By Nawwas Adam
Funny, how quickly time flies! Ramadan; The Special Guest we eagerly waited for long, is gradually waving us goodbye. It is evident that “everything associated with one’s life has a humble and unassuming beginning and is destined to have an unsung end”. Thus, seizing and making the best use of our time-bounded life opportunities is vital.
Bit by bit, Ramadan is coming to an end. This is the time of introspection: the time to look back and observe what we’ve gained from it. The time to take note of the blank spaces and exert more strength of body and mind towards filling the gaps and making necessary adjustments. The goal is to come out of the spring of Ramadan ceremonially pure, having obtained the “spiritual stamina and mental strength” to put down upcoming challenges.
Ramadan has succeeded in giving us total control over our body and mind; making them our slaves and we the masters. As the next one isn’t guaranteed, wisdom requires that we perform every activity (prayers, charity, Quranic recitation…) as if they were the last ones in our lives. Woe to he who enters Ramadan and leaves it without any true impact!
Let’s take the parable of a true lover who misses his better half; yearningly waiting for her presence, and when she shows up_ he runs helter-skelter in a quest for every possible means of appreciating the beauty of her presence, plus ceaseless communication, under-the-sky company, hug and peck, the PDA, etc.
When she returns, he revisits places they visited last, makes calls, and looks at her pictures day and night to quench the smoldering ember of nostalgia… right?
Similarly, as a true lover of Ramadan who derives pleasure in hunger and thirst, Tarawih and Tahajjud, Iftar and Sahur. Who admires the delight and beauty of the Qur’an, charity, and self-restraint throughout the one-month relationship, this is the time to display the depth of your love for the time of separation.
Make a promise to her that you’ll keep the love intact even in her absence, including all obligations attached. You’ll always revive the memories of this relationship by keeping in touch with all its emblematic features: Dhikr, constant day & night prayers, abstaining from all evils… Nothing under the sun can shift your mind from holding fast to the values this relationship has instilled in you. By so doing, yours is “hasanah” here and there In Shaa Allah!
Ya Allah! Bestow on us the blessings of Laylatul Qadr, change our affairs from (being) difficult to (being) easy, accept our Ibadaaht, and grant us Arrayyaan!