4a] Ten Tips for Ramadan

4a]
for our Creator?!
So what if we have to sacrifice our sleep, and random other luxuries
that we can do without anyway. As the saying goes, "No pain, no gain."
The amount of sacrifice and struggle we put into this month, Allah
will reward us in this world and the next accordingly.Give yourself to
Allah, and see what Allah has in store for you.
6. Dua':
The essence of worship is supplication to Allah. This whole month,
Allah is willing and readily open to accept all that we ask of Him. It
is only to our own loss and detriment that we lack in begging Allah
for the things we need.
Prioritize your supplications. Ask firstly for yourself, then your
family, community, then the Ummah at large. Within that, prioritize
andask for things pertaining to the hereafter, then ask for things
pertaining to this world.Just remember one thing when it comes to
dua', the point of dua' is not that we need something or we need
protection or refuge from some other thing, the point is that Allah
told us to supplicate to Him, and that is why one should make dua'
abundantly. There are certain things Allah loves to do, and one of
them is to answer the supplications of His servants who call unto Him.
One final aspect regardingdua' is crying or pretending to cry. Tears
are something foreign to Allah and therefore He hasimmense value for
tears. The whole year we become filthy and impure spiritually by
sinning, Ramadhan is the month where we purify our spirits by bathing
our spirits in our tears.
7. Good Company:
Ramadhan is a month to maximize on good deeds and keep bad deeds at
zero. Being in the company of the righteous will allow one to attain
this goal. I will keep this point short. The minimumbenefit one gets
by being in good company is that one will not sin which in turn will
cause one to become the greatest worshiper.
There is a hadith reportedin Tirmidhi wherein An-Nabi (Sallallahu
'AlayhiWa Sallam) took Abu Hurayrah's (Radhiyallahu 'anhu) hand and
said, "O Abu Hurayrah, abstain from all prohibitions and you will
become the best worshiper."The maximumbenefit is that being with the
people of Allah, Insha Allah; a person may just Attain Allah. What can
be greater?!
8. Gratitude:
The secret to an increase in anything is to be thankful for it. To
make sure that we see this month the next year, appreciate it this
year. Be thankful for all that we have in every aspect, eventhe basic
things we neglect and take for granted. We have Iman, we have Islam.
Alhamdulillah, we are the best Ummah. We have been given the best
book,i.e. the Qur'an.
The best way to appreciate a bounty is to use it for its purpose.
Allah has blessed with infinite blessing and bounties. Ramadhan is one
of those bounties, so to fully appreciate Ramadhan, we must spend it
the way Allah would like us to spend it and attain out goal which is
Taqwa.
9. Following the Sunnah:
Anything of the beloved isalso beloved. That is a principle of love.
Allah hasproclaimed the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam) as His
beloved. If we follow the Sunnah andshow a resemblance, thenwe can
also gain the focusof Allah. Particularly follow the Sunnah acts which
the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam) performed in Ramadhan.
If we have to do something, might as well do it the best way possible.
The best way foranything to be done is theway of the Sunnah. If by any
chance it was some other way, Allah would have had His Prophet
(Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam) do it that way then.
10. Istiqamah:
Imam Junayd Al-Baghdadi(RA) said, "Steadfastness isgreater than a
thousand miracles." Please do not tire one's self out in the initial
stages of Ramadhan, rather figure out a routine that works and stick
to it regularly. The most beloved of actions to Allah are those that
are done consistentlyeven though they may seem minor.
We all need to be thankful for the good thatwe have done and also for
the evil we are able to abstain from. We also need to be thankful for
whatever level of steadfastness that we have. We want to make Ramadhan
last beyond Ramadhan as well.
I'll end with a quote from one of our mashaaikh, Shaykh
In'aam-ul-Hasan Kandehlawi (RA) said, "Whoever lives their life as
they do in Ramadhan, then death will come to that person just as the
moon of 'Eid comes for the fasting person."
To conclude, we pray to Allah that He accepts all ofour efforts and
overlooks and forgives all of our shortcomings. Aameen.

