Reads a little witty, right?
But in all probabilities, this year the title will turn out to be true.
Many a time you had either walked or ran to seek god's guidance in the mosque, in this Ramadan god will grace your home. While the angels keep guarding the almost empty mosques - count yourself privileged since on this Ramadan - god has chosen to be our and your guest at home. Clean and preserve the sanctity of home in the exact way you preserve it inside the mosque.
And be mindful about his omnipresence and oft remember that famous Hadith saying: Whoever draws close to me by the length of a hand, I will draw close to him by the length of an arm. Whoever draws close to me by the length of an arm, I will draw close to him by the length of a fathom. Whoever comes to me walking, I will come to him running. Whoever meets me with enough sins to fill the earth, not associating any idols with me, I will meet him with as much forgiveness.
Even a month ago, were you in a position to predict the nature of this Ramadan? I was not, but I believe behind every experience there is a reason. The holy month to be observed against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic also has a reason. On one hand mosques will not be holding congregations either for obligatory prayers or Tarawih. Overtly sumptuous Iftar-cum-dinner parties complimented with shopping frenzies will be missing. City dwellers will not be seen struggling to return home before Iftar despite empty roads. And in the midst of a countrywide lockdown forcing millions to remain confined within four walls - the almighty perhaps has a novel grand design to draw closer to him.
For years on end Ramadan had been a special month relating back to its traditions linked to fasting , offering special prayers , practicing charity and of course to indulge in needful and needless shopping sprees. If the Coronavirus has taught us one valuable lesson, that to say, the pandemic has befittingly slapped into the face of an increasingly consumerist society.
Though I feel sorry for our domestic business community, but our traders, importers, dealers to manufacturers all had played foul for decades to commercialise our festivals and rituals. Especially unnatural price hike of essentials to all types of consumer goods during the Ramadan had become intolerable. I want to believe that they have learnt the bitter lesson for the sake of turning a little humane.
However, on spiritual terms, this Ramadan will be a unique opportunity for having a one-to-one conversation with our creator. Almost all of us had endlessly complained about time constraints for saying prayers beside reading and reciting the Quran. Well now you have all the time in the world.
The almighty has observed our collective efforts to get closer to him via the means of Tarawi prayers, fasting, charity works and supplications offered by huge crowds, begging for mercy and blessings. Now perhaps he wishes to test our faith one by one. Not at the mosque, the test this time will be how sincerely we pray at home. Not quantity, this time he wishes to test the true intention behind every charity offered in private and in public.
Many of us had spent countless hours during the Tarawi prayer behind the Imam, listening to the bullet-train-speed-recitation of the Quran. The test in this Ramadan will be how we can draw close to our maker by reading, understanding and reflecting on his words and messages individually - without the compulsion for reading it in strictly Arabic.
Over a billion believers scattering all over the globe will be tested with the epic Sura Al-Baqara verse - Shahru ramad?nal-ladh? unzila fihil-qur'?nu... (The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion)
On this holy month, every believer will not only be blessed with an exclusive opportunity to revamp the missing links with the creator, but will be blessed with the prospect to first bring out the change within.
The message in short, it will be a very special Ramadan to find and fix what moral wrongs we have committed - so to have invited an unprecedented health calamity to sweep throughout the world - killing by the thousands each day while confining billions to stay indoors.
For this Ramadan I would particularly suggest my readers to ponder over the destruction of tribes and nations linked to prophets Ad, Thamud, Lut, Nuh and the nation of Shuayb. Tales of their elimination conveys divine messages for mankind and the almighty's unparalleled strength and supremacy. Whatever, with the ever advancing human race, the god has also introduced 'advanced technology' in his methods of punishment compared to the ones mentioned in the Quran. In fact, his latest weapon is a bit far too advanced that the mankind is yet to invent a mere vaccine to combat it.
It will be an amazing month of self retrospection followed by comparatively modest homemade Iftar and Sehri meals, only much beneficial to our digestive health.
Opportunity rarely knocks to treat your maker well at home, do not miss it.
Happy Ramadan
The writer is assistant editor, The Daily Observer
