In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Almost a year has gone by since last Ramadhan. In less than 2 weeks we will enter the blessed month of Ramadhan. We ask Allah to enable us to reach this noble month with good health and pure heart.
This life is a provision for our next life and the very best of this provision is taqwa (righteousness, piety, Godfearingness). Taqwa is a means to be close to Allah.
Allah gives good tidings to those who have taqwa, in their life here and the Hereafter:
أَلَآ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱللَّـهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿٦٢﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿٦٣﴾ لَهُمُ ٱلْبُشْرَىٰ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّـهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿٦٤[Qur'an Yunus 10:62-64]
Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve (62) Those who believed and were fearing Allah (63) For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. That is what is the great attainment. (64)
The very purpose of the month of Ramadhan is to become of the people of taqwa.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ[Qur'an 2:184]
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous - (183)
The noble month of Ramadhan is the month in which the Qur'an was sent down as guidance for those who have taqwa. The greatest gift in this life is guidance.
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:2]
This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (2)
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّـهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿١٨٥[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:185]
The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, 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; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful. (185)
Do you find yourself close to Allah? If not, fasting is a means of closeness to Allah.
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ﴿١٨٦[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:186]
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. (186)
Fasting is a means to thankfulness and gratitude. When you are hungry and refraining from physical pleasures, you can appreciate the blessings and all the great gifts you have from Allah. This is a bridge to the love of Allah because you come to love someone by constantly appreciating what that someone represent to you and what that someone give to you in life.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Allah said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me and I shall reward for it…’”[Bukhari and Muslim]
Fasting is a unique action, unlike any other actions. Showing off may enter into all good deeds, but no one can see when a person is fasting except Allah. People can display signs of fasting in public (like dry lips, tiredness, not eating in public) but in truth they may be pretending. So fasting is inherently a sincere action. It expresses the reality of your relationship with Allah.
If you fast out of faith and sincere seeking of Allah, you will realize that you are in absolute need of Allah. You will do something about your neediness by directing yourself to your Lord, turning to Him in much repentance. You will realize who the One, who gives you at least your basic needs of food, drink and physical pleasures, truly is. He is indeed Free of need, worthy of all praise and how Tremendous He is.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّـهِ ۖ وَٱللَّـهُ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ ﴿١٥[Fatir 35:15]
O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. (15)
وَلِلَّـهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَلَقَدْ وَصَّيْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنِ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ ۚ وَإِن تَكْفُرُوا۟ فَإِنَّ لِلَّـهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّـهُ غَنِيًّا حَمِيدًا ﴿١٣١[Qur'an Nisa 4:131]
And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And We have instructed those who were given the Scripture before you and yourselves to fear Allah. But if you disbelieve - then to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And ever is Allah Free of need and Praiseworthy. (131)
If you fast the right way, having the sense of seeking Allah, you will attain unto closeness to Allah. Your fast is not just hunger and refraining from physical pleasures but an expression of la illaha illallah (There is none worthy of worship except Allah). If you attain closeness to Allah, all your past sins are erased.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"Paradise has eight gates, and one of them is called Ar-Raiyan through which none will enter but those who observe fasting." The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said, "If a person spends two different kinds of something (for Allah's cause), he will be called from the gates of Paradise."[Bukhari]
How do we avoid sinning in Ramadhan so we can direct ourselves to the gates of Paradise? It is by sincere seeking of Allah and striving to be close to Him through the Prophetic ways.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the the greatest of those who ever worshipped Allah, yet in the month of Ramadhan, he was more avid in all the ways of good. With respect to the good, he did not stop at anything because he has a clear goal in mind--Allah. His entire family, their concern of Ramadhan was to make it a means of nearness to Allah.
The sincere seeking means that you remember why you are fasting. Don't be the people who when they go to sleep, they worry about what's for suhr (pre dawn meal) and during the day, they worry about what's for iftar (break fast meal). Remember each person will have whatever they sought for.
'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, relates that he heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, say,
Verily actions are by intentions, and for every person is what he intended. So the one whose hijrah was to Allah and His Messenger, then his hijrah was to Allah and His Messenger. And the one whose hijrah was for the world to gain from it, or a woman to marry her, then his hijrah was to what he made hijrah for.[Agreed upon]
When the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told the companions about the gates of Paradise, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, if there would there be anyone who would be given a choice to enter from any of them. He didn't say there are all these gates, let me stick to one of them. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said "Yes, and I hope you will be one of them." This is the attitude of people of taqwa, always striving for excellence.
We know our life here will be over, but it is not over until it is over. While we are still breathing, turn to Allah and make a sincere repentance, pardon everybody who have wronged us, and prepare for Allah's gaze on the first night of the noble month of Ramadhan. Make the intention to strive to renew our faith this Ramadhan. May Allah give us tawfiq.
Baihaqi relates that "When it is the first night of the month of Ramadhan, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, gazes to them and the one to whom Allah looks, He does not punish him, ever."
One of the qualities that would prevent us from Allah's gaze is malice. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught us of the Night of Power and the Half Night of Sha’ban that those who harbor rancor, mistreat parents, sever bonds of kinship or drink are prevented from Allah’s merciful gaze.
Tabarani relates that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
A caller will call [on the Day of Rising], ‘Let him stand whose reward is upon Allah and let him enter paradise’ Then he will call a second time, ‘Let him stand whose reward is upon Allah and let him enter paradise’ It will be said, ‘Who is the one whose reward is upon Allah, Mighty and Majestic?’ He will say, ‘Those who pardon people.’ Then he will call a third time, ‘Let him stand whose reward is upon Allah and let him enter Paradise.’ Then so and so many thousand will stand and enter Paradise without reckoning.
May Allah help us to seek Him and make us from those who enter Paradise without reckoning. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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