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4] Ten Tips for Ramadan

4]
As the blessed month of Ramadhan approaches, we need to prepare for it
in such a way that we cangain the maximum benefit of this month. For
many, Ramadhan comes and goes. However, very few people actually
benefit from this great month.
Our teachers advise us to live the whole year as if we are in the
month of Ramadhan. This magnanimous achievement can only be attained
when the actual month of Ramadhan is spent properly. In order
toacquire a droplet of the reality mentioned above, Insha Allah, I
hope to mention ten points that were given as form of advice to me and
many others.
1. Discipline:
Most people already knowto abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual
relations from one's spouse during the daytime of Ramadhan. However, a
level of discipline must be developed to do righteous acts and
abstainfrom those acts which would earn the displeasure of Allah. That
was a basic form of discipline that needs to bedeveloped but along
withthat, one needs to have discipline in following a particular
routine or schedule for Ramadhan.
This will be the real life changing factor for an individual. They
wake up for suhoor but also pray Tahajjud at that time. Recite some
Qur'an. They eat. Make dua' while waiting for Salah. They pray Fajr.
Recite Qur'an and make zikr. Rest if theyneed to.
The idea is to make a schedule and act accordingly the whole month
without sacrificing their schedule. This is the desired discipline
that is required.One may ask, "Why did he not just put the first point
as a 'making a schedule'?" Well, the answer is very simple. Anyone can
come up with a schedule, but it takes real discipline to abide by it.
2. Devotional life ('Ibadah):
Ramadhan is the month where Allah allows us to really fulfill the
purpose ofour being, and the purpose of our creation. Allah created us
all to worship Him, and Him alone.Here, I will not mention virtues of
variousacts or worship because those can be found in the many books on
the meritsof certain deeds.
However, since Ramadhanand Qur'an are closely connected, I will say
that much of our devotional life should be focused on the Qur'an.
Reciting at least the entire Qur'an once in this month. Understanding
it from erudite scholarship of our community or from accepted
commentaries and Tafaaseer.
I am not asking that a person recites the entire Qur'an and completes
oneentire commentary of it inone month. Perhaps it may be feasible to
recite the entire Qur'an and startoff a regimen of a Tafseer and try
to finish it on an annual basis.
3. Identifying with the Ummah:
It is important that we feel our fast, i.e. feel hunger and thirst.
Apart from that, we can use thisto our benefit by making other
people's fast count for us as well. This means that if we feed or give
to drink something to someone who fasts, we can get the reward of
their fast as well.
Another aspect of identifying with the Ummah is to be grateful for
whatever Allah has given us and realize that alittle of that we need
to give to others so that they may have a decent Ramadhan and
wonderful'Eid. See what the Ummahis going through and see how we can
actively participate to help the Ummah in any way possible.
4. Contact with the Qur'an:
Ramadhan is the month wherein the Qur'an was revealed. This is the
month of the Qur'an. It is extremely essential to establish a
relationship with the Qur'an. Without going into much detail, I will
just mention something practical with regards to the Qur'an and
Ramadhan.For the average person, i.e. one who is not scholar or is not
a Hafiz, they should read at least one juz per day so that they finish
at a minimum one entire Qur'an for the month of Ramadhan.
If one can do more, than Alhamdulillah, no one is stopping anyone.The
nextthing is to understand theQur'an. So take the first volume of
Ma'ariful Qur'an(for example) and read one section of the Arabic part
(if one can) and then read the translation, then read the commentary.
Do this every day without fail. Obviously the whole commentary will
not be completed in one month, but at least a schedule to read a
portion regularly will be developed and hopefully within a year it
could be completed.
Also, one should try to memorize those chapters/surahs which areread
often like Mulk, Kahf, Ya Seen, Waqi'ah, and Sajdah. Also memorize
Surahs from the last juz atleast and more if possible.
5. Mujahadah:
Ramadhan is a month of sacrifice and struggle. It is a month where
Allah wants our time, our health, our wealth, and our whole being. We
literally live the whole year for everything and anything. It is just
one month…can we not live one month solely for our Creator?!

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Did You Thank Allah for Your Eyesight?

