GEARING UP FOR RAMADAN

              The holy month of spiritual enlightenment has just begun for all the Muslims brethren. This month is known to one and all as Ramadan which is observed throughout the world in the 9^th month of Islamic Calendar . People of Moradabad and nearby areas are filled with the sombre mood on the arrival of this sacred month.

            “Ramadan is a great opportunity that comes once a year to renew one’s relationship and commitment  to Allah”. Says Afsha Nasir, a house wife.  Ramadan is considered as the most sacred muslim occasion . This holy event is most pious to Muslims from the time when Islam came into existence. It seems the sacred knowledge was revealed to Prophet Mohammad during the month of Ramadan.  During this period a definite code of conduct is followed by the devotees like fasting, practicing, self-restraint, praying, performing charitable activities etc.

            It is interesting to note the religion belief behind observing fasts throughout this month. According to Hakeem Syed Masoom Ali Azad, Imam-e-Shahar “ observing fast is considered as a mark of respect to Allah and it shows gratitude to him for the trace knowledge that he gifted to his children.”Ramadan is the month of getting as much rewards as possible in lieu of kind, humble and charitable deeds. People involve in holy and religious activities throughout the whole day and try to gain as much rewards(sawab) as they can in this spiritual month, and also give charity (zakat) to the needy and helpless.

          During this month, muslims do not indulge in any form of recreation and entertainment. Thus it is the holy month and Laylat-ul-Qadar a night of the month is symbolically regarded as the same night on which the holy knowledge was showed upon(gifted) to Prophet Mohammad and consequently to mankind. It is also the month of the Quran (the month in which Quran was revealed).There is a religious belief that on the authority of Ibn Abbas, Angel Gabriel used to meet the Prophet every night in Ramadan and study Quran with him.Some believe that it is also a month of seclusion and generosity.

        “ When Ramadan comes, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained” says doctor Samra Ali.Further she added that, in a narration from Nasa’i, the following words are expressed : ‘ and a caller calls out every night: ‘ oh seeker of Good, draw near! Oh seeker of evil, desist!’According to Parvez Alam, an exporter, “ Ramadan commemorates that part of the Islamic year when ‘ the Quran was sent down as a guidance for the people’ and also for the judgement between right and wrong”. The holy month begins with the sighting of the crescent moon on the evening following the new moon and lasts for 29-30days  depending on lunar cycle.

            Sana Parveen, a housewife, says “ Generally all Muslims gather on their terrace to witness the new moon with the naked eyes and it is believed that if anyone prays or wishes for something immediately after seeing the new moon almighty Allah grants their wishes for sure”.The tradition followed in seeing the moon is that witnesses should testify to this before a quazi(judge), who if convinced communicates the news to the mufti( the Muslim law interpreter) who declares the beginning of the fast.

             Mohd. Suhail, an exporter opines, “ By fasting, Muslims believe they can learn the discipline and self-restraint that Prophet Mohammed preached”.

             From dawn to dusk Muslims refrain from food, drink etc; but two meals are taken each day during Ramadan. The ‘Sehri’ begins each day before dawn and the ‘iftaar’ opens the fast after Sunset. At dusk each day the fast is broken with dates and water. After breaking the fast, they perform prayer and later they listen to the recitation of Quran in the mosque, the process is called “ Taravih”. The Sawab(rewards) of fasting during this month are believed during this month are believed to be multiplied by 70 times.Fasting for muslims during this month includes the increased offering of salat prayers and recitation of Quran.   

            To sum up, Ramadan is a sacred month which is the way to spiritual enlightenment. It is compulsory(mandatory) for every muslim to observe the fasts, else they may not be forgiven by the God. Ramadan teaches Muslims how to practice self-discipline for those who are less fortunate and thus encouraging actions of generosity and charity before indulging in festive celebrations.

SWARN LATA SHARMA

MORADABAD

9412322038

                                  REMEMBERING OUR GREAT LEADERS

                     Who is not familiar with the great leaders of our country?  Lal Bahadur Shastri and Swami Vivekanand are quite familiar to us among them. On the occasion of the death anniversary of our freedom fighter Lal Bahadur Shastri which falls on 11 January and the birth anniversary of our religious leader Swami Vivekanand that falls on 12 January ,TP talks to the people of different age groups  about them.

