2013 – Ramadhan Heroes

Outline

• Introduction
• Meet Hajji Hussain!
• Respect! for the Fasting P1 Kids
• Thumbs Up! for the Struggling Fasting Muslims
• Hats Off! to the Fasting NS-Men and their Likes
• Conclusion

Introduction

Alhamdulillah… All praises and thanks are due to Allah. We seek his forgiveness at all time, and to Him alone, we repent. May His Peace and Blessings be upon the highest Hero of Ramadhan, Habibi Muhammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path.

In 2011, I published an article, titled 4 inspirations from Ramadhan, which featured random individuals, whom I've personally met, or heard about from who knew them. Likewise that article, my article today, presents 2013-Ramadhan Heroes.

This article aims to present a selection of role models, who have done much to inspire others, when we talk about Ramadhan, and we prepare for Ramadhan, next year, insha Allah. We may or may not realize their presence. But they come from nowhere, but from within ourselves.

So who are the 2013-Ramadhan heroes? Firstly, I invite you to meet Hajji Hussain.

Meet Hajji Hussain!

Hajji Hussain (picture above) is 78 years old (as of 2013). I had the honour of knowing him since 5 years ago, when I first led Taraweeh prayers, in Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, Singapore.

Despite his age, Hajji Hussain starts the Taraweeh with the Imam and finishes with the Imam. This happens in a mosque where 20 Raka'ahs are performed and one Juz' (20 pages) is recited, almost every night.

Hajji Hussain can't sit the normal/proper sitting, during Tashahhud. As a result, he kneels, whenever we sit for Tashahhud. Despite this condition of his, his morale is always high during Taraweeh.

It's obvious, that fasting during the daytime has not been a problem to Hajji Hussain, but maintaining the stamina for the ‘add-on' deeds that makes one's Ramadhan more rewarding. To make one's Ramadhan more rewarding, some people choose to recite the Qur'an, some give charity, some do Zikr, but Hajji Hussain chose to stand on his feet in Taraweeh.

Some people come out of Taraweeh sighing; complaining about Imams who read long verses and recite slowly. Amazingly, that's not the case for Hajji Hussain, who has always repeated “Alhamdulillah” anytime we finished Taraweeh, no matter how long it took.

I don't know Hajji Hussain outside the mosque, therefore my observation for this hero is solely based on my encounter with him in the mosque.

The admiration I hold for Hajji Hussain also goes to every single elderly Muslim, who despite his/her elderly age, competes with the young in seeking the Ultimate Pleasure of Allah. If you are 70 years old or above, and you do strive like Hajji Hussain, more or less, you are also our 2013-Ramadhan Hero. If you have a 70-year-old father, mother, grandfather or grandmother, you should cheer them, for they are the real heroes!

Respect! for the Fasting P1 Kids

Here, the second 2013-Ramadhan hero is every P1 kid who has determined to fast the whole month of Ramadhan. Some of them have managed to achieve their target, so far. And some have done their best.

The importance of acknowledging this group emerges, as we see adults, who may be highly educated or perhaps who know what Ramadhan means for a Muslim, yet they, unfortunately, fail in a competition with P1 kids.

Sometimes, our age doesn't matter, as much as our deeds do. These kids are certainly grown-ups in deeds, although they are only 7 years old, and not obliged to fast.

The inspirations given by these P1 kids are also given by every K2 kid, who has strived to fast. I've considered P1 kids over K2 kids, in this selection, due to the amount of physical effort the P1s have to put in, in schools, in addition to the longer hours they spend outside the house.

Behind any P1 kid who has won the game, at the expense of the “highly educated,” is a pair of parents or a single parent who are/is determined to raise their children righteously in the way that earns them and their offspring the Ultimate Pleasure of Allah, in the time that temptation for compromising one's faith is a matter of a blink of an eye.

To those parents, I pray that Allah grant you the strength to continue to nurture His Trust (Amanah) which He entrusted you with.

Thumbs Up! for the Struggling Fasting Muslims

To some, Ramadhan is a matter of refraining from food and sexual desires, from dawn to sunset. The period between Fajr and Iftar is just 14 hours our case (in Singapore). It is 18 hours for some. In fact, it's 20 hours for some. A lot of determination is required to stand this challenge. 18 to 20 hours of daytime means the weather is summer, dry and hot.

Besides that, some find themselves in environments, where they are the only fasting individuals. A strong will is really needed, for one to survive peer pressure, in the pursuit for the Ultimate Pleasure of Allah.

Hats Off! to the Fasting NS-Men and their likes

Fasting the month of Ramadhan is undoubtedly challenging. Everyone faces the challenge from his position. But it's more challenging when one is engaged in rigorous physical undertake.

In many countries, National Service (NS) means you are deployed to the army or the police. This means you'll spend a significant amount of time in exhausting physical engagement. Once you are in there, your supervisors mostly have no consideration for you, whether or not, you are fasting. It's even worse when your supervisor is a “Muslim”, who has failed the test; by not to fast.

Despite this kind of conditions, some of our Muslim brothers take a promise upon themselves to take the challenge, and they have succeeded.

The likes of the fasting NS-Men are the fasting Muslim construction workers, fasting Muslim footballers, fasting Muslim hard labourers, and many more.

Conclusion

The Prophet Muhammad, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, said in a Hadeeth, narrated by Sayyidina Abi Hurairah, radhiya Allahu ‘anhu, and reported by Imam Abu Dawud, that:

الْمُؤْمِنُ مِرْآةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ

It means, “The believer is a mirror to the believer.”

In other words, the believer serves an example for his fellow Muslims. We may not be perfect, and can't be, but working towards perfection gives us the honour. With individuals like these heroes amidst us, the Muslim community (wherever it is) can continue to collectively attain the Ultimate Pleasure of Allah.

May Allah bless these heroes, and grant them the persistence to continue to strive for His Ultimate Pleasure. May He bless their loved ones, who may be the motivations behind them. May He subject them and us to His service. And may He accept from anyone who strives to attain His Ultimate Pleasure.

Did you observe anyone who have gone the extra mile, that gained your attention? Please share his/her story with us in the comment area below (click here if you are reading from your email inbox).

I will appreciate it, if you take a moment to share this article. I also welcome your comments, and would love to hear from you.

Allah knows best.

Allahu Hafiz 🙂