One of the first things that come to mind when we speak of the bounty of Ramadan is the fridges that remain full because we stop snacking and eat only two times a day. We also think of how people compete with each other to help each other and offer iftaars for as many people as possible. Also how charity in all its forms increases dramatically in society.
For me the blessing and bounty of Ramadan lie in the halaqas that we hold after the Quran recitations every day in which we focus on one subject in the Quran and study the verses on that subject. This Ramadan we are talking about relationships in the Quran. While we were discussing the desire for immortality that resulted in Adam’s removal from Paradise, we concluded that the search for physical immortality will inevitably result in deviation for human beings. But we also mentioned that if we do have such a desire, then there has to be a legitimate way of satisfying it. What could this be?
The first answer that occurred to us was the state of the three individuals whose registry of good deeds will not close after they die, as mentioned in a hadith of the Prophet (s.a.w). As you know, one of these three people is the one who leaves behind a righteous child that prays for his/her parent after the parent passes away. (The second is a person who leaves behind permanent works of charity, and the third is a person who leaves behind beneficial knowledge). While we were talking about this prayer of the child for the parent, I mentioned that the common expression “Mercy to your ancestors”, which is used as a prayer in Anatolia, has the power of including us within the scope of this hadith. Just then Mrs. Leyla, who is a very elderly lady that I see only from Ramadan to Ramadan, told us that her husband of fifty-one years would pray “May God have mercy on your ancestors” every time she set the table from the very first day of their marriage. Learning about this heart-warming story has been one of the blessings of Ramadan for me this year.
