The Ramadhan of Deep Reflection
by Dr Nabilah Zulkifly (Malaysia)
The commemorations of Hari Raya was especially joyous this year! We were finally allowed to gather and celebrate the festivity with loved ones. Apart from the exhilaration, the festival signifies victory for Muslims after completing a month of fasting. Ramadhan, aside from being a period of abstinence, imparts the principles of spirituality and provides nourishments for the souls of the believers.
We restrict ourselves from bodily appetites during the fasting month. After abstaining from eating and drinking during the day, having the meal for breaking the fast is what we look forward to. When our hunger and thirst are fixed, we no longer yearn for food. It made us realize that the joy of having it is momentary. It is happiness that we enjoyed in both physical and psychological states.
Happiness is generally understood as a state where physical needs and desires are met. It could be attained from as simple as having good food to possessing wealth or building one’s own family. Having our needs and wants fulfilled will delight us, but that sort of happiness is changing constantly in relation to the nature of desires that are always in the states of flux. This brings us to another type of happiness mentioned in the Quran as belonging to the spiritual realm. When it is attained, it becomes permanent – such is for one who attains the tranquility of the soul.
Achieving a stable state of peacefulness of the heart for a true believer, is achieved through the possession of strong faith (iman) and with remembrance towards God. Tan Sri Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas stated in his lectures that faith towards God should be based on knowledge about Him, instead of fear.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) mentioned that ‘he who knows himself knows his Lord’. This attests to the fact that for one to have knowledge of his Lord, one must first have knowledge of himself. Knowing ourselves in this context does not refer to physical characters or attitude, but instead to the journey of being conscious of the reasons for our existence which lead us to our Creator. It is only with knowledge will the veil be lifted to witness His grace and mercy.
The renowned poet Jalaluddin Rumi, in one of his discourses uses an analogy of a king’s messenger who was ordered to execute the command in a city. He fulfilled so many commands but did not perform the main task, so he was still considered at fault. Humans can forget many things but not one thing – that is the purpose of our existence. He mentioned further, that if one crucial matter is neglected it is as though we have not completed anything in this world.
The role of man is as the vicegerent of God on earth. It was meant for man to rule and improve the world for and on His behalf by applying His orders. Ruling the world does not only refer to the social hierarchy that we created, but also by being able to lead ourselves first, and foremost.
Being obedient towards Him means exercising justice, that is being able to place things in their rightful place. Justice is defined as putting something in its own place. Recognizing a proper place for something requires a deep comprehension on the subject. To provide a simple example, lawyers with the knowledge of jurisprudence are trusted in courts with legal matters, while doctors with medical knowledge are responsible for treating patients, not vice versa. The failure to acknowledge one’s true place or the violation of the trust that has been placed on them will lead to injustice and chaos. I am grateful that Ramadhan has showed me how fragile we are in upholding our self-awareness and how many more Ramadhans we need before we can achieve a delicate balance of adab – of being at the right place in this world and beyond.
