Subahanallah (Glory be to Allah), we have reached the last 10 days of holy Ramadhan. Everything passes so swiftly without realizing that we are almost finished with Ramadhan. I hope Muslims have been appreciating this month the way it deserves. Like a norm during this last section of Ramadhan, many Muslims find themselves preoccupied with Eid Fitr preparations as the event is approaching fast. This is a bitter-sweet situation in the Muslim society. We are so obsessed with celebrations, events, and festivals and we forget something more important which is increasing our Ibadah to Allah, especially during this last 10 days of Ramadhan. It is being reported frequently that the Lailatul Qadr most likely to fall on one of the nights in this last 10 days of Ramadhan. The truth behind it stays hidden and no one actually knows when it is. I guess the silver lining behind it is, just do your Ibadah every night in Ramadhan.
In this phase of Ramadhan as a Muslim from Malaysia, my society and I have our own tradition in celebrating the upcoming festival, Eid Fitr. Most housewives and moms are super-duper busy with their recipes of crunchy cookies and delectable cakes. It’s like a competition on who can make the most delicious cookies and cakes ever. Don’t get me wrong. I like those treats and I am really looking forward for those. Who doesn’t like Malaysian cookies and cakes, right? The problem is, is it worth it to abandon the call to increase your Ibadah just for the sake of food and treats? If we analyze the reality behind it, it is about the trade-off and we really have to choose somewhere in between. Like a quote that we always hear, “Work like you live forever, do Ibadah like you die tomorrow.” Who says we have to leave the worldly activities and just do Ibadah all day long? So remember, it is about the trade-off.
Islam is beautiful in every way if we take it as a whole, not just parts of it. That’s why many Islamic scholars promote Islam as a way of life instead of just a religion. It is so inclusive that it starts from the very moment we wake up in the morning to the second we go to bed at night, from the very moment we are born to the second we are buried in the grave. Everything has been delicately and beautifully outlined in the orderly manner.
Right now I am trying to measure how much different I am as a person before, during and soon after Ramadhan. Am I just the same person that I used to be? If the answer is yes, I am missing the opportunities in bettering myself. If the answer is no, I have to be more than anxious of the answer. Whatever the answer is, it is not too late for me to take this last section of Ramadhan as seriously as I possibly can to further improve myself as a person in general and as a Muslim in particular. For others, let’s decorate this Ramadhan with Quran recitals, prayers, and charity and continue doing those for the rest of our lives. That’s the real teaching behind Ramadhan which is transforming Muslims to be better Khalifahs in the world. Insyaallah (God will).
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"Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish from right and wrong).." (Q 2:183)
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