Ramadan Articles - Gateways of Goodness in Ramadan-I

Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}The month of Ramadan]is that[
in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear
proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights ]the new moon of[
the month, let him fast it.{]Quran 2:185[
Very soon, we are expecting a great month in which Allaah The Almighty
opens the gates of goodness, wherein the reward for good deeds and
mercy are doubled, the gates of Paradise are open, and the gates of
Hell are closed. It is worth making extra efforts to excel in this
month because it passes by in the flicker of an eye. Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:}]Fasting is for[a limited number of
days.{]Quran 2:184[
Thus, we should invest our best efforts in these limited days by
approaching the gateways of goodness. For instance:
1-Supplicating Allaah The Almighty upon seeing the new moon. The
Prophet,, said upon seeing it:"Allaahumma ahillahu 'alayna bil-yumn
wal-imaan was-salaamah wal-islam. Rabbi wa rabbuk Allaah )O Allaah,
Let this new moon come to us with goodness and faith, safety and
Islam. My Lord and your Lord Is Allaah(."
2-Breaking one's fast promptly: The Prophet,, said:"People will
continue to adhere to good as long as they hasten to break the
fast."]Al-Bukhaari[
3-Supplicating Allaah The Almighty upon breaking the fast. The
Prophet,, said:"The fasting person has an answered supplication upon
breaking his fast."The Prophet,, used to say:"Thahab ath-thama'
wabtallat al-'urooq wa thabat al-ajr in shaa' Allaah )The thirst has
been quenched, the veins have been moistened, and the reward is
confirmed – Allaah willing(."]Abu Daawood, Ad-Daaraqutni, and
Al-Haakim[
4-Praising Allaah The Almighty after eating and drinking. The
Prophet,, said:"Allaah is pleased with the slave who praises Him after
eating and drinking."]Muslim[
5-ObservingTaraaweehprayer)voluntary night prayers performed
duringRamadan( regularly. The Prophet,said:"The best prayer, after the
obligatory ones, is the voluntary night prayers."]Muslim[
6-Performing voluntary night prayer with faith and hoping for reward.
The Prophet,, said:"Whoever performs voluntary prayers in the nights
of Ramadanwith faith and hoping for reward from Allaah, his past sins
will be forgiven."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
7-Keenness on havingSuhoor)pre-dawn meal(. The Prophet,, said:"Have a
pre-dawn meal; it is a blessing."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
8-Walking to the Masjid. The Prophet,, said:"Whoever goes to the
Masjid at dawn or dusk )for prayer(, Allaah preparesa hospitable abode
for him in Paradise every time he does this."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
9-Providing food for the fasting person. The Prophet,, said:"Whoever
provides a fasting person with food to break his fast will receive a
reward similar to that of the fasting person without affecting the
latter's reward."]At-Tirmithi:Hasan Saheeh[ Encourage your
acquaintances to contribute to providing food for fasting people.
10-Supplications in general. The Prophet,, said quoting his Lord:"I am
as My slave expects ofMe, and I am with him when he calls upon
Me."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
11-Supplicating for a Muslim in his absence. The Prophet,, said:"No
slave supplicates for a Muslim in his absence but the angel will say,
'May the same be for you too.'"]Muslim[
12-Feeling the seriousness and danger of sin and believing that you
cannot bear the punishment allocated for it. This will help you hasten
to give up sin and renew your repentance to Allaah The Almighty in
order to change your bad deeds into good ones. AllaahThe Almighty Says
)what means(:}Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous
work. For them Allaah will replace their evil deeds with good. And
ever is Allaah Forgiving and Merciful.{]Quran 25:70[
13-Seeking forgiveness of Allaah The Almighty. The Prophet,, said:"If
anyone constantly seeks forgiveness from Allaah, He will appoint for
him a way out of every distress and relief from every anxiety, and
will provide sustenance for him from where he does not expect."]Abu
Daawood and An-Nasaa'i[
14-Supplicating and asking forgiveness for Muslims. Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:}And ]there is a share for[ those who came
after them, saying,"Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded
us in faith and put not in our hearts]any[ resentment toward those who
have believed. Our Lord, indeed, You Are Kind and Merciful."{]Quran
59:10[
15-Constantly remembering Allaah The Almighty. The Prophet,,
said:"Shall I not inform you of the best of your actions which are the
purest to your Lord, that exalt you to the high ranks, are more
efficacious than spending gold and silver )in charity(, and are better
for you than you should encounter your enemies whose necks you will
smite and they will smite your necks?''Theysaid, "Certainly.'' The
Prophetsaid:"Remembrance of Allaah The Almighty."
