Barakah of Ramadan

Fatma Bayram

When we talk about the barakah of Ramadan, the first thing that comes to mind is the overflowing refrigerator, as the snacks between meals have ended and the meals have been reduced to two. It is a competition among people to help each other and to provide iftar to as many people as possible. It is the increase in the circulation of food aid, zakat, alms in society, and much more.

For me, the blessing of Ramadan is the post-muqabala conversations in which we focus on a topic from the Quran every Ramadan and exclusively discuss the verses related to that topic. This Ramadan, we are discussing the topic of "Human Relations in the Quran".

While discussing the passion for immortality that led to Adam's expulsion from heaven, we mentioned that the pursuit of physical immortality for humans will always lead to deviations, but if we have such a passion, there must be a legitimate path for its satisfaction. What could this path be?

The first answer that came to mind was the situation of the three people whose book of deeds will never be closed, as mentioned in the hadith of our Prophet. As you know, one of these three people is the one who leaves behind a child who will pray for him (the other two are those who engage in perpetual charity and leave behind beneficial knowledge). While discussing this blessing, I was explaining how the phrase "may God have mercy on your ancestors," which is a form of prayer in Anatolia, brought us within the scope of this hadith. Aunt Leyla in her 80s, whom I've only encountered from Ramadan to Ramadan, mentioned that her husband, with whom she has been married for fifty-one years, has been praying for her "may God have mercy on our ancestors" at every meal since the first day. Learning this was a valuable Ramadan blessing for me.