The blessed month of Ramadan has come to our hearts and homes with all its blessings and light.
We have reached the month of Ramadan in the coldest and saddest year we have ever lived.
After the disasters we have experienced, we pray at every iftar table and sahur table so that the month of Ramadan will be a means of salvation and comfort.
Evaluating many issues from the earthquake test to the importance of i'tikaf, Ramazan Kayan expressed how Palestinian Muslims got the spirit of 'intifada'.
“THIS EARTHQUAKE SHOCKED US AND WARNED US”
How do you evaluate the earthquake disaster we experienced in the blessed three months, before the month of Ramadan?
I was lucky enough to go to the earthquake zone three times. On the day of the earthquake, we returned from hope, and that day I made a decision for myself to go to the region many times. I thought that we should do the same walk between Safa and Merve Hills between Istanbul and the earthquake zone. When you walk around the earthquake zone, you can understand how urgent and helpless people are. He who can understand this helplessness in the face of Allah's will, then learns the address of the only refuge door. Therefore, those who learn from misfortunes approach the right path and turn to our Almighty Lord. While the blessed three months were an opportunity for us to get closer to Allah, the occurrence of such an earthquake also spurred this. Every disaster is a verse. Our Lord warns us with the verses of the Qur'an. This earthquake shook us and warned us. Earthquakes, the blessed three months and Ramadan are means of warning for us to turn to God.
“WE SHOULD SEE RAMADAN AS A GREAT EVENT”
Sir, do not warn, I would like to open the warning issue a little more. Ramadan has messages of sharing, understanding and many more, but we know that Ramadan also exists to remind us of something. What does the blessed Ramadan remind us every year?
Recently, Allah and the hereafter have gradually moved away from our agenda. The means that would remind us of Allah and evoke the hereafter began to be isolated from our lives. That's why we need to evaluate the hidden-open messages in our lives.
The following is stated in the 30th verse of Surah Ash-Shuraa:
"Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much."
Earthquake is a disaster, yes, but have we learned a lesson from here? There are many earthquakes that shake us materially and spiritually throughout our lives as the occasion of our mistakes and faults. But all reminders, all stimuli and all shocks are violent, there is no such thing as bitter truths. Every year, Ramadan comes as a climate of mercy to our hearts, homes and the entire Islamic geography. Ramadan reminds us to share and empathize in social life. Ramadan reminds us of abundance and love in our family life. Ramadan reminds us of the hereafter. At a time when we have difficulty in learning and remembering, we need to see the month of Ramadan as a great occasion.
“ITIQAF IS ONE OF THE FORGOTTEN WORSHIP BY TURKISH MUSLIMS”
While my teacher is dealing with Ramadan, I would like to talk about the Night of Power and the worship of "Itikaf". How should we seize the opportunity of I'tikaf as Muslims?
Unfortunately, one of the prayers that Turkish Muslims forget is Itikaf. When we travel the Islamic geography, we see that there is a different care for Itikaf in different Muslim towns. But there is still a serious deficiency in Turkey. We can say that Palestinian Muslims in particular are very meticulous about I'tikaf. Islam does not offer us seclusion. You know, something like being away from home, social life, isolating yourself against everything is not recommended in Islam. It is necessary to be in the society, with the people. However, Ramadan has a different meaning for Muslims. Muslims enter a camp for the Hereafter in Islamic lands during Ramadan. So the peak of this Ramadan camp is Itikaf. I'tikaf is the best program for spiritual training and training the heart. Every minute we spend in Itikaf is a special hour dedicated to Allah. The greatest opportunity to "become Rabbani" in Ramadan is I'tikaf. To become rabbinical is to put Allah's consent at the center of life.
“ITIQAF IS TURNING INTO INTIFADA”
You just said, "Palestinian Muslims are very meticulous about I'tikaf". Finally, let's listen to the Palestinian Muslims' sensitivity to i'tikaf.
Years ago, we went to visit Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem in a Ramadan month. We could not find a place to pray inside the Masjid al-Aqsa. Some people lie down, some do lessons, some pray, some draw rosaries, etc. We understood that all of that crowd inside the Masjid al-Aqsa is in i'tikaf. Men performed i'tikaf in Masjid al-Aqsa, women and children performed i'tikaf in the Dome of the Rock. Throughout the year, Palestinians continued to practice this i'tikaf. They established a watch system to counter the attacks of the Jews against the Masjid al-Aqsa. If there is an attack, itikaf turns into an intifada. This shows us where the spirit of the intifada comes from. In the same way, I saw that there was a serious sensitivity for Itikaf in Mecca and Medina. It can be very difficult to even find a place to pray in the Kaaba during the period of Itikaf.