The gate of forgiveness, long awaited, has finally swung wide open. After an 11-month wait, the month of dignity has arrived. It’s only right that we express gratitude to Allah with all His merciful and compassionate attributes, for granting us the blessings of faith, health, and the opportunity to fulfill this fourth pillar of Islam.
Ramadan serves as a cleanser for the multitude of sins we accumulate in our lives. Yet, there are conditions to meet if we seek liberation from these sins: fasting during the day with sincerity and engaging in night prayers. The combination of fasting and praying, done with sincerity and seeking only His reward, may facilitate the forgiveness of past transgressions.
Fundamentally, Ramadan is the month of nurturing. It’s an educational period shaping our faith, character, and future lifestyle. Simplicity becomes the key theme, teaching us that fasting isn’t about excessiveness or indulgence, unlike what we commonly see today.
As the time for breaking fast approaches, people flock to overcrowded stalls, filling markets and streetsides with the scent of snacks. From various types of ice cream, porridge, sweet soups, juices, fried snacks to local delicacies, everyone competes to satisfy their insatiable cravings, almost as if possessed. This phenomenon is familiarly known as “fasting revenge”.
Yet, oddly enough, when the call to prayer echoes, a few bites of a pastry and a sip of water suffice to fill the empty stomach after a day of fasting. Well, that’s just how we break our fast.
However, the essence of breaking fast lies in simplicity and gratitude after enduring more than 13 hours of hunger, thirst, and abstaining from things that invalidate fasting. Doesn’t one truly appreciate the taste of food after experiencing hunger? That’s the essence of fasting, teaching us the importance of empathy towards those less fortunate. Fasting, God willing, will educate us to be grateful for all circumstances we face.