The Sunday Mail
As the month of Ramadhaan gradually draws to a close (with just a week remaining), the worship and service to The Almighty is stepped up by Muslims during the last ten days. Allah The Almighty says in the Holy Qur’aan: “. . .and He desires that you complete the ordained period and glorify God for His guidance to you, that you may be grateful”. Holy Qur’aan (Ch 2 : v 185)
Increased intensity of worship
In every aspect of their daily lives, Muslims find great motivation in the teaching and practice of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), the Last and Final messenger of The Almighty to mankind.
With regards to the last third of the month of Ramadhaan, Ai’shah (may God be pleased with her), the wife of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) reports that when the last third of Ramadhaan would enter (last ten days), the Prophet (peace be upon him) would engage in more worship to such an extent that he would remain in worship all night long, he would awaken his family (to step up their worship), he would become more serious by exerting greater effort, and he would become totally focused (in dedication to The Supreme Sovereign – Allah).
The idea being to encourage the Believers not to start tapering off in expectation of the end of the month and the end of this great training period, but rather give the final burst of energy to be able to really achieve every goodness. Just like the marathon runner who takes off on a steady pace and picks up in momentum whilst going along. Then as he nears the end of the race, after great endurance and after building up in stamina and courage, he will exert himself much more – giving the final push, though he may feel that he has already done so much all along from the beginning!
Seclusion and meditation
The Noble Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would take the period of the last ten days to go into seclusion in the “Masjid” (Mosque) and not come out for extreme cases of necessity. He would use the ideal setting of great sacredness, tranquillity and peace to engage in the increased remembrance of The Almighty, prayer to Him, recitation of The Holy Qur’aan, reflection on life, etc. Thus to this day, Muslims who are eager to emulate the Noble Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) will also go into seclusion – trying to really gain that piety, forgiveness from sins, and a deeper understanding of the purpose of life. What is now worthy of note and of particular importance is that the last ten days contain an even greater significance and further enhanced value, as declared by The Almighty. Contained in this last third of the Blessed Month is one night which has been enhanced in value, by The Almighty, to such a degree that worship therein is declared to be more rewarding than the worship of a thousand months. Holy Qur’an Chapter 97.
Thorough spiritual cleansing
Muslims who observe the various aspects of the month of Ramadhaan gain a thorough spiritual cleansing and feel rejuvenated in faith, feeling pure and clean. They are now ready to move on for another year of active service to The Almighty. One is reminded of how the washing machine runs through it’s full programme of washing the laundry and towards the end of the washing cycle it goes into the “spin” so as to thoroughly remove all the dirt and grime, the water and suds and render the laundry clean.
Sufficient gain in spirituality
Really and truly, for Muslims, not only must they ensure that they merely complete the month’s fasting, but each one should gain sufficiently from this Blessed Month to be able to cope with the daily struggles in life, with a greater spiritually. The human being as a mere mortal is limited in every aspect and can only achieve, develop, progress, etc, with divine help and support. This realisation can only dawn upon an individual when they have an enhanced spirituality.
To be continued…
For further information on Islam or a free copy of the Holy Qur’aan, please contact:
Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic Scholars
Publications Department
P.O. Box W93, Waterfalls, Harare
Tel: 04-614078 / 614004, Fax : 04-614003
e-mail: [email protected]
