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Driving by
Central Parkway and Mavis Rd. in Mississauga last week, I was
pleasantly surprised to see a huge billboard with the message
"Ramadan Kareen." After 18 years in Canada, seeing a
public sign welcoming the holiest month of my faith makes me
feel warm, fuzzy and wanted.
Ramadan, one of
the five pillars of Islam, is a very important part of every
Muslim's life. My own participation its observance has changed
over the years. While health reasons preclude my going without
food, I am still inspired and enthused about the larger
spiritual message of this holy month.
Tolerance of
hunger, the most obvious part of fasting, serves as a blessing
for a person's journey toward God as it facilitates
enlightenment and knowledge as well as progress in attaining
spiritual perfection. Silence and self-control create humility,
increase will power and polish the heart and mind, creating an
impeccable "servicing of the soul".
When I wake up
before dawn to make food for my family, the splendour of the
rising sun and the chirping of birds are a reminder of God's
blessings. It's only at this time of the year that I can rise
early without complaint.
Ramadan is a
time of giving and mercy, a time to stop our mad whirl and look
inward, to reinforce the good and get rid of evil in our hearts
and minds. It gives us a huge opportunity to improve ourselves
through self-reflection and soul searching.
Purity of
thought and action are the hallmarks of this month and Muslims
think twice before gossiping or making sarcastic remarks.
The Holy
Prophet has said: "Engage yourself in self-struggle
(Jihad-e-Nafs) through the means of hunger and thirst, whose
reward is equivalent to the reward of those who participated in
the armed struggle for Allah's sake."
Refraining from
food, drink, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset every day
enhances the other senses so we become more acutely aware of our
surroundings. Many believe it eliminates toxins from the body
and improves one's hair and skin.
Ramadan is also
the month in which the Qur'an was revealed by God to the Prophet
Mohammad so reciting its verses is traditional at this time. I
find that every time I open the Qur'an — I think of it as a
"service manual" for the soul — I learn something
new.
The final 10
days of Ramadan are especially devoted to enhancing spirituality
and communal prayer. I remember my mother making pots of tea and
sandwiches so we could all pray together on these special nights
of forgiveness and remembrance.
Acts of charity
are also central to the observance of Ramadan. Many people give
the mandatory charity required of Muslims during this month so
the needy can also break their fast with nutritious food. This
purifies the heart from selfishness and greed, and helps us
understand the plight of those who lack life's basic amenities.
This charity is not limited to financial contributions alone,
but also includes charity of the heart to help people, charity
of the mind to reach out to others and charity of the soul to
forgive and move on, to smile at those whom we perceive to be
our enemies and to engage in dialogue with people of all walks
of life.
"Whosoever
will perform an obligatory good deed, it is as if he performed
70 obligatory good deeds," the Prophet Muhammad said about
generous acts during Ramadan.
"In this
month the believers' provision is increased. Whosoever will give
food to a fasting person in this month, it will bring
forgiveness for his sins, will save him from the hellfire and he
shall have his reward."
Each one of us
has something to give and Ramadan is the time to share and care:
feed the hungry, embrace the marginalized, adopt a newcomer,
visit someone who is ill, listen to the voice of the lonely,
disregard the words of the crabby, reach out to the young and
restless, get coffee for colleagues while fasting, be
non-judgmental, keep our vision broad and benevolent and
constantly thank the Creator for all His Blessings.
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