RAMADAN TALK: The Essence of Ramadan

1ST DAY OF RAMADAN, 1435

Ramadan is here again. The best month in the year. Fasting is one thing that is famously synonymous to this holy month and all muslims (both practising and non-practising) fast. But is it all about fasting? NO! Ramadan is way more than fasting. Some of my Christian friends will tell me: "What is the essence of you not eating in the day when you've ate like you are loading a container in the night?" I just laugh it off. Deep inside of me, I know there is more to Ramadan than fasting.

I saw an inscription that reads: "Strive more to get your deeds accepted than to do the deeds." This simply means not all deeds are accepted. Not all fasts are accepted. There are some the Prophet (SAW) described as just making themselves hungry for nothing. I know nobody is ready to go hungry for 30 days just to see that it was not accepted. How will you feel - if you were given 30 difficult questions in your exam; you did them correctly but gave one-word answer when you were told to show all workings or roughened the sheet and the examiner refused to mark one-word answers or your rough sheet? You will feel worse if you fasted for 30 days and decided to give one-word answer by neglecting some key things or roughened your sheet by carrying out some bad actions and on the Day of Recompense, it was not counted as one of your good deeds.

The essence of Ramadan was fully said in this famous Ramadan ayah (Q2 v 183):

Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 183:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun.
(English - Mohsin Khan)
via iQuran

Who is the Al-Muttaqun?
The pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained).

Did you attain the stage of being an Al-Muttaqun while you were fasting last year? Did you even attempt to be an Al-Muttaqun?

All you do is fast and start checking time every now and then (not for salat but for breaking).

All you do is fast and start playing games, gossiping and so on to while away time.

All you do is fast and not observing any Salat.

All you do is fast and no reading of the Qur'an or attending a lecture or tafsir.

All you do is just to fast in Ramadan...

If that is all you do, you are really missing out. It's not to late to retrace your steps as you might have done such mistakes in the past. This is another Ramadan; strive to be an Al-Muttaqun. YES, YOU CAN!

My name is Taslim OKUNOLA; I am a Muslim and I am NOT a terrorist.

#TerrorismIsNotIslamic #RamadanTalk

Thanks for reading.