By the grace of Allah Almighty, we have successfully come to the end of yet another blessed and fulfilling holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a month of blessings, the lessons of which are so numerous that if one attempts to count all of them, one will not be able to do so.
It is a sacred month the sanctity of which was mentioned by Allah Almighty in the Holy Qur’an. Allah Almighty says: “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.” (Chap 2:184)
With this verse in mind and in the quest to follow and obey the commandments of Allah Almighty, Muslims all over the world fast during this blessed month in order to become righteous, improve their worship and try their best to get to the nearness, mercy, forgiveness and salvation of their Creator, Allah Almighty. Regarding the blessed holy month of Ramadan, Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an: “And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.” (Chap 2:187).
This shows that the holy month of Ramadan is full of blessings and that if we strive with all our strength in the cause of Allah Almighty, wishing to win His pleasure and nearness, He will surely guide us and bless us to become righteous. It is also with that spirit of striving in the cause of Allah Almighty and the fact that the Holy Qur’an was revealed in the holy month of Ramadan that Muslims all over the world, intensify the recitation, reading, study and listening to the Holy Qur’an during the holy month of Ramadan as Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran: “The month of Ramadan is that in which the Qur’an was sent down as a guidance for mankind with clear proofs of guidance and discrimination…” (Chap 2:186)
Indeed, the holy month of Ramadan serves as a reminder to all Muslims that the essence of our creation is for the worship of Allah Almighty and for that reason, even after the holy month of Ramadan, we should not forget about the good moral qualities and the efforts we made to achieve higher spiritual standards and in doing so hoping to win the pleasure and nearness of Allah Almighty. As we have all spent this month in the worship of Allah Almighty, praying all our five daily salat almost on time every day, filling the mosques with our attendance, waking up at night for tahajjud and nawafil prayers, reciting the Holy Qur’an and listening to its recitation, these are noble acts of worship which we should continue doing throughout the year and not just in Ramadan.
We should not abandon mosques and leave them empty. We should not throw away the Holy Qur’an and put it aside and let it be covered with dust. We should not stop waking up for tahajjud prayers and we should not stop offering our obligatory five daily salat as well.
In the holy month of Ramadan, another important act which Muslims carry out is giving out charity. In holy the month of Ramadan, we look after the poor, the needy, orphans and the less fortunate among us. We provide for them, take care of their needs and make sure that they share in the joy and partake in the blessings of the holy month of Ramadan with the hope that we will get our rewards from Allah Almighty for these good and charitable acts of ours. We should all try our best that even after the holy month of Ramadan, we do not forget about the poor, the needy, orphans and the less fortunate among us but indeed take care of them and provide for their needs.
Our beloved master, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), increased his worships and charity during this holy month of Ramadan but indeed he continued worshiping Allah Almighty and continued helping the poor, the needy and orphans even after the holy month of Ramadan and he never stopped seeking Allah Almighty until his demise. As Muslims, that is the example we should follow as the Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustapha (saw) is our model as Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
“Verily you have in the Prophet of Allah an excellent model, for him who fears Allah and the Last Day and who remembers Allah much.” (Chap 33:22)
The moral and spiritual trainings and advancements which we went through and strived for during the holy month of Ramadan, should be one that we take with us throughout the year. Let us remember that to witness this year’s Ramadan is not a guarantee that we will witness next year’s Ramadan as some people we spent last year’s Ramadan with are no longer with us today. So a believer should always aim and strife for the highest moral and spiritual state which will draw the mercy, forgiveness and nearness of Allah Almighty. May Allah Almighty make it easy for us all and make us experience and witness many more Ramadam. Ameen.
I am hereby extending to you all the warmest salam, love, prayers and Eid Mubarak of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V(May Allah be his Helper), the Spiritual and Supreme Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be his Helper). On behalf of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at The Gambia, I humbly wish you all Eid Mubarak and Blessed Koriteh.
May Allah Almighty accept all the humble devotions and sacrifices that we have made during the Holy Month of Ramadan. May He continue protecting and blessing our beloved and dear motherland, The Gambia and her people and shower peace, security, prosperity and stability on us all.Ameen.