16-Supplication betweenAthaan)call to prayer( andIqaamah)second call
to prayer(. The Prophet,, said:"Supplication between the Athaan and
Iqaamah is surely answerable."]Al-Bukhaari[
17-Performing'Umrah)minor pilgrimage( inRamadanwhen possible. The
Prophet,, said:"'Umrah in Ramadan equals ]the reward of[ Hajj or Hajj
with me."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
18-Reading the Quran frequently and reflecting upon it. The Prophet,,
said:"Read the Quran; it will intercede on behalf of those who read it
on the Day of Resurrection."]Muslim[
19-Observing the obligatory prayers regularly on time. The Prophet,,
said:"When the time for a prescribed prayer is due and a Muslim
performs ablution properly, observes devotion during it and
completesits acts of bowing, this prayer will be an expiation for his
past sins, so long as he does not commit major sins, and this applies
for ever."]Muslim[ Once the Prophet,, was asked what the best deed
was, and he said:"Performing prayer at its due time."]Al-Bukhaari and
Muslim[
20-ObservingFajr)morning( and'Asr)late-afternoon( Prayer regularly.
The Prophet,, said:"Whoever performs Fajr and 'Asr Prayers )regularly(
will enter Paradise."]Al-Bukhaari[
21-Keenness on joining the first row in prayer. The Prophet,,
said:"Were people to know the blessing of pronouncing Athaan and the
standing in the first row,they would even draw lots to secure these
privileges."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
22-PerformingDhuha)mid-morning( Prayer regularly. The Prophet,,
said:"When you get up in the morning, charity is due from every one of
your joints. There is charity in every ascription of glory to Allaah;
there is charity in every utterance of praise of Him; there is charity
in every declaration that He is the only true God)worthy of worship(;
there is charity in every declaration of His Greatness; there is
charity in enjoining good; and there is charity in forbidding evil.
Offeringtwo Rak'ahs )units( of Dhuha Prayer is equal to all this in
reward."]Muslim[
23-Performing the confirmed voluntary prayers regularly. The Prophet,,
said:"A house will be built in Paradise for every Muslim who offers
twelve Rak'aatof voluntary prayers other than the obligatory ones
every day."]Muslim[
24-Performing voluntary prayers at home. The Prophet,, said:"Perform
part of your)voluntary( prayers at your homes and do not turn them
into graves."]Al-Bukhaari[
25-Offering long prostrations. The Prophet,, said:"A slave becomes
nearest to his Lord when he is in prostration. So increase
supplications while prostrating."]Muslim[

Ramadan Articles - The Month of Repentance- II

…Continue
How can Allaah The Exalted not call them to forgive them, while the
most honored, noblest and the most righteous among them, Muhammad,,
who wasforgiven his previous andfuture sins, repented to Allaah The
Almighty everysingle day. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:
·}Indeed, We have given you, ]O Muhammad[, a clear conquest. That
Allaah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin.{]Quran 48: 1-2[
·}And We removed from you your burden.{]Quran94: 2[
In spite of that, the Prophet,, used to say as reported
inSaheehMuslimon the authority of Al-Agharr ibn Yasaar:"O people,
repent to Allaah, for I repent to Allaah one hundred timesa
day."]Muslim[
Is it not our right upon ourselves to hasten to draw near to Allaah
The Almighty in this blessed month in which one is in a dire need of
the generosity of Allaah The Almighty? Part of His generosity is that
He The Exalted rejoices at the repentance of the sinnersand loves the
return of the one who transgressed against or rejected His commands.
