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Ramzan - a pious month of abstinence from evil (SPECIAL)
By Firoz Bakht Ahmed 

The holy month of Ramadan (or Ramzan as it is known in South Asia) holds special significance for the people of the region. It is a period when the faithful not only show piety and compassion but also try to send across a strong message of communal harmony among their compatriots and their poor brothers, especially in India.

The concept of fasting during Ramzan that began Thursday is common to all religions in one form or the other. The only way Islamic fasting differs from those of other faiths is that its duration is the longest - 29 or 30 days (depending on the sighting of the moon). 

From 13 hours in the winters to 16 in the summers, fasting in Islam involves abstinence from eatables and all kinds of evils. 

Saom or fasting happens to be one of the five pillars of Islam, the other four being Tauhid (belief in one God), Salat (praying five times a day), Zakat (charity) and Haj (pilgrimage to Makkah).

To many, Ramzan means exercising restraint on eating and drinking -- but more importantly, it is complete abstention from anything that is negative. It tells that a true Muslim must lead his whole life as he does during the holy month. 

What is remarkable during this month is that Muslims all over the world shape into pious beings. If there is war, it is postponed for a month. 

"As bathing purifies the body, fasting purifies the soul," wrote Khwaja Hasan Nizami, the renowned Sufi saint of Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in his famous Roznamcha of July 11, 1954. 

The Arabic word for fasting is 'Saom' or 'As Siyam' that describes what we call 'roza' (fast). One must reflect seriously on the expanse of this activity that, apart from the abstinence of food, covers refraining from temper, impassiveness, impatience and discourtesy. 

It demands serenity, compassion, level headedness, equanimity, peace, magnanimity and mercy. This kind of attitude is to be the guiding spirit for a person's entire life and not merely to be followed in merely the month of Ramzan according to the dictates of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him).

Prophet Mohammed also mentioned that the meaning of Islam is submission to God and that man is placed in this world to prove his worth as a pious being serving his fellow beings. In spirit, it resembles the Biblical story of Genesis that man has been endowed with freedom of will and action. 

The freedom truly puts him to test. This freedom can be used righteously or misused. By violating norms of honesty, a person can be a millionaire and lead a very luxurious life but in the eyes of God he will be a poor man for dearth of good deeds.

During this pious month, nightlife comes alive and bustling especially in Muslim localities, like the walled city of Old Delhi and particularly around the vicinity of the famed Jama Masjid, which was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. 

An air of festivity can be seen all around. People jostle around, vying with one another to fill their bags with shopping. An array of plastic ware, glass bangles, aluminium 'paandaans' (betel cases), skullcaps and 'itars' (non-alcoholic perfumes) provide for a dazzling display.

The good thing about Ramzan is that the drastic metamorphosis that comes about after the rigours of fasting holds for quite some time - and, in some cases, till the next Ramzan. 

This, in fact, is the aim of this pious month. Medically also it has been proved by some German scientists that the month-long fasting is not a bane but a boon as most toxic enzymes are safely passed off, besides a thorough cleaning of the alimentary canal. 

(The author is a commentator on social, educational and religious issues. He can be reached at firozbakht@rediffmail.com).