A Personal view of Ramadhan
Let me reach Ramadhan…alive!
I shall wake up on the first day of Ramadhan and sleep not, or little, for 30 days. My stomach may be apprehensive, but my heart is already wide open, ready to enjoy the peace and blessings of this month, the best of the twelve. Whether practising or not practising, whatever the lifestyle, Ramadhan is certainly a very special time for Muslims. From dawn to sunset, no food nor drink go past our throats. Achieving this demands discipline and strength but it is mainly a matter of faith. For us Muslims, Ramadhan is not a time of fatigue, instead it is the time par excellence where we are recharging our batteries. Essentially Ramadhan helps us slow down the motion of our busy lives and reflect. Contemplating on ourselves and our place in the universe, we detach ourselves from the material world. Day after day we calm down and our heads get clearer and clearer, extra lucid about the truth of life. Extra conscious we become and get to spend extra charities for the poor and needy. This is just an intense and deep experience to be able to understand and feel for the people who fast not by choice, but out of poverty. Out of empathy we tend to spend so much more in charity. Ramadhan is the month of liberation. A whole community of believers fast together and whatever the colour or nationality that gives us a sense of unity. Whatever his or her colour or religion let me share some food and some time with my neighbour. Ramadhan is a time where we go back to basics, when we go back to the source. We spend more time with the family. You just cannot eat by yourself! Ramadhan is the month of inner truth. The Noble Qur’an was revealed during this month and for that reason it makes a lot of sense to us. In the most obvious and practical manner, Ramadhan demonstrates the core values of Islam which are the faith in the one true God, and to be compassionate, just and charitable. I shall wake on the first day and remember: “Oh mankind! We created you from a single of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah (God) is the most righteous of you. And Allah (God) has full knowledge & is well acquainted” (Noble Quran, 49:13).
Let me reach Ramadhan…alive…and if i were to die let it be during Ramadhan.
Yacine Helali is a French Algerian filmmaker living in the West End of Newcastle. He is currently working on grassroots projects with the Islamic Diversity Centre, Newcastle. You can see some of his work at www.helalifilms.tumblr.com .
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8210000/8210064.stm
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