RAMADAN MOOD
It’s time to refocus our sights on Ramadan, the ultimate system in attaining mindfulness of God.
Why so early, you might ask?
The more important question is, why not?
If we analyse the Divine method, we’ll notice that Allah called our minds to eternity from the beginning. The first five chronological chapters of the Quran, Al-Alaq, Al-Mudatthir, Al-Muzammil, Al-Duha, and Al-Inshirah, all reference the afterlife.
That which is infrequent lacks the potential to be impactful or blossom into something meaningful. Humans are prone to instant gratification and postpone beneficial actions for their future selves. What is not part of the immediate future is relegated. Since the Hereafter comes at the end of our future, it lacks our attention. Paradoxically, our Hereafter hinges on every moment of our lives: ‘What is the life of this world but amusement and play? Verily the Home in the Hereafter, that is life indeed—if they but knew’ [29:64-65].
Allah sets copious reminders to assist us with our attention deficit. The reminders are so abundant that you will find the Hereafter, Paradise, Hell, the Day of Judgement or other related synonyms on almost every page of the Quran.*
Further attention is drawn to Judgement Day when we recite the fourth verse of Surah Al-Fatiha (The Opening) 17 times during our daily obligatory prayers: Owner of the Day of Judgment, and another 17 times if we perform the sunnah or recommended prayers.
The above reveals our human nature: repetition and high-frequency focus our attention and action, and messages or warnings with resonance deliver greater impact.
We must exploit human nature to benefit us, which brings us back to our topic of Ramadan.
We lose the Ramadan thrust if it’s only an annual practice. But we can increase its frequency and amplify its messaging by connecting Ramadan to every other month.
Thankfully, we have the sunnah to cultivate a perennial Ramadan mood. We can fast the six days of Shawwal, weekly on Mondays and Thursdays or the three monthly white days (13th, 14th, and 15th) when the moon is at its fullest, the nine days of Thul Hijjah, the ninth and tenth or tenth and eleventh of Muharram, the first half of the month of Sha’baan, in which the Prophet (s) fasted the most outside of Ramadan, and on our birthdays.
If we maintain just a fraction of this program every month, we would increase our fasting frequency by 100 per cent outside of Ramadan. The benefits would be immense.
By building a habit of regular fasting, we drive perpetual growth and avoid Ramadan atrophy. Aside from retaining Ramadan gains year upon year, we will also enjoy the incalculable compounding benefits of nurturing this superhabit.
Priming the scene, setting the mood or building the stage with high-frequency models is an effective habit-sticking method.
The nature of the habit is habitual, meaning it does not become permanent. If it did, it would cease to be a habit.
Looping the practice in a never-ending cycle is not unfamiliar to us. We already do this when we perform a Ghatm al-Quran (complete Quranic recitation) by seamlessly weaving the end into a new beginning.
Tying endings to beginnings is an excellent commitment device, keeping us engaged by priming the scene for our future approach.
Below are a few examples of priming the scene:
A GRAND PRONOUNCEMENT
Submission to God’s perfect Will was the preoccupation and occupation of the Prophet (s). It was the same for Khalil-Allah, the Friend of God, the Prophet’s great-grand progenitor, Sayduna Ibrahim (as), the Hanif, the True Submitter.
To establish a Hanifi spirit within the Prophet (s), Allah had put the following words in his mouth: ‘Say (Prophet), “Surely my Lord has guided me to the Straight Path, a perfect way, the faith of Abraham, the upright, who was not one of the polytheists. Say, “Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah—Lord of all worlds” [6:152-153].
The Prophet (s) adapted this grand pronouncement. He made it his sunnah, by reciting it after entering the salah (prayer) with the takbirat al-ihram (saying Allahu Akbar, God is the greatest): ‘I have turned my face towards the One who created the heavens and the earth. I submit myself to Him, strive for uprightness, and am not among the Polytheists. Verily, my prayer, my actions (in ibadah), my life and my death lie in the Power of the Almighty (and all above are done only for Allah). I associate none other with Him because He has commanded me with this declaration. And I am among those who (truly) submit’ [Muslim 771].
With this supplication, known as the Dua al-Iftitah, you too can cultivate a Hanifi spirit and build your whole life upon Allah’s guidance.
I can carry today’s load if I don’t add yesterday’s baggage and tomorrow’s apprehensions.
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
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