Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and lasts either 29 or 30 days, depending on when the new crescent moon is, or should be, visible. We have just spent the holy month and celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr with great religious fervor. The month is like no other month and inspires as well as trains us to show restraint and avoid accesses of all sorts besides utter devotion to Almighty Allah. However the lessons learnt during the month of Ramadhan need to be carried forward and respected all through the year.
The Arabic term Ramadan connotes intense heat. It seems that in pre-Islamic Arabia, Ramadan was the name of a scorching hot summer month. In the Islamic calendar, however, the timing of Ramadan varies from year to year.
Ramadan is a period of fasting and spiritual growth and is one of the five “pillars of Islam” – the others being the declaration of faith, daily prayer, alms-giving and the pilgrimage to Mecca. Able-bodied Muslims are expected to abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to sunset each day of the month. Many practicing Muslims also perform additional prayers, especially at night, and attempt to recite the entire Quran. The prevailing belief among Muslims is that it was in the final 10 nights of Ramadan that the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
The Quran states that fasting was prescribed for believers so that they may be conscious of God. By abstaining from things that people tend to take for granted (such as water), it is believed, one may be moved to reflect on the purpose of life and grow closer to the creator and sustainer of all existence. As such, engaging in wrongdoing effectively undermines the fast. Many Muslims also maintain that fasting allows them to get a feeling of poverty and this may foster feelings of empathy.
All those who are physically limited (for example, because of an illness or old age) are exempt from the obligation to fast; the same is true for anyone who is traveling. Those who are able to do so are expected to make up the missed days at a later time. One could potentially make up all of the missed days in the month immediately following Ramadan, the month of Shawwal. Those unable to fast at all, if they are financially able, are expected to provide meals to the needy as an alternative course of action.
By fasting over an extended period of time, practicing Muslims aim to foster certain attitudes and values that they would be able to cultivate over the course of an entire year. Ramadan is often likened to a spiritual training camp. Besides experiencing feelings of hunger and thirst, believers often have to deal with fatigue because of late-night prayers and pre-dawn meals. This is especially true during the final 10 nights of the month. In addition to being the period in which the Quran was believed to have been first revealed, this is a time when divine rewards are believed to be multiplied. Many Muslims offer additional prayers during this period.
At the end of the day, what is important is to see if we can hold on to the lessons learnt during the month of Ramadhan and practice the same devotion to Allah and restrain from all the ills. Those of the believers who succeed in doing so have actually been able to rejuvenate their souls during the holy month and those who fail to do so- may Allah have mercy of all!
Author is incharge District Record Room Deputy Commissioner office Anantnag.
