“You have learnt so much. And read a thousand books. Have you ever read yourself? You have gone to mosques. Have you ever visited your own soul? You are busy fighting Satan.
Have you ever fought your ill intentions? You have reached into the skies, But you have failed to reach what’s in your heart!” says Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri, popularly known as Bulleh Shah, a Mughal-era Punjabi Islamic philosopher and preacher poet.
These verses from Shah’s poetry exemplifies how exactly we should keep up with the spirit of Ramadan, how we need to find that positive light in our heart in the first place to drive us for the greater good. What is a pure heart? The pure ones are those who clean themselves from sin, doubt, cheating, lying, and jealousy. That’s pretty much the very first step – the light to shed off the barriers of sins, finding peace within and then heading towards Almighty for forgiveness and a spiritual quest.
These lanterns in the desert are just like that – that little light of faith that breaks up the vehement darkness of the night. If you have faith from within, nothing can tear you apart.
Have you ever wondered, why lanterns become so popular during the time of Ramadan? Because they have been exemplifying breaking the tangent of darkness and spreading light – just like the holy month of Ramadan for years, in which the Ultimate Guidance for mankind — the Holy Qur’an — was revealed.
It is believed that the tradition of lantern was started in Egypt more than a thousand years ago when lanterns were used by people to light their homes and the streets at night. Lanterns have always been spreading the light. You need to find a spark of positive light in your heart and you’ll accomplish His contentment.
– Text by Muhammad Asad Ullah, photos by Syed Hasan Iqbal Zaidi
Photo by Syed Hasan Iqbal Zaidi
