Ramadan is our boot camp for the rest of the year

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24: I enjoyed my Eid celebrations and I trust you did too. My wonderful sister Ameenah told me how beautiful the Willowbank venue was and how awesome it was that the breeze and beauty was such a blessing from Allah.

Ameenah was so gracious and kind and secured a plate of scrumptious food for me.

Jazakalah Karun — this is the kind of community of caring and sharing that Ramadan is all about.

We pray that Allah has accepted our fasting and our prayers and rewards all of our good deeds. Ameen.

Ramadan is over but in reality for those who took the month seriously it has just begun.

What do I mean? Well Ramadan is the jumpstart for setting ourselves right for the remaining 11 months.

Ramadan is the boot camp for our actions for the upcoming year.

Let us remember to be devout, charitable, forgiving and generous to one another in the upcoming year.

Ramadan was a struggle and life itself is a struggle but what a beautiful outcome after we have toiled.

Bounty

Just like the farmer; he toils and tends his garden and if he has done it right, what a beautiful bounty he yields.

So let’s take the struggle of Ramadan and nurture, nourish and implement the disciplines we learned during our experience of Ramadan.

What were some of the disciplines we should be implementing?

First self-sacrifice — by not eating and drinking as we wish, we learn to restrain our desires.

In reality we learn to do without for the bigger picture — in the instance of the fast – we learn to do without because Allah has asked us to.

Then we go on to the next tenet and that is “others before ourselves” — meaning we learn to think of others and their needs before our own.

Also during the month of Ramadan we learn mercy and compassion, and this should extend to us showing mercy and compassion to our fellowman.

Allah shows us mercy and if we are shaping ourselves in His image, it is one of mercy and compassion.

Righteousness

Forgiveness is also a discipline we need to exercise as Allah showers His forgiveness on us over and over again.

So in exercising what we have learnt to do during Ramadan we need to be more forgiving towards one another. I know of families that have not spoken or communicated with each other for something done more than 10 years ago — they have vowed not to forgive.

I remember when I was a child, my mother told me of the story where a man asked Jesus how many times should one forgive another and I believe Jesus reply was ‘70 x 70’ imagine — that says it all — doesn’t it?

Allah says: “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.”

See this is the thing — fasting is done so that we may become righteous people.

This is the objective of the fast and like the Chinese proverb says — the practice of righteousness is the success of a nation.

Remember the month of Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down as a guidance for mankind; that is why Allah has advised that we should read the Quran in its entirety during the month.

It’s like going over your books so that you can keep abreast of what is expected of you.

That is why libraries are so full of books with knowledge but Allah in his mercy and wisdom gave us one book through which to get all the guidance we need to carry us through this life and right into the next.

Wow, what an awesome God we have.

Let us strengthen and build the guidance of Ramadan as Allah says in the noble Quran: “The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was sent down as a guidance for mankind with clear proofs of guidance and discrimination.” Ameen.