SYED NEAZ AHMADTHE holy month of Ramadan, contrary to what generally seems to be taken, is not about traffic congestion, all-night shopping and an itch to eat whatever and wherever we can. It's also not about whiling away the evenings watching films and serials “exclusively produced for Ramadan". As night turns into day and day into night many people face difficulty in adjusting to the changed schedules of working, eating, shopping and socializing. Ramadan is supposed to bring a significant and visible change – a change not just in our eating habits but also in our character and conduct. This change for good is also expected to last for good. The month of fasting is also a season of feasting, greeting and meeting. I am sure that most of us find it difficult to remember how many iftar and sahoor parties we attend every Ramadan. It's equally difficult to keep account of how many people we entertain at home. Ramadan is also a time for reflection. Why do Muslims voluntarily give up food? They see it as nothing but faith in Allah and the fear of the Day of Judgment. The rigors are intended to make Muslims aware of the realities of life and to help keep them truly subservient to Allah's will. Saum or fasting — for want of a correct translation — can be viewed as a form of training. Since every human faculty requires training to achieve its full potential, the faculty of submission to the Divine Will also needs training. Fasting places the rich and the poor on the same level. The rich experience the pangs of hunger and thirst to the same degree as the less fortunate among us. The privation becomes an experience shared in common by all Muslims. But Ramadan is not merely a month of fasting and feasting and hoping to win that coveted car at the new shopping mall. It is intended to promote righteousness and a progressive cultivation of spiritual values. It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was emphatic in drawing attention to this aspect of fasting. He is reported to have said that he who abstains from food and drink but does not safeguard himself from moral lapses starves to no purpose. Those who view Ramadan as penance for Muslims need to know that similar discipline had been prescribed in other faiths, though in some it has only a symbolic significance now. In fact, the practice of fasting is as old as human history itself. Many religions have called for this to achieve piety and to cure many physical ailments. The Pharaohs, it is said, observed three days of fasting every month as a means of preserving good health. Ancient chronicles tell us that the Greeks used to fast at certain intervals. Next time you are out in the shopping mall, driving on the motorway or queuing up to pay your bills at the bank remember your obligations toward other human beings. Considering ourselves more equal than others and ignoring the basic rules of human behavior do not make us one centimeter better. Ramadan or no Ramadan, we are answerable for our responsibilities as members of the greater community of human beings – a right known as huqooq al-'ibad. Ramadan brings rewards and bounties — blessings, forgiveness and salvation — and with the international media focus on Muslims and Islam we must send the right signals to the world.Comments: [email protected]
