GOODBYE AGAIN, O’ RAMADAN!

But then, as the countdown for 1432 Ramadan gallops apace, have we reviewed our attitude to Fasting as a practical means of reforming ourselves rather than as an inevitable religious must-do, eagerly awaiting the time to free ourselves there-from at the end of the day (Iftar) and the end of the month (Sallah) to resume […]

But then, as the countdown for 1432 Ramadan gallops apace, have we reviewed our attitude to Fasting as a practical means of reforming ourselves rather than as an inevitable religious must-do, eagerly awaiting the time to free ourselves there-from at the end of the day (Iftar) and the end of the month (Sallah) to resume our ways of old again? It is imperative, then, that we review the month and see whether, using some of the following Ramadanian objectives, we can give ourselves a pass mark. If we can check off all, or most, of the objectives, then we may say alhamdu lillah for a month well spent.

MODERATING OUR EATING HABITS: During the eleven months prior to Ramadan, most of us are loose in our eating habits. Ramadan demands a strict and solid resolution to submit oneself to a special diet which often corrects habits which may be harmful to health. This compliance to a severely regulated diet should continue over the succeeding months. No wonder that the Holy Quran mentions patience, tolerance, will, and perseverance as synonyms of fasting. Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali says, in his Inner Dimensions of Fasting, that we should not to over-indulge to the point of stuffing our bellies. Of what use is the Fast if at the time of breaking it one not only makes up for all one has missed during the daytime, but perhaps also indulges in a variety of extra foods? So if we return to our usual eating habits (which many still do indulge in over iftar and sahur), then we may not have succeeded in this moderation. The discipline in eating is itself a plus. (And, if one loses a few kilos, all the better a bonus!)

RE-DISCOVERING THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FASTING: Related to the above, many of us have had the unfortunate opportunity of having to submit to diagnostic medical tests using ‘fasting sugar’ as basis. Most ailments are never detected until the body is on empty. A writer once said that the exaggerated variety of our meals, their excessive quantities and assortments all together make the alimentary system regulating human life so ineffective. Fasting, it has been ascertained, activates the blood circulation and purifies heart and soul. Besides, modern medicine has proven that fasting is a remedy for diseases that affect the human of this century because of overeating and the variety of processed foods. Fasting is a treatment; even a preventive measure at the same time. (Therefore, no wonder then that almost all religions recommend Fasting as a divine exercise in one variety or the other.)

ENDURING HUNGER: Hunger is no joke. (May Allah give the Somalis, and other peoples of the Horn of Africa, food and rains.) Many people suffer hunger all their lives, though it is so difficult for many of us to believe that. The rich, who generally never experience deprivation, end up discovering, through Fasting, the hardship suffered by the needy. Then, hopefully, the hearts of the rich may become more merciful and their hands may subsequently exercise more generosity and charity. A fasting person acquires the virtues of empathy for others, feels for them when they go through hunger and deprivation as he has also tasted the pain of it through Fasting. It is easy for those who have abundant supplies of everything they need to overlook and underestimate the pains of the less fortunate. The pangs of hunger felt by the fasting person are a reminder. (And how better would it have been for that Half a Million Naira and above spent on Umra-going is spent in this better cause!)

INSTILLING DISCIPLINE THROUGH REGULARITY: During Ramadan, we acquire the habit of punctuality. We break our fast at a fixed time, and we abstain from eating and drinking for a regulated period. Becoming accustomed to regulation leads to the respect of time, of word and of promise, and so one becomes more trustworthy and more able to carry out one’s responsibilities and to fulfill one’s social duties. Before Ramadan, many of us do not count the hours of daylight, because we are not faced with the prospect of hunger, thirst and deprivation. In Ramadan, we suddenly notice that the daylight hours are indeed long, the night so short! Through Fasting, we appreciate Allah’s bounties which are beyond measure. We cannot know the real value of happiness until we lose it. Sometimes we don’t miss breakfast or lunch, secure in the comfort that we can eat whenever we wished. In Ramadan, the control of time is in itself a great lesson.

SPREADING ASSISTANCE: Ramadan reinforces in us the spirit of giving and mutual help in society. Many of us do not remember the old woman down the road who had been the good friend of our long-departed grandmother until it is Ramadan. We remember her during Ramadan, and we give her some sugar and some rice, and perhaps a piece of atamfa. But for Ramadan, many of us may have forgotten all about her. Happily, during Ramadan our attitudes change automatically, and the family members meet more than they used to do. Charity and mutual help occupy a remarkable place, and brotherhood and equality triumph. Allah says that what we spend in His Cause will be doubled and multiplied for us, and that this will be profitable for us both now and in the hereafter.

CHARACTER REVOLUTION: Fasting, like any living thing, has a body and a soul. The required ‘abstinence’ from food, water, etc, is the body of the fast, while ‘piety’ is its soul. If we are not striving to refine our character by fasting, then our fast will be a body without soul. Fasting cleanses our body from impurities. Likewise, it must purify our hearts and minds from all impure thoughts. It is reported that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace) once saw a woman, who was fasting on that particular day (outside Ramadan), abusing her girl-servant. The Prophet admonished her and told her to go break her fast. The woman protested: ‘But I am fasting today.’ The Prophet said to her: ‘But was not your fast broken by the abuses you were hurling upon that poor girl?’

SAYING NO EVIL: In another Tradition of the Prophet, upon whom be peace, it is narrated that two women were fasting and they were so fatigued towards the end of the day from hunger and thirst that they were on the verge of collapsing. They therefore sent a message to the Prophet requesting his permission to break their fast. In response, the Prophet is reported to have sent them a bowl, saying: ‘Tell them to vomit into it what they have eaten.’ One of them vomited and half filled the bowl with fresh blood and tender meat, while the other brought up the same so that they filled it between them. The onlookers were astonished. Then the Prophet, upon whom be peace, is reported to have said: ‘These two women have been fasting from what Allah, Great and Glorious is He, made lawful to them, and have broken their fast on what Allah made unlawful to them. They sat together and indulged in backbiting, and here is the flesh of the people they maligned!’ (And didn’t a recent research report a few days ago say the fairer gender spend at least five hours a day gossiping?)

May Ramadan be a cure for all our ailments, physical and spiritual. And may we be fortunate to witness Lailatul Qadr.