Shades of Ramazan

By Sarah B. Haider

The month of blessings is finally here.

Every year, Muslims all over the world wait for the commencement of this holy month.  Though, fasting and prayer may seem difficult to practice, all the Muslims out there treasure this month and wish it would last forever.

Ramazan provides Muslims with an opportunity to bring the best out of themselves. In fact, it could become a turning point for many Muslims to become better human beings.

Sadly, though, the opposite happens!

This light write-up highlights how many of us tend to act in a weird fashion during this blessed month.

Listed below are some of the typical categories that one comes across during Ramazan.

The social media fanatic

The presence of this person is a must in everyone’s Facebook or Twitter list. They compulsively update their status or tweet about their minute-to-minute activities to grab attention.

As soon as the Ramazan moon is sighted, they are the first ones to congratulate everyone with a “Chaand Mubarak” status. And the moment they would wake up for Sehr, you’d find their status update saying,

“Just woke up for Sehri – Feeling excited”.

Throughout the day, they would keep whining about their fast on the social media. “Two hours to go, feeling extremely hungry”.

Right before the Iftaar, you are likely to see their status update yet again, but this time, it would be something like this, accompanied with a few pictures of mouth-watering food,

“Waiting for iftar with friends” – at a top-notch restaurant of the city.

Though, many of us do not realise it, one’s religion is personal and advertising it is nothing short of a sleazy act. Fasting is all about patience for seeking Allah’s pleasure, and definitely not people’s attention.

The bear with sore head

This person has serious anger management issues, and is almost always in a black mood. The problem exacerbates during fasting as his stomachs growls for food and therefore all hell breaks loose.

Such people are often spotted on the streets during Ramazan, particularly during a traffic jam. With the iftar time approaching, their fury heightens particularly.

If, God forbids, someone dares to overtake their cars, they turn into animals and use foul language, and even worse, engage in physical fights, paying no heed to the purpose of their fast, which requires endurance and humility.

The canting braggarts

 Such people have a profound love for boasting about the religious rites and duties they perform.

If they give charity, they make sure that everyone gets to know about it. If they are offering prayer five times a day, they make sure that someone or the other sees them.

During Ramazan, their desire for bragging about their religiosity increases by leaps and bounds.  They would often bombard others with absurd questions like, “Hello, aren’t you fasting? How can you not?”

Though, many people don’t do it intentionally, but one must remember that Allah doesn’t like showing off.  Our purpose should be solely to please Him, not to impress people.

The sanctimonious evangelists

These people have a holier-than-thou attitude towards everyone.

During Ramazan, they think that they are the only devout Muslims existing on earth, and everyone else is an infidel. As soon as they get to know that someone is not fasting, they start talking behind their back.

They are also the ones who are always ready to police people’s morals. You are likely to hear them commenting, “Why did she have to wear sleeveless dresses in Ramazan? She is spoiling every man’s fast”.

Though, it is a good thing to appreciate good deeds and condemn evil ones, demeaning someone on the basis of one’s own piousness is fruitless!

The frail adherents

These people are intrinsically religious and practice all religious rites with utmost devotion and sincerity.

However, during Ramazan, all their energies get exhausted (along with their religious devotion). During the fast, they incessantly complain about feeling weak and fragile.

They would refrain from doing any work and pretend that they are sick to the stomach. Whenever you ask them for a favour, they usually snap back, “Yaar, mera roza hai” (Dude, I am fasting!)

For such people out there, remember that your fast is meant to be an act of obedience to Allah. So don’t deem fasting a Herculean task. It is, after all, for your own good.

So, now that you have all the categories straight, which one do you think you fall into?

Ramazan Mubarak!