Since Ramadhaan is arriving and every body is writing and posting motivating things about fasting , so I also thought not to be left out, hence here are my own thoughts and observations…..
Many people think that Ramadhan is the month of festival but it is not. It is a month of Ebadaah, worship. Most of us begin our preparation for Eid right from the first week of Ramadhaan itelf, as if Ramadhan is the month of preparing for Eid !
The arrival of Ramadhaan will be welcomed by the ulema announcing the virtues of this month including Laylatul Qadr and along with it there will be parallel announcements of Ramadhaan sales.. Night cricket/ volley ball/carrom tournaments.. The crowd swell will show whose announcement left more impact.. Yes you have guessed right…After all the shaytan are tied up while men are still free….
In fact we eat more in the month of Ramadhaan and also waste more food during this month as compared to the
other months and then we say ” Ramadhan brings a lot of blessed food because we stay hungry for the whole day”
Since we are suppose to eat less but we eat more, it means our women have to work more in the kitchen in Ramadhaan. So we will notice that while the rest of the members sleep, the poor woman gets up three hours before suhoor and slogs in the kitchen to cook. Then after fajr while the rest of the men folk and children go to sleep she is busy washing utensils ! Then during the morning while the rest of the house sleeps (some of us till Zohar) she toils washing clothes and sweeping floors. Then after the zohar when the rest of the family rests she takes a little rest and then she isback in the kitchen to slog a variety of dishes for Iftaar..
In fact many women cook more during Ramadhaan than the rest of the year…In spite of this many of them find more time to recite The Qur’an as compared to many male folk.
This month will be bringing an opportunity for the poor Huffaz e Qur’an who dont have other sources to earn… I thought we are suppose to listen to the Quran with an intention of getting reward but now the attitudes have changed, people flock to their respective Masajids for Khatm e Qur’an to complete the Qur’an ! I have not understood the difference between the two .
Few years back they used to finish the Qur’an by 27 th night, now they shrink to 24 th night , perhaps in a decade we may see Qur’an beiing finished within a week and then the rest of the month you can shop, you can go for long rides, you can visit various eateries to taste ‘Radhaan special’
The Qur’an declares Ramadhaan as the month to program our minds towards taqwa…itis a month of amnesty , mas forgiveness and our Prophet (pbuh)says” if you don’t get your sins forgiven in the month of Ramadhaan then you r are destroyed !!!!! Muslims know very well whether sins are forgiven in malls and eateries or Ebdaah.
How Rightly has Allah said .. Wama adraka maa laylatul qadr ? And what do you know what is Laylatul Qadr?.. Ah only if we knew what is Laylatul Qadr?
Author : Nisaar Nadiadwla speaks and writes on socio-educational issues from Islamic view point. He can be reached at nisaar_yusuf@yahoo.com