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He
held upa sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a
few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. Hetook a few coins from his pocket and dropped
theminto the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around,and wrote
some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would
see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to
theblind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to
see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked,"Were
you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a
different way."
What he had written was:"Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it."
Do you think the first signand the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign
simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were
so luckythat they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the
second sign was more effective?
"It is He, Who has created for you (the sense of) hearing (ears),
sight (eyes), and hearts (understanding). Little thanks you give."
[surah Al-Mu'minun; 78]

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2a] Ramadan 2012, The 20th Day

2a]
If man does not forget that satan has no power –that he only performs
according to the command of Allah- and that he is a very helpless
creature and does not see the satan as an independent power and take
up a position in the side of Allah , satan will lose all power against
that person.
If man evaluates the tricky schemes of the satan, the truths he turns
about, the lies he tells, thetricks he plays, the evil impulses he
gives with the verses of the Qur'an, he will instantly see that all
those are very corrupt and weak traps and the satan again will not be
able to influence him in any way.
When man acts with a faithful consciousness against the satan, by the
leave of Allah, the efforts of satan will remain inconclusive until
the end of his life.
The point of view of man against the satan should never involve any
logic other than these facts. A Muslim should never see satan as
powerful and should never assume that it is difficult to neutralize
it. A Muslim should never forget that "Allah created satan only as a
deviator for the unbelievers; that he has no authority over the
devout Muslims who love Allah and who live bythe morality Allah
likes".
A Single Example is Enough to See How Darwinism is an Utter Nonsense
Each Protein Molecule in our bodies acts with discipline to carry out
Allah's commands. Allah, the Lord of the worlds, is the One Who
creates eachmolecule to do "absolute must" type operations.
Albumin, which is one of the "carrier" proteins in the blood, binds
itself to fats like cholesterol, hormones, toxic gallbladder materials
and drugs such as penicillin. Albumin travels with the blood in the
body and leaves the poisons which it collects in the liver for
neutralization, and carriesthe nutrients and hormones wherever they
are needed throughout the body.
* How does a molecule like albumin, which is made up from atoms and do
not have consciousness or knowledge, distinguish between fats,
poisons, drugs and nutrients?
* How does the albumin recognize between the liver, gall bladder and
stomach and take the substances which it carries to the right place,
in the right amount and invariably without error?
* How does it recognize the differences between toxic substances,
drugs and nutrients carried in the blood and understandexactly how
much should be left in which organ?
The albumin molecule, which is a combination of a few unconscious
atoms, knows information that the vast majority of people do not know
without proper education,and has performed its duty in every person
who has ever lived thus far for millions of years. The capability of
showing a consciousness like this doubtlessly takes place through
Allah's infinite power and knowledge.
Enemies of Hazrat Mahdi(as) will be scholars of religious law
Page 27 of the Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar :
"Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will preserve Islam at the end in the same way
that the Prophet (pbuh) preserved it at the beginning. HazratMahdi
(pbuh) will leave no subsequent additions," says our Prophet (pbuh).
Our Prophet (pbuh) says that, as in his own day, the Mahdi (pbuh) will
perform all the requirements of the faith but do away with all
nonsense added on afterward .
"The enemies of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be those who imitate scholars
of religious law, " some people from amongthe fanatics. "Because when
they see that HazratMahdi (pbuh) governs in the opposite manner to the
imams of the sects, this will displease them, they will accuse him of
not being one of the People of the Sunnah, andwill refer to people of
perversion and subsequent additions to the faith. But they will be
unable to overcome him. The declared foes of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will
be scholars of religious law. Because they will have no more prestige
among the public. Their knowledge will even decline. Ibn Arabi says
thisin Al-Futuḥat al-Makkiyya. In other words, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)
will be branded as perverse and outside the people of the Sunnah. We
can see this inthe hadiths of our Prophet (pbuh), as well asin
statements by Ibn Arabi. The Prophet (pbuh) says they will say. "He
hasruined our religion." The Mahdi (pbuh) will wish people to live by
the Qur'an, but since they are used to living by nonsense, they will
say, "He has ruined our religion."

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