Muslims across the globe will be immersed in 29 or 30-day fasting, devotion and reflection.
The sanctity of the month, as it is believed, was evidenced by the link of the Holy Qur’an with Ramadan.
According to a scholar, the entire Qur’an came down in Ramadan; the first revelation also occurred in Ramadan as well as the blessed night of Lailatul-Qadr (Night of Majesty, described by Allah as better than a thousand months).
For the Muslims it is a month of mercy and forgiveness, a month of intense worship and not lethargy, a month of action and not inertia. A period that perks up penitence, enlivens moral rectitude and latches Muslims to a renewed life of spirituality, charity, love and peaceful co-existence.
The obligation to fast in Ramadan was revealed in the first year of Hijrah when the Prophet migrated to Madinah as indicated in Qur’an Chapter 2 verse183. “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness.”
As we observe this fundamental pillar of Islam, we should note that fasting is not only about abstinence from eating and drinking but a spiritual activity for self-reform and self-restraint.
The exercise is expected to lead us to a sublime state of mind in order to develop positive feelings about fellow human beings and evoke the ideal change in our attitudes and nation in general.
To achieve this, we should engage ourselves more than ever before, to purge ourselves of various forms of iniquities and move to a higher level of spirituality. If we can do without food and drink from dawn to sunset; avoiding sins and fending off immorality should not be a hard-fought activity for us. Allah has no need for one who abandons his food and drinks, yet bounces in iniquity.
The nation has been fraught with insecurity challenges and other social failures, from Boko Haram to ISWAP, and from banditry, kidnappings to ritual killings, among other social malaise. Unemployment and lack of social amenities and infrastructure have also exacerbated anger. Love and empathy have since fled our surroundings. Many of these social, economic and political challenges are as a result of moral failures, lack of love, greed and vileness from both the leaders and followers.
Only recently, dare-devil terrorists attacked an Abuja-Kaduna bound train, killing many, while still holding several others hostage. Therefore, let us use this period of intense spirituality to pray for peace and seek divine intervention against the multi-dimensional trials facing the nation.
This Ramadan should not go without rejuvenating ourselves with the virtues of love, justice, kindness, honesty, tolerance, sense of nation building, dedication and patriotism. These virtues are the essence of good governance, just as good governance leads to national development. Ramadan is one way we can use to change our situation for good.
From all of us at Vanguard Newspapers, we wish all Muslims – Ramadan Kareem!
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