Emine AKSOY (GİMDES Editorial Board)
As Muslims, we eagerly await the month of Ramadan, and there is very little time left. Ramadan is a month of reckoning for all of us. Therefore, we should thoroughly examine ourselves during this month. We should investigate our mistakes and shortcomings, find solutions to rectify them, repent, and strive to be on the straight path.
During Ramadan, let’s be careful not to consume foods produced with additives whose contents we do not know. Let’s pay more attention than ever to consuming halal and tayyib certified beverages and foods. Let’s question ourselves. What does Ramadan remind us of? What do we gain during this month?
What traces did previous Ramadans leave behind? For example: When we hear the word Ramadan, do the words forgiveness and paradise come to mind first, or iftar, etc.?
The month of Ramadan is a month of self-reflection for each individual and for the entire Muslim community. Therefore, during this Ramadan, we must all strive to subject our souls to complete self-examination. We must investigate and identify the errors, shortcomings, and weaknesses within ourselves that are the source of the suffering, anguish, and humiliation we experience as a community today, and we must develop solutions for their rectification.
We say that the root of the humiliation we face as a community today lies in our transformation into an ignorant and unconscious society. While we are obligated to take Islamic standards as a reference in our thoughts, actions, and behaviors, our ignorance and laziness and indifference in seeking correct information cause us to react unconsciously, incorrectly, and outside of Islamic standards in every aspect of our daily lives.
“Are those who know and those who do not know equal?” In the light of the Quranic admonition and the blessed illumination of Ramadan, our most important Jihad will be to conduct self-examination and strive to eliminate the distance between ourselves and Islam.
Let us, in honor of this month, pay more attention and care to whether our food, medicine, and cosmetic products are halal, clean, and healthy, something we have often neglected until now. With this understanding, let us re-examine the markets, butchers, bakeries, and pastry shops where we shop.
How much we, as an Ummah, need prayer today! There is blood, tears, and sobs in the lands of Islam. Palestine, Gaza, is weeping blood. The oppressors continue to strike Muslims day and night, without regard for women, children, or anyone else. It is time to pray with tears in our eyes. It is time to offer practical prayers by rushing to their aid as much as we can.
Let us read and reflect upon these noble hadiths repeatedly, and adapt ourselves to their content: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan with complete faith and expecting reward from Allah, his past and future sins will be forgiven.” Ubadah ibn al-Samid (ra), one of the Companions, says: On one of the days when Ramadan arrived, the Messenger of Allah (sav) said: “Ramadan has come to you. It is a month of blessings; in this month Allah will enrich you: He will send down His mercy, cleanse your sins, and answer your prayers. Allah will look upon your striving and boast about you to His angels. Therefore, show Allah the good desires within you. Wretched is he who is deprived of Allah’s mercy in this month.”
Our Prophet (sav) said:
“The prayers of three people are not rejected: a just leader, a Muslim who fasts until breaking the fast, and an oppressed believer.”
May our Lord make the month of Ramadan blessed for the entire Muslim Ummah.
