On other Pages:

> Our Journey To The Day Of Resurrection, Part-XIV [Page-3]

> What is Zakat? [Page-3]

> I am a Muslim, alhamdulillah! Is my pocket also a Muslim? [Page-4]

> When will this mass slaughter stop? [Page-4]

> The Essence of Ramadan [Page-5]

> Muslims and their (Islamic) Banking [Page-5]

> Preparing for an Amazing Ramadan [Page-6]

> Islam encourages Lawful earning, prohibts unlawful earnings and lustful lifestyle [Page-6]

> Ramadan boosts Emotional Intelligence, Part-1 [Page-7]

> Fighting Burn-Out: Becoming A Well Balanced Productive Muslim [Page-7]

> When you thought I wasn't looking [Page-7]

> Masha-Allah! Maahe Mubarak kee Barkat [Page-9]

> Preparing For Ramadan-The 'Month Of Mercy' [Page-10]

> Practical Way To Benefit From Ramadan [Page-10]

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Editorial

Dear Readers,
Assalam Alaikum.     

Ramzan Mubarak!

You are driving the world’s most luxurious car, Rolls Royce, or say Ferrari, zooming past each and every motor vehicle in the vicinity and speeding ahead fabulously. You are handsome; the car you are driving is handsomer. Your conveyance has every luxury you can think of, a wonderfully furnished little drawing room with all the modern gadgets, a well stuffed kitchen, a fitted bathroom and everything, yes, everything you want to grab your hands on, is within your reach. You are in the driving seat, and you feel on top of the world! Its just natural nah! The whole world is in awe of you, casting admiring glances on you and your Ferrari. Unmindful of all this, carefree, you speed on, whistling even perhaps, and why not? You are on cloud nine, in control of everything you want. You love your car; you are loving this life, the whole world under your feet. It’s simply irresistible!

A beep from the car stereo plays the spoilsport, a voice informs politely ….

“Your car, Sir, has no brakes!”
Aghast!                          

Even before you begin battling your eyelids in utter dismay, this Ferrari, this awe, this admiration turns into a ghost of the past; that unbound joy is lost within no time! Difficult to believe you were bursting with joyful pride, just moments ago and suddenly everything changes, and how it changes! That one crucial part of the locomotive was missing. And absence of that tiny lovely little part transforms your car and your attitude to it, altogether!  You hate it now and want to jump out of it as if it were a hell! Why did this happen?

Having brakes meant you could control the car and otherwise….. well ,you know well!

The analogy I draw here is worth pondering. Consider car as duniya, the world and its opulence, the driver obviously is you, and the brakes are akin to the quintessential controls of our beautiful Deen, Islam. We are doomed if the brakes go missing, same is the case of a life without our faith. Every moment in His remembrance, under His watchful gaze and remaining within the limits prescribed by Him is quite worth it. So truly speaking, the brakes or the controls put by our religion are actually an asset, without which whatever remains, may crash any time. The world of Ferraris is alluring and has the power of making us powerless if we get absorbed in it. If we ponder deep, we find that all the five essential pillars of Islam make us appreciate that this Duniya is only a fleeting moment and they are intended to prepare us for breaking free from Duniya’s temptations, its allurements. Fasting of Ramzan is one of the five pillars of Islam that helps us break free, in other words, to feel liberated. In this holy month of Ramzan, we do something strange. We do not just keep off the prescribed haram things but also from things considered halal! Why is it so? Have you given it a thought?

Allow me to elaborate a bit. If we desist even from what is deemed halal in this month, then strong possibility is that we gain more strength to stay away from the haram ! Through fasting, our struggle to stay away from haram things begins getting easier. This may be the Hikmah behind it. Fasting for thirty days straight, indeed, proves magical not just for the physical but most importantly for the spiritual health of a person. His system is cleansed from within. Though he is depriving himself of nutrition, water and sufficient sleep but in the process he is fortifying his soul. Body is a cage for the soul. We pay much detailed attention to it, caring for it, trying to beautify it forgetting altogether that there is this little ephemeral entity hidden within it which too needs to be cherished. Ignoring the soul leads to our frequent failures, to make that ‘connection’ to its Great Creator, and that’s why we feel depressed, we feel low, and feel alone. Interestingly like a domino effect, this ‘frequent failure to get connected to the Almighty’, also leads us to get ourselves entrapped in the marvels of duniya; Duniya which allures us with its beauty but can never give us that  lovely peace, we so desire, all the time! 

This eluding peace is born within our soul only when it gets connected to its Creator and the best way to get it done is to read/understand His words i.e. The Book /The Quran .Quran is az Zikr, the greatest of the zikr, food for the soul, and both (Quran and Soul) are in perfect harmony with each other. Of course, it is an answer to all our problems provided we comprehend the hikmah behind its commands and are willingly prepared to practise it.                    

Quran brings joy to our lonely souls, a joy unmatched and very precious.  Our Creator is speaking to us through His Book. If we turn to someone only in the times of our dire needs, then it’s a sign that the relationship is not healthy. And this is the state of most of us who are selfish enough, ‘to use’ God when there be a need.  This blessed month of Ramzan has come again to us, as a big reminder of Him and His book Quran. Let’s recognize that ‘the training’ in the month of Ramzan is not just month-long but surely year-long!  To be used for the rest of the year.
Eid Mubarak!

Ms. Asma Anjum Khan

Editor-in-chief
BaKhabar (Hony.)
Email: bakhabar@biharanjuman.org