It’s already half
way into the month of Shawaal and still I’m sad that Ramadhaan is gone. It
seems that it just came and went so quickly, like a breath of fresh air, a
momentary breeze and then it was just gone. I’m not complaining about these
days, Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) these days are good too and there’s
always the opportunity for worship but somehow Ramadhaan is just special, and
no matter how hard you may try after Ramadhaan there’s just no way of getting
the same feeling.
Ramadhaan is filled
with peace and blessings and it’s as if you can feel the Mercy of Allah most
Glorious all around. People seem to be more patient and more giving, time seems
to have more blessings and even though you eat so much less, you somehow are
able to do so much more.
People may see this
month as a month of restriction- where Muslims are stifled and forced to go
through difficulty, but it is so far from that. In fact, Ramadhaan is a month
where human beings are given a glimpse into their true potential. Where the
restrictions that we usually place upon ourselves are lifted. Where we realise
that the material things of this world, such as food, are actually the things
that hold us back and which stifle our spirituality and productivity.
Somehow you are able
to perform extra Salaah, recite extra Quraan, make extra duaa (prayers) and
still achieve all your work for the day. It’s like this is a reminder that when
we let go of the worldy things with the intention of pleasing Allah Almighty,
then Allah raises us and shows us that we are actually spiritual beings with
huge potential. This is why those who are closest to Allah Almighty (like
Prophets (peace be upon them), saints and so on) were able to achieve so many
miracles and amazing things in their lifetime- they could do things that we
could only dream of because they gave up this world and its glamour, to achieve
closeness to Allah Almighty, all Glorious.
Ramadhaan comes to
wake us up, to revitalise us, to cleanse us and to make us more aware, and
although this vigour and enthusiasm lasts for a while after Ramadhaan, a few
months down the line it’s gone again and we need another Ramadhaan to remind us
once more.
For me Ramadhaan is
a beautiful time. I see people who are willing to give and help as much as
possible. I see people who are caring and loving, patient and content. People are
just naturally better and this makes so much sense when you realise that this
is as a result of people whose main concern is connecting with their Lord. When
people are constantly conscious of their Creator then they generally tend to be
concerned about bettering themselves as well as uplifting others.
So the most special
thing about Ramadhaan is our constant connection to Allah Almighty. It’s like
we give up the world to focus on Allah for twenty nine or thirty days.
Everything else can take a back seat, we think, because our time is for Allah. Ramadhaan
lasts for one month, what a glorious month! But can you imagine how much we
could achieve if all our days were like the days of Ramadhaan, can you imagine what
amazing people the world would be filled with?
“But then Ramadhaan wouldn't be special”, I hear you responding. And of course I cannot disagree,
every day could never be like Ramadhaan because we would definitely lose
momentum and get bored. Human beings have a low attention span after all.
So all we can do is
try our hardest to better ourselves for the rest of the year, so that
Inshaa-Allah if we live to see another beautiful month of Ramadhaan, then we
will be better people and thus our month will be more amazing than it was this
year.
I guess it’s time to
let go of Ramadhaan, but I pray that we never let go of the goodness that we
have received in the Blessed month.
Image from here
