Austerity enriches the spirit of Ramzan

Roz rakhe jaate hain roze; Yahi naseeb-e-muflis hai; Kisi ne rakhe roze chand din; Toh koi bhookha hai qaahis se.

— Nashtar ‘Nishapuri’

(‘The fate of a poor man is that he fasts every day/Some fast for a few days/Alas, some are forever hungry’. Arabic word qaahis means ‘since childhood’)

DESPITE being an apatheist (one who has gone beyond theism and atheism), the muqaddas (auspicious) Maah-e-Ramzan has always fascinated me. While studying Al-Furqan and Islamic theology, once the idea of fasting occurred to me and it had no religious hues and undertones. I fasted for a couple of days and my dawn-to-dusk fasting was as strict as that of a devout Muslim, though I didn’t read the Koran or recite verses from the scriptures. I didn’t even drink water during my roza. That was a moment of realisation when the import of fasting dawned on me like a satori.

A completely new awakening overwhelmed my whole existence. I realised and empathised how difficult it was for the poor people to keep experiencing the constant pangs of hunger and thirst. For them, every day is a roza, whether or not they asked for it. Sahir Ludhianvi aptly wrote, “Bhookh aur pyaas ki maari hui iss duniya mein/Ishq hi ek haqeeqat nahin, kuchh aur bhi hai” (Love is not the only thing in this world, tormented by hunger and thirst).

My entire attitude towards poverty and impoverished souls changed once I observed roza. I became all the more sympathetic, nay empathetic, towards the have-nots. Most of us cannot relate to the plight and predicament of poor people. But once you’re in their shoes, even if that be simulated, you’re shaken to the core. That’s the purpose of a ritualistic fasting during the month of Ramzan. It mellows you down and connects you with the ground reality. In our moments of hubris, we often pooh-pooh certain rituals and customs as nonsense. But all these customs and ‘bindings’ have deeper connotations and symbols.

Ramzan is followed by Eid-al-Fitr and sheer-khurma is served, vindicating the Dari (Afghan variant of Persian) proverb, ‘safar-e-sakht un-bilam shihat ahin’ (every hard journey ends with sweetness). Just the way shab-e-charaghan (Diwali or night of lights) dispels the darkness and Jashn-e-faam (the festival of colours) fills the lives with all sorts of colours, the month of Ramzan connects us with our inner soul and makes us genuinely concerned about the welfare of our less privileged brethren. Happy Ramzan!