                    Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on October 2, 1904 to the family of a school teacher at Mughalsarai in U.P. As a great freedom fighter and India’s second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri led his life with great simplicity and honesty. He was a great source of inspiration for all the countrymen during his time. He became one of the most loved political leaders of all times. He coined the famous slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” and helped India to attain self sufficiency in food security. He died on January 11, 1966. He was the first person to be posthumously awarded the India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. Pradeep kumar , a retired educationist says, “We are very fortunate to have such great personalities to follow as our icons who believed in simple living and high thinking. He was very polite and humble by nature.” Lal Bahadur Shastri was a man of great courage and will .He further opines that now-a-days our grandchildren i.e. present youth do not have such personalities to follow .They are either attracted towards celebrities of movies or sports.

              Likewise, one cannot forget our spiritual leader, Swami Vivekananda. People regard him as a patriot saint of Modern India and Hindus consider him as a source of spiritual power, mental energy, strength giving and open mindedness. Dr. Ritu Dubey,  professor of philosophy says, “We very often recollect his views as he has given us laws of life, for example  ‘Love is the law of life,’ ‘Nothing is impossible’, ‘Uphold your ideals’, ‘Be truthful—as everything can be sacrificed for truth ,but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.”One is inspired to read about the great values he imparted.

                Swami Vivekananda was born in Calcutta on January 12, 1863 and became a monk at the age of twenty five. In his speech he often quoted saying of his mother, “Remain pure all your life; guard your own honour and never transgress the honour of others. Be very tranquil, but when necessary, harden your heart”. Swami Vivekananda was a humanist, a patriot, philosopher, preacher who awakened the people of Hinduism from its age old slumber and infused into it a new life and new blood.  Geeta Agarwal a social worker suggests that the youth of today should be motivated to read about such great leaders so that they may learn to enhance more and more virtues and moral values in life.  She further adds, “Apart from this, the other benefit will be to refrain themselves from participating in the anti-social activities and think sympathetically towards the welfare of the society. Moreover,in our country the social cohesion, adherence to moral and ethical values and commitments to the society have been the hall marks of socio culture ethos.    

         To this, Mamta Garg ,an exporter says, “value education is essentially a matter of educating the feelings and emotions. It is the training of the heart. The need for value education among the parents, children, teachers, etc is constantly increasing as we continue to witness increasing violent activities, behavioural disorders and lack of unity in society.”  

          Vishal  Gupta a graduate student says, “ I have read many thoughtful messages and quotations of Swami Vivekananda ji and I am trying to act accordingly in my routine. I am sure it will help in achieving my goals.”                                             

          Swami Vivekanand’s concept of freedom is another monumental contribution to political thought. His theory of freedom is fairly comprehensive. The constant motion of the whole universe represented the insatiable lust and impending quest for freedom. He not only exposed the cause of spiritual freedom which severed bonds of Maya but also advocated material or external freedom of man. He expounded the theory of natural rights of man. In his words “Liberty does not certainly mean the absence of obstacles in the path of misappropriation of wealth, etc by you and me but it is our natural right to be allowed to use our own body; intelligence or health according to our will without doing any harm to others; and all the members of a society ought to have the same opportunity for obtaining wealth, education or knowledge.”

         It is good to know that Central Board of Secondary Education is planning to organize various off line and on line competitions for school students on the eve of Youth Day to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. All schools, colleges, Clubs are called to conduct activities like poster paintings, slogan and essay writings, debates, to reflect the ideology of great saint.

       Such great leaders have challenged the prevailing evil customs and enlightened the society on various social and religious matters. One can easily observe that their life exhibits the values like respect of humanity, dignity for all, humanism, reason and inquiry for seeking the truth, kindness and compassion, contentment, social equality and so on. They could adhere to these values even in their toughest times. An attitude to serve the people, uplifting the down trodden, impartiality and integrity, benevolence – they all became the hall marks of their personality and character.

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Swarn Lata Sharma