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 21st 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)
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