Ramadan Reflections 1444/2023 Part 15
Where Are You Going?
In Surah 81 At-Takwir (The Overthrowing), Verse 26 asks Allah us
"Where then are you going?”
This is something we should really reflect on in Ramadan. Ramadan is the yearly reset in the life of a Muslim, just like the jummuah (Friday congregational prayer) is the weekly reset, and five daily prayers are the daily reset, in order to stop, pause, worship, supplicate, reflect and grow, as individuals, as families and as communities.
The truth of the matter is, if we are not moving forward on our spiritual journey, then we are moving backwards. Most of us human beings are in a state of heedlessness, where we forget our Creator, our purpose, whence we originated from and whence we are returning to. All sins lead back to a lack of God-consciousness; and we lack God-consciousness because we are heedless; and thus it is vicious cycle that many are trapped in.
So this question of “Where then are you going?” is a question that we must ask ourselves on a frequent basis.
How do we know where we are going?
Where do we find purpose, intention, direction and practice?
It is by The Guidance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, for Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the embodiment of the Qur’an and described as ‘The Walking Qur’an’.
Thus, we really have to reevaluate our lives in Ramadan, and realign our intentions, priorities and purpose.
What have we been doing in the past year?
What changes do we want to make for ourselves and our families in the coming year, if we are given the blessing of continuous life insha’Allah?
These are important questions to ask, as individuals, as families, as a community, as a member of the global human family.
Ramadan is a time to set new goals and new resolutions. It is the time to take ourselves to account before we are taken to account; to weigh ourselves before we are weighed on The Day of Reckoning.
Ramadan is the month wake up before our soul is taken and then we will truly be woken up, and then we will know, but it will be too late at that point.
Ramadan is the time to stop, to pause, to retreat, to reflect, to reset, to retrain and re-build strength and to renew ourselves.
Ramadan is the month of hope, redemption and transformation. It’s the month when we consciously, mindfully, and intentionally let go of old habits, and find new and beneficial ways to spiritually enhance ourselves, our families, and our communities.
As the Prophet ﷺ advised us, “Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.”
None of us know how much time we have left. None of us know how many breaths we have left.
Key Questions
1. Why are we here?
We are here to know and worship our Creator; to follow His commandments and to abstain from His prohibitions. Which means that what we don’t do in Ramadan, is just as important as what we do do in Ramadan. This applies to the rest of our year as well, but it is in Ramadan that we reboot ourselves, in order to navigate the rest of the year, from one Ramadan to the next.
2. What is our purpose?
Our purpose is to serve our Creator, by serving His Creation; to be of benefit to the people who are in our orbit, and with whom we come into contact with on a frequent basis, beginning with our immediate family, our extended family, friends, and the members of our communities.
3. What legacy do we want to leave behind?
Righteous children.
Beneficial knowledge.
Ongoing charity.
4. How do we accomplish the goals we set in this month?
It’s by bringing our focus back to connecting, building and maintaining an intimate relationship with The Qur’an. It is by studying the Seerah and the Sunnah of the Prophet, ﷺ, who embodies the teachings of the Qur’an. It is by surrounding ourselves with righteous companions, who remember their Lord morning and evening.
So again, this begs the question “Where then are you going?”
والله أعلم
