Welcoming Ramadan

Some one and half billion inhabitants of planet earth that identify as Muslims will be welcoming the holiest month of the year. Ramadan-al-Mubarak is a month wherein the Holy Quran was revealed, a month wherein devils will be restrained and a month wherein the gates of Paradise (Jannah) will be opened. Moreover, this is a month where rewards for every good deed, worship and charity shall be multiplied manyfold.

This month endows upon us the opportunity to renew our pledge of faith and servitude to our Lord, Creator and Owner, Allah the Almighty, to turn to Him, to cleanse our hearts with tears of repentance and penitence and utilize its spiritual moments to purify both our hearts and spirits.

Although humanity today has advanced tremendously in worldly affairs, it has however come out empty and poor spiritually and morally than at any epoch. Contemporary humans have created numerous means and facilities for their physical wellbeing, but have lost all spiritual tranquility in the process. Self-indulgence and hedonism have morphed into afflictions for the human spirit as mental illness, depression and psychological disorders have become irremediable problems for humanity at large.

The cause behind all these disorders is nothing other than humanity turning its back on religion, forgetting their Creator, Provider and Sustainer, following manmade laws over the divine, and giving overwhelming precedence to materialism over spirituality. However, experience has proven time and again that a materialistic life devoid of spirituality is an empty and hollow concept that has no prized destination and end state – that is why we are witnessing materialism plunging present humanity into a great crisis and robbing it of all contentment.

The message of Ramadan-al-Mubarak is that the humanity gone astray returns to its nature and origins, to not boast of its minute intellect and reason, to bow their heads in humility to Allah (SwT), and to abandon the path of deviation and rebellion.

Come, let us answer in the affirmative to this message of Ramadan, to renew our pledge of belief and worship to Allah (SwT) with complete sincerity and honesty, to accept the divine law sent by Allah (Islamic Shariah) as our guiding principle and to wash our thoughts and minds from doubt, hypocrisy and uncertainty.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan congratulates the entire Muslim Ummah on the arrival of Ramadan-al-Mubarak and hopes that just as this month is a month of spiritual rejuvenation and jubilance for the Muslims, Allah (SwT) also makes it for the Muslims a month of prosperity and deliverance from disease and disasters.

Muslims around the globe must welcome Ramadan-al-Mubarak with good deeds, worship, charity, compassion and sacrifice in the path of Allah, and must not waste this great opportunity for mercy and forgiveness under any circumstance.