In the Name of God, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful, Welcome to another edition of our Ramadhan Special, titled Showers of Mercy. Today we start with a statement from Imam Reza (PBUH) the 8th infallible successor of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Regarding the virtues of the blessed month of Ramadan, the Imam said: "In the blessed month of Ramadan, sins are forgiven. The recitation of a single verse of the holy Qur'an in this month is like the complete reciting of the whole Qur'an in other months."
What a wonderful statement indeed that surely gladdens the hearts of the believers and makes them not only recite the holy Qur'an but also ponder over its timeless wisdom and unmatched eloquence.
Our life in this transient world, however brief, is without doubt a Divine Favour. We should consider life as a blessing as well as an excellent opportunity to strive for eternal bliss in afterlife, which could be achieved only by doing good deeds and abstaining from vices and evil acts. The manner of taking advantage of this opportunity depends on the type of human outlook to the world of creation. Throughout history, thinkers and observers have put forth conflicting objectives for life. But it is obvious that there is nothing in their viewpoints. The reason is because the manmade philosophical schools have failed to provide a proper meaning of life. These schools have taken the wrong path and ignored the basic aspects of human existence.
The proof in this regard is the morally decadent West's bewilderment in presenting a proper and comprehensive perspective of life. In the West, people have strayed away from morals as well as religious and divine ideas. As a result they are unable to answer many basic questions about life. Unfortunately, they indulge in ways worse than that of animals on the pretext of being free. This proves that although scientific achievements and industrial progresses are worthy, they do not meet the spiritual needs of mankind. These manmade schools promote promiscuity in society by allowing people to indulge in wanton pleasure without any thought for God and Divine Laws, when it is obvious that salvation cannot be achieved without spiritual and ethical values.
The human being by nature is inclined to growth, and if his existence is limited solely to the materialistic life of this world, one of his major needs, that is, tendency towards perfection will remain unfulfilled. Here the divine schools, especially the true religion of Islam come to the rescue of mankind. We realize the fact that whatever God had decreed for us is perfectly in accordance with our own innate nature. God sent Prophets all over the world to properly educate mankind. The Last and Greatest of these Divine Messengers, was Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He was entrusted the universal religion of Islam, which actually means peace, submission to none except the One and Only God, and the healthiest way of life. Whatever the other prophets had preached before to their respective nations was exactly this very same message.
The blessed month of Ramadhan is one such gold opportunity for believers to reform themselves by taking stock of the life they had hitherto spent. It is the month when we adorn ourselves with moral virtues that have great bearing on the whole society. For instance, ayah 96 of Surah Marium, says:
"Surely (as for) those who believe and do good deeds for them will Allah bring about love."
Thus in view of this undeniable proof we realize that God wants us to be sincere, and avoid evil deeds. If we adorn ourselves with piety and proper knowledge, these good characteristics will enable us to win the hearts of the people and will have a profoundly positive impact on the society. Thus dear friends strive to make this Ramadhan an excellent opportunity for self and social reform by reading and contemplating the ayahs of the holy Qur'an in the light of the teachings of the Prophet and his Immaculate Household. Goodbye.
