prophet muhammad – The Metrognome

A Muslim explains the essence of Ramadan, why fasting purifies the body and soul – and how fasting helps us.

by Abbas Gadhia

The month of Ramadan is here again. Muslims all over the world celebrate its arrival by fasting from dawn to dusk in anticipation of purifying their bodies, minds and souls of filth and dirt. It is a sacred month dedicated to prayer, supplication, repentance, sacrifice, self-purification and spiritual wayfaring.

Fasting is not merely a Muslim ritual. Hinduism emphasises on fasting or Upavaas, which means to ‘stay near’ to God. Similarly, the greatest leaders of many religions fasted before they attained spiritual highs. In Jainism, it is learnt that Mahavira fasted before attaining Nirvana. In Buddhism, it is said that Buddha fasted before attaining enlightment. In Judaism, Moses or Prophet Musa fasted before he attained prophethood. In Christianity, the fasting of Jesus or Prophet Isa for 40 days established the practice of Lent. Finally, it was during the month of Ramadan that the Prophet Muhammad received his revelation while meditating during the ‘Night of Power’.

So, what has fasting or abstinence from food got to do with ideas such as purification, spiritual enlightment? Why is it that the phenomenon of fasting is so pervasive amongst so many cultures and religions?

What does fasting achieve?

Fasting is a form of liberation and freedom. The freedom from the slavery of sensory impulses such as food, drink and physical desires. The term for Muslim fasting or ‘Sawm’ also means making one’s self free. Although we might be pre-occupied with the idea of freedom, our daily lives are a reflection of self-indulgence and bondage to our selfish needs.

So what is the month of Ramadan? It represents a kind of self-discipline one needs to undertake to drive a positive change in his or herself. It represents the awareness of God and a hightened focus towards Him that one would attain when one is not preoccupied with mundane routines of food and drink and other sensory pleasures. By practicing self-discipline, one can control one’s desires, be strict with one’s self and and witness the spirit of sacrifice. Hunger and thirst, simply in obedience to a Divine order, does wonders in measuring the faith man has in God and helps him strenghthen it by putting it to a difficult test.

What Ramadan is about

One of the goals of the month of Ramadan is to develop an active awareness of God and a feeling of humility and thankfulness to Him. A simple example of this kind of active awareness would be one’s awareness of traffic on the road while driving a car while being constantly on the alert. However, a passive awareness would be like one’s awareness of the air around him, which is only realised occasionally and not thought of often. Training oneself for achieving this active awareness of God is perhaps one of the most important keys in attaining spirituality and the absence of distractions of food and drink help in such an exercise.

In the Quran, verse 2:182 says,

“O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it has been prescribed upon those before you, so that you may attain God-Consciousness.”

Finally, here’s what the Prophet Muhammad himself says about some of the benefits of fasting in the month of Ramadan

“This is a month in which He (God) has invited you. You have been, in this month, selected as the recipients of the honors of Allah, the Merciful.”

In another narration, he is said to have said:

“Whosoever observes fasting during Holy month of Ramadhan while maintaining silence and preventing his ears, eyes, tongue, sexual organs, and other body parts from lying, backbiting, and other forbidden acts, with the intention of achieving God’s Nearness, God-Almighty will bestow upon him His nearness, so that he will become a companion of Prophet Abraham (a.s.), God’s chosen friend.”

And in another narration, he is said to have said,

“Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan, obeying all of its limitations and guarding himself against what is forbidden, has in fact atoned for any sins he committed before it.”

So, indeed a true joyful Eid, which is a celebration of the Muslims’ successful fasting season, is felt by those who have attained the mercy and the forgiveness of God. A successful Eid is not the new found freedom to eat and drink again, but it is a celebration of gaining a heightened proximity with God.

Abbas Gadhia is a software developer who lives in Pune. His interests lie in spirituality, alternative medicine and software.

(Picture courtesy www.news1130.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

What the Islamic New Year means

Shezanali Hemani writes on the significance of Muharram and why it must be remembered, especially now on, for global peace.

Unlike the solar year which begins on January 1 every year, the Islamic New Year starts with the moon sighting for the month of Muharram, the first month of Hijri year or the Lunar year. The first Islamic year calculated was in AD 622, during which the emigration of Muhammad happened from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijrat.

Throughout the world, almost every New Year brings along festivities, fanfare and a lot of celebration. The Islamic New Year, i.e. Muharram begins with the remembrance and sacrifice of Imam Hussain, Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, and Muharram commemorates the death of Imam Hussain who, along with his family and followers, was martyred by Umayyad Caliph Yazid I in the Battle of Karbala on the 10th day of Muharram.

Remembrance of the Holy Imam is a yearly ritual to keep alive the flame of sacrifice for peace and social justice, which Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet, has given with his household and companions.

Especially in India, the name of Imam Hussain is very common across the masses, be it Muslim or Hindu, Christian or Buddhist. This is because of the yearly mourning ritual which Muslims observe during the first 10 days of the month of Muharram. Across the nation, lots of ceremonies, processions and gatherings remember the sacrifices and hardships which befell Hussain. These gatherings are not only attended by Muslims, rather it’s a sign of communal harmony in most of rural India.

But who is Imam Hussain, really? Why is he so sacred that he is remembered across the communities? Or this is just a mythical story which is remembered without any base or logic?

The incidence of Battle of Karbala is just 1,400 years old and is well-documented in history, and hence it is a fact and not a mythical story. Hussain, who was grandson of the Prophet, was against unjust and cruel practices put forward by Yazid in the name of religion, and which were totally against human nature and social justice. Hence the Imam refused to pledge allegiance to Yazdi but also walked a very difficult path of extreme hardship to protest. He not only ensured that there was no mass bloodshed by deciding to migrate, but he also observed a high degree of patience while suffering the cruelty of Yazid against his followers and family. History does not tell the story of another father whose six month old child was kept thirsty and killed in his arms.

The noted historian Charles Dickens writes, “If Husain fought to quench his worldly desires, (as alleged by certain critics), then I do not understand why his sisters, wives and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore that he sacrificed purely for Islam.”

The historical progress of Islam, according to Mahatma Gandhi, is not the legacy of the Muslim sword but a result of sacrifices of Muslim saints like Hussain. Historian Edward Gibbon writes, “In a distant age and climate, the tragic scene of the death of Hussain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.”

The sacrifice of Hussain is not only for that era or that of Muslims; rather his oppressed blood gives lesson to the whole of humanity in every age. Gandhi said, “I have learnt from Imam Hussain, on how to win while being oppressed. But the real lesson of Karbala and that of Imam Hussain says that we have to give sacrifice of ourselves, our desires, our household and whatever we have for the sake of values and ethics.

Today in the modern age it is common for almost each of us to have a New Year resolution. The Islamic year thus starts with the remembrance of the greatest sacrifice for the mankind, the sacrifice of Imam Hussain and his followers. It serves as a remembrance that non violence against the greatest tyrant is the way of God. It reminds us to stand united against the oppression of the people and to do our best to stop the same. It also leads us to follow the traditional narration “Every day is Ashura and every land is Karbala!” Every day is a test and if we follow Imam Hussein the world will be the happiest place.

Shezanali Hemani is a medical student and a social activist working for the upliftment of Muslims in all fields.

(Featured image courtesy www.freeimageworks.com. Picture used for representational purpose only)