Preparing for Ramadan
By Azher Quader
Chicago, IL

With Ramadan just started, there has been a lot of talk recently about getting ‘ready’ for Ramadan. We were told of the approach of a blessed month, one in which we are to receive His mercy and grace just for the asking by dint of our duas.

We were told to become more spiritual and pious by perfecting our prayers. We were told to become more aware of the plight of the hungry as we fast from dawn to dusk in an effort to build empathy for those who struggle in poverty and scarcity. We were encouraged to attend more programs discussing the fiqh and rules of Ramadan and the do’s and don’ts of fasting so our practices are right. We were advised to do more zikr in the coming month, we were counseled to recite more Qur’an, memorize more Surahs. Why because again we were reminded the Qur’anic revelations started in Ramadan, so there is extra blessing in reading, reciting and memorizing the Qur’an during this month. We were encouraged to give more zakat, because this is the month when we are to practice more charity and giving, so our wealth will be blessed and our mosques could replenish their coffers and redraw their annual budgets for another year.

So, as we embark upon another Ramadan, there is a lot on our plates today, spiritual food to consume and hopefully build our spiritual muscle during this month. That is obviously the hope and the intent. But as is usually the case by the time Ramadan ends and Eid ul Fitr roll in, most of us are still ‘hoping’ and still ‘intending’. The plight of the hungry is a far cry, the call for charity, a distant echo. Arguably, this Ramadan our hunger capacity and sleep deprivation will be tested more harshly than some other ones of the past, but as always, our fasting will remain little more than a missed meal with a feast to enjoy at the end of each day. Imagine millions in the world living on one meal a day, if they are lucky to get it even, and often not knowing if there will be food at the end of their day. Can we ever know their plight? Can we ever feel their hunger?

The feel good charity we practice, doling out a few dollars we reluctantly give, often neither meets adequately the needs of the charity we support, nor makes even a dent in the wealth we possess. So all this preaching to the choir, before Ramadan, does it do any good?

There are those in the spiritual class who would claim revolutionary change will occur among the condition of the faithful, following their prescribed practices. Really! Ask some of those who have fasted all days and stood in taraweeh all nights of Ramadan, what revolutionary change in their lives have they experienced, except some sore muscles and aching backs. Ask all those young and old who come rushing into our mosques with their sleeping bags, to practice ‘Itikaaf’ in the final days of Ramadan, what revolutionary change they notice when they get out of that camping experience.

Yet, each year we delight and delude ourselves in this feel good, blissful, redemptive attitude of having grown a few feet taller in our spiritual height, as we let pass another month, when we could have at least taken some baby steps, in bringing about real change in our cavalier lives.

So where can we begin if we are seriously looking for change? Maybe that ever thought-provoking poet philosopher whose poetry so many of us are so passionate to recite may be a good place to visit. When Iqbal describes our condition we think he is talking about another folk. See how he mocks our quest for the spiritual high:

Na woh ishq mein raheen garmiyaan, nawo husn mei raheen shukiyan

Na woh Gaznavi mein tarap rahi, nakham hai zulf e Ayaz mei.

(Neither love has that warmth, nor beauty that teasing humor

Neither there is that restlessness of Ghaznavi nor are there the curls in the hair locks of Ayaz)

Then as he points to our idolatry of wealth, of power, of celebrities and of material possessions, we exclaim, “Idol worship and us? No, never. We bow to no idols when we pray”:

Jo mein sar basajda huwa kabhi to zameen se ane lagi sada

Tera dil to hai sanam ashna, tujhe kya milega namaz mei (Even as I laid down my head in prostration a lament came from the ground beneath

Your heart is absorbed with idols, what reward can you get from your praying)

Wait ! He is not done yet. When he complains about the mullahs of his time, we think he cannot be talking about the muftis of our times:

Gala to ghoont dia ahle e madrassa ne tera

Kahan se aye sada La ilaha illallah

(The schooled scholars (of organized religion) have placed a stranglehold on your throat

How can the voice of true faith come out of you now?)

