11:28am Thursday 13th September 2007
Life, work and viewpoints from our resident niqaab-wearer.
Once again the blessed month Ramadan is approaching us fast.
It is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and the most praiseworthy of all Islamic months.
Are you ready and prepared? And no, I don't mean the food preparations that we ladies spend unlimited time on.
Or the time and money we spend looking for extravagant clothes that no one else on the earth has seen, or the showy expensive cars some of our lads need to celebrate Eid having watched others fast!
I am referring more towards the essence of your spiritual and enthusiastic well being.
Looking at the philosophy of Ramadan the Holy Qur'an expresses the basic objective for the reason of creation of man by the Almighty which is to worship Him.
So He blessed us with this month by ordaining it to be one of the five pillars of Islam so we may hasten in our good deeds, as during Ramadan we can concentrate on our faith by spending less time on the concerns of everyday lives and more towards seeking the pleasure of our Lord.
Yet, I get a sense from the world we live in, that somehow we are not as dedicated as our ancestors when it comes to our faith, and although Islam is believed to be the fastest growing religion in the world I still feel many of us are becoming more materialistic Looking at the world at large, my heart goes out to those who face ongoing hardship due to no fault of their own.
To those being oppressed and held in prisons and treated with brutality to those in the Middle East whose lives have been wrecked due to the war.
And to those that are currently having to endure it and also to the poor who suffer from poverty leaving them no choice but to fast for days weeks or sometimes months on end.
This year, we have longer fasts to endure, and yet I feel they will be far easier in comparison to the conditions some people have to live in.
We are guaranteed an extra good meal and surrounded by our loved ones in the comfort of our home when we open our fast and we think it's going to be difficult!
The conclusion is how one should not restrict himself to fasting, rather we should maximise the number of virtuous acts and take opportunity to seek forgiveness for sins.
And to secure as much reward as possible by carrying out extra optional prayers and charitable acts alongside the obligatory acts.
So dig deep and give generously as what you have been given to you is from your Lord. May it be by word, deed or action nothing is insignificant.
To fight against one's desires is one of the greatest fights of all.
Real courage is to do right when everyone around you is doing wrong.
Ramadan Mubarak
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