Rant : Ramadan Kareem. Allahu Akram!

Right now I'm waiting for another 2 hours to break my fasting. Ramadan have start here in Germany and Alhamdulillah, it wasn't as long as when I was here on 2012. This year, we will be fasting for 18 hours. This marks the third time for me fasting in Germany. First of Ramadan in usually the time I suddenly remember the memories of fasting in my home country Malaysia. Although Ramadan in Malaysia is definitely festive but I enjoys my Ramadan here.

In Malaysia, you know Ramadan in here when every shop promotes a Eid crazy sale. We could here the sound of Taraweeh Prayer in very Mosque. A normal and empty road are now turn into overwhelming food bazaar. But here in Germany, none of that happens. It's boring. Unless someone take an opportunity to break his/her fast in Mosque, then it's festive. Nothing changes when you step outside the house. Except the fact that you are fasting and there are not. That's why I said it's boring. But to me the boredom itself is something to be celebrated and enjoyed. Why, because it is up to is to enliven the month of Ramadan. It is up to us too to make this month different and special than any other month. I'm not talking about starting my own food bazaar. No. What I mean it is up to us to fill this blessed and holy month with multiple ibadah.

I once thought myself unlucky to fast away from family, away from Malaysia. Now I realized that I'm in a very lucky situation. Without all those bazaar and sale, I can concentrate myself solely on my Ibadah. I won't be distract with every delicious food. Now I realized that cultural thingy during Ramadan distracts me from the true purpose of Ramadan. I bet when I mention Ramadan randomly, the thing that come across our mind is Bazaar Ramadan (food bazaar) or What to wear on Eid. I admit it, I'm guilty of doing that too. Perhaps that's why Allah put me here, to rethink and reset my mind about Ramadan.

No. I never said all of those cultural celebrations are bad. It just how we were created by Allah - each with our different culture and races. But our job is to not put culture first other than our faith in Islam. I never said going to Bazaar Ramadan is bad. It is okay if we don't spend our time so much there and then ended up spending too much money on a food that we couldn't eat. If we do that, we are guilty of wasting time and money. We could use those extra time for extra Ibadah and those extra money for donation.

I plan on improving myself on Ramadan. I'm not going to let this Ramadan wasted like the past Ramadan I've gone through. It is indeed a huge waste and lost when one gone through Ramadan without any better changes. With the Greatness of Allah, he chain every Devil to hell, he open every door of Heaven. So now we are free to improve ourselves for the better without any disturbance from the devil.

I've read in Facebook "Ramadan is month full of Multiplication". That is so true. The rewards for every ibadah is multiplied. But remember, when we do nothing good, then that is a zero for us. And when zero is multiplied by any number, it will be zero.

Wallahhu a’lam