Wednesday, July 16, 2014

HOW RAMADAN HEALS THE HEART

I wanted to share my thoughts on Ramadan and how it has a special way of healing the heart.


Firstly for those of you who do not know what Ramadan is, Ramadan is a month in which Muslims all over the planet refrain from food, drink, and intimate acts from dawn to sunset. We also try to be patient, and avoid losing our tempers. Seeing as it is the month of July, we fast for about 18 hours here in Canada.
Ramadan is a month of self control and a struggle against ourselves and our desires.
It was also during the holy month of Ramadan that the prophet Muhammad-peace be upon him, began to receive revelation of the holy Qur'an. Hence this month is also regarded as the month of the Qur'an.
Ramadan is also a month in which we race to do as many good deeds as possible, (kindness to others, charity etc) we increase our prayers and Qur'an reading. We do all of this for the ultimate goal of our Lords Mercy and Forgiveness for past sins.

The month of Ramadan is a gift, by starving the body we are feeding the soul. The time otherwise spent on eating, or partaking in activities which would otherwise waste our time, we try to spend getting closer to our Lord. Praying to him, thanking him, contemplating on all the gifts that he has granted us. (which are too numerous to count).
I also view this month as a time to take a closer look at our lives, what is working and what is not in terms of Worship, becoming a better human being, and in distancing oneself from our desires and focusing on our true purpose which is ultimately worshiping our Creator.
Allah says in the Qur'an; "And when My servants question thee concerning Me -- I am near to answer the call of the caller, when he calls to Me". He is eagerly awaiting our call to him. All we need to do is seek his help.

God needs nothing from us. He is self sufficient. He does not "NEED" our love, or obedience or worship. We need to do those things desperately. We need him every second of every day. Our heart does not beat except that he has allowed it to do so. Each breath we take is a gift from Him. We wake up each morning because of his mercy upon us. Fasting 18 hours a day seems like such a small request or deed in comparison to His many gifts. Even fasting although dedicated to our Lord, is indeed another gift from Him to us. We need it not Him. Fasting gives our organs a much needed rest, fasting helps promote patience and compassion. Taking that first bite after a day without food, one cannot help but think about fellow human beings who are starving on a daily basis. Fasting brings us closer to our Lord, it teaches us humility and gratitude. Gratitude is much needed, in a world where we all take everything for granted on a daily basis. (I speak of myself first!)
For all of the above mentioned reasons I truly believe that Ramadan if done sincerely helps to heal the heart.

So does Ramadan make us into "perfect people"? Perfection belongs to the Creator alone, Ramadan helps us to strive for self improvement, not perfection (which was never asked of us anyways). Ramadan enables us to realize that this life, and everything we do and say should be done with one ultimate goal in mind; pleasing HIM. Ramadan is a stepping stone (so to speak) for the rest of the year. We can only hope and pray to be granted more time to improve ourselves and God willing experience another blessed Ramadan next year....

Alhamdoulilah (all praise and thanks are due to ALLAH) for this blessed month. Him alone do we worship, and him alone do we ask for help.

ALLAH is ONE, He has no partners, no son, no family. God is not like you or me, He is unlike anything we can think of or even imagine. THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL.


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