By Jarga Gagigo
Actually, may our blessings be eternally rising, not just in Ramadan. The word blessed is among the hardest to understand. We are all blessed, except varyingly. Since blessings can rise or fall, we should pray and try, try, try, to rise and not to ever fall within the three main types of blessings: Character, health, and wealth. As humans, we can only seek through choice, then God will choose how and when to judge that choice…
I pray that this Ramadan be a huge blessing to humankind, not just Muslims. If the Qur’an was revealed in Ramadan to help us raise our conscience as humans, not just Arabs or Muslims, then by how much did it raise it and is there any other way to raise our conscience? It is generally agreed among the reasons we fast is to help us remember the poor, but how well Muslims remember the poor compared to each group, beyond religion? In all honesty, I do not think the Muslims or richest Muslims understand the importance of mass uplifting of the poor and to avoid all forms of oppression. The Qur’an admits something is bigger: ‘the mother of all books’, and that I believe is referring to conscience, at least at human level. Again, conscience happens to have many levels. Even when Arabs were burying baby girls due to greed, there were some levels of low conscience in that pagan leaning Arabia. For example, they preferred boys for money, but did not say ‘keep the girls and sexually molest them’, even though the average sexual conscience in Arabia was low.
Once we agree the Qur’an is from conscience, for conscience, and points us to conscience in ch.91, then how can we have the highest conscience? We engage or return to the Lord of conscience alive, then engage each other in the spirit of ch.103. Where we disagree, it will likely mean patience may be higher than any of the good deeds mentioned in the so-called ‘five pillars of Islam’. The world cannot revolve only around faith, or faith and very few good deeds.
When doctors talk about how fasting is ‘great for health [as rescue], many muslim commenters brag it as ‘Ramadan’, even though the Qur’an talks about different forms of fasting and that some fasted long before ‘Muslims’ / Ramadan. Fasting for health, religious fasting, and conscientious fasting are all different in some ways. Conscience touches every major choice of humans and again at different levels. So try to rise, and help others rise through the spirit of ch.103, not unnecessary imposing. The kind of patience our era demands is not for the arrogant or even the cowards. We must engage the Lord of conscience to get the best of the Qur’an. There is earthly heaven and hell for those with eyes, but again the levels and possibilities of rising or falling mean we should be cautious and keep on striving. I pray for billions of humans, especially Muslims, to be accepted into conscientious fasting, happily…
Wealth is largely considered among the least major blessings, but anything major is no longer minor or meant to be brushed off. We utilise wealth, so let us gratefully seek and accept it as a huge blessing. Even wealth will always need other ‘blessings’ to satisfaction. We can vividly say: wealth can lead to higher health and character, but not as a guarantee. Similarly, because character is so broad that lack of health or wealth can often be tied to lack of great character in some respect. Now do not go condemning the sick or poor… I am ‘poor’ and not perfectly healthy, but I may be healthier than four billion people, financially higher than one billion people, and laughing daily as if I am the happiest man alive. It simply means there are blessings I am yet to taste, and by extension it could be I need to learn something new or the when aspect of the blessings is just not yet here.
Traditional religious Fasting is hard and God does not need us to fast, except for us to possibly learn or be ‘ blessed’ as rescue? Humankind can eradicate poverty even through strategic loaning and the article I titled ‘repentance routes…’ is a perfect example. Saudi Arabia is reportedly to invest 600 billion dollars in rich America, but refuses even 100 billion dollars to help the poor help themselves? Of course, many other Arab countries are rich and doing very little for the poor, except questionable meat, free-smiles help, and late rescues… Then rich blacks, including black muslims, are often similarly guilty, but unless we engage them through ch.103, we risk being counted among the loss. The poor also often need more than money, but educate them where need be and protect the children in vivid language and smart laws.
The raging wars are another clear example against religious exaggeration. When some Imams claim ‘Satan is handcuffed during Ramadan’, they invented ‘lies’ after Muhammad (pbuh) just like they lied the ‘angels are daughters of God’, even when they hated daughters? So let us say: Arabia was at 30% conscience before the Qur’an, now at 45, 55, or what percentage? No! I mean how can we raise human conscience to 100% or at least 99%, especially at leadership level? You should try to be better than your leaders, be happier than they are, or how terrible is it to doubly lose to Trump, Barrow, Tinubu, Zelensky, MBS, etc? May we rise and help even the mentioned to rise, especially on conscience.
Ramadan is small compared to the Qur’an, and the Qur’an is small compared to what level of conscience? If you have been fasting and reading the Qur’an for over one thousand years, then gauge yourselves on two issues: 1. The Qur’an is clearly pointing us to be anti-oppression. Are you among those who fight to end oppression worldwide or are some Atheists or Christian beating you or xyz on that?
2. The Qur’an clearly points us to help the poor, but how many types of help exist and are you doing or urging for the best type? Open-chance help is clearly the winner, but the arrogant and low ‘hearts’ find it hard to even discuss? Don’t act like you are deaf, or your so-called prophets and religious leaders are above what the Lord conscience reveals or teaches us in our age.
May God bless us and those who help us, but curse any spirit that dares fight us or the higher truth and kindness we want to establish on earth…
