Ramadan is said to be the holiest of the holy seasons that occur only once a year and brings peace, joy, love, harmony, and happiness into the lives and souls of all and brings out the best in all.

Rich or poor, it doesn't matter, Allah-loving, Allah-fearing people unite as one big happy family in prayer for the benefit of each individual, and the nation at large and in solemn homage to the Almighty.

However big, the sanctified and revered Biswa Ijtema prayer festival gathering in Tongi is each year, it's relatively small in comparison to the potential 175-million minds and souls of a nation that unite daily in solemn prayer during Ramadan, seeking redemption and forgiveness from sins of the past and promising to make amends.

Should aliens be observing, however, it must be extremely difficult for them to understand how it's possible for those within the confines of the holy mosques offering unbridled loyalty, profound devotion, and unconditional love to Allah, to have their shoes stolen from outside. What kind of people would do such a thing especially at a holy place?

It indicates not all Muslims have studied the Qur'an or abide by its teachings.

A clearer indication of not abiding by the Qur'an is the escalation of essential food items during the holy month. It must be perplexing for the aliens to observe the prices shoot up without any justification whatsoever (other than greed) during this, the holiest of holy months.

The culprits conveniently forget it should be EXACTLY OPPOSITE when prices should be at the rock-bottom lowest... when people should be on their best behaviour... when people should be stretching a hand of friendship and offering support to their brothers and sisters who've fallen on hard times? After all, it is Ramadan.

Happy Ramadan Detour sign

One would be justified in asking who in March is responsible for erecting the detour sign that diverts Muslims in Bangladesh from the sanctified Islamic values recorded in the holy Qur'an?

There are many people, who struggle to put food on the table at the best of times, and feed the open hungry mouths of their offspring. Ramadan should be a period that's anticipated with joy that offers respite from their yearlong suffering through affordable food prices.

The cost of essential food supplies during Ramadan is outrageous. Low-income earners and poor people especially, just cannot afford to buy proper wholesome food to feed themselves and their family.

In times of war, the strong makes slaves of the weak. In times of peace, the rich makes slaves of the poor. During Ramadan common decency and consideration for the poor and low earners goes out the window and a 'take-it-or-leave-it' attitude hovers over most market stalls.

If traders and suppliers cannot show compassion and extend a helping hand to their downtrodden brothers and sisters during the holy month of Ramadan, what hope is there for Bangladesh to ever become Sonar Bangla, spiritually or physically?

It's all well and good to read holy books like the Qur'an, Torah, and Bible even to recite passages verbatim from them, but if the reader is not practising in his or her daily life what they read, there's little point. It amounts to nothing more than unadulterated hypocrisy, which pleases neither God nor man.

Most scoundrel traders view Ramadan not as the holy season, but the season to raise their prices and make extra money. And they would regard that as a Godsend... a blessing. They fail to see the beauty of Ramadan entirely.

Sacred

Ramadan is special. It's sacred. It's the one time in the year when He applies a 'stop what you are doing' brake to the regular all-year-round activities and asks His devotees to Pause, Reflect, Double-Check their compass bearings and see if they're on the right path to deserve His gratitude and blessings.

Allah couldn't possibly condone unjustified price increases, especially during Ramadan. That would be preposterous and sinful. Ramadan isn't a month for taking, but for giving, and showing compassion and kindness to those worse off than ourselves.

It's incomprehensible to think that those responsible for the price hikes will actually go down on their knees (seemingly without conscious) at the mosques and beg Allah to shower blessings upon them and their families, when the same people are depriving food from the hungry mouths of Allah's children in the name of 'business'.

Some people think they're not guilty because they haven't been caught. Other people think they've escaped scot-free as they live the finer life in their multi-million dollar homes built on the proceeds from terrorizing and evicting people from their family homes and stealing their land, and suchlike.

They're forgetting Allah said, "Vengeance is mine" and that He works in mysterious ways. While they, personally, may not directly suffer the horror of cancer, kidney disease, or suchlike or get run-over by a bus, as punishment, their child or grandchild might; and that could be an even more devastating blow to them.

There is still a little time left to lower the prices of essential food items for Eid ul-Fitr 2024 and make good, but if nothing else is learned from Ramadan this year it should be to ensure the true spirit of holy Ramadan is upheld next year thence and people do not suffer through the greed of others.

That's a message all Imams ought to consider delivering in their homilies to assist and protect the welfare of their congregation and help put an end to the immoral sordid practice that strangle and suffocate the God-given pleasures of Ramadan.

Joi Bangla!

Sir Frank Peters is a former newspaper and magazine publisher and editor, an award-winning writer, humanitarian, human rights activist Honorary Member of the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters and a foreign friend of Bangladesh.