The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down,
a guidance for the people, and clear verses of guidance and criterion.
[Quran: Chapter 2:183]

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

Remembering The Less Fortunate

Halfway through Ramadan, people begin to make preparations for Eid. Women especially, like to shop at the many Ramadan bazaars that cater to shoppers looking for Eid food goodies like baked sweets, cakes and cookies, exotic home decorations and new clothes in all hues of color.

Even with the economic downturn in most countries, and with inflation rampant, the crowd of Ramadan shoppers have not reduced. Yes, shopping at these Ramadan bazaars is fun. There is the excitement and anticipation of Eid in the air, as shoppers pick and choose their purchases.

But one of the less enticing sights one would see as we attend these bazaars is the poor Muslim beggars.

Inevitably, as we reach out to buy some food, or new clothes, our eyes will wander to the Muslim beggar standing by the corner looking weakly out towards the throng of shoppers.

These beggars are usually the eldery, or the handicapped. They serve as our timely reminders.

At these moments, we should remember the true purpose of Ramadan. It is a time to be thankful that we can afford to buy food to break fast with, we should be thankful that we have a roof our our heads, and we should be thankful that we are able to shop at the Ramadan bazaars.

Clearly there are so many others who are not as fortunate. And when we are confronted with this other reality, we should take action to remdy it.

Give to others, and help out as much as you can.

Maybe you have your eye on a t-shirt, that is just a few dollars and on sale. It would be a great buy. But is another t-shirt in your wardrobe really essential? Could not your few dollars be better used if given to a Muslim who needs the money to buy food for his iftar?

This may sound idealistic (or lofty), but imagine if we all did that. Wouldn't the world be a better place?

"If you seek happiness for yourself you'll never find it,

Only when you seek happiness for others will it come to you"

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Special Ramadan Series

Dear Reader, Assalaamu’alaikum.

Ramadan Mubarak. We wish you a blessed and productive Ramadan! Make no mistake about it - keeping the fast and increasing our acts of worship during this blessed month is not an easy task. The physical demands of balancing work or school with fasting all day, feeling fatigued and less effective than you normally are, waking up for Suhoor, praying Teraweeh and Tahajjud prayers, dealing with sleep deficits.

But the last thing we would want is to let Ramadan pass us by without doing all that we aim and desire to. Do not allow yourself to feel guilty or regretful when Ramadan passes.

The Ramadan Series will send you emails with practical tips on how to gain and maintain the physical and spiritual energy necessary to embark on increased religious oligations so that you will reap the benefits from this blessed month. This includes special Ramadan duas to say during the month. Do sign-up today!

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1 Comments:

Blogger LogicGirl said...

Fasting is the only method whereby the pangs of hunger, the ever present companion of the poor, are experienced by the rich. Thus this experience kindles a spirit of kindness to the poor and distressed. It also gives rise to the thought of how people will fare on the Day of Resurrection, when the greatest urge of hunger and thirst will be felt.

September 20, 2008 at 10:13 AM  

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