Ramadan Is Here

Muslims across the world have commenced their annual month-long period of fasting. It is an important segment of the Islamic lunar calendar during which the healthy are enjoined to undertake the dawn to dusk ritual of abstinence from food and bodily pleasures.

It is not all about steering clear of food for the specified period, but remaining pious and thus raising oneself to an appreciable level of spirituality.

The world would have been a better place than it is today had mankind feared God in all his dealings. Terrible iniquities continue to be committed, some of them beyond imagination.

The Ramadan fasting is about giving to the needy. Many are they who through no fault of theirs are unable to fend for themselves. These must especially be supported by those who can afford it. In an unjust world, giving out to charity is a gesture which cannot be faulted by any measure.

Abstinence by itself is a matter of discipline which, besides the spiritual benefits which God promises the faithful who undertake it, exposes those engaged in the religious ritual to what hunger means. This way the faithful would be more primed to supporting the needy than those who do not understand and appreciate hunger.

This is a moment of reflection about the meaning of life and our relationship with our Maker. We call on all those fasting to think about the many man-made challenges facing us as a nation which God has spoken against. Corruption and social immoralities stand tall in our communities today, creating various challenges for all of us. Instructively, all of them have been frowned upon by God in all the Holy Scriptures.

Islam abhors these as evidenced in the Holy Quran. How many Muslims holding important state appointments have thought about the importance of their work and how these impact on the lives of the downtrodden in the community?

Moderation in all that we do is an aspect of Islam, yet opulence – even as many hardly get three square meals a day – is a feature of many Islamic communities.

Clerics have not stopped preaching about the good deeds that man is enjoined to do in this ephemeral world and the bad things they must stay away from. In the sprawling Zongo communities, the level of indiscipline is so high that people who understand the religion wonder whether the youth, who are largely the culprits, understand what their religion stands for.

The respect for constituted authority which has an important place in Islam should be thought over as Muslims fast and pray at this time of the year. Unnecessary bravado by Muslim youth has earned for them notoriety which is unenviable.

The place of cleanliness in Islam, which over time has been compromised, must be rekindled so that we shall all benefit thereof and be blessed by our Maker.

As they get closer to God at this time of the year, let those fasting think about the environment which the present generation is holding in trust for generations yet unborn.

Our destructive tendency towards the environment is affecting rainfall patterns and therefore food production among others. Let us use this period to brood over these in relation to the contents of the Holy Quran at this time of the year and fear God so that we shall find grace in Him.

We wish all our Muslim friends a rewarding Ramadan fasting.