RAMADAN

Alright, so I didn't get around to writing up a sequel to my dramatic Tim Horton's tale. But by the grace of God, I did do well on my exams, bagging a couple of A's and a few B's to safely navigate myself through my second year of university.

RAMADAN

How lucky are we to have the honour of being part of another Ramadan, to be be invited to this grand banquet of God.

For the month of Ramadan, the Huffington Post's religion department is holding an interesting public forum on what Ramadan is like for different people around the world. It's called "Ramadan 2012: A HuffPost Community Observation Of The Islamic Month of Fasting."

In around 200 words, people are encouraged to send in what this month means to them. What they do, what they don't do, why they do it, etc.Most submissions are published and open for discussion to readers.

I stumbled across this and quickly sent off a small piece on an aspect of Ramadan I thought would be useful for Muslims as well as non-Muslims to ponder over.  Below is a tweaked version of what I sent:

<skip lame introduction of myself>


One of the most beautiful acts associated with the month of Ramadan is fasting. But yet the real meaning this seemingly agonizing deed is often overlooked by the carnal feelings of hunger and thirst. 


Staying away from food and drink for a few hours in day is the easy part. Anybody can do that. 

The true meaning of fasting is when one stops himself from succumbing to his or her base desires. When one gossips while fasting, for example, it’s as if he or she has broken their true fast and what’s left is the simple task of not eating or drinking until sunset.


When we fast, we hope the habits we pick up (or drop) during this month of mercy will manifest themselves after Ramadan is over. A Ramadan that goes by without us having improved our moral conduct or bettering how we treat those around us can easily be called a Ramadan wasted.


This month is a time for us to embrace change. It’s a time for self-reflection and a chance to get ourselves back on the right track.
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Another thing we should be focussing more on during Ramadan is that thick hard-cover book that lies in the shelf, neglected for most of the past year except for a few short days. Dust has collected on the cover and it's pages are shut tight due to a lack of turning them over.

I'm talking, of course, about the Holy Quran.

Imam Muhammad Baqir (as) beautifully says, "For everything there is a spring. The spring of the Quran is the month of Ramadan."

Spring is the most pleasant and serene season of the year. It's when flowers blossom, and rivers flow. So let's make this 'spring' when we appreciate this great book more for what it is - a guide and a miracle.
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Parting tidbits...

Ramadan: the only month when we have a date every night!

- It is in the hadith that the closest a servant can get to Allah is when he is hungry and in the state of sujood (prostration).

- The reward for reciting one verse of Quran in this holy month is equivalent of reciting the whole Quran in an ordinary month.

- When the Holy Prophet (saaw) was asked, what is the best act to perform in the month of Ramadan, he replied simply by saying: "Staying away from that which Allah (swt) has prohibited is the best act in this month."