In the Holy Month of Ramadan, Muslims will have to purify themselves through spiritual exercises which is not only abstaining from food and drink but any kinds of inhuman and immoral practices. This month tends to humanize the individual and collective life and reform people’ misdeeds. All individuals are supposed to extend patience and cultivate love and brotherhood in the society.
Ramadan is the month of virtue and humanity. Muslim Ummah will have to practice religious tenets with purity and genuine intention. This month aims to revive virtue and moral values in case of being eroded and recover the spiritual health. It is said that praying is the food for soul and spirit. In other words, spiritual needs have to be satiated through worship, including praying, fasting, alms giving, charitable deeds, etc. One’s soul will be blackened rusty as a result of repeated sins and misdeeds within a year. This month provides us the opportunity to polish our souls via confessing our sins and repenting. Otherwise, remaining thirsty and hungry will be of no value at all.
The philosophy behind remaining hungry and thirsty, according to clerics, is to feel the sufferings of the poor who undergo long time of hunger and thirst. A large number of people suffer from poverty around the globe, mainly in Afghanistan. For some, life is no more than a hell. For instance, there are countless of widows who lost their spouses in battles, terrorist attacks or suicide bombings, children have been orphaned or some were amputated in explosions in our country. Almost all poor families have their own tragic stories and were affected by decades of war and violence. So, the rich are supposed not to forget them. The pressure by hunger and thirst in this month aims to shaken the conscience of the rich and provoke their sense of generosity so that they help the poor financially.
In addition, we have to avoid any misdeeds, mainly violence in this month. That is to say, we should extend our sense of tolerance and acceptance. Muslim Ummah must respect people on the basis of being human regardless of their racial, religious, ethnic or linguistic differences. Intolerance and claiming superiority on the said grounds are against the Islamic tenets.
Currently, warring parties seek to spread Islamophobia around the world through attributing their harsh and violent practices to Islam. It is strongly believed that the militants who spill the blood of people, of any race and religion, have no knowledge of Islamic tenets or religious values. They have either born in the hotbed of radicalism and their heads were planted by parochial mindsets or paid to fight under the mask of religion. For instance, the Taliban killed almost two dozens of people in the country in the first day of Holy Month of Ramadan. They murder both Muslim and non- Muslim indiscriminately.
It should be noted that the aforementioned facts are not only in the month of Ramadan but people are to be cautious of their acts every second. This month is intended to reform our acts and deeds for the entire year and humanize our characters for life-time. If the individuals return to their misdeeds after the Holy Month of Ramadan, they were not believed to be blessed. When Muslims keep fast and repent their past misdeeds, they must continue strengthening their moral and religious characteristics forever.
The message of Ramadan for warring parties is to, at least, humanize the war if not quit it. They must not kill the innocent civilians, especially women and children, the wounded in action, detainees or hostages. In another item, humanitarian law, which stems from religious guidelines, must be abided by. People’s natural rights and dignity, bestowed by their Creator, must be protected under any circumstances. The radical groups are to minimize civilian casualties.
People are our “brethren in kind or religion” and we should treat one another with the spirit of brotherhood. Violating one’s rights and dignity anytime, especially in this month, will not be forgiven. It goes without saying that religious tenets have strong impact on social and political life. One’s beliefs will be revealed through their deeds in collective life. For example, if you think that people’s life and liberty are to be protected and respected, you will not try to trample upon them. Thus, Ramadan has its effect on personal and social spheres of life.
In this month, we must free ourselves from all immoral characteristics such as greed, jealousy, lust, etc. and fill the vacuum in our soul with virtue. In brief, we are to satiate our spiritual desire via ethical and religious practices.
In this month, the soul and body are in strong conflict. Our bodies tempt us to succumb to evil acts, sexual orientation, and worldly charms. On the other hand, our souls seek to free us from all evils and push us to nurture our human characteristics: be kind, help the have-nots, respect people’s fundamental rights, and so on. In short, Ramadan has two messages: cherish virtue and avoid vice.