Ramadan Articles - Make Hard Work Your Motto in Ramadan

Hard work should be the slogan of the righteous people who do not
likeRamadanto pass away before they take their reward. They would
rather persist in this good state in order to receive their prize from
their Lord, and obtain Hisforgiveness than enjoy the pleasures of this
world. Thus, when they celebrate'Eed, they would have earned the right
to do so, and when they break their fast, they would rejoice, as
mentioned by the Messenger of Allaahwhen he said:"There are two
delights for the fasting person: when he breaks his fast at the time
of Iftaar, he rejoices; and when he meets Allaah The Almighty, he will
rejoice in his fasting."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ That is, he will find
that fasting, whose outcome is forgiveness and emancipation from Hell,
interceding for him on the Day of Judgment, as confirmed by the
Messenger of Allaahin his saying:"The fasting people will
enter)Paradise( from a gate called Ar-Rayyaan, from which no one else
will ever enter."
The days have come upon us again, with the same slogan we have already
raised: the determination to attain all the possible means of the
forgiveness of Allaah The Almighty, and strive his utmost to show
AllaahThe Almighty our good performance, truthfulness, good deeds and
sincerity. We approach the Lord with devotion and direct all our
concerns, words and deeds to obtain the goodpleasure, love and
attachment of his Lord, and prepare for his Hereafter. If a believer
does all this for the sake of Allaah The Almighty, he will receive
more in the world and the Hereafter, as confirmed by Allaah The
Almighty when He Says )what means(:}And]remember[ when your Lord
proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely Increase you ]in
favor[; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe'"{]Quran
14:7[ One must be satisfied with a little portion of this world, seek
the Hereafter, have aversion to the abode of arrogance in order to
have the signs of the loveand good pleasure of Allaah The Almighty
visible on him.
Hence, in the days ofRamadan, one should begin with repentance, seek
forgiveness, and seek to amend his inner self persistently so that he
would prepare his own soul and heart for the reward of Allaah The
Almighty. In this way, he can make up for the dayson which he was lazy
and slow, and distracted from Allaah The Almighty,and seized by
heedlessness in all of his states and deeds. He repents for the days
he did not obtain anything from the Quran and remembrance )of Allaah
The Almighty( that could fill his breast with the light of faith, and
make his heart firm, so that he would find himself approaching the
Hereafter, unaffected by desires, well-established and strong on his
journey to Allaah The Almighty. He should not find himself compliant
with the devil and his own evil inclinations, hesitant and distracted.
On the contrary, he should see himself in a state loved by his Lord.
It was narrated on the authority of the Messenger of Allaahthat
whenever the last ten days came, he would stay awake all night )in
prayer(, keep aloof from women, devote himself to worship more
diligently and awaken his family )to perform thenight
prayers(.]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ This was his practice during the
last ten days ofRamadan. He did all this by
practicingI'tikaaf)seclusion in the mosque(. That is, he devoted his
heart and body to his Lord, refrained from mixing with people to be in
seclusion with Allaah The Almighty, and became anexample to be
followed by the believers. This seclusion with Allaah The Almighty is
a means for the people to reform their worldly affairs and Hereafter,
prepare their hearts and body to realize the means of forgiveness. He
did all this persistently in the last ten days ofRamadanseeking to be
forgiven, even though Allaah The Almighty had forgiven his previous
and future sins. He did all of this by way of showing
gratitude:"Should I not be a grateful slave?"]Al-Bukhaari[