The month of mercy [Archives:2007/1087/Community]

Ramadan is one of the miracles of Islam. It is the fourth pillar of the faith. Ramadan forms a very important part of every Muslim's life. It is the month of giving and taking mercy and during this holy month Allah blesses the believers with forgiveness and great rewards. Ramadan is something secret to all Muslims all over the world because it is the month in which the Holy Qura'an was reeled.

By the occasion of this month, Muslims used to welcome Ramadan in different ways according to their cultures and habits. In some villages of Yemen by the arrival of this holy guest in our hearts, children try to express their welcoming for Ramadan by collecting wood and cartons in order to make a giant torch in the evening, playing around it and using beautiful words that bode happiness. And the time is not enough to elaborate much on how people welcome this month but what I want to refer is that some people ignore the importance of Ramadan and its virtues and that's what made me write.

As we notice most people take Ramadan as a relaxing month, ignoring that it is an expiation from the rest of the year in which human beings can purify him/her self from sins. Ramadan is not as some think, it is not a mere abstention from food and drinking from dawn to sunset, it is a spiritual experience in forbearance and self-restraint from indulgence.

Besides that, Ramadan is as the prophet says: (a protection against sins since it prevents men observing the fast from using obscene language, shouting, insulting or quarrelling with each other), that is to say, Ramadan is a spiritual station by which you provide yourself with spiritualities and avoid doing negative things, but what a pity! We notice people sleeping whole days and perhaps staying up whole night in front of the digital satellite dishes gazing carefully at the bad television programs or movies which pollute the mind and intellect.

In addition, we notice people in the streets incapable of holding or handling themselves and their emotions. They get in a blaze of anger as if their tongues are saying “is there anybody to fight”. Such a situation must be avoided so as to achieve the wisdom of fasting; otherwise it will not be accepted by Allah. The Apostle (peace be upon him) said: “he who does not abandon perjury or refrain from practicing fast testimony, God is not in need of his abstinence from food and drink. If he is involved in a quarrel with anybody, he should not retaliate and say: I am fasting”.

Also, in Ramadan , we see that some people like to have a lot of various dishes and strange meals, yet they can't eat it all because our appetites are sometimes lost or low as a result of rest. However, it is better for those extravagates to give some food to the poor and this is a kind of charity that Allah gives credit for and it is the practical and the best way of cooperation in Islam.

Furthermore, it releases the conscience from anxiety when one performs his duty to God and society. Moreover, Ramadan is the month of the year when the Holy Qura'an was revealed as I said before. For this reason I advice my dear readers to provide him/herself with Quranic readings.

At last, I pray that Allah unites the hearts and souls of Muslims and guides them to live in peace and happiness.
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