Muslims actions and reactions in & after Holy Ramazan

I am a Pakistani male Muslim aged 68 living in Kuwait since 1978 and, therefore, I will give factual account of Kuwait primarily based on Mariam Al Dukhan mosque, Mahboola which is near to my housing complex and it can be said with confidence and authority that most of my Muslim brothers must be doing almost the same, though a bit different in percentage, in other countries too like Kuwait.

Ramazan is the holiest month in an Islamic almanac and from that point of view each Muslim is ordained by Allah Almighty to act in a certain codified manner and it hardly matters for a Muslim whether he/she lives in an Islamic country or otherwise. Each adult normal person must fast for complete one month from dawn to dusk and during the fasting period he/she cannot eat and drink anything with no reference to his/her topographical location, nationality, age, height, weight, education, color, caste, creed and social status etc. Allah has promised that the prayers offered in the month are awarded 10 times greater than any other month and this very fact, as such, motivates Muslims not only to fast, offer maximum prayers but also read Quran during the month so that the persons are bestowed with maximum divine blessings. Fasting is purely a personal act of each individual and fasting time and duration of fast will of course differ from a city to a city and country to country but in its spirit and application there is no difference between them whatsoever.

In Kuwait as per Labor law, people in the private sector work 48 hours a week each month except Ramazan when the work load is reduced to 36 hours a week and it is expected that one will work more efficiently and quickly so that the tasks are completed in less hours but the employee is still paid the same salary what one is entitled to after working 48 hours a week. Less working hours and same salary is the slogan in Kuwait during Ramazan. However, regretfully some of the employees misuse the concession given to them during the holy month and they try shrinking the work which is not only against the rules of their employment but also against the basic Islamic principles. As a matter of fact during any normal month, most of us if not all of us, waste some of their working time on daily basis on smoking, drinking water, eating cookies and sipping a cup of tea or coffee etc which is automatically is saved during Ramazan and hence the time so saved should now be utilized to do official work instead. Fasting is a purely personal and religious activity which is quite independent and has no relation or repercussion on employment under any circumstances whatsoever.

Each Muslim is ordained to pray 5 times daily irrespective of the fact whether it is Ramazan or otherwise and I need not explain and elucidate as to how many daily go to mosques even one time a day what to talk of five times a day. However, suddenly in Ramazan one finds that the mosques are not so deserted as before and resultantly at least some of the rows, it not all the rows, are filled by so many new faces praying in the mosques but the question is who could be these new faces who are now seen in the mosque? There can be only two possible reasons for the new influx which must have happened just a day before Ramazan started-either they were non Muslims but now converted to Islam or they moved to the area whichever is applicable. Hold your breath! None of the two propositions are true. They neither are new converted Muslims nor are they new dwellers of the locality but shamefully, the hard fact is that they are Muslims and living in the area since long but did not come to mosque on daily basis but annually hence many eye brows are raised to spot them though face wise and physique wise they are as common and normal persons as anyone else.

Starting from 1^st Ramazan, one can see that many are coming for reading Quran as well in addition to offering prayers. They also participate in Taraweeh prayers which is offered just after the last prayers of the day but only in this month and, therefore, it is an addition to five daily prayers. This prayer is the longest in duration and here the preacher recites Holy Quran either from his mind if he has memorized it or from the book itself but in any case Holy Quran is read from the start to end of the prayer. It is very pleasing to write that many of those who did not come to offer five daily prayers are at least now coming not only for five daily prayers but for Taraweeh prayers also.  People can also be seen offering extra prayers on individual basis before and after the group prayers as well. Some of the worshippers instead of going home and coming back again for the next prayer will prefer staying back in the in mosque reading Quran or offering extra prayers in between the two prayers.

