finding Allah this Ramadan

Do you usually enter Ramadan with high aspirations and promises to yourself that in time you find you cannot keep? Well, I do and half of time, I fail to do what I set out to do, failed to complete the Quran last Ramadan, failed to wake up in the middle of every night for tahajjud (late night prayers), failed to increase my ibadaat to Allah, failed in not wasting my time in unproductive chats and behaviour. This year, I am reminding myself to be more realistic. I no longer go to the office, so chances of getting myself slipped into unproductive chats and doing unproductive things might lessen considerably, but I do now spend more time on social network due to my research work. So I am telling myself to lessen my postings of news and articles that may drag me into labelling, judging and even gossiping about others. I tell myself to listen to the readings of various surahs of the Quran when I am online, and also when I am stuck in that time of the month when I am unable to fast and solat, so that I can insyaAllah feed and purify my soul. I tell myself to make du'a for others and to not wallow in what others may say about me, in the negatives that is. I tell myself to push the thoughts of "gossiping' about others eventhough I am actually just having the gossip between me and my mind. I am yet to know if I may succeed, and only time will tell. InsyaAllah everything is how it should be at this point, and could be better. Then again, it is only the first week of Ramadan and currently the second day of the second week, so there is still sometime to go. I hope that even if I slip after this, I will not lose hope, get up, and keep on going as best as I could.

There is after all so much to derive from this month. Ramadan is a month of mercy and we are told that this is the month when the gate of heavens are opened and the gates of hells are closed and losing one's opportunity in making as much ibadaah and duas would be such a big loss, one that we cannot even begin to imagine. And I know I have lost too many, and fully aware that I may not have as many opportunities in the future. With each day and year and each minute, the chance of redeeming myself, of increasing my ibadaah and catching this best time in the year is lessening. Therefore I am striving ahead, and as my sister reminded me last night at my parents' house after iftar, I should be charging ahead in the last ten days of Ramadan rather than slowing down because that is where the treasure lies, in that very last ten days. So someone, please remind me to prepare for Eid, and bake my cookies way before that last ten days, eventhough there is always a big chance of my cookies making a disappearing act by the time it is Eid if I start baking early ;P

Anyway let me share with you this reminder that struck me at my very core. This is a quote taken from sister Yasmin Mogahed's page,

"Don't let this Ramadan be just a holiday of rituals. Don't finish reading the Quran without it transforming you. Don't feed your body at suhoor, but starve your heart of Qiyam. Don't reduce this downpour of mercy to just a month of sweets and lavish iftars. Seek Him, you will find. Take a sincere step towards change, transformation, redemption. If you do, you will find Him infront of you. Find Him this month. He's been there all along. Closer than your jugular vein. Look and you'll find. Walk and you'll arrive."


Let's all find Him this Ramadan, insyaAllah.

Welcoming the holy month of Ramadan

In welcoming the holy month of Ramadan (eventhough I am 6 days late putting it out here):

Peace be upon you, 

O, month of fasting

Month of night vigil

Month of Qur'an

Month of forgiveness

Month of security

Month of glowing lanterns

Month of sleepless eyes

Month of scented pulpits

Month of burning hearts

We welcome you O blessed month, month of opportunity, redemption and hope.

May you be the means for our lives to change, our faith to be rekindled and our hearts illumined in His nearness.

Ameen.

Excerpt from an article, 

"A Fresh Page, A Defining Moment: Ramadan This Year" by Shazia Ahmad

Prayer for the day

O Allah, You created me when I was not worthy of mention;

And You provided for me when I had nothing;

And I wronged my soul and sinned, and I confess my guilt.
If You forgive me, that will in no way diminish Your sovereignty;
And if You punish me, that will in no way augment Your authority.
You can find others to punish besides me,
But I can find no one to forgive me but You.
Truly, You are the most merciful of those who show mercy."

Completed day 4 of Ramadan. Alhamdulillah boys are doing well, Bak and Mak are in good health and basking in the joy of the holy month. And Adam is doing amazingly well, fasting through three days and is into his fourth. Again, I feel so blessed. Thank you Allah.

Alhamdulillah

Alhamdulillah it is already day two of Ramadan. I feel I have so much to thank Allah for, all the blessings that He has given me. But most of all, to recieve news from Adam this morning (his evening and first day of Ramadan) that he completed a full day of fasting, despite the long summer day (14 hours of daylight)  in New York with sunset at approximately 830pm, despite the hot and dry weather, despite his history of stomach ulcer, despite being alone without any muslim friends to give him support or fast with during Ramadan, despite being a new muslim... Adam did it and I am so proud of him. I actually thought he would not last past noon but I was so wrong. I had underestimated him and I am so proud that he has done this without having anyone to push or force him. He said he needed to do it, and I know in many ways that meant he is finding it in his heart insyaAllah to do this for Allah as much as for himself. Alhamdulillah Ya Allah. I actually teared up with happiness when Adam told me after I asked him, expecting a different answer. Ya Allah, I feel so blessed and I cannot thank You more.

Ramadan: the month of mercy and forgiveness

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. During this month Muslims are commanded to fast, meaning abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures. The Almighty says (2:183): O You who believe, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you so that you may attain self-restraint. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam: Shahada (affirmation of faith), Salat (prayers), Zakat (almsgiving), Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and Siyam (fasting).

The Arabic word ramadan is derived from the root ramida, meaning intensive scorching heat and dryness. So, we can metaphorically say that Ramadan scorches out or burns away sins with devotion to Allah through intensive worship and good deeds such as zakat, obligatory charity, and sadaqah, voluntary charity.

Fasting means not only abstaining from food, drink and sexual intercourse during the day but also restraining the tongue, the eye, the ear, the heart and mind from indulging in unlawful acts that render the fast worthless. Prophet Mohammad (PPBH) said: Many a man who fasts obtaining nothing from his fasting but his thirst, and many a man who prays during the night and obtains nothing from his prayers but wakefulness. (At-Tirmitzi Hadith, No. 1989). In contrast, the rewards of fasting are bountiful. The Prophet said: Whoever observes fast during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, all his past sins will be forgiven. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book of Fasting)

During the month of Ramadan, paradise doors are opened, hell doors are closed and satans are chained. So, by observing fasting, a devout Muslim is offered a golden opportunity to reap worldly and divine rewards through self-control, devotion to Allah and spiritual self-reflection. A Muslim can practice self-control over the body and its carnal desires through communal praying, doing good deeds, reading the Qur'an, exercising patience and moderation, sympathizing with the less fortunate, strengthening family ties and supplication to Allah. Although these practices should not be exclusively limited to the month of Ramadan, the rewards are doubled. They are religious and spiritual values that should be an integral part of one's life.

Among the landmarks of Ramadan are: revelation of the Qur'an, lailatu l-qadr (Night of Destiny/Power) and eid el-fitr (Feast of fast-breaking). It is believed that the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Prophet Mohammad through the Archangel Gabriel on one night particular night during Ramadan (lailatu l-qadr), which is considered in the Qur'an better than a thousand months. During this night, which is celebrated on the 27th night of Ramadan, angels descend to witness how people worship and obey Allah, to show their deep love for the believers and to increase their rewards. Muslims gather in mosques to observe or seek this blessed night in devotion, night Sunnah prayers (tahajjud), recitation of the Qur'an and supplications. The end of Ramadan is marked by eid el-fitr, which extends for three days, during which people wear holiday apparel, especially kids, attend a communal sunrise prayer, congratulate each other, visit cemeteries and offer gifts or money to kids.

Ramadan has plenty of medical, social and psychological benefits. First, it is believed that fasting helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. In fact fasting is recommended for weight control and diet. Second, family and community bonds are generally strengthened during Ramadan. Families and friends exchange invitations to Iftar (breakfast) parties, prepare collective Iftar, make home visits and socialize. People gather in mosques to perform communal prayers (taraweeh). Furthermore, charity fosters social solidarity with the poor and with society at large. These social activities help Muslims sense the merits of the unity of Muslim Ummat (nation). Finally, Ramadan provides people with ample time for spiritual self-reflection, peace of mind, tranquility and renewal. Frequent reading of the Qur'an and praying brings people closer to Allah's mercy and forgiveness, which are the essential meanings of the holy month.

tarawih prayer in mecca

Ramadan is here again

Ramadan is the month, whose beginning is mercy, its middle, forgiveness and its end, emancipation from the fire of hell - the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Allah has preferred certain months over others, certain days over others and certain nights over others.

Allah has preferred the day of Jumu’ah amongst all the other days of the week. Even at the level of a single night. Allah prefers certain parts of it to others. For example, the performance of nawafil ibadah (supererogatory worship) in the last third of the night is more beloved to Allah than its performance in any other parts of the night.

In a similar vein, Allah has preferred the month of Ramadan over all other months. It is only the name of this month that is mentioned in the Qur’an. It is only in this month that mankind has been blessed with most of the favours of Allah. It is in this month that the Torah, Injil, Zabur and the Qur’an were all revealed. It is the only month in which Allah has gathered goodness, light and guidance that stretches from one part of the globe to the other.

Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Messenger of Allah said: “The month of Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month wherein Allah has made obligatory fasting, opened the doors of Paradise and closed the doors of Hell.” (Ahmad)


from RamadanBlog


Ramadan Mubarak everyone.
may we be blessed with mercy and forgiveness from Allah swt. may we medicate our soul this holy month of Ramadan. may we strive to be better muslims who seek closeness to Allah and follow in the Prophet's footsteps. may i find my way to Allah, seeking for His forgiveness for all the imperfections that i am and have been, for all the sins i have committed, and may He show me His mercy and bless me with His forgiveness and guide me and my family to the right path in becoming better and stronger muslims, insyaAllah.