Thursday | 16 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Thursday | 16 January 2025 | Epaper

A Ramadan of quality over quantity

Published : Monday, 6 May, 2019 at 12:00 AM  Count : 958
Shahriar Feroze
One of the most common mistakes that occur in a pop-cultured understanding of Islam is that Muslims are widely focused entirely on quantity of their deeds, and not quality. How many people are attending? How large was the event? How many Rakat's of salah have been prayed? How much has been spent in charity? And etc... However, this is a massive error that has major consequences for people's spiritual development and growth.

When we look at the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) we see a commitment to quality over quantity. The quantity did not really come until the end of his life and was actually a sign that his death was near. With this year's Ramadan about to commence, it's the perfect time to seriously check and cross-check the quality of our religious obligations.

Fortunately, for this writer, it's become a habit to begin the holy month with a specific goal to thrive for becoming a better Muslim. It worked a miracle in developing a better quality in my spiritual life. Since last year, my focus was firmly set on quality and consistency of my fasting and prayers. Battling thirst and hunger was over after the 3rd Ramadan.

Knowing full well, completing the recitation of the Quran in thirty days will be a tough task, this writer concentrated to improve his correct recitation and pronunciation of Suras. Going through the Bengali and English translations of the holy book regularly was a big help to understand the meanings and the message of Islam.  More to it, once the words and verses were clearly understood and recited, khushu or focus on my prayers shot up dramatically. My plan to go through the Quran, in last year's Ramadan was kept simple and short. It wasn't a Juz or a part a day but a 'one Sura a day strategy'.

It's actually easier to read a smaller portion in a consistent manner to get deeper inside the Quran bit by bit. It's right on this point where quality of your reading and reflecting matters the most. And pondering over every single verse, their meanings and the backdrop of their revelations will become an eye-opener, if you are a believer.

In fact, the verse, (shahru ramadana allathee onzila feehi alquranu...) "The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion" is equally important as fasting. No wonder, why this was the month to have put special attention for reciting the Quran. However, that personal quest to develop our religious commitment based on the teachings of the Quran is largely missing.
 
If your recitation isn't complemented with accurate understanding of the meanings what you are reciting--the impact is fairly limited within your recitation time. The speed of recitation of our Imams during the Tarawi prayers is another factor that has often discouraged me from participating in them. Most of our Imams conduct the Tarawi with a bullet train speed--resulting only in fatigue and distraction in the members of the congregation.

My readers are surely allowed to disagree on any of my points. But it's important to develop consistent and good quality spiritual health--not for thirty days--but for the rest of your life. At times, participating Muslims during the Tarawi prayers appears to me nothing more than following a strict manmade religious obligation. It's perhaps for this fatigue and simulated compulsion in the Tarawi ritual that the crowds get thinner within the first week of Ramadan.

Those of you who love participating in Tarawi prayers are likely to go to heaven before this writer does, with tonnes of good deeds. The point, however, make sure to make your prayers life-transforming, so to develop a stronger sense of spirituality based on Quranic teachings. And those of you who don't offer the Tarawi might opt for the Tahajjud or late night prayers in the Ramadan. Be it in the mosque or at home, Tahajjud not only establishes a discipline, but its one special time when you are closer to your creator than any other time of the day. Indeed, the late night hours are the blessed hours for a believer.

The choice is yours. You can plan your Ramadan based on your respective choices to develop consistency while improving the quality of your religious practices. The plan which worked for me under my circumstances may not work in your case. But we should all thrive to become consistent and good quality Muslims.

Coming back to the topics of quality and consistency in one's spiritual life--remember Islam puts more stress on quality of your praying -- not quantity. Not only in Ramadan, to the God almighty it's the sincerity of our prayers, charity, fasting and reciting of the holy book which matters the most. Therefore, observing the Ramadan sincerely within our limits must make us consistent as a truthful practicing believer throughout the rest of the year.

Happy Ramadan

The writer is editor-in-charge, editorial section, The Daily Observer





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