Voice of British Muslim Women

Fateha Khawaja, Tilford.

A month of fasting sounds daunting when looked at from a distance. A month of depriving yourself from some of the most necessary means of human survival from sunrise to sunset. A month of exercising your patience to immeasurable lengths. A month of bettering yourself and feeling empathy with those who are far worse off than our luxurious lives. The essence of Ramadan lies within the kindness you show to others and the spiritual enrichment you gain. It is time spent with family worshipping your Creator.

Despite the fact that we are all observing Ramadan very differently this year and many people do not have the comfort of their families to help through this month of patience, alhamdollilah the month is fast coming towards the end. The month of Ramadan is divided into three parts and we are currently in the middle ten days and these are said to bring Allah’s forgiveness. Naturally, the whole month of Ramadan is a month of forgiveness but these ten days in particular are where we as believers should be seeking Allah’s forgiveness actively.

The purpose of Ramadan is not to stay hungry from sunrise to sunset- it is to become spiritually enriched and repent for your sins. These 10 days are for engaging in Istighfar (to seek forgiveness of Allah). His Holiness Khalifatul Masih V, head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community said in his Friday Sermon on September 19^th, 2008 that Istighfar was the only way to Allah. In Ramadan, we have ample opportunity to repent for any wrongdoings we may have committed in the previous year, even if, as the Promised Messiah (peace be on him) has said, these sins are the size of mountains. In the Holy Qur’an, Allah the Almighty states: ‘…they would have surely found Allah Oft-Returning with compassion and Merciful.’ (4:65). Allah, as our Creator, is most Merciful. He gives us chances to undo our wrongdoing and better ourselves constantly. It is then human error when we do not take these chances and think we will be ‘miraculously saved’. In Ramadan particularly, when it is said that Satan has been put in fetters to keep him far from mankind, we should take the time to come even closer to God and to strengthen this blessed relationship.

It is within the nuances of human nature, that we all have weaknesses and although sometimes they remain hidden to others, this is only due to the grace of Allah. It is only when we pray for true forgiveness and supplicate to Allah so that He may hide our weaknesses that we remain protected. Satan is ready to expose us when the opportunity brings itself therefore it is only through this constant Istighfar that we can remain protected. I’m sure we all have weaknesses that we would rather remain hidden purely because they do not show us in the best light or we feel they are too personal – it is comforting to think that you are able to help keep these hidden with the aid and mercy of Allah. All we have to do is worship Him and repent which furthers us in our spiritual journey and is important to at least try and do this in Ramadan, when our usual worldly distractions will be slightly further from us than normal, when we make the time to pray and read the Holy Qur’an, it is from here we will learn the right path.
The Promised Messiah (peace be on him) has spoken about the difference between Istighfar and repentance. He has said that the Muslim Ummah has been provided two things; one that helps us gain strength and one that puts this strength to good use. In this way, Istighfar is a tool that we can actively use against Satan and that will help us remain on the right path and repentance is the way we can use this tool to keep him away from ourselves. We have been told so clearly how to keep ourselves on the right path and help us stay away from sin, yet we still make mistakes constantly. We get caught up in the sparkle of this materialistic and worldly life and forget what should be most important to us; supplicating to Allah and worshipping Him for He is our Creator.

I find the month of Ramadan so necessary to come around annually because it gives us a moment to put our priorities straight, just as we may be straying and remember what should be important to us. We go through a month strengthening our resilience and fortitude, cleansing our bodies both physically and mentally and, if used correctly, taking full advantage of the blessings we can garner and spending our time in religious matters. May Allah enable us this month and in the coming months to use this tool of Istighfar to our best ability and accumulate myriad blessings, ameen.