So after showing us the mirror, and after telling us how far we have strayed from the right path, as is always the case with him, he dives deep into the Qur’an, to fetch for us the treasures that can enrich our lives with true value and offers them to us:

Teri khudi mein agar inqilab ho paida

Ajab nahin hai ke ye char soo badal jaye

(If in your ‘self’ a revolutionary change were to occur

Not surprisingly the circumstances around you can change as well)

Much of Iqbal’s advice obviously comes from the Qur’an. So as we stand at the start of this Ramadan, the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, it is well to reflect upon what the Qur’an has revealed and what Iqbal has echoed. To be sure ‘Khudi’ does not appear in the language of the Qur’an. But the Qur’an talks about ‘nafs’ when it addresses the issue of transformational change: Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is within their ‘hearts’ (nafs). 13:11. In another place it refers to the adoption of the colors of Allah “sibgathallah” as a condition for this change, 2:138

Much of the argument of the Qur’an revolves around building character in ways that will promote personal change. When this change becomes part of our nature then it reaches the threshold of transformational change at which point our lives can become visibly and palpably influential. That then is our goal, our journey, our purpose in life.

Scattered throughout the Qur’an are hints of these essential traits that are needed for this revolutionary change to occur. They make us from ordinary to extraordinary, from reactive to proactive, from vanquished to victorious. Our model of course is in the example of the Prophet (PBUH). He embodied the fullest and the most perfect expression of those traits during his life and left a path for us to follow. It clearly goes far beyond the limited circles we often draw of ‘saum’ and ‘salath’, which undoubtedly play a role in our personal and communal life, but do not paint the full picture for our success in the here or the hereafter. So what then are these important traits that are needed for a successful life?

We can focus on four big ones the Qur’an points to. First, living a life of integrity. No flirting with double standards here, our public and private personas remain same, our inside the mosque and outside the mosque dichotomies do not exist. That means being trusted and trustworthy. That means we keep our promises. That also means being just and fair. To be able to speak truth to power, to be fearless, to be chaste, to be honest and transparent without any hidden agendas. The Qur’an uses such terms as ‘iman’, ‘ihsan’ and ‘adl’ to cover this trait. Second, expressing compassion. This manifests through many ways, humility, forgiveness, empathy and sympathy. It means reaching out to embrace another, without regard for color, creed, belief or behavior. It means giving in charity, not such that is comfortable to give but such that begins to hurt. And the dimensions of charity go far beyond money. Caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless all come under the rubric of charity. It means practicing unconditional love. Expressing love in the face of hate, indifference and disappointment. The Qur’an uses such terms as ‘rehma’, ‘maghfira’, ‘sadaqa’, ‘tauheed’ to help us understand this trait. Third, the practice of patience. This is not easy in the face of mistreatment, discrimination, bigotry and racism. But the Qur’an encourages us to practice this. We have the enduring example of our beloved Prophet (pbuh) as he struggled for thirteen years in Mecca withstanding the abuse and hostility of those who knew him well yet denied his call and treated him with utter contempt. In the society of his time there were no redresses for his grievances, no courts to appeal, no judges to seek justice. Patience was his only weapon, his armor and his shield. Hope is an essential component of patience and so is perseverance. The Qur’an calls this trait ‘sabr’. Fourth, the pursuit of learning. Education is a life-long journey and is not confined to the classroom either. Too often, we lose precious hours in our days pursuing entertainment instead of education. Through learning we become more productive, more informed, more aware, more wise. Through learning we increase our circle of influence.

The first word and command in the Qur’an is ‘Iqra’. It is through this habit that we study and understand the guidance of the Qur’an. Fifth is service. Serving the other is indeed the highest form of worship in Islam. Through service we manifest our love for the other, our commitment to others welfare, health and happiness. This is the trait that motivates us to act. This is what inspires us to rally, to struggle and to fight. This is the trait that tells us to come down from our peaceful mountain tops to serve the people in the crowded valley below. In the language of the Qur’an this is ‘amal e saleh’.

These then are the five essential traits of Muslim character, which when embraced and integrated into our lives, can produce the revolutionary change the Qur’an promises will occur. When enough individuals in a community adopt them, that community will be destined for success and glory. Those of us who so fervently wish to reclaim our past glory need to look at ourselves in the mirror, to know if we are the people willing to honor the commitments needed and the sacrifices required, to achieve the glory we desire.

Let us pray that this be the Ramadan when we commit to change course and create our new destiny.

(The writer is President, Community Builders Council, Chicago)