Ramadan in High-Tech World

Dr. Mazhar Naqvi

Ramadan or Ramzan  has arrived. It is a precious month for Muslims. The holy month brings a drastic change in the lifestyle of believers. From dawn till sunset, they fast and dedicate themselves to prayers, reading of noble Quran, charity, seeking forgiveness, self- control and undertake spiritual activities. The month has assumed more significance in 21^st century tech-savvy world. The modern life is full of temptation and one really finds it difficult to exercise self-control. Technological advancement, particularly digital technologies, has aggravated the situation further. The emergence of instant-communication and personalized mobile technologies (Twitter, Facebook, smartphone apps, etc.), has transformed Islamic life. A believer can now use Twitter to send a chosen verse from the holy book each day to his friends. Likewise, Facebook, is being used by a large number of Muslims to send everything related to Ramzan i.e. religious information to recipe for breaking the fast. Applications that have been developed for smartphones and programs likeiPray, iQuran, and ‘Find Mecca‘ are quite popular thesedays. These applications produce calls for the five daily prayers for any location on earth, allows the user to read or listen to the Quran and  find the direction of Mecca for prayer from anywhere in the world.

There is availability of Ramzan friendly  apps with names like  ‘Essentials of Ramadan‘, ‘Ramadan Daily Dua(Suplication)‘, and ‘Ramadan Booster Pro‘. These apps offer tips how to derive maximum benefit of Ramzan to appease Allah. These programs are useful for many Muslims, especially in cities and countries where, for example, prayer times are not readily known and no calls for prayer are broadcast from mosques. And many Muslims have expressed their happiness at the availability of such apps. But we cannot ignore the fact that these programs encourage commercialization of religious life of believers. Ramzan festivals are common things now. Aggressive marketing is undertaken by companies to inspire Muslims to buy, buy and buy during Ramzan. Attractive discounts are offered on high end products. Restaurants prepare special Ramzan dishes and people consume them after iftar.  These things are simply contrary to the very spirit of Islam. Believers need to introspect as to what extent they should rely on technology and efforts of companies to turn the holy month as a profit making opportunity? They must remember that Ramzan calls for self- control even against the temptations available in the form of electronic gadgets and growing consumerism.(Photo Courtesy- Google Images)