Ramadan is not over

Ramadan Read: Day Twenty Three

Ramadan is less than a week to bid us farewell, so men are aloof in fulfilling the commitments they made prior to the start of the fasting. But can we fervently say that the good deeds we’ve done during this fasting season has been credited into our accounts? No believing Muslim would be complacent in

Read full articlethis regard, save being hopeful that Allah extends His mercies of benevolence on him.

Analytically, it’s not how we get started but the finishing that matters. Isn’t it refreshing that we’ve quelled all attempts of appearing as lawbreakers, and have wholly embraced the teachings of Islam this month?

Thus, behaviorally, we could be classified as the best Nation evolved for mankind because we’re avoiding that which is evil and enjoining what is good.

Nonetheless, many have forgotten themselves since we’re in the last days of this month of self-restraint. Were it not because of the outbreak of Covid-19, the last ten days, for some of us, sowing dresses and regaining the calories lost would be the norm. Hence we would stop fasting for the body to recuperate into its voluptuous sharp. While others would be in the market selecting the best ingredients they would need for the Ramadan treat they will hold.

In contrast, we should rather thank Allah for the renaissance of an exemplary righteous life that has been brought to us by the kind courtesy of Ramadan. If you are on the brink of becoming fret of good living, you must reconsider your intent and start it all over again.

Take to Ramadan appraisal. At schools, interim assessment is conducted to test whether students are well prepared for the final examination. Supposing the questions are very difficult and you scored below average, nobody tells you to prepare well. It is very crucial to recheck your commitment by looking at the resolutions tabled prior to the commencement of the fast. Questions like how far have you gotten with it?

What are the contour lines that must be straightened? The good actions which have been met so far? If no resolution yet, then you strike a new effort of elevating yourself from only a name-bearing Muslim to a practicing Muslim.

The ambivalence of whether one's good deed has been accepted or not is rather to motivate us, but not to make us idly deterred. Our ancestors unequivocally said that, “No one goes to the river banks early in the morning and brings home dirty water.” It’s needful to ensure that we make the best out of this season, for we haven’t been promised tomorrow?

We must exert our energies towards the direction of all the good deeds we know. Though the Quran mentioned that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) doesn’t err, nor goes astray, that never made him complacent; he reviewed his commitment almost every day when he rests on his bed by invoking Allah's forgiveness 70 times. This is what we must need to be doing at this time.

A story was related of a rich man who had a very beautiful daughter. Her eyelashes and curves could make any man to vow of walking on the Nile river anytime the lady accepts his proposal. The rich man organized a banquet and invited all the townsfolk to this feast.

As the merry was ongoing, he made a pledge publicly. He announced to them that, “I’m ready to give out a gargantuan sum of money or my beautiful princess, supposing any of you men could plunge into my pool (which is full of crocodiles) and swim to the far end.

Immediately his lips hit one another signaling the end of his talk, the crowd started bawling. And oh, a young man has dived into the pool, precipitately swerving the crocodiles as he swims to the far end of the pool. Hopefully, he came out uneaten by the ravenous crocodiles. This foolish effrontery of the young man made the rich man dumbfounded.

Now, he asked the unwavering man to choose which of the prices he prefers, whether the beautiful goddess or money? He did not assent to any of the prices, but he started hooting at the crowd to know who pushed him into the pool so that he will show him where power lies.

Epilogue: We can deduce from the above story that there should be objectivity to everything we do in life. Thus we need to refrain from fasting in the manner of the young man who swam together with crocodiles, not even for the purpose of winning for himself the beautiful girl or the corpulent money at stake, but ready to beat the hell out of the one who pushed him overboard!

Let us review the promises we have indeed made for this year's fasting. It is a year of reflection to trigger a resolution, in the quest of becoming a progressive-minded and God-conscious Muslim.