WELCOMING RAMADAN- BY PROFESSOR TIMEHIN SAHEED

Ramadan knocks at our door. Its aura permeates the horizon. Its spiritual effulgence fills the air we breathe. Let's open our arms to welcome it. Let's brace ourselves for its spirit-lifting moments.

Ramadan is not just a month on the calendar,

nor is it a season for a mere ritual of hunger and thirst; it is a divine visitation - a season when the doors of mercy are flung wide, when the chains of heedlessness are loosened, when the soul soars to unite with Allah, the Source of all things, and when the human heart is invited to return home.

Allah says in the Qur’an: “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain God- consciousness.” (2:183)

Ramadan is not about starving the body;

it is about awakening the heart. It is not about empty stomachs; it is about full spirits. It is not about counting the hours to iftar;

it is about making every second count.

This is the month of the Qur’an. The month in  which the Prophet's meditations  and contemplations moved the entire cosmos and its doors opened wide. The month in which the heavens first whispered "Iqra’" to the heart of Allah’s Prophet (saw) in the Cave of Hira. The month in which the final legislative revelation began to descend from the Sacred Tablet of Divine Wisdom.

Yes, it is here. This month in which destinies are written anew, when decrees hitherto affirmed are altered by Allah’s Unfathomable Benevolence, when stories are reviewed and narratives are edited - the month in which sincere tears wash away the calamities of several years; that period when a single night, Laylat al-Qadr, is better than a thousand months.

Why not begin it with pure intention?  Enter it with ardent longing. Approach it with true repentance and a strong yearning for Divine Clemency.

Let this Ramadan be different. Let a new spiritual dawn rise in you. If you have been distant from the Qur’an, return. If you have been delaying your Salah, reform. If grudges have hardened your heart, forgive, and if sins have dimmed your light, repent.

Ramadan has not come to decorate our routines;

it has come to transform our realities. Observe fasting, not only from food, but from gossips; not only from drinks, but from vain passions; not only from desire, but from lewd thoughts.

In the dark and quiet night, stand up for the night prayer; while the world sleeps, speak to your Creator in whispers; open your bosom to the One Who knows your weaknesses and your strengths - the One, Who alone sees the darkest corners of your being;  because in Ramadan, supplications traverse the clouds and the firmaments swiftly, and mercy descends gently.

Remember that He Who who has brought you to the threshold of Ramadan

can carry you through every trial, every crisis, every tribulation, and every misfortune. Make a good use of this month. Perhaps this is the Ramadan that will heal your heart; perhaps this is the Ramadan that will rewrite your destiny; perhaps this is the Ramadan that will bring you closer to Allah than you have ever been. Do not let it pass just as a habit. Let it mark you. Let it change you. Let it elevate you.

Welcome Ramadan with hope in your heart, light in your eyes, and resolve in your soul. The heavenly guest is at the door, and with it has come the eternal mercy of Allah. Prepare the most sumptuous meals for the poor to host it; put smiles on faces, give hope to hearts, bring relief to souls, and the heavenly guest will recommend you in the Divine Presence. 

As the hour approaches, I say: Ramadan Mubarak. May this month make us better than we have ever been.

© PROFESSOR TIMEHIN SAHEED OLUROTIMI 

- Nigeria