The Ramadan Effect: Becoming a Better Person
Ayesha Mahmood Malik, UK
Editor – Law & Human Rights Section
In the blistering swathes of desert sands in 7th century Arabia, came down a commandment whose spirit mirrored its geographical terrain. Chapter 2 of the Holy Qur’an verses 184-186, revealed to the Holy Prophet (sa) through Archangel Gabriel, called on believers to fast during the month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and is derived from the Arabic word Ramada, which means ‘intense scorching heat.’ Its ideological foundations are therefore designed to reflect the intensity of base human desires and the ‘fire’ of an inner struggle (jihad) required to transcend the same. Fasting goes to the heart of all worldly enjoyments deemed permissible by God and requires one to forego them for a grander purpose to self-elevate, reform, and reach higher spiritual planes. It is ordained so that one may ‘guard against evil’ as chapter 2 of the Holy Qur’an verse 184 reads.
Thus, the instruction to fast is not merely about abstaining from food and drink during fasting hours, the fasting state is designed to be a vehicle whereby we connect with the innermost recesses of our souls, improving, refining, and steering them towards the Divine Being. However, this journey towards the Divine is inextricably linked with the fulfilment of another vital purpose of the fasting state – the fulfilment of the rights of God’s creation.
Therefore, the holy month brings into play the idea of worship in its most complete form: Ibadah, (or acts of worship) that involve prostrating oneself before God but also other physical acts of charity and giving that are tantamount to worship in Islam. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) himself would give more charity in Ramadan than at any other time and his generosity would resemble a fast wind due to his quickness and hastiness in giving alms.
This spirit of giving shares an intricate connection with the relationship we establish with our souls and nurturing our moral states and fashioning them to mirror God’s Attributes provides the necessary spiritual succour that propels us towards acts of charity, goodness, and righteous deeds. However, in cultivating this link with our souls, we must withstand the ‘intense scorching heat’ of fighting the demons that lie therein, which often become obstacles in our journey of growth and spiritual wisdom.
One such demon that has been expressly singled out by the Qur’an and merits discussion in this context is anger. God says in chapter 3 of the Holy Qur’an, verse 135:
‘Those who spend in prosperity and adversity, and suppress anger, and pardon men; and Allah loves those who do good.’
The verse provides a roadmap to attaining righteousness, with attention first being drawn to taking care of the needy. It illuminates the profound equation between righteous deeds and the suppression of anger. Anger is unique because it is an intangible toxin that is not physically injected into our bodies, to the contrary it is generated from within and when triggered, severely impedes our mental faculties to think with wisdom and rationality. It therefore erodes our empathy and drives injustice and is antithetical to the ideas of piety and virtuous actions.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah and founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has described anger as ‘half insanity’, which ‘when fully blown can change to complete insanity.’[1] Thus, to be able to temper rage in the face of great emotion and employ our intellectual capabilities to guide our base instincts away from anger into the realm of equanimity requires great fortitude and strength. It is no surprise then that the Qur’an mentions the suppression of anger as a foundation whereupon the structure of moral verities is constructed.
To achieve this in a fasting state is even more challenging, when our physical and mental capabilities are already tested by the abstention from food and drink. However, it becomes even more pertinent in Ramadan that our attention is drawn towards waging a meaningful jihad {struggle) against our souls by quelling the ‘heat’ of fury that incites man to abandon his humanity along-with his spiritual and intellectual wisdom. For virtuous deeds to be accepted at the Divine altar, they must be moved from a place of meekness and humility. This becomes especially true in the context of charity and alms giving, because the giving hand lies at the peril of being enticed into boastfulness and arrogance. Thus, Allah warns us in chapter 2 of the Holy Qur’an verse 265 by saying, ‘O ye who believe! Render not vain your alms by reproach and injury…’
There is therefore a deep connection between piety and righteousness and suppressing anger, and it is the first step towards forgiveness of which chapter 3 of the Holy Qur’an speaks. It is only through overcoming anger that a spirit to forgive is cultivated and reaches its zenith when the offender is not only pardoned by the person who was wronged but is bestowed an additional act of kindness or favour from him.
When we arrive at this stage of forgiveness, acts of kindness and compassion flow from a place of sympathy for mankind and love for the Almighty and are guided by a Divine Hand towards higher degrees of doing good. Allah says in chapter 16 of the Holy Qur’an, verse 91:
‘Verily Allah enjoins justice, and the doing of good to others; and giving like kindred…’
The Promised Messiah (as) explaining this verse in The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam has said that there are three gradations of doing good: the first, which is the lowest gradation, is doing good in return for good (‘Adl) and is easily acquired by even an average person. The second or middle gradation is doing good out of pure benevolence (Ihsan). However, this kindness belies a deficiency because “the person exercising benevolence is mindful of it and desires gratitude or prayer in return. The third and final gradation of doing good is epitomised by graciousness or giving like kindred (Ita’i Dhil Qurba) and is that pure station where from a heart pours love for mankind unconditionally as a mother loves her child.
As we strive to elevate our spiritual standards in Ramadan, which represents the climax of man’s spiritual journey towards his Creator, it is incumbent on us to remain mindful of the concomitant strife to try and emulate the moral excellences of forgiveness, graciousness, and charity in their purest form, which represent the pinnacle of our humanity. They epitomise the two jurisprudential pillars of the Islamic faith viz the rights owed to God and the rights owed to man, and the internal striving of this month is an embodiment of their spirit. The journey towards finding God is through His Creation, and the Qur’an enjoins us to furnish necessary provisions for our journey but that ‘the best provision is righteousness.’
About the Author: Ayesha Mahmood Malik is the Editor of the Law and Human Rights Section of The Review of Religions magazine. She is interested in Law and Religion, in particular Islam and Human Rights, the role of media in crisis reporting, International Human Rights and the import of religion on radicalisation. She has spoken frequently on these issues in the national media and various universities in the UK, including the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
ENDNOTES
[1] Malfuzat, Vol 5, pp. 126-127, 1985 Edition, UK
