Ramadhan, the month of God (16)

Welcome to the 16th episode of “Ramadhan, the Month of God”. Let us first present you the special supplication of the day, which reads:

 “O Allah, enable me this day to follow in the steps of the pious; hold me back in it from the company of the wicked; and grant me haven in the abode of permanence with Your Mercy; by Your Divinity, O God of  all the worlds!”

We Muslims are encouraged to fast from our adolescent years onwards when we are on the threshold of puberty. In Iran, it is customary to encourage children to refrain from food and drinks for a few hours during the day. Many children, though they are still below-fasting years, enthusiastically join their parents for the pre-dawn Sahari meal, and skip breakfast in the mornings. These are actually steps towards full-fledged fasting when they reach puberty and fasts become obligatory.

Every year, the blessed month of Ramadhan brings about positive changes in the life of the believers, including in their hours of eating, sleeping, working, and even the mode of shopping.

One of the blessings of Ramadhan is strengthening of family bonds because almost every member of the household tries to be at home at the time of Sahar and Iftar (breaking the fast). The point to note is that fasting promotes the culture of patience and resistance among people. It also makes people kinder towards each other. Moreover, youngsters pay more respect toward the elderly. The Messenger of Mercy, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) says, "In this month, respect your elderly, be kind toward your children, do good to your relatives, control your tongues, keep your eyes away from what is not permitted to see."

The atmosphere at the time Sahar and Iftar, whether at home or in congregations at mosques, hussainiyas, and at other places, is full of sincerity. Spreading the table cloth at these places for providing whatever meals one can arrange, creates a lasting impression upon minds that last from childhood to old age. What is important is to increase the exuberance of this great month through punctual performance of the ritual and recommended prayers, the recitation of the holy Qur'an and supplications in the Divine Court.

The acclaimed Iranian poet, Mowlana Jalal od-Din Balkhi Roumi, has composed the account of a youth who was very bad-tempered but later on he changed his behaviour to become a very good person. Here is the story:

"There was a bad-tempered youth who would disturb others. He failed to overcome his bad temper despite making efforts. One day his father gave him a nail and told him, 'Whenever you get angry, hammer a nail into the wall.' The first day the youth had to hammer many nails into the hard wall. At the end of the day he noticed the scale of his anger. The next days, he tried to get angry less so that he may hammer fewer nails.

“In this way, every night he was heedful of his behaviour and whenever he hammered fewer nails he was hopeful of changing his behaviour. Gradually, the number of nails diminished, and the day finally dawned when the youth felt that his bad temper had given to good and positive behaviour. He recounted it to his father. The father, who was a learned man, suggested him to take out one nail for each day that he doesn’t get angry. Several days passed till the youth took out all the nails that he had hammered into the wall. Then the father took the son's hand and showed him the wall, saying, 'Bravo! You had good persistence. But look at the holes that you have made on the wall. Dear son! When you say something to others angrily, it is as if you hammered a nail into their heart. The injury that you cause in somebody's heart will remain and it is hard to repair.'

Once a person approached the Prophet of Islam and told him that sometimes he is unwillingly exposed to wrongdoing. He asked the Prophet to teach him a way for giving up this bad habit. The Prophet said: don't lie. The person said: is that all! The Prophet said: yes, this is enough. The man went away. After that he was indulged in some wrongdoing but was worried what response he would give to the Prophet once he was questioned, since he had promised to be true and not to tell lies. This review of his behaviour and his promise to be true finally changed his behaviour.

The holy Qur'an calls on people to be honest and sincere since these traits have a great impact on refraining from wrongdoing. It is evident that if we wish to improve our behaviour, our words should be free of any lies, and this requires the building of piety.

According to Imam Ali (AS), , a life without piety is like a rider letting loose the reins of his horse, which eventually gallops out of control and makes the rider fall on the ground. The Imam adds that on the other hand self-restraint and self-control are like riding a trained horse which is fully under control of a skillful rider. Thus, as is clear, the most important impact of piety is control over carnal desires and ambitions. The holy Qur'an says that piety opens up the gates of heaven's blessings since a pious person does not indulge in vain desires or commit sins and crimes. In short, piety leads to the building of sound ethics and a healthy mindset.

AS/ME