The Final Days of Ramadhan

The month of Ramadhan brings with it a spiritual intensity driven by the zeal of a believer. This zeal and spiritual presence is a blessing from Allah تعالى to aid every believer reach the zenith of worship through which one can taste the pleasure of Islam and the worship which one performs for the sake of Allah alone.

It is through His infinite mercy that He increases our physical strength in two folds; by relieving us from our physical strength, hence reducing our desires, and by also chaining the Shayateen (satans) during this sacred month.

The month of Ramadhan is a well known topic which is discussed by many individuals from many different angles to highlight its many attributes and significances.

At the same time, many people also highlight the importance of refraining from sin and ensuring the fast does not become void of blessings and rewards through the imperfection caused to it through sinning.

The last ten days of Ramadhan are also mentioned specifically as they carry great merit and rewards. It is during these nights that the Sunnah I’tikaah (seclusion) is performed in the Masaajids (Mosques) in order to further dedicate the short period left in the worship of Allah. It is also during this time that the majority of the scholars have stated, through references of the Ahadith, that Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power) is found.

These are great topics to discuss which I would have been honoured to write about had time allowed me to do so. However, the month of Ramadhan is now coming to an end and the weekend brings us closer to the final days of Ramadhan.

In this moment I would like to reiterate the purpose of Ramadhan and the main objective that is to be accomplished during this month:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

O You who believe! Fasting has been obligatory upon you as it was made obligatory for those before you, so that you may become God-fearing

The purpose of this month is to ensure that a person who is fortunate to be present within this month progresses spiritually to a level which is superior to that than which he started. By doing so, he should have created a bond and link with Allah that would sustain until the following Ramadhan and years to come.

A person who neglects the above purpose, despite having fasted and committing to worship, may find that his Ramadhan will not only be deemed purposeless but will also descend upon him as a curse. This is clearly proven from a lengthy Hadeeth of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم in which it is stated:

اِنَّ جِبْرَئِيْلَ عَرَضَ لِيْ فَقَالَ بَعُدَ مَنْ اَدْرَكَ رَمَضَانَ فَلَمْ يُغْفَرْ لَهُ قُلْتُ آمِيْنَ Jibraeel عليه السلام came to me and said, ‘Curse be upon him who acquired the month of Ramadhan and did not have his sins forgiven.’ To which I said ‘Aameen’

[Mustadrak al-Haakim]

It is clearly evident that a person who fails to acquire the forgiveness of Allah تعالى in this month will be deprived from the proximity of Allah and in turn Allah’s curse will be upon him and he will be distanced from Allah and His mercy.

Therefore, although the fasting has been made an obligation in this month and other prayers have been advised and encouraged; one should never fail to remember that the true purpose of Ramadhan is to better ourselves and gain Allah’s love and affection and through these gain His forgiveness.

It is never too late to acquire this affection of Allah and His forgiveness, even if the majority of this month has been wasted and spent in a manner not suitable for such a sublime month. The blessings of Ramadhan remain till the end of this month, in fact, it’s blessings increase in the last portion of this month within which the Night of Power is most likely to occur.

Therefore, whether we have spent these days of Ramadhan in concrete dedication to Allah or whether we have waivered in this month, it is essential to ensure and check and scrutinise our actions during this month and come to a conclusion as to whether Allah تعالى would be pleased with us and our actions. Whilst doing this we need to continuously seek His forgives and ask Him to pardon our shortcomings for indeed we can never do justice to His majesty.

As a final note, we should increase our recitation of the following Du’a (supplication) as it has been mentioned on the authority of Hadhrat Aisha رضي الله عنها that she asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم as to what she should recite if she was to acquire the Night of Power. Our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم answered with the following Du’a:

اللّهُمَّ اِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُوْ عَنَّا O Allah! You are forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me.

May Allah give us all the inclination and understanding to monitor our actions and assess as to whether we have achieved the purpose of Ramadhan. May He give us the strength to make amends to the extent of our ability and thereafter forgive our weaknesses and shortcomings through His blessings.

O Allah, save us from your curse which was conveyed through Jibraeel عليه السلام and sealed with acceptance by our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم. Give us the courage and strength to turn towards you in a manner which you have described as توبة نصوحا. Aameen.

Source: zain121 Forum - Ramadhan Section

Halaal Earnings

Each morning the Allah showers His mercy upon us, even before the rays of sunlight reach our eyes. It is only through His mercy that we awaken from death itself. Each night, our souls leave our bodies only to be returned to us by the mercy and will of Allah Ta'ala. A process each and everyone of us go through everyