THE BEST OF PROVISIONS

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Ramadhan, the glorious month is upon us in all its shades of beauty, tranquility, bliss, and magnificence. As its waves ripples through the year with undeniable feeling of complete devotion and amplified level of spirituality, rewarding acts are automatically adopted by everyMuslim while meticulously avoiding conspicuous sins, reaffirming the statement of the prophet about the Shayaatins being restricted and the gates of Jahannam closed.

Often, we witness a drastic “dip” in our level of spirituality after the conclusion of this auspicious month, and one begins to wonder if worships in Ramadan follow the same continuum as the waxing and waning of its moon!

Devotions are means to the goal of gaining the pleasure of Allah by attaining paradise, and not in anyway the goals themselves. Ramadan experiences do not have to always be about the niceties we got to enjoy, awesome foods we tried out, places to be visited or even just attempting an act of Ibaadah. The major question should be what has this Ramadan come to change?

…. And make provision, for indeed the best provision is righteousness… (Q2 VS197). We can achieve more by being more intentional with positively impacting our lifestyles than just selectively maximising just one of the many opportunities that has been provided by Allah (which of course is part of it). Choosing to start now and not waiting till Ramadan begin would go a long way in instilling the habit into our daily routine and this would minimize our rate of relapse after Ramadan.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Why wait till Ramadan starts before you begin the Nawaafil you’ve made plans for, or constantly moistening your breath with the Adhkaar you’ve memorised against the holy month, those portions of the Quran need not wait when they could be set in motion anytime. All these are geared towards spiritual upliftment expected of us as Muslims and not just for Ramadan.

Ramadhan is meant to enhance our spiritualism and not just to show that we are Muslims, what’s important is what it has come to instill in us and not just what it made us do. Preparations for Ramadan should begin before it starts and its essence should linger even after its gone, this is what Ramadhan truly represents.

 

Aisha Ajadi

 

 

 

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