Allaah The Almighty Says)what means(:}Indeed, Allaah loves those who
are constantly repentant and loves those who purify
themselves."{]Quran 2: 222[
The Prophet,, also said:
"Allaah rejoices more at the repentance of His slave than any one of
you, whose camel runs away from him in a desolate land carrying his
food and drink, and he despairs of finding it, so he goes to a tree
and lies down in its shade, having despaired of finding his camel.
Then while he is like that, it suddenly it appears in front of him and
he takeshold of its reins and says, because of his intense joy, 'O
Allaah, You are my slave and I am Your lord,' making this mistake
because of the intensity of his joy."]Muslim[
Here we have to ask ourselves about the validity of our repentance:
does Allaah The Almighty accept it?
There are signs for the validity of repentance. They are mentioned
inMadaarij As-Saalikeenas follows:
There are certain signs ofsound accepted repentance:
1-One should be better after repentance than before it.
2-Fear should accompany the repentant person for he does not feel
secure fromthe plan of Allaah The Almighty for the twinkling of an
eye. His fear should persist until one hears the saying of the
Messenger )angel( who is commissioned to take his soul:}"Do not fear
and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were
promised.{]Quran 41: 30[ Only then will his fear vanish.
3-His heart stops and trembles with regret and fear. This is according
to the greatness or insignificance of the sin. This is the
interpretation of Ibn 'Uyaynahof the Saying of Allaah The Almighty
)which means(:}Their building which they built will not cease to be a
]cause of[ skepticism in their heartsuntil their hearts are
stopped.{]Quran 9: 110[ He said,"They are stopped by repentance."There
is no doubt that intense fear of the great punishment in the Hereafter
fills the heart with regret and worry. This is the meaning of
'stopping' it. This is the reality of repentance, for his heart is
filled with regret for what he has neglected and fear for his bad end
and punishment. Thus, whoever does not have his heart stopped in the
worldly life out of regret and fear for what he has neglected, it will
be stopped in the Hereafter when the facts are revealed and he
witnesses the reward of the obedient and the punishment of the
disobedient.
4-The other signs of validrepentance include a special unprecedented
anguish that leaves one heartbroken. It can only be felt by a sinner.
It cannot happen due to hunger or pure love, but it is something
completely different thanthat. It breaks the heart completely before
the Lord, humbles it and makes it submissive before Him. All these
conditions are very beneficial and fruitful to him. They are a great
cure for him and will bring him closer to His Master. Nothing is
dearerto his Master than such submission, humility and yielding to his
Master.

Ramadan Articles - The Month of Repentance- I

The month ofRamadanis a great opportunity for returning to Allaah The
Almighty with repentance. It is the month of mercy, erasing mistakes,
expiatingevil deeds, salvation from Hellfire and attaining Paradise.
The fortunate person is he who knows this and hastens to the actions
that draw him near to His Lord by turning to Him in repentance,
seeking forgiveness and feeling regret for all his slips andsins.
If one does not repent inRamadan, then when will he? If one does not
repent when the gates ofParadise are opened, the gates of Hellfire are
closed and devils are chained up, then when will he repent? When
willhe give up committing sins?
It is the month of repentance, forgiveness, salvation form Hell fire
and the Prophet,, said:"May his nose be rubbed in the dust, a man for
whom Ramadan comes and then goes before he is forgiven!"]At-Tirmithi;
Al-Albaani:Saheeh[
Why do we not repent while Allaah The Almighty stretches out HisHand
to the seeker of repentance and opens the door of His repentance to
those whofeel regret )for their sins(? It was narrated on the
authority of Abu Moosa Al-Ash'arithat the Prophet,, said:"Allaah The
Almighty stretches out His Hand at night to accept the repentance of
those whodid wrong during the day, and He stretches out His Hand
during the day to accept the repentance of those who did wrong during
the night. )This will continue( until the sun rises from the
west.["]Muslim[
It was also reported on the authority of Abu Tharr Al-Ghifaarithat the
Prophet,, said:"Allaah The Almighty says: 'My slaves, you commit sins
by day and by night, and I forgive allsins, so seek forgiveness from
Me and I shall forgive you.'"]Muslim[
Remember that the Mercyof Allaah The Almighty encompasses all things.
Isnot He The Exalted, the One who opens the door of repentance before
thehypocrites? He The Exalted Says )what means(:}Indeed, the
hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire - and never will
you find for them a helper. Except for those who repent, correct
themselves, hold fast to Allaah, and are sincere in their religion for
Allaah , for those will be with the believers. And Allaah is going to
give the believers a greatreward.{]Quran 4: 145-146[
Allaah The Exalted did not exclude the Jews andthe Christians, who
insulted and slandered Him and says )on their behalf, what means(:}And
the Jews say, "The hand of Allaah is chained." Chained are their
hands, and cursed are they for what they say. Rather, both His hands
are extended.{]Quran 4: 64[
Allaah The Exalted does not exclude them from His mercy that
encompasses all things. He The Exalted Says)what means(:}So will they
not repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness?And Allaah is Forgiving
and Merciful.{]Quran 5: 74[
He The Exalted Says about the non-Muslims)what means(:}But if they
repent, establish prayer, and give Zakaah, then they are your brothers
in religion; and We detail the verses for a people who know.{]Quran 9:
11[
Is not He The Exalted, the One who calls those who have transgressed
against themselves of thenation of Muhammad,, to humble themselves and
repent to Him saying)what means(:}Say, "O My servants who have
transgressed against themselves ]by sinning[, do not despair of the
mercy of Allaah. Indeed, Allaah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He
who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."{]Quran 39: 53[ And He called the
people ofImaan)faith( to make repentance; He The Exalted Says )what
means(:}O you who havebelieved, repent to Allaahwith sincere
repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and
admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow.{]Quran 66: 8[

Ramadan Articles - Reaping the Benefits of Ramadhan

In the month of Ramadaan it is very important that we spent a few
moments to understand some of the wisdoms and lessons thatwe can learn
from this month of fasting.
Unfortunately, many Muslims come in to this month and they are as a
companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Let it not be that
the day that you fast and the day that you break fast be equal."
Meaning, one's behaviour, attitude and outlook are the same whether
one fasts or not,i.e. fasting has no effect upon that person. This is
why we need to reflect on some of these lessons.
LESSON 1: Gaining Taqwaa
Allah legislated fasting for gaining taqwaa,
"O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as ithas been
prescribed upon those before you, so that you may attain
taqwaa."(meaning of Soraat ul Baqarah (2):183)
Taqwaa in this case means to make a shield between oneself and Allah's
anger and Hellfire.So we should ask ourselves, when we break our
fasts, 'Has this fasting day made us fear Allah more? Has it resulted
that we want to protect ourselves from the hellfire or not?
LESSON 2: Drawing closer to Allah
This is achieved by reciting and reflecting onAl-Qur'aan during night
and day, attending the taraaweeh prayers, remembering Allah, sitting
in circles of knowledge and, for those who can, making `umrah. Also
for those who can, making I`tikaaf (seclusion) in the last ten nights
of Ramadaan, so as to leave all worldly pursuits and seclude oneself
in a masjid just thinking of Allah, so as to bring oneself closer to
Allah (SWT). When one sins, one feels distant from Allah. That is why
one might find it heard to read the Qur'aan and come to the masjid.
However, the obedient worshipper feels closer to Allah and wants to
worship Allah more, because he is not shy from his sins.
LESSON 3: Acquiring patience and strong will
Allah has mentioned patience more than seventy times in the Qur'aan
and has commanded patience in more than sixteen ways in His Book. So
when onefasts, and gives up one's food and drink, and one's marital
sexual relations for those hours, one learns restraint and patience.
This Ummah needs man and women that are strong willed, who can stand
upon the Sunnah and the Book of Allah and not waver in front of the
enemies of Allah. We do not need emotional people, who just raise
slogans and shout, but when the timecomes to stand upon something
firm, they cannot do so, they waver.
