Ramadan Reminders; Day 24

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu! :)

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

Daily Reminder 24:

Alhamdullilah being an active member of the techy world, we spend most of our time on the Internet either Facebooking or Instagraming or YouTubing or Twittering or simply Googling. 

Since it is the month of Ramadan, the home pages of our social networking sites each day, have at least 10 Ramadan or Islamic related posts. Subhan Allah sometimes these posts serve as a great reminder as though the post was tailor-made for us! And when that happens, we end up sharing that post or comment on it. 

That’s a great way to spread knowledge and Alhamdullilah it’s a form of Dawah too! 

But the greatest responsibility on us is to share the knowledge we gain with our family members. 

Allah swt says in Surah Taha, v.132;

وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا ۖ لَا نَسْأَلُكَ رِزْقًا ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ ۗ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ

“And enjoin prayer upon your family (and people) and be steadfast therein. We ask you not for provision; We provide for you, and the (best) outcome is for (those of) righteousness.”

So according to this verse, when we come across an Islamic post or learn something new, we should be sharing it with our family AND ALSO implementing that advice or lesson in our lives as well! 

There’s no point in preaching and not practising it ourselves. That’s a kind of hypocrisy. And it is also something that Allah swt dislikes [Surah Baqarah, v.44].

The Prophet (saws) said, “Allah, the angels, the inhabitants of heaven and earth, even the ant in its hole and even the fish in the sea, send blessings upon the one who teaches the people good.”

[Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2609; classes as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 1838.]

Subhan Allah such is the honour that Allah swt blesses on the person who shares beneficial knowledge with others! 

Imagine if at least one person gets closer to Allah swt through you or by you sharing the knowledge you’ve gained, you eased someone of their grief, how huge would your stock of rewards be on the Day of Judgement...? 

So when we come across any Islamic post or watched an amazing Islamic video or heard a mind boggling fact about Islam, take this as an opportunity to call your family and friends closer to Deen! 

By the Mercy and Blessings of Allah swt, you never know which heart would be attaching itself to its Creator through your post, Bi Idhnillah! 

Verse of the Day:

Juz: 25

Surah: Az Zumar

Verse: 58

أَوْ تَقُولَ حِينَ تَرَى الْعَذَابَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِي كَرَّةً فَأَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, “If only I had another turn so I could be among the doers of good.”

Regrets are something we experience regularly! Few unimportant ones – like missing out on a clothing sale or not safeguarding your shoes or not being careful with your new dress! And some major regrets – like not being able to get into your desired university because of low grades or not giving your best during this Ramadan and so on…

We all know how depressing a regret can feel like and that is why we vow to never repeat our mistakes again. Sometimes we’re successful but most times we fail. Even then we try not to give up and work on improving what we lack, correct?

But you see, if we experience regret on the Day of Judgement, there is no scope for improvement. No matter how much we beg Allah, we’re not getting another chance. And even at that point if we try our best in pleasing Allah and ask Him to forgive us, it’s not going to work out.

You may wonder that if Allah is the Most Merciful and His love for us is way beyond our parents love for us, then why will He not listen and accept our repentance then?

Well if you haven’t worked hard on your exams and you fail, then is begging your favourite teacher or the most lenient teacher in your school going to help? Will she go against the rules to get you cleared? No!

That’s just one aspect of this worldly life. But the Hereafter is going to be a summary of our entire lives here. Our Akhirah is the result of how much effort we put into this Dunya! And the examiner here is Allah swt! He is The Most Just and He is going to give us the abode we truly deserve – either the Paradise or the Hell fire. 

Imagine your mom puts a condition that if you clean up your room, she’s going to prepare for your favourite chicken or else you got to have Karela (aka bitter gourd). You fail in the work assigned to you and while the entire family enjoys the chicken, you’re stuck with a Karela! How’s that going to feel?

On the Judgement Day, when a person will be taken to the Hell fire, he will be shown his place that was reserved for him if he had worked for Jannah in this Dunya! There will be no reasoning or come backs. And even if that person rubs his nose on to the ground, he’s still going to be put in to the pit of blazing fire! Now how does that sound?

Of course we do make mistakes. We’re forgetful, lazy and weak. Allah swt knows that! That is why He promised shaytan that no matter how many times we seek Allah’s forgiveness for our sins in this Dunya, He will accept it. It is all about sincere Tawbah and not returning back to the sins we committed. 

Allah swt says in Surah Zumar, v.53;

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."

There are countless ways through which we can get our sins forgiven. Repentance, reciting Adhkaar, making Dua, being kind to the people around us, obeying our Parents, giving Sadaqah and so much more!

Subhan Allah we have all the necessary tools. We have the guidance – the Quran. And we also have the life lessons of our Prophet (saws). It is up to us if we use these tools to reserve our place in Jannah or we miss out on our spot in Jannah. 

Sunnah Challenge 24:

You must have heard from a Sunnah that a Dua made during the times of rain is not rejected. [Abu Dawud]

But did you know that standing under the rain is Sunnah too??

Many of us love the rain. The peace and tranquil that comes along with it. The sound of the raindrops splashing down... 

And what comes after it, it is indeed a blessing from Allah swt! He sends down the rains from the sky as His blessing and mercy!

Anas bin Malik (ra) narrated: It rained upon us as we were with the Messenger of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah removed his cloth (from a part of his body) till the rain fell on it.

We said: “Messenger of Allaah, why did you do this?”

He said: “It is because it has just come from the Exalted Lord.”

[Sahih Muslim, 898]

Many places in the world are not fortunate enough to have frequent rainfall. If you happen to be in a place where rainfall is commonplace, don't be frustrated on finding raindrops on your face! Hang in there a little, and rejoice thinking about the mercy and bounties from Allah swt, and make as much Dua to Him as you can! 

Assalam Alaykum.