Religion for Accountants; Dollars & Sense

Some have already observed how quickly the days pass in Ramadan; the month of fasting from before dawn till the setting of the sun. In the northern hemisphere it has be a hot one with long days. On an odd numbered night during the last ten days of the month a ‘night of power’ will occur. This night is described as better that a thousand months. Those words alone should be enough to indicate the significance of the night, but further consideration reveals value in additional ways.
Among the companions of the Prophet Mohammad were those who were old enough to realize they were aproaching the end of their life. They had heard that some of the eternal rewards of paradise would depend on the value of good deeds accomplished in this lifetime. They spoke among themselves and concluded that the young Muslims had the rest of a long life time to accomplish good deeds and great rewards; whereas the eldest had virtually no time left and would face eternity ill prepared, perhaps burdened by sin and with but little hope of honor or acceptance by God.
The description of the ‘night of power’ as preserved in the Koran equates to a length of time of 83 and 1/3 years; actually more because the words say ‘that night is better than 1,000 months’. While a lot of people do not live as long and many live longer 83 years is considered a lengthly life span. Additionally, our society world wide has become greatly focused on material value so even in religious matters monatary value is often considered above all else. In US dollars if an individual works starting at the age of maturity until close to the end of his life his likely potential earning is significant, and is not difficult to approximate. If a person worked 55 years earning the equivalent of $22,000 a year with no raises during his lifetime he would earn almost one and a quarter million dollars.
How much of this might be spent directed to good works is harder to guess, but the potential is clearly significant. The elder Muslims at the time of Mohammad would have used a different medium of exchange but it is not difficult to see their distress at hoping to complete with good works at their advanced age and having only a few years or less to build additional favor with Allah.
This was their concern when they came to Mohammad and inquired whether their eternal condition would be influenced by their earthy accomplishments. When Mohammad confirmed that this was the case, their distress was only heightened. As they were departing Mohammad replied that perhaps this was not the end of the story and that they should rememeber the conversation and bring up the subject again.
Soon thereafter the verses regarding the night of power was revealed and an unsurpassed opportunity was presented by Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. What had been regarded as clearly impossible could now, with a little timely effort be achieved: an entire lifetime of accomplishments, valued in excess of a million dollars completed in a single night.
Within a small number of weeks this momentous night will again arrive. For some millions of people this will be the last chance; they will meet death before next year’s Ramadan arrives. It is likely many will miss this final opportunity but some will make the most this chance of a lifetime.
The final day of ones life is unpredictable but the young always believe there is plenty of time until that final day. Missing the ‘night of power’ should not considered a casual loss whether a second chance or many more chances present themselves in the years to come. The value of the this night truly should not be considered in
monetary terms but its only those terms that will give some of us pause to think of its worth. Missing this night represents the loss of a million dollar deposit or more. And actually it is much more of a significant loss because its value is not in the temporary dollars and cents of this world, but a loss of millions that will never lose value, never require preservation and never decline in value. Yes another ‘night of power’ may be available if you live that long but this night in Ramadan 2013 will never come again. Miss it and perhaps miss millions.