End of Ramadan

We are in the last week of Ramadan. This is the time most devotees, true to the demands of self submission to the Almighty, spend waking hour’s time, especially at night, in full devotion to Him. It is only at night that the call for submission is greatest. It is not easy, and only those used to the routine of waking up in the wee hours would be able to get into the routine. I struggle, every year I do, and I try my best to devote time to Him. I am neither pious nor religious but I do realize the need to connect with Him, if not for anything else, for my self esteem and inner peace. I think I have had good training and guidance in the religious aspect of life and I try to impart the same values to my children and possibly my children’s children. So, when the time comes to answer the call for submission I do my utmost, within my means and ability, to submit. I would expect my children to do the same too. May the Almighty be pleased……..

Every Ramadan our community mosque, just as all other mosques and prayer houses in the country, hold prayer congregations daily especially in the evenings following the breaking of fast, performing additional prayers to the regular obligatory ones. The additional prayers called for are twenty non-obligatory but highly called upon prayers and is usually performed immediately following the after dusk prayers. However there are some people who would only perform eight and not twenty, supposedly following the Prophet’s practice of doing eight in his time. The reality is, after the completion of eight prayers, more than half of the congregation will leave the mosque. There are a lot of sideline dialogues, some fanatically inclined even, on the whys and what fors of doing eight or twenty. To me eight or twenty is not the issue. It is how sincere you offer the prayers that matters. It is not the form but the substance that is called for. The obligatory prayers must be performed without fail. The twenty or eight are non obligatory, hence no detriment if it is not performed, so why argue? If it is performed and performed with full sincerity and in total submission to the Almighty then it meets the spiritual obligations demanded from us. No need to snigger upon those who do not do what we do. Be thankful that He has granted us the will to do it.

Another practice that I think is not according to the demands made upon us is the import of persons able to memorize the whole Holy Book (Hafeez) to lead in the non-obligatory prayers and reading verses from the Book during the prayers, end to end, over the thirty nights of Ramadan. It is traditionally done that way in the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina. But do we have to ‘ape’ what they do in the holy mosques? You are asked to read verses from the Holy Book in your prayers, yes, but for all within your capability. To import someone to do it for you when you cannot do it yourself is a bit much I think. I do not think that’s what is called for. I think there is no difference, to the Almighty, in reading short verses that you know of and memorize from reading the whole Book. Again I would like to go back to the basic principle of sincerity in what we do. Do we import Hafeez to show off? If we do then it is against the basic principle of total submission. May the Almighty guide us in the right path always, Amin………

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya