Nafsiya Reflections: Reflections from Ramadan

Assalamu Alaikum and welcome to our episode: ’Reflections from Ramadan’

Another year and the long awaited guest, Ramadan, has come and gone too soon... looking back, the days of fasting passed quickly and the precious nights of ibadah flew by. How we miss the tranquility of the late night dua and the peaceful recitation of the Quran. The month of Taqwa in which we aspired to improve our character, to increase in knowledge and to instill ihsan (excellence) in all that we do - was one of many struggles for us, given the unislamic atmosphere of the society, and parts of our community, and even family.

In many parts of the world, the west in particular, the temptation to waste time with the usual worldly pursuits of sports and tv, indulgent iftar gatherings or binge in restaurants for many nights.. was hard to resist.. Making the struggle to attain Taqwa very much about avoiding the harmful or bad habits, as well as embracing all that is the good.

The Ummah today has been sold the idea that Ramadan is a time for personal solace. So we withdraw from the world en masse... yet this year like every single Ramadan the bombings and shellings intensified. The most vulnerable Muslim’s whose situation is beyond desperate, faced further torment and oppression.

The Saudi UAE coalition carried out 11 deadly air raids on Sanaa in Yemen, killing at least 12 women and children and injuring over 50 more. In Dhale’e Hajja another 13 were killed by US Saudi air strikes, and 8 more were killed by US Saudi mercenaries in Qa’ataba, with many more injured in both attacks. As if that wasn’t enough a girls school was bombed in Sanaa.

In Syria, Idlib, a hospital was bombed.. and in separate attacks around the countryside more homes were destroyed, as Russia intensified its attacks, dropping Barrel bombs. Dead children were pulled from the rubble and scores more were badly injured. 150,000 Muslims were displaced from Idlib in the first week of Ramadan alone.

In China’s Xinjiang region of East Turkestan.. the number of ethnic Uyghurs in concentration camps is now estimated to have reached 3 million. Inside they are mentally and physically abused and tortured with fire and snakes. They are force fed alcohol and pork and made to change their Muslim names to ethnic Han names. Women are forced to marry Chinese non Muslims, and are sterilised to prevent having Muslim children. Many are sent to prisons for severe torture, and are either returned to families dead, or cremated to destroy any evidence.

The world is silenced despite these revelations, and even in Ramadan the leaders of the Muslims collectively ignored the Uyghurs, to maintain their economic and strategic ties with China.

In Sri Lanka, there has been a backlash against Muslims since the Easter bombings, which culminated during Ramadan, in shops,houses and three masaajid being ransacked and set on fire. Our Muslim sisters in hijab have been harassed and abused, and fear and tension is felt everywhere.

And in Gaza as usual Ramadan was welcomed under a barrage of 350 air strikes and missiles. Killing 25 people, including pregnant women and children, injuring 150 at least. Civilian, and agricultural infrastructure was targeted, and as always the world sat motionless and incapable of even accounting the illegal Zionist entity.

Compare this to the Ramadan’s of the past... when the Muslim Ummah had the qualities of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, when it didn’t compromise the blood and honour of the Muslims for economic benefit... nor bartering it away over potential strategic interests.

Whether in Badr in 2 AH, the Fattah Makkah in 8 AH, the Liberation of Spain 92 AH, the Fall of the Mongols in 658 AH, or the victory against the original Crusaders by Salahuddin Ayoubi in 682 AH...

Every Ramadan - the pure Islamic values were present in the psyche, as well as the society of the Muslims under the rule of Islam. It was this consciousness that elevated their thinking, and it generated a firm and correct response to any possible harm committed by the enemies of Islam.

The absence of a sincere Islamic leadership has stunted the ability to respond to the violations against the Muslim Ummah and her lands everywhere. Capitalism and the values it purports have reduced the idea of justice to mere lip service... human rights supposedly championed by the west, are clearly only reserved for the white privilege or LGBTQ community, and mean nothing in the global political arena where Muslims are concerned.

The media propaganda regularly ensures a distorted image of Islam to demonise the individual Muslim, as well as her beliefs and values... and the economic stranglehold maintained by the global institutions mandates that the Muslim nations be entrenched in punitive economic policies from which there is no return.

It is clear that the Ummah’s revival will not be affected by the lack of, or an increase in, prayer, fasting and charity alone.... rather it is the comprehensive application of the Islamic ruling system that will assert our identity as an Ummah, and create the iman, strength and motivation to respond correctly to the intellectual and physical attacks upon the noble souls in our lands.

Allah swt says in the Quran... bismillah ar Rahman ar Rahim...

(إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ ۗ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ ۗ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ)

Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah, then indeed, Allah is swift in [taking] account. Surah ale-Imran, verse 19

Allah has chosen Islam as a way of life for us. It is our duty to reflect on this deplorable state of the muslim ummah, and to deeply consider the Islamic solutions to the exclusion of every other ideology. As we recite the Quran beyond Ramadan, it should invigorate our desire to bring to life in this world, the ayaat and words that we are uttering... by working to establish the System of our Rabb swt... which will implement His every order, including the protection of our ummah... so we can spend Ramadan as a united Ummah, enjoying the peace and stability of the whole of Islam, not just a part of it.

JazakAllahu khairan for joining us... until next time...
was’salaamu alaikum wrwb