peace and prosperity.This month brings bigger challenges to a Muslim such as to fast during whole day from sunrise to sunset without sipping a single drop of any liquid. This even refrains Muslim from smelling refreshing perfumes or lotions, how come he thinks about taking a single morsel of food as it is distant thought. Early to rise is a dream activity to adapt in life of Muslim but this month brings a chance to rise early and maximum people are accomplishing in doing so. A more challenging factor is there to take food ( Suhoor) in predawn hours but still people are feeling a great deal of excitement in taking unscheduled meals or breakfast. This looks overall a kind of misery and hard-working days to face during whole month but try to acknowledge the month as a whole as Allah showers his mercy and blessings upon every dutiful muslim.Muslims around the world must be ready to face every kind of challenges , to react positively to any testing time , to develop self-control over mind and body. More importantly a person must be ready to face hungry hours and gives a message that how poor people Iive their life with empty stomach. Thus Islam teaches us how to dilute all the challenges in a systematic way.Though challenging and tiresome , this month brings blessings and it’s showering continues from Suhoor to Iftaar. It guides Muslims about the unity and togetherness among family members and among other Muslims. It is a fortunate moment for all Muslims that they assemble without any conflict or quarrelsome while making deliberations over any issue. People run in flocks to Masjids for five times prayers and try to raise their spiritual power, mentally they are looking strong by regular meditation and bodily they feel fit.
On Iftaar time a Muslim jumps over delicious food items ,feels dizzy and bulky but Allah provides a programic special prayer called “Tarawee” in which he lights his body by making proper digestion thus with this prayer they look quite fresh and healthy, not only this but get continuous shower of mercy and blessings by regular meditation and duas.Fasting is also seen and proven as being healthy for the human body, some of the benefits included losing weight and body fat, helps reduce Insulin resistance, lowering the risk of type Diabetes and decreasing heart attack risks amazingly. People who have complaint about chronic diseases, during month of Ramadan they look fit , energetic and strong and even old age People and children do enjoy the fasting during Ramadan.If someone feels dissatisfied in fulfilling all the expected worships to Almighty Allah then he has more chance to nab the opportunity by offering money as charity or alms to poor, destitute and needy people and Allah provide a chance to indulge in the activities in which we can balance ourselves with the downtrodden people.Ramadan encourages Muslim to uphold a kind of interaction among the people where he is able to find every aspect of society if found any kind of weaknesses then he is able to remove them and hoping a better life for the society. This kind of blessing is taught by Ramadan and gets proper training and lessons about generosity, benevolence and sympathy. Oftentimes we forget our kind move towards family, friends, neighbours, strangers and even enemies, Quran repeatedly urging us to do so and the Prophet Muhammad has practically proved it, but we being the followers of both forget to apply at ground level.Ramadan gives us a proper lesson about utilization of human kindness among all these people as a signal of peace and prosperity. Muslims must be ready every time to cross check their lives and try to interpret their day-to-day actions whether they are pleasing their Almighty Allah or not, The intense devotion of a Muslim towards Ramadan cause the believers to examine these on daily basis throughout whole month.Fruits of Ramadan known to every Muslim throughout the world even non- believers also have knowledge about benefits of it and has been observed in few parts of world where non believers are observing fasting with the Muslim. Whether they are fasting for the biological point of view or something looking at their faith means people acknowledge the Ramadan and its benefits. Allah says in Quran:”But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.” (Surat Al-Baqarah 2:184) Prophet Mohammad (SAW):”Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” (Imam Bukhari).So Ramadan a month of blessing for whole Muslim Umma not only keeps them mentally strong but by socially, spiritually, emotionally and physically to cope up with any untoward happening in their life.
( The author is research scholar from Kuchmulla Tral. Views are his own)
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