Secrets+of+Divine+Love+Ramadan

224 SECRETS OF DIVINE LOVE
surrender everything to the Divine, we are not giving up what we have, but
becoming receptive to the infinite blessings Allah has given us. Ramadan
teaches us how discipline and boundaries don’t restrict our freedom, but
actually lay the foundation for true freedom.
Our addictions enslave us. Our attachments to our desires enslave us.
Allah only calls us to let go of the things that weigh us down and prevent
us from being truly free. The following story beautifully demonstrates
how learning to let go and detach from our desires leads to freedom:
In order to catch monkeys in certain Asian villages, hunters carve a
hole in a coconut shell and fill the hole with peanuts. The hole is just
big enough for the monkey’s hand to go inside, but small enough that
when the monkey makes a fist to grab the peanuts, its hand gets stuck.
All the monkey has to do to escape is let go of the peanuts and pull its
hand out. However, even as the hunters approach “trapped” monkeys,
they do not let go of the peanuts, resulting in being caught.
When we let go of the lower desires of the self, we discover that the key
to escaping our self-made prison has always been in our hands. Ramadan
teaches us that the spiritual path is not so much about doing as it is about
non-doing. When we surrender and let go of the desires that do not serve
us, we come to see that we’re floating peacefully along the river of God’s
decree.
Becoming Receptive to Divine Guidance
It was in a heightened state of receptivity during one of Muhammad’s
retreats at the Mountain of Light (Jabal an-Nur), where he went to fast ﷺ
from the temptations of the world, that the Qur’an was revealed to him. 4
Through this early example of the Prophet ‏,ﷺ we see that fasting from the
world to cultivate God-consciousness is the foundation for receiving and
understanding the divine revelation. Just as the usefulness of a bowl as a
vessel comes from its emptiness, when we empty ourselves of the self and
the world, we are able to be filled with Allah.