Ramadan Reminders; Day 10

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu! :)

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah swt be upon you!

Daily Reminder 10:

It seems as though only a few days ago I was preparing myself for the coming of Ramadan! Time flies by faster than light these days! :P

In a blink of an eye we have completed the first leg of Ramadan, Alhamdullilah. 

For some of us, these 10 days would have been an initiating phase (i.e.) getting adjusted to changes in the sleep schedules, constantly pondering over the Book of Allah, engaging in Dhikr and of course my favourite, the late night Taraweeh prayers. 

For those of us (including me :P) who still feel they haven’t given their 100%, now is the time to buck up! Leave behind the fatigue and laziness. Let’s ensure that each and every minute of ours is being dedicated to the worship of Allah. Even if we’re in the kitchen or doing the laundry or cleaning up the house or even working on our home works and assignments, let’s incorporate Dhikr and the recitation or the Tafseer of the Quran. 

Let not guilt overtake our hearts and minds at the end of Ramadan because we couldn’t give it our all!

But for those of you who are content with the amount of your Duas and prayers, keep going In sha Allah! Also remember that there is always room for more. 

May Allah swt grant His Barakah in our time and help us devote ourselves in His praise and worship! Ameen.

Just a short reminder that while we’re making abundant Duas for ourselves and crying over our sins in prayers, please include our oppressed Muslim brothers and sisters in your Duas. This very moment when you’re sitting in the comfort of your house and with the luxury of safety and care, there are kids who’re being abducted and forced into slavery, women are being disrespected and the men, the protectors and care-takers of a family are being killed mercilessly. Why? Because they’re Muslims! 

If we can’t reach out to them personally, we can always send them our Duas! A Dua made for a fellow Muslim in their absence is always accepted, Bi idhnillah.

Verse of the Day:

Juz: 10

Surah: Al Anfal

Verse: 53

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ ۙ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

“That is because Allah would not change a favour which He had bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves. And indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.”

Ever occurred when you had a blessing and it all faded away one day…? Think about it. Anything that you thought was taken away from your life and you immediately turned to Allah and questioned Him, “Why?”…? 

It could be a loss in some business or you were scoring high percentage in school or university but in one particular exam your grades have dropped down or you’ve worked hard on a presentation and you’re a pro in giving one but this time, it didn’t go as planned…?

Do you want to know why…?

Allah swt does not take away a favour or blessing from a person until he does something himself which becomes a cause of being deprived of those blessings.

This what today’s ayah is all about.

At the first strike of a calamity or a problem or you realise that a blessing has been taken away by Allah, either we turn to people expressing our distress and seeking their comfort or we turn to Allah in frustration. 

Don’t be like Iblis who blamed Allah for his dismissal from Paradise!

Instead ponder over your thoughts and your deeds. Maybe you would have been ungrateful for those blessings or perhaps committed a sin or a deed that Allah dislikes. Through this loss, Allah swt wants to redirect your attention towards Him and seek Him. 

So whenever we see that a blessing has been taken away from us that all of a sudden something that we enjoy is gone, we need to analyse ourselves. Did I do something that Allah dislikes? What went wrong? 

We need to ask Allah of forgiveness, express our gratitude for what we still have and ponder over our actions.

Mu’adh (ra) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (saws) took hold of my hand and said, “O Mu’adh! By Allah I love you, so I advise you to never forget to recite after every prayer: 

 اللهم أعني على ذكرك، وشكرك، وحسن عبادتك

Allahumma a'inni ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibadatika 

(O Allah, help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner).”

[Abu Dawud]

Let’s increase our saying of this Dua, In sha Allah!

Sunnah Challenge 10:

Controlling our anger. 

We read so much of it everywhere. But it more often easier said than done. Someone provokes us, and the next moment they are the target of all our destructive words and actions!

Let us look at a hadith from our Prophet (saw).

Abu Huraira reported:

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) as saying: One is not strong because of one's wrestling skillfully. They said: Allah's Messenger, then who is strong? He said: He who controls his anger when he is in a fit of rage.

[Sahih Muslim]

Why is a person who controls their anger given such a high status in Islam? Because it really IS a tough position to achieve!

When a person is angry, the least that they do is lash out hurtful words at the other person, and it may extend upto cursing or physically harming the other for some people! It is indeed difficult to control anger when a person is provoked for a reaction.

Allah tells us in the Holy Quran, in Surah Al Imran (133-134), when talking of the people of Paradise;

".. Those who repress anger.." 

He also reminds us again in Surah Ashura (36-37), of the character of the people in Paradise as; 

".. When they are angry, they forgive."

Subhan Allah! Controlling our anger makes us one among the ones in Jannah!

But how do we control this emotion, which often get the better of us, mostly leading to regret?

1. Respond to your anger by repressing the tongue and be silent:

Ibn Abbas said, "The Messenger of Allah (saws) said; 'Teach and make it easy. Teach and make it easy.' three times. He went on, 'When you are angry, be silent' twice."

[Al Adab Al Mufrad]

2. Recite the Ta'awwuz:

Mu'adh bin Jabal narrated that one of the two men cursed the other next to the Prophet (saws), until anger could be recognized in the face of one of them. So the Prophet (saws) said: “Verily, I know a statement, that if he were to say it, his anger would leave: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the rejected (Audhu billahi min Ash shaitan ar rajim.).’”

[Jami At-Tirmidhi]

3. Changing positions such as sitting down or lying as these positions will reduce or chances of harming a person physically. And it also reduces the blood pressure:

Narrated Abu Dharr:

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to us: "When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down".

[Sunan Abi Dawud]

May Allah help us all in following the Sunnah of Rasulullah (saws) and make us one among the people of Jannah! Ameen.

Assalam Alaykum.