Goodbye Ramadhan

Ramadhan, the month of blessing and mercy is about to bid us goodbye. But we must not forget the message of this blessed month - inculcating in us all the virtues and keeping us away from all the vices. The month, not only takes us closer to our Lord but also fosters the bonds with fellow humans. It makes us feel their pain and share their joys, teaches us the principles of sharing and caring, inculcates among us the quality of sympathy and empathy, prepares us for the cosmopolitan message of equality, justice, fraternity, fellow feeling, patience, sobriety and the like.

Though the holy Quran clearly talks about the obligation of the fast but it is the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who teaches us the ifs and buts of the fasting and its dos and don’ts as well. He himself puts forth its universal message by observing the fast strictly and regularly .

When we hold fast to the belief that he is our role model, then how on earth it is possible that we forget his message? How is it possible then that we knowingly derail from the path which otherwise leads us to the ultimate bliss and emancipation? There is no doubt in the admitted fact that either we do not consider him the role model or the probability is that our faith is not as firm as it must be. Had our faith been firm and strong, we would not deviate from the path of salvation and eternal bliss.

Now coming to the goodbye message of this holy month;  I would not have written a line had not I come across a Facebook post of a virtual friend that struck my mind at a right time and place. It prompted me to pen down my thoughts about the essence of the month and the message it enjoins. The message is loud and clear but in the form of a short story, rather an incident which is as:

A Muslim was travelling once in a hired car with a Japanese driver and during their usual conversation he started counting the good qualities of Muslims, like fasting during Ramadhan, in order to impress the driver with the message of Ramadhan. Once he finished counting the good qualities the month inculcates among Muslims, the Japanese man, out of curiosity argued with the Muslim man; “So you Muslims have these good qualities during this month only, but we Japanese have these qualities embedded in our genetic makeup. He added that these qualities are inseparable from our very being”. The Japanese asked, are you people allowed to cheat during other months? Are you permitted in other months to deceive, to lie, to slander, to hate, to be in animosity, to assassinate the character...? The Muslim man was shocked and couldn't say anything.

The story talks volumes about the message of the month-to mend our ways, to shun the wrong practices, and to flourish the good qualities; to kill vices and irrigate virtues.

After Ramadhan  it should not be the case that the month would be looking for the people who thronged Masjids on daily basis leaving aside their routine chores, shops, business establishments, offices as well as the hospitals. It should not be the case that the month would float a missing notice of the ‘pious’ people who displayed their piety at every moment and place, be the home or the market. It should not be the case that the month would issue a missing notice of the people who showed utmost interest in the charity works and donations as every day in the month we come across hundreds of messages on different platforms about the appeal for donations and charity. It should not be the case that the month would be looking for the people who were god fearing during the month but after the month is over, the god-fairness vanished like a blow of air.

The reality is that the universal message of this month is the grafting of virtue over the vice, the grafting of good over the evil, the grafting of angelic traits over the devilish physique or the self, the grafting of Godliness over the Satanic vices and qualities.

Let me provide an example from the history in order to put forth my point in simple and lucid manner. If we remember the story of Pharaoh and Moses, we come to know that Moses was brought and nourished in the house of the Pharaoh. It applies to us as well in letter and spirit because we have to nourish the Moses in the home of the Pharaoh itself. The Moses, in esoteric aspect, is the virtuous and pious qualities which ultimately take us to our Lord, and contrarily, the Pharaoh is the devilish qualities which never bow before the truth due to ego and false esteem.

So the clear, short and lucid message of Ramadhan in simple terms is that the falsehood which we can name as the Pharaoh must be brought down to its kneels and to bow before the Truth, which we can name as the Moses.