Irtif Lone

Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which starts with the sighting of crescent and marks the start of one month long fasting days from dawn to dusk. The term Ramadhan is believed to have been derived from the word Al-Ramd meaning the burning heat of sun. It is said that this month has been named so because it burns the sins.

I started to fast during the month of Ramadhan very early in life, much before the age it becomes obligatory. And possibly for two reasons, one that my brother and a cousin who was his age and lived a couple of blocks from our house started to fast month long and I thought of this as some kind of competition. I didn’t want to lag behind. The other, that in the evening when everybody would sit together to break the fast, I was the only one not fasting. This looked very inappropriate at least for me, I was not ready to be called a ‘Kid’, who was exempted from fasting so I took it on myself more than anything as a challenge. And latter relished all the delicacies prepared for Iftiyaar, which I believed I earned through the day of fasting.

This month which is meant to purify you, also raises your spiritual being to newer heights.  The day starts with waking up much before the dawn and having the “Suhoor”, which has to be then followed with Fajr prayers. The amount of commitment and discipline it requires surely purifies the soul. This month marks the highest number of prayers an individual makes. Kashmir has always been keen on getting more while paying less. That’s one major reason the Masjids are packed with people. Almost everybody makes his way to Masjids this month to reap the benefits which are seventy times the usual. People are found praying on roadsides as well.  Everybody wants to take out the maximum from this month.

But, with more people making it to Masjids the controversy multiplies as well. The first controversy is about the number of Rakaats to be prayed in Tarawi. Then latter the discussion about the timing of prayers, Awwal or Aakhir also stems up. And the worst one is between the regular Masjid goers and Ramadhan goers. The regular ones think as if their privacy is intruded by the Ramadhan namazi’s and wish no intrusion over the decisions related to Masjid by these new comers.

All through these years, I have seen this one activity happening which marks the presence of the month of Ramadhan in Kashmir. A couple of days before the holy month start, markets are flooded with dates.  And they have come a long way, from being sold at open wooden carts which still exists, but the major market seems to taken by the packed ones, making their way from Arab countries. People have developed some emotional attachment to dates and consider it inappropriate to break their fast with anything else.

But at the end of this holy month, people come out better than what they had entered into as. They have their souls purified. But how long they are able to retain this goodness of being a true Muslim varies individually.

Between, I intend to wish you a happy and blessed month of Ramadhan. May you get the most out of this month.

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