The Month of Ramadan is upon us. And as today, Shaaban, preceding it comes to a close, Muslims are expected to redouble effort in their service to Almighty Allah through prayers, supererogatory (nafilat) prayers and fasting for in it is assurance of a change of destiny for the faithful. Therefore, this is a special time that demands from the Muslim Ummah a reflection on the many blessings Allah (SWT) has bestowed upon us.
Ramadan focuses our sincerity to Allah for it is centered around the one act of worship that is impossible to “show off” with before other human beings, for at the end of the day, God alone knows if we are truly fasting. Ramadan, if we allow it to do so, focuses our spiritual energies by reintroducing the great blessing of the Holy Qur’an into our lives. Finally, Ramadan focuses our attention on the centrality of charity in our lives, by encouraging us to greater levels and acts of charity during this time, a time when our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings of God upon him, the most generous of all people, was excessively generous.
Our Prophet, Muhammad, peace upon him, after being blessed with so much by God, was instructed to share those blessings by proclaiming them to others. We read in the Holy Qur’an, As for the blessings of your Lord; proclaim them! (93:11).
This year Ramadan will occur during the height of negative attention focused on Islam and Muslims. In light of this sad reality, many Muslims are inclined to take measures that remove themselves or their religion from the spotlight. This is a mistake.
Although the negative attention is a reality, it does not hide the fact that many people are crying out for Islam. As Muslims, we have been blessed with the fruits of Ramadan, some of which we have mentioned above. We should not hesitate to work to share those fruits with others. The inner-peace, serenity, clarity of vision, and focus a conscious Muslim experiences in his or her life, all of which are highlighted during Ramadan, are a great blessing we should be hastening to share with others. Now is the time for us to proclaim the blessings Allah has bestowed upon us.
Let us translate the heightened focus on Allah (SWT), and our appreciation for His blessings into heightened levels of servitude to Him and to our fellow human beings. If we can do that as an entire community, with ample conviction, Allah (SWT) will continue to shower His blessings upon us and He will bless us to be secure in our lives and property. Such blessings are commensurate with the best community raised up for humanity (3:110). However, for the manifestation of those blessings to be real, our service to Allah (SWT) and to our fellow humans have to be real. So let us proceed through the blessed month with consciousness, willing devotion, and sincerity. Let us also proclaim to all and sundry the blessings Allah (SWT) has bestowed upon us. By doing so we will express our appreciation to our Lord, and work to perpetuate the many blessings He has bestowed upon us.
Ramadhan Al-Mubarak.
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