Use love as a weaponRamadhan can bring out the best in us [Archives:2003/682/Community]

Mohammed bin Sallam
Ramadhan is considered to be one the most sacred months and therefore Muslims take the opportunity as an occasion to purify their souls from sins and ungodly acts.
It is the month of seeking forgiveness and pardon from God.
In Yemen, celebrating the Holy Month has its own flavor, compared to any other Islamic nations whether the religious rituals performed or traditions followed during this month.
Despite ideological Islamic dissimilarities in most of the Yemeni governorates, traditions and norms performed during Ramadhan are similar.
Mosques during the Holy Month are swarmed by prayers during the Sunset Prayer, (Maghreb) representing different ages particularly, seeking God’s devout petition to forgive them.
Most Yemenis take an interest to break their fast in mosques.
The Ramadhan eating tables usually contain dates, lemon, Sanbosah, Bajia, (famous Yemeni recipes), and coffee.
Costumes nowadays particularly during the Holy month of Ramadhan have somewhat differed from that of the past.
In the past for instance, the well-to-do people as well as the benefactors open their houses for the poor, the needy and the wayfarers, to break their fast and have Ramadhan dinners the whole month long.
Traders in cities also distribute foodstuff such as, cereals, rice, sugar, lentils, vegetable oils for the poor and poverty-stricken families during this month.
Most of the out-of-the-way dwellers and remote villages constitute a majority of the Yemeni poor people, and above all are given a hand to be sustained.
In addition to this, the wealthy and the well-to-do people are also generous in getting reassured for the people at prisoners in prisons and patients in hospitals.
The role is not restricted to the wealthy or munificent people during the Holy Month, other charitable societies also play a humanitarian and a considerable praiseworthy mission during Ramadhan such as, giving breads and food for thousands of poor families.

Ramadhan in the past
In our countryside and villages, the family bonds during the last decades were strong.
Love during Ramadhan has become a real weapon for a true believer in God. Mercy and love for God, people and worshippers is indispensable.
Life at that time was simple, Yemenis get adhered to the Islamic principles and morals.
Not even a sense of disintegration or hatred is shown. The whole social classes are almost similar; no difference is made between the rich and the poor, the black or the white. People used to exchange visits to each other.
During the nights of Ramadhan, villagers used to assemble together for reciting the Holy Qura’an and making use of the prophetic traditions.
Mowaled, (religious chants performed by worshipers) are annually held, supplications are also performed as well as narrating stories and tales of our forefathers in the past also became an integral part of their day-to-day life.
All those rituals and costumes are performed during Ramadhan where a certain kind of amiability, cordiality, love and kindness was shown with each other.
Old-times have gone and never come back again. There was no political parties, organizations, or even political ideologies, which might disunite the unified nation.
They only have the Holy Qura’an, the prophetic tradition and the strong belief in God.
That was the state of Ramadhan in my homeland, the month of forgiveness and pardon.
It is a religious occasion where God’s rituals have to be fully performed. Harming or depriving others from giving a hand to them will make the Lord outraged.

Call to well-to-do officials
At the end and through this modest article, I call today’s generation, the rich and well-to-do officials to fear God and should know that the Holy Month is the month of showing mercy and kindness for the people and poverty-stricken families.
The have to reconsider the majority of the needy and the poor and their deteriorating conditions.
The have to lesson burdens of the difficult living conditions and to provide the basic necessities for those deprived classes.
Those in authority shouldn’t announce or televise the Ramadhan extravagant eating tables before the hungry, the poor and the needy. If they do so, the poor, the deprived and the like will show malice toward YOU! Have mercy on your civilian and military employees. They are looking forward to improving their living standards.
Ramadhan Kareem to all of you!
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