Ramadan Reminders; Day 2

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu! :)

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

Daily Reminder 2:

I will begin with the Hadith narrated by Abu Huraira (ra). The Messenger of Allah (saws) said,

“When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of (Hell) Fire are closed and the devils are chained”.

[Sahih Bukhari]

According to the above hadith, this month is the only period which is free of shaytan.

What this means is that the evil deeds or sins that we would commit as a result of the evil whisperings of the shaytan, we wouldn’t be committing those deeds in this month. Allah swt has given us this month to practice and establish strong control over our desires, our desires to commit deeds that are disliked by Allah. Chaining up the devils serves as a benefit for us to exercise this control.

After a busy forenoon and afternoon schedule, we’re bound to be hit by fatigue. We feel so worn out that it seems almost impossible to do any work until iftaar, let alone work on the deen part of our lives. 

But know that this month is superior in its purity and sacredness to all other months. The reward of each and every struggle of yours, how you keep yourself going throughout the day while staying away from food and water for the sake of Allah, how you endure the heat and patiently deal with people around you is all recorded by Allah. Also know that if there was the presence of shaytan during this month, this struggle wouldn’t be as sweet as it seems now.

And when Allah has favoured us by locking up the shaytan, it is our duty and responsibility to put in that extra effort in building up the blocks of sabr and love in our hearts for Allah and His Deen. 

For as much tired and weary you feel, recite the Quran, listen to its explanation, ponder over what Allah is trying to tell you, take lessons from what you listen to, figure out how you can be implementing this knowledge in your daily lives. 

Learn new duas, new adhkaars, don’t waste even a single minute until iftaar. Because when you’re in the state of sawm (fast), you’re in a state of purity, the smell of your breath is more beloved and liked by Allah than the smell of musk, you’re now closer to Allah than you could ever be, utilise this opportunity to get even more closer to Allah and become His beloved slave. Strive to be the slave of Allah who is mentioned to the Angels by Allah Himself! 

Remember, for every step you take towards Allah, Allah takes 10 steps towards you and when you walk towards Allah, Allah runs towards you. Such a Merciful and Loving Lord He is!

Verse of the Day:

Juz: 2

Surah: Al Baqarah

Verse: 186

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.”

The one act that draws us closer to Allah and that is regarded as the most important act of ibadah is dua which is one of the things highlighted in the above verse.

Most times, when we’re upset or frustrated or crying our eyes out, we spend most of our energy thinking about the “how’s” and “why’s” of life. And by the time the realization clicks us that we could be praying to Allah for it, our energy is completely drained out, eyes are swollen red and we resort to sleep as comfort. 

But in the 186th verse of Al Baqarah, Allah speaks of the distance between Him and His slave. The distance between you and Allah is less than the distance between you and your jugular vein (Surah Qaf, verse 16). 

Why did Allah mention the “jugular” vein and not just any other vein in our body? 

Let’s speak in biology now. The Jugular vein is located on the either sides of your neck. It is the most vulnerable vein in your body and links the heart and the brain. It is only fitting that Allah chooses that element in our body which is very crucial and without which life is impossible. There is nothing closer to you in terms of distance than this vein except for Allah. Subhan Allah!!

When this is how close Allah is to His slaves, why do you think He won’t listen to you and accept your duas?

Which is exactly what Allah says after mentioning the fact that He is indeed near. Allah will definitely answer your prayers, provided you call upon Him. Tell Him your needs and desires, seek His help, expect only from Him and be assured that you will be responded. Don’t just make dua when you’re in need of it. Make dua at all times. Dua is not an option but a necessity. And Rasulullah (saws) has said, 

“Whoever does not ask of Allah, He becomes angry with him.”

[Classed as hasan by Al-Albaani. Saheeh Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, 2686]

But the part that is mentioned after this in the above verse is usually neglected.

Allah will respond but we need to prove ourselves worthy of that response. And for that we should respond to Allah and His Guidance. 

Responding to Allah is to obey Him, worship Him, follow His guidelines, stay away from things He dislikes, engage in committing deeds that He loves, hasten to salah, learn, understand and implement the knowledge of the Quran and follow the example of His Rasul.

May Allah swt entitle us to be among those who are beloved to Him and who He responds to and who He guides. Ameen.

Sunnah Challenge 2:

As easy as the challenge sounds, it surely isn't!

As our worlds have become much more compact and interconnected, having conversations have become easy as never before. 

How much time of the day do we spend speaking or texting matters that are of no use to us?!

We spend much of our energy conversing matters of little importance, sometimes we bring gossip too, which can easily destroy our deeds in this Holy month.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 

"He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent."

[Muslim]

In this Ramadan and the days to come, let us challenge and remind ourselves to refrain from chatting uselessly and speak only when it would be of benefit.

Assalam Alaykum.

Fasting or Something More...?

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah azza wa jal be upon you!

Alhamdullilah we are in the blessed month of Ramadan. Some of us are excited about the coming 30 days and have planned everything there is to plan while some of us are sooooooo excited that we still haven’t come up with a plan yet. :P 

But Alhamdullilah in some way or the other we are slowly getting into the spirit of this blessed month.

What picture comes to our mind when we think of Ramadan…?

Is it fasting? Or the feast after fasting? The first bite of chicken samosa or haleem is all that plays in our mind in rewind mode. :P

Anyway on a serious note, usually either fasting or taraweeh prayers or iftaar timings come to our mind when we think about Ramadan.

But that’s not what Allah (swt) wants us to think.

This is the verse that has been repeated over and over but today let’s take a closer look at it which is the 185^th verse from Surah al-Baqarah where Allah (swt) says,

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ

“The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.”

Allah (swt) did not introduce us to Ramadan by fasting but by saying that the Quran was revealed in this month. Religious or not, we know that in this month we work a lil extra in worshipping Allah (swt) and in getting closer to Him. And the key to get close to Allah (swt) is through the Quran itself! When we don’t put an effort in learning and trying to understand what Allah (swt) says in the Quran then we’re not actually fulfilling the purpose of Ramadan! The entire purpose of Ramadan is to celebrate the Quran.

This is the month where we need to put in that effort in understanding the Quran and introduce ourselves to it like never before.

The lazy part of us might say that it’s enough to read articles about the Quran or roughly go through it’s translation or atleast recite the Quran once during Ramadan. But that’s not enough. Why? Because the Quran is a purposeful book and how can we derive its benefits when we don’t understand what it says!

Some of us have the habit of reading the newspaper as soon as we wake up or as they say “kill” time by gazing at pictures in the magazine but we don’t pick the Quran and try to understand what Allah (swt) wants us to know through this Book! Is it that hard for us to devote at least half an hour to study the Quran and ponder over its verses? What sort of preoccupation is this where we have plenty of time to read wordly books but no time to understand the Divine Book.

Answer me this. If you receive a letter from your friend in a language that you cannot understand, wouldn’t you ask someone to translate it for you or atleast use the translate app on your phone? But little do we care to know the message sent by The Lord of the worlds for us.

In the 2^nd verse of Surah al-Jum’ah, Allah (swt) says,

 هُوَ ٱلَّذِى بَعَثَ فِى ٱلْأُمِّيِّۦنَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ

“It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom - although they were before in clear error.”

The word يزكيهم comes from the root word ز   ك    ي  which means purify.

يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ means when Prophet Muhammad (saws) recites the verses of the Quran to his people, it purifies them. This has two indications. Purification of –

1. Mind

2. Heart

By purifying our Minds, Allah (swt) teaches us how to think and how to give right answers. There are verses in the Quran where Allah (swt) asks us to think a certain way, to answer in a specific manner and to reflect on certain things. With every verse, He (swt) is constantly training us to think and learn lessons from them thereby purifying our mind.

And then there’s purification of the Heart. Our heart is filled with diseases like jealousy, laziness, greed, temptation and lust. As we understand Allah’s Book, these diseases slowly diminish. Allah (swt) gives us the power to control them and thereby He (swt) purifies our hearts.

There may be spiritual or intellectual books but the combination of these two can be found only in the Quran. Subhan Allah! When we understand the Quran, Allah (swt) balances our heart and mind.

Now some of us may say that because the Quran is in Arabic, it’s hard to understand and maybe to recite it as well. But there’s good news for them from Allah (swt) Himself! Allah (swt) says in Surah al-Qamar, verse 40,

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ

“And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?”

Allah (swt) is asking who among you will remember the Quran… He, The Almighty, The most Powerful, your Creator is calling you to remember His Book… And we turn away from this call… That’s something that needs to be fixed. Don’t you think?

This Ramadan, may Allah azza wa jal help us build our relationship with the Quran, understand its beauty and help us remember the divine verses. May Allah azza wa jal help us purify our minds and hearts. May He (swt) fill our hearts with love only for Him and help us detach our hearts from everything that takes us away from His remembrance. May He (swt) make us among those who earn His blessings in this world and the Hereafter and may He make the path to Jannah easy for us.

Lastly, please don’t forget our Ummah in your dua. As we enter Ramadan with all the luxuries of life, there are our Muslim brothers and sisters who are entering Ramadan with not enough food for suhoor or iftaar, with no roof over their head and with constant fear. May Allah (swt) give patience to the Muslims who are going through a tough period and reward their patience by uniting them with their families in Jannah. May He (swt) accept their duas and have mercy on them. Ameen.

Ramadan Mubarak to you. :)

Assalam Alaykum.