MESSAGE OF RAMAZAN

Emotions of Faith

According to a Hadith, the Prophet of Islam said:

God suggested to me, ‘We will change one of the valleys of Makkah into gold for you’. I said, ‘Oh my Lord, No! Instead, I desire that one day I should eat well and be satisfied and remain hungry the next day. So that when I feel hungry, I can beseech You and remember You and when I am full and satiated, I can praise You and thank You.'

IT is a fact that emotions and feelings of faith are directly related to the situation or circumstance. Every situation in life presents an occasion for emotions of faith. As there are many different situations that can arise, accordingly there are many different types of feelings and emotions of faith. Man has been placed in this world for the purpose of a ‘test’. That is why for every man and woman in this world many different circumstances arise in their lives, so that it can be assessed which one of them will satisfy the requirements of the test.

In this world situations and conditions of comfort or want are both extraneous. What is of importance is the reaction to the situation and not the situation in itself. Given the situation, was the reaction desirable? If this fact is clear to any man or woman then they will not look at the situation of comfort or want but at the reaction they present as testimony. Was it gratitude or pride; acknowledgement or thanklessness; one of patience or one of intolerance? Such people will evaluate and introspect at every situation and not complain about the circumstances. Without such conditions there can be no emotion at all. God desires two qualities from His believers. First, that they acknowledge the all pervading power of God and express their utmost helplessness to Him. Secondly, that after receiving and perceiving of the blessings of God they express their gratitude for the same. Both these desirable qualities have been clearly and explicitly explained in the Quran and the Hadith. The most practical experience of these qualities is one that appears in the form of hunger and thirst on the one hand and satiation and contentment on the other. The pangs of hunger and thirst are the ultimate experience of the realization of man's weakness, helplessness and dependence. In a similar manner when he partakes of food and water after going through hunger and thirst, that is the utmost experience or realization of the value of the food and water that God has provided for him.

In this world man needs to experience both the feelings of hunger and satiation. He should experience the feeling of a parched throat and the pleasure of drinking cool water to quench his thirst; a feeling of contentment described in a Hadith as ‘My thirst was quenched and my nerves were cooled’. Feelings will not arise without the associated conditions. Fasting in the month of Ramazan is an annual program for creating such conditions. Through fasting one experiences both hunger and satiation so that one can be humble as well as grateful to God. While giving the command for fasting the Quran says:

Believers’, fasting has been prescribed for you, just as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard yourselves against evil.
THE QURAN 2: 183

The month of Ramazan is the month when the Quran was sent down as guidance for mankind with clear proofs of guidance and the criterion by which to distinguish right from wrong. He desires you to fast the whole month, so that you may glorify Him for His having guided you and so that you may be grateful to Him.
THE QURAN 2: 185

Two essential benefits of fasting are mentioned in these verses. One, that fasting creates piety in an individual. Secondly, fasting makes it possible for man to express genuine gratitude to God. The same feelings that the Quran mentions as piety and gratitude are mentioned in the Hadith as humility and thankfulness. These two feelings are essential to worship. Acknowledgement of God's power and acceptance of our helplessness creates the feelings of piety and humble supplication. And, the acknowledgement of God's blessings creates the feelings of praise and gratitude towards God.

If man is conscious of these facts he will experience both these types of feelings every day and in every situation. From every incident he will derive this divine nourishment for his soul. Fasting has been ordained so that these feelings can generally be further developed with more intensity. In other words, fasting in the month of Ramazan is a general training to be accomplished through a specific course.