LESSON 4: Striving for Ihsaan (righteousness and sincerity) and
staying away from riyaa' (showing off)
Ihsaan means to worship Allah as if one seeks Him, and even though one
does not see Him, He seesall. Hasan al-Basree said,"By Allah, in the
last twenty years, I have not said a word or taken something with my
hand or refrained to take something with my hand or stepped forth or
stepped back, except thatI have thought before I have done any action,
'Does Allah love this action? Is Allah pleased with this action?' So
when one is fasting, one should gain this quality of watching oneself
and also staying away from riyaa' (showing off). Thatis why Allah said
in a hadeeth qudsee,"Fasting is for Me and I reward it."(al-Bukhaaree)
Allah singles out fasting from all other types of worshipsaying,
"Fasting is for Me", because no one knows whether you are fasting or
not, except Allah. For example, when one is praying or giving charity
or making tawaaaf, one can be seenby the people, so one might do the
action seeking the praise of the people. Sufyaan ath-Thawree used to
spend the nights and the days crying and the people used to ask
him,"Why do you cry, is it due to the fear of Allah? He said, 'No.'
They said, "Is it due to the fear of the Hellfire?" He said, 'No. It
is not the fear of Hellfire that makes me cry, what makes me cry is
that I have been worshipping Allah all these years and doing scholarly
teaching, and I am not certain that my intentions are purely for
Allah.'"
LESSON 5: Refinement of manners, especially thoserelated to
truthfulness and discharging trusts.
The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him)
said,"Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then
Allah (SWT) has no need that he should heave his food and
drink."(al-Bukhaaree) What we learn from this, is that wemust pay
attention to thepurification of our manners. The Prophet (may Allah
send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "was sent to perfect good
manners." (Maalik) So we must check ourselves, are we following the
behaviour of the Prophet (may Allahsend His blessing and peace upon
him)? For example: Do we give salaam to those we don't know and those
we do know? Do we follow the manners of Islaam, by telling the truth
and only telling the truth? Are we sincere? Are we merciful to the
creation?
LESSON 6: Recognizing that one can change for the better
The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him)
said,"Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are those who
repent."(Ibn Maajah) Allah provides many opportunities to repent to
Him and seek His forgiveness. If one was disobedient they can become
obedient.
LESSON 7: Being more charitable
Ibn `Abbaas said, "The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace
upon him) was the most charitable amongst the people, and he used to
be more so in the month of Ramadaan when Jibreel used to meet him on
every night of Ramadaan till the end of the month…" (al-Bukhaaree) The
Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "He who
gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the
same reward as him, without nothing being reduced from the fasting
person's reward." (at-Tirmidhee)
LESSON 8: Sensing the unity of the Muslims
The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said,"…
Those of you who will live after me will see many differences. Then
you must cling to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided
khaleefahs. Hold fast to itand stick to it."(Aboo Daawood) In this
month we sense that there is a possibility for unity, because we all
fast together, we break fast together, we all worship Allah together,
and we pray Salaatul-`Eid together. Therefore we sense that the unity
of Muslims is possible. It is possible for Muslims to bea single body,
but this will only be achieved when obedience is only to Allah and His
Messenger.
LESSON 9: Learning discipline
The Prophet (ma Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) made us
adhere to discipline and strictness, strictness that does not lead to
fanaticism or going outside the bounds that Allah has laid down. One
cannot knowingly break the fast before the sunset, as this will not be
accepted by Allah. Muslims should learn to be very strict in their
lives, because they are people of an important message, which they
mold their lives around.
LESSON 10: Teaching the young to worship Allah
It was the practice of the people of Madeenah, thatduring the fast of
`Aashooraa (which is now a recommended fastof one day) to get their
children to fast with them. When the children would cry of hunger and
thirst, their parents would distract their attention by giving them
some sort of toy to play with. The children would break their fast
with their parents. (as mentioned in al-Bukhaaree).
So the young should be brought to the masjid and they should pray with
their parents, so that they are able to get into the habit of becoming
worshippers ofAllah. If one does not encourage children to fast when
they are young, they will find it very difficult to fast for thirty
days at the age of puberty. This is why the Prophet (may Allah send
His blessing and peace upon him) said,"Command your children to pray
at the age of seven and spank them at the age of ten (if they do not
pray."(Haakim)
LESSON 11: Caring for one's health
Fasting has many medicalbenefits and it teaches Muslims to take care
of their health and too build strong bodies. The Prophet (may Allah
send His blessing and peace upon him) said,"A strong believer is
better and is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is
good in everyone."(Muslim)