Days of Heaven – The Hindu

The holy month of Ramzan unfolds in three luminous phases. Salman al-Farisi, one of the sahabah (companion) of Prophet Muhammed narrates: “Its beginning, the first 10 days, pours rahmah (mercy) upon the believers; its middle opens the gates of maghfirah (forgiveness); and its final grants ‘itq min al‑nar’ (freedom from Hellfire).” As the days progress into the heart of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the seeking servant feels time itself thinning. Ramzan is often described as a guest whose presence revives the soul, and whose departure leaves the mindful in tears. It is as though each segment of the month helps renew oneself. The believers are showered with divine mercy ‘like soft rain descending on parched earth’ in the opening act; the heart softens under fasting’s discipline; the soul lightens to ascend towards Allah; and the mind sharpens to keep pace with the spiritual momentum.

Then arrives the second stretch, supplicated by pleas for pardon. It is a time of deep rumination between the shadow and the soul, from which the pious emerge cleaner. It is during this middle period that the first battle of Islam was waged. Three hundred fought against a thousand in the Battle of Badr on the seventeenth of Ramzan. The echoes of the pivotal clash where the outnumbered faithful turned the tide against formidable foes still stir the air elsewhere as a regional state makes a stand against a superpower. Then come the last 10 nights — the nights of emancipation. Within them lies Laylat al-Qadr, a night that the Koran declares “better than a thousand months of worship”. The exact date is not revealed but the Prophet instructs: “Seek it in the last 10 nights, and seek it on every odd-numbered night,” urging devouts to strive for as many duas as possible. As the dawn of Id approaches, the spiritual journey demands its final key in the form of fitrah. This almsgiving is not an afterthought; the quiet offering seals the fast. Revered scholar al-Saffuri notes, “The month of Ramzan hangs between heaven and earth and is not lifted except by Zakat al-Fitr.” Before the Id prayer, hands extend charity to the needy, ensuring every abstained meal finds full acceptance. Only then do the gates swing wide for celebration.

– Mohammed Hidhayat