Spiritual Delights of Fasting Ramadhan (11)

Today on the 11th day of the blessed month of Ramadhan, we start our daily programme titled “Spiritual Delights of Fasting Ramadhan” with the special supplication for the day:

“O Allah, incline me this day toward good-doing, and make vice and disobedience hateful to me; save me in it from Your displeasure and hellfire, with Your help, O Succour of those who appeal for help!”

The blessed month of Ramadhan is indeed a spiritual exercise for the believers to strive towards self-reform. It is the month in which the Satan is chained. It means, it is our own control of our emotions, our practice of good deeds, and our abstinence from undesirable acts through fasting that chain the Satan. In other words, Ramadhan is the best opportunity to control the ego so that this practice will continue throughout the year, thereby effectively ending the domination of the Satan over us. According to Imam Ali (AS), the feeling of hunger during fasting helps us to have proper control over our selves. For instance, in the dark night when we cannot see what is around us we take caution before proceeding. In Surah Isra, ayah 36 God says:

"Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed the hearing, the eyesight, and the heart —all of these are accountable."

It is interesting to note how pure and fragrant rosewater is distilled through hard work. First roses are plucked and then put in huge cauldrons full of water, which is slowly boiled until the water evaporates while drop by drop the fragrant steam falls into big containers. Finally pure rosewater is obtained and put in bottles. Suppose, despite this hard work, if some irresponsible person were to overturn the pot of rosewater and drain this precious stuff, how will the workers who put so much great efforts, feel? There are lessons for us to learn in this regard. Our life bears many similarities to the distilling of rosewater. Our reputation is built with hard work, and sincerity. It means we should not be careless in destroying it by falling prey to the temptations of the Satan. We should avoid the company of bad persons. We should strengthen our faith. At the same time, we should not label wild accusations against others. If a fasting person, because of malice tries to find faults with his brethren-in-faith, then he is destroying his own self and making his fasts and other acts of worship useless. Character assassination is an evil thing. We should first evaluate and asses our own capabilities, especially our shortcomings, instead of feeling jealous of the talents of others by making senseless allegations against them. This is what Ramadhan teaches us.

The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS) says: Whoever tries to expose the defects of others, God will expose his defects.

What a wonderful saying from the vicegerent of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). In many ayahs of the holy Qur’an, God has forbidden us from accusing others. For instance, in Surah Nisa, ayah 112, God says:

"But someone who commits an iniquity or sin and then accuses an innocent person of it, is indeed guilty of calumny and a flagrant sin."

The words of the holy Qur’an are clear. The tongue is like a bow, and when the arrow of wild words is shot by it, though it will hit someone, but the real victim will be the person who shot it. In trying to destroy the reputation of others, because of being jealous of the talents of others and the lack of qualities in himself, he will plunge to his own doom.

Once a person spread rumours against his neighbour in order to tarnish his image. This character assassination did create problems for the neighbour, but in the end boomeranged on the accuser, who was now anxious to find a remedy. A wise person told him to go to the market, buy a hen, slaughter it, pluck its feathers and scatter them along the way while returning home. He did as was told. Then the wise man told him to retrace his steps to the market and gather all the strewn feathers. The man managed to pick up only a few, as the rest had been swept away or blown away by the wind. The sage told the stupefied person that his accusations are like this, and no matter how earnestly you try to undo the wrong you had committed, you will not be able to remove from your character the traces of your crime against others.

Now we present you part of a Munajaat or Whispered Supplications as taught to us by the Prophet’s 4^th Infallible Successor, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), It is about those who complain to God about the Satan, and reads:

"My God, I complain to You of an enemy who misguides me and a satan who leads me astray. He has filled my breast with tempting thoughts, and his suggestions have encompassed my heart. He supports caprice against me, embellishes for me the love of this world, and separates me from obedience and proximity!"

As is clear from the Imam’s words, the human being faces two dangerous enemies. One is the rebellious ego which is the internal enemy and the other is the Satan who is the external enemy. Regarding the enmity of the rebellious ego, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) says your worst enemy is your own ego. As for the Satan, let us recite ayah 6 of Surah Fater, where God says:

"Satan is indeed your enemy, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his confederates so that they may be among the inmates of the Blaze."

This ayah cautions us from becoming confederates of the Satan by falling prey to deceit. We should realize that every time a person regrets his wrongdoing, the Satan once again tries to tempt him to commit sins in order to distance him from God and Divine Mercy. At the end of the Munajaat of the Complainers, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS) teaches us to seek the protection of God from the temptations of the Satan as well as our own rebellious ego:

Be for me a helper against enemies, a coverer of shameful things and faults, a protector against afflictions, a preserver against acts of disobedience! By Your clemency and mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.”

AS/MG