By Abdullahi Jamaa
We are halfway through Ramadan when our energies are sapping, our routine falling apart and our resolve declining in sheer helplessness. Ramadan’s midway slump requires an invigoration of enthusiasm in order to pick ourselves up and dominate our souls once again.
As the last days of Ramadan approach, no doubt many of us are feeling guilty of how our last 15 days passed with so many of our spiritual target unmet. That feeling will emotionally torment any honourable believer who has always been on top of his spiritual alacrity.
The level of our steep decline in worship is more pronounced in our Masaajids where timely attendance is falling by the day. This is a potent manifestation of a spiritual fallout, a so-sorry decline of our earlier zeal and zest.
I am a victim of spitirual indolence, missing half of my Ramadan targets and watching them slip away amidst my schedule that combines work, study and spiritual commitments just like many of us. For sure, this is a common problem. Many of my perosnal friends are suffering from a slowdown associated with a dwinlding passion.
Feeling compunction about my status, I am writing this articulate to motivate myself and the rest of the Ummah that all is not lost. There is no better time to turn back to Allah (The Most High) than in the last ten days of Ramadan- our last ammo.
Three days ago, at our local masjid, I felt sluggish ahead of Taraweeh prayers, feeling sleepy, tied and unmotivated. I did not have adequate sleep since the beginning of Ramadan which really had a toll on me. With this experience, I was facing a serious situation where some sort of quiescence was stealing away my Ramadan fervour. What should I do?
Good friend
To continue dwelling in the sacred sanguinity of the fasting month, I confided in my friend that I am holding the wrong end of the stick at least for the past two nights, feeling slothful. He realized that I have been praying at the last row during Taraweeh.
For a moment, he pulled me aside and whispered: “Come forward and join the first row. Do not start at the last rows. Lift yourself up and remain steadfast. Whenever you feel lazy, push yourselft to the limit. By the way, remember only few days are reamining. Be like a military man.)
Since that night, I headed his call, declared my space in the first row of the Masjid which required that I had to come at least 30 minutes before time. It dawned on me that the entrance door to the sanctuary of Ramadan is inside my thoughts. Why should I stay in that prisoners’ thought for long when the door of the mercy of Ramadan is wide open yet closing soon? I started moving outside the tangle of fear-thinking.
Taraweeh is the main deal here, the cornerstone of Ibadah for a fasting person which perfectly falls within the tenet of Qiyamuleyl. This is where excellence is required and where dedication and commitment to all of its core functions hold sway.
One of the best strategies to deal with mid Ramadan slumber is to seek solace and support from honrouable believers, those who have strong passion to credit their akheerah accounts through unceasing regimen of ibadah. Their words of motivation and their exemplary actions yield a new path for picking yourself up to Ramadan’s finishing line.
Sincere Dua
When laziness, ease, and blight are tempting find the shining light of Ramadan once again by engaging in ceaseless sincere dua. Surely, our bewilderment for the month cannot be sustained without the facilitation and support from Allah (The Most High).
Invest in sincere dua in each mission and excursion of celestial activity. Dua moves mountains where its spiritual tenacity sparkles splendor and sequins in fasting. In our self-searching dedication towards overcoming laziness, dua enriches our commitment with a fresh emotional and physical strength.
Finally, if our plans did not work for us halfway through the month of fasting, we can change the strategy and tap into an easier but effervescent approach to rescue ourselves from a looming torpor. It all goes back to finding what works and what doesn’t.
And it’s common to experience mid Ramadan slumber but it’s uncommon to sleep and twiddle fingers especially in a month that is so important in our Islamic calendar. We need to unravel the symphony of melancholy emanating from our weakness by committing ourselves to the calling of the month- achieving a score of Taqwa.
Legendary scholar Imam Ibn Taymiyah was known to saying “what really counts are good endings, not flawed beginnings”. It perfectly comes into play knowing that we have an opportunity to seize by leaving nothing to chance as we deal with the very final but crucial days of Ramadan.
May Allah (The Most High) accept our deeds ..