However, as the days pass on, one can very vividly see increase in attendance and it reaches to new heights during the last ten days of Ramazan when another special prayer is added named Qayam ul Lail and offered at mid night which is most sacred nights in the whole month of Ramazan. It is ordained that Holy Quran was relieved during the last ten nights preferably on odd nights like 21^st, 23^rd, 25^th, 27^th and 29^th. It is written in mentioned in Quarn that one night prayers during the last ten days of Ramazan equal to prayers of 1000 years which has very much electrifying and magnetic effect on the Muslims and resultantly all those who still did not come to mosque are seen in mosques. On the 21^st night, a few new faces were seen in the mosque who came to pray at mid night time though they were not seen even in Taraweeh and thus if one counts the total attendance of a day including 5 daily prayers, Taraweeh and Qayam the total figure of the day would be very much pleasing and encouraging to be honest. Few did drop out on 22^nd night but again the number increased a bit when prayers were offered on 23^rd night. Worshippers again slipped away on 24^th night but their number jumped up when it was 25^th night. 26^th night again witnessed yet another poor attendance night but the attendance of 27^th night was at the peak. All those who did not come earlier at all thronged to the mosque which swelled over to its full capacity and in some other areas some of the mosques could not accommodate all the worshippers within their four walls so extra praying mats were spread to accommodate the influx of worshippers. The figure again dipped a bit on 28^th but eventually it picked up again on 29^th though still the attendance of 27^th night stood matchless.

During the month not only the government and religious bodies but also some individuals bring water and dates in mosques for the worshippers whereas juice, tea, cookies and biscuits etc are added to water during the last 10 days of the month. These last 10 days are called the period of Qayam ul Lail and during this period of time tea, juice, cookies and biscuits etc are served to those who offer prayers to eat and drink while there is a short break in between the prayers. Here also it is noticed that additional drinks and eatables are offered on the nights of 23rd and 25^{th  and of}  course it touches the unmatchable peak on 27^th night but again drinks and eatables too slump on 28^th as the worshippers also dip down a bit. 29^th being the last night one finds again additional drink and eatables than the previous night.

This year too I with my family (wife and daughter) were invited by hotel Crowne Plaza to Iftar-Dinner buffet at its Al Ahmadi restaurant on the ground floor on Saturday 27^th August and though I did not count how many chairs were laid up for the evening but still I can say that they had arranged for 150+ persons which could be both invitees like us and those who were to pay. I am too reluctant to pen but cannot help either to mention that out of all those who were there just a very few had left their chairs and went for prayers. The hotel had arranged a room on 1^st floor for men and a room on 3^rd floor for women to offer prayers (fourth daily prayer). Out of 150 persons, there were just 12 men and 5 ladies including my wife and daughter who offered prayers proves but what? Crowne Plaza, it can be visualised over the years must have very well experienced that hardly 10% offer prayers so why to arrange big places for prayers otherwise the room for men in particular and ladies in general must have not been sufficient enough to accommodate all the worshippers. What a shame that Muslims preferred eating over praying though it had taken less than 15 minutes had people temporarily stopped eating for a while and went for prayers but who cares. Last year also the situation was more or less the same which is very much regretted in any case.

Tuesday 30^th August was the 1^st day of Eid ul Fiter and 0645 was the official time to offer eid prayers and unbelievably far too many had turned up to offer the prayers which was very heartening to see such a big crowd inside and outside the mosque but at the same time it raised a question too. There were hundreds of new faces and though none can identify and single out as to who came for the first time but nevertheless previous attendance including last 10 days of Ramazan itself proved that never ever so many had come to the same mosque which did not shrink on eid day in any case otherwise it had not been able to accommodate all the worshippers at one given time during Ramazan. It pains to write that just after six hours only, second obligatory daily prayer (Zohar) was due and the same mosque which was not only over crowded inside and outside on eid prayers, hardly had worshippers in four rows only covering less than 1/4^th of its main hall with dome capacity leaving apart the extended area of the mosque.

Eid festival is a divine gift from Allah for all those who kept fast for one month but, customarily speaking, many of those who did not either fast or did not even pray in mosques during the whole long month of Ramazan came to offer annual eid prayers. Same like rush of worshippers will again be witnessed on Sunday 6^th November, 2012 when we will have Eid ul Adha proving that many of us are only annual worshippers who do not care to offer any of 5 daily obligatory prayers. 

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With my honest and solemn prayers

Sincere Iqbal Hadi Zaidi