Ramadan Reminders; Day 15

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu! :)

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

Daily Reminder 15:

Mid-Ramadan Blues is something we all have an experience with! We begin this blessed month with an extremely high level of enthusiasm and excitement but by the time we reach towards the end, our mind and body begins to give up. 

We have the urge of making each day better than the previous one but our energy levels seems to find a new low every other day! When this happens to me, I tend to feel extremely guilty and I ask myself, “Is this all I can worship Allah swt?” 

This remorse over my incapability of staying consistent and energised until the end of Ramadan, brings my spirit down so much so that I feel I should probably give up, skip a few Taraweehs and give my body some rest.

But then I realise that Allah swt never intended difficulty for us. And it is quite amazing that Allah swt says “Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship” in the same verse He mentions about Ramadan! Subhan Allah!

So if we’re over-exerting ourselves and making ourselves worn out, then we probably didn’t get the spirit of Ramadan right…

The whole purpose of Ramadan is to taste the sweetness in the worship and obedience to Allah, to realise the beauty and uniqueness of this Deen, to understand who our Creator is, to strengthen our bond with our Creator and of course to shed off our sins and begin a new Bi idhnillah!

And this cannot be achieved if we follow the acts of worship only through our bodies and not through our minds and hearts! 

Contemplate your hunger during the day. Think about how Rasulullah (saws) would have broken his fast – with samosas? Or with just dates or water? We can’t tolerate hunger for 14 hours and our Prophet had to tie stones to his stomach to control his hunger! And yet the examples of his kindness and generosity lives until today! Subhan Allah!

Think about what you intend for in Sujood and Ruku’? Is it just a body movement or is it something that requires our attention too? 

Just think about all those people missing out in gaining such massive rewards during this month. Shouldn’t we consider ourselves blessed that Allah swt chose us to worship Him? He hasn’t given this opportunity to all! 

Not everybody performs Sujood! And if we’re able to put our heads to the ground say, “Glory be to Allah, The Most High”, then Allah intends Jannah for us. Question is, are we ready to prove ourselves worthy of it?

Let not our fatigue and laziness consume our minds and take over our bodies! We belong to Allah and every part in us is a gift of Allah swt. Our soul was created to worship its Creator! So revel in the obedience of The Master! Appreciate the blessings and seek forgiveness for being ungrateful for those blessings! 

Another 15 days for the devils to be released and for us to strengthen our Imaan, build Taqwa and earn as many rewards as possible In sha Allah! 

Verse of the Day:

Juz: 15

Surah: Al Isra

Verse: 14

اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا

[It will be said], “Read your record. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as accountant.”

Imagine this sight. It is time for your deeds to be judged. You will be brought forth before Allah on the Judgement Day. Your hands and feet are trembling and your heart is sinking. All of your deeds in Dunya are flashing before your eyes. And your mind is trying to find excuses for the sins you’ve committed. 

But as you’re about to justify yourself, your Record of Deeds are handed over to you. It contains every word you uttered and every deed you committed in Dunya. Your mouth is going to be sealed before you give any justification. And then Allah will allow your hands and feet to speak for your deeds. 

Anas Bin Malik (ra) reported: We were in the company of Allah’s Messenger (saws) when He smiled and he said: “Do you know why I laughed?” We said Allah and His Messenger know the best. He said “It was because (there came to my mind the) talk which the servant will have with his Lord (on the Day of Judgment).” 

He would say: “O my Lord! Have you not guaranteed me protection against injustice?”

Allah will say, “Yes.” 

So the servant will say, “Do not deem valid any witness against me but my own self.”

So Allah will say, “Well, enough would be the witness of yourself against you and that of the two angels who had been appointed to record your deeds." Then the seal would be set upon his mouth and it would be said to his hands and feet to speak and they would speak of his deeds. Then the mouth would be made free to talk, he would say (to the hands and feet): Be away, let there be curse of Allah upon you. It was for your safety that I contended.”

[Sahih Muslim, 3612]

How horrifying is that! But that Day is not far away my brothers and sister!

These days we’re surrounded by indecency and fitnah. Look at how the world now is indicating towards the signs of the Judgement Day! Now think of all the sins and errors we’ve been committing for the past 10 years, or 15 or 30 years. 

Ask yourselves, “Am I really prepared for meeting my Lord? Is my Book of Deeds going to be worth reading? Or will my record shame me on that Day? What deeds have I committed that is going to reward me even after my death?”

We need to constantly reflect on our words and actions and evaluate for ourselves if this word of mine and this action is really worth for my Book?

This sounds like an almost impossible task right? Monitoring our every second? But it’s as easy as a walk in the park!

Engage your tongue in the Dhikr of Allah or speak that which will cause comfort and love in the hearts of people you speak to. 

This does not mean you don’t have fun or all your conversations become extremely serious. 

In the middle of your jokes, say words of praise like “Alhamdullilah”, “Subhan Allah”, “La ilaha illa Allah”, “Allahu Akbar”. The rewards of these days will bring benefit in this world, in your grave and on the Day of Judgement.

Try to figure out things that will become an ongoing charity for you. Teach someone the words of Allah, encourage your friends and family to understand the Book of Allah, open up a blog, write a book, anything at all! 

Just so that your Record will not close on your death but will still continue with your Sadaqah, In sha Allah!

Sunnah Challenge 15:

A market is one of the most disliked places by Allah (swt), as it is a place with temptations for each and every one…

It is important that we memorize and recite the following dua while entering a market.

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ ، يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ ، بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

"None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, alone, without partner, to Him belongs all sovereignty and praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is living and does not die. In His hand is all good and He Omnipotent over all things."

Our Prophet (saws) also mentioned in the hadith that for the person who recites this Dua, Allah will wipe a million bad deeds from his record and grant him a million good deeds, and will elevate him a million degree (of virtue)- (and will build him a house in paradise in another narration). 

[At Tirmidhi]

Let us remind ourselves of this Dua. Everytime we go to a market, be it a shopping mall or a supermarket, and also remind ourselves to be cautious in how we spend, and spend for the right cause, seeking protection from Allah.

Assalam Alaykum.