Every year, Ramadhan never ceases to excite me. From the Ramadhan SMSes, the pre-Raya hype, the Masjid-hopping, and the I’itikaf and Lailatul Qadr hunt. On the eve of Awwal Ramadhan, exchanging SMSes with old friends and family, I received an SMS which went like this:
“626uq73d T6M6l32″
After failing to decipher what I assumed was the sender’s intentional use of leet, I decided to ask a friend, who immediately suggested I look into the mirror. The thing staring back at me was “Selamat berpuasa” (Happy fasting). Pretty ingenious and da Vinci-ish, but cool. Dan Brown would no doubt be proud. Another one was signed with “Regards from So-and-So, wife, and kids,” which was perplexing because the sender was, as far as I remembered, still single and very desperate 0_o Yet another one went like this:
“Set your Niyyah, upgrade your level of Iman, download some Sabr, upload some effort, delete any daydreaming, and update your Du’a, and don’t forget to top-up on ‘Ilm. Ramadhan Karim.”
Seamless integration of modernisation and Islamisation. Ok, that sounded somewhat like a Nokia ad… But it proves my point: See how Ramadhan brings out the inner genius in people? Anyway, on the first Iftar, a friend was already playing Raya tunes on his computer, to the delight (and anguish) of some. On retrospect, they never play P. Ramlee’s Dendang Perantau. That’s taboo unless you want to see guys shedding some tears hardcore. On the second day of fasting, people were already testing to see which mosques suit their tastes. There is this Surau in Kampung Bukit Beirut the Imam of which recites a short Surah from Juz ‘Amma in every Raka’at of Tarawih. I think they beat The Flash (or is it Superman?) for fastest prayer on earth. Regardless, we finished eight Raka’at by 8:45. A world record, I say.
Unfortunately, for some people, Ramadhan seems to be the same as any other month. Which is sad because this is the month of ‘Ibadah carnivals, as an Ustaz likes to put it. Maybe they’ve forgotten, but every letter recited from the Qur’an will gain ten times the Hasanat from a normal month. That’s like a 90% discount at the Ramadhan bazaaars (and even better because we know that will never happen in our lifetimes!). And remember, the reward for reciting Surah Al-Ikhlas is the same as that of reciting one-third of the Qur’an. But that’s in a normal month. Who knows what it is in Ramadhan. So guys, kick aside DotA for once and increase your Tadarrus.
I’itikafs are very interesting experiences. Aside from having been thrown out of a Masjid once–the entire school was banned due to a minor incident; a memorable experience indeed–, a few years back, I thought I found Lailatul Qadr. It was not on an odd night, but a friend thought it was that night too. There was a lot of tears in prayers, unlike other nights, and feeling overwhelmed and shameful, like I was really prostrate in front of God. That experience changed me. Everything that happened to me after that felt like Allah (S.W.T.) was communicating with me. When I had fever it was Allah (S.W.T.) forgiving me, when I was in a mess, Allah (S.W.T.) was thinking of me. It was a great feeling that is impossible to forget. The sweetness of Iman, once tasted, can never be forgotten. Sadly, it only lasted for two months. Life was never the same again after. But I really hope to find it again this year, so let’s all try our hardest.
A recent Tazkirah by a certain doctor made me realise that we have to have a purpose and aim for Ramadhan. In our frenzy to finish reading the whole Qur’an by the 30th, or filling up our Mutaba’ah ‘Amal, maybe we should contemplate how it’s going to be like after Ramadhan. Some post-processing wouldn’t hurt. It’d be a waste if it lasts for only a month. So why don’t we try our hardest to continue what we’ve done in Ramadhan in other months. This normally wouldn’t last till the end of Shawwal, but try your hardest nevertheless, and pray that Allah (S.W.T.) will accept our deeds for our loved ones who have left us.
Ramadhan Mubarak to everyone in the Kulliyyah of Science!
Spare us your two Scence. Even a smile(y) is Sadaqah =)
