Imbue Every Month With The Spirit Of Ramzan

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam

21 April 2023

Divinity resides in a heart

That throbs with compassion

 Spirituality lives in a soul

 That goes beyond religion

Nizami, translated from Persian by the writer

To feel for all

Whether big or small

This is the crux of existence

All else is nonsense

American poet Ogden Nash

Most of us are religious but only a few are spiritual and imbued with an ever-present fellow-feeling. In fact, we all love to tom-tom our religiosity at the drop of a hat. Yet, we remain unperturbed by the sufferings of not only the human beings but of all creatures.

Once Hakim Sanai was returning home. He saw a wounded piglet. The compassionate Sanai immediately attended to the piglet and saved it. When someone said that even touching a pig was haram  in Islam, Sanai said, ' Ostracise me from Islam. Because I know what I did have nothing to do with my scriptural faith. I can again and again save the same piglet and for that I'm ready to face Allah's wrath. To me, a simple act of kindness is the greatest sample of spirituality and humanity.

'When the heart melts at each and every creature's pain/ When the soul cries even for those, it hasn't seen/ When your spirit bleeds at the bloodshed far away, you feel you're soulfully connected to the whole universe.

The sooner we all understand this, the better will it be for the entire mankind. In these times, when sanguinary instincts are overwhelming and we're killing each other in the name of religion, it's time to introspect and look within.

When the holy month of Ramzan is drawing to an end, shouldn't we say in the words of Ali Sardar Jaffrey, "Bana Har Maah Ko Ramazan/ Uthkar Aadmi Se Ban Insaan" (Make every month a Ramzan/ From a mere individual, become a human).

Why the generous spirit of a holy month should remain limited to a definite period of stipulated days? Shouldn't it get suffused all over to make every month and moment holy and sacred? Always remember, sacredness is not momentary. It's momentous.

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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.

 

URL:   https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/imbue-spirit-ramzan/d/129616

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