Work Ethic in the Month of Ramadan

By: Sajadi, Journalist of MINA News Agency

Without a doubt, Ramadan is a month full of blessings, rewards are multiplied and the door of forgiveness is opened as wide as possible in this holy month.

So that the month of Ramadan is always the right moment for Muslims to get closer to Allah Subhanallahu wata’ala by increasing worship and good deeds.

In fact, not a few people spend less time sleeping to liven up the nights of Ramadan with various prayers such as Tarawih Prayers, Night Prayers, reciting Al-Quran and others.

The mercy of Allah in the month of Ramadan is opened infinitely. The following hadith narrated by Imam Muslim illustrates the extent of Allah’s mercy in multiplying the good deeds of His servants.

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كل عمل ابن آدم يضاعف الحسنة عشر أمثالها إلى سبعمائة ضعف قال الله عز وجل إلا الصوم فإنه لي وأنا أجزي به يدع شهوته وطعامه من أجلي للصائم فرحتان فرحة عند فطره وفرحة عند لقاء ربه وَلَخُلُوفُ فِيهِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ

It means, “From Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu ‘Anhu, he said, Rasulullah Sallallahu’ Alaihi Wasallam said, ‘All the good deeds of the human child will be multiplied by ten similar virtues up to 700 times. Allah Azza wa Jalla said, ‘except fasting. Fasting is mine. I myself will repay him because he left lust and food for the sake of Me. People who fast have two joys, namely one happiness when breaking the fast and the other happiness when meeting his Lord. Truly the smell of his mouth is more fragrant with Allah than the smell of musk”. (narrated by Muslim).

Thus, those who see and make Ramadan a field to improve their quality and worship to Allah, so that the presence of this blessed month has a positive impact on them in increasing the quantity and quality of worship to Allah Subhanallahu wata’ala.

But some are not, they actually consider Ramadan as a barrier to doing their usual activities, such as eating and drinking at will, waking up late, smoking and so on.

In fact, not a few also make Ramadan an excuse for certain negative interests, for example for not working on time, not being enthusiastic about working and so on.

This indirectly portrays Islam as a religion that instructs its people to be lazy during the month of Ramadan, in other words there is a phenomenon of decreasing ethos or morale in all dimensions of life.

However, if we look at the history of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam and his friends, it can be seen that Ramadan is not a month of creativity and productivity barriers. It can be proven precisely this month that several priceless works were born and were recorded in gold ink in the history of the development of Islam.

For example, on 17 Ramadan in 2 Hijriah, the war of Badr broke out for the first time in which the Muslims gained victory. Then, the liberation of the city of Mecca known as Fathu Makkah occurred on the 10th of Ramadan, the 8th year H.

Likewise, the last war that the Prophet participated in, namely the Tabuk War occurred in Ramadan 9 H.

Meanwhile, during the time of the companions, the Muslims succeeded in conquering Rome in Ramadan 13 H and in 91 AH in the same month, the Muslims also succeeded in capturing the city of Andalusia, now Spain.

Of course, there are many more, including the independence of this country from colonial nations, which occurred on the 8th of Ramadan, 1364 H.

Reflecting on all the true stories above, it is inappropriate if in this holy month we are lazy, unproductive and sleep a lot because of fasting. Ramadan can actually trigger optimism to increase morale and work productivity.

Optimism is an inner and outer spirit to strive and keep trying to get the best, thus, getting rid of difficulties to reach ease, as Allah says in the Al-Quran:

فاِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًاۙ

Meaning: “So in fact along with difficulties there is convenience” (Surah Al-Insyirah / 94: 5).

Therefore, Muslims must be able to realize that fasting is a valuable opportunity given by Allah to see who will come out as winners after the end of Ramadan, as well as being able to survive in the faith.

Strategies in the Month of Ramadan

If we look further that the problem of the tendency to weaken the work ethic of Muslims is actually not only caused by fasting in the month of Ramadan, but because of the factor of faith and the level of seriousness in worshiping Allah Subhanallahu wata’ala.

Therefore, there are some tips below to overcome a weakening work ethic when fasting in the month of Ramadan, namely:

First, be aware that fasting in the month of Ramadan is part of a life test.

According to nature, the month of Ramadan is a life test for mankind. It is not only a test to fulfill the demands of compulsory fasting as well as other acts of worship, but it is also expected to be able to fast while carrying out existing routines.

Of course, if you are able to pass the test with sincerity and patience, you will definitely get multiple rewards.

Second, Positive Thinking in carrying out all routine and work.

Start resetting the mind, in fact we are humans who have been given reason by God. Take advantage of this sense that we can think positively about carrying out activities and work in the midst of fasting.

Convince your heart and mind to always think positively. With positive thoughts, work gets done faster because the mind is focused.

Third, make daily plans and big targets in the month of Ramadan.

Making daily plans and big goals for the month of Ramadan is important. So that it makes our days focused on doing routines.

Set optimistic and realistic goals that fit into your routine. Often times, in making targets we don’t pay attention to these routines and feel confident that we can achieve the scheduled targets. In fact, it’s not. When Ramadan is over, then you feel disappointed.

With the spirit of Ramadan, let’s dress ourselves with optimism and work ethic. Turn a stack of concepts into a useful work. Leave a classic impression, that many sleep in the month of Ramadan as worship.

Even though the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam is meant for people who are tired after a lot of work and worship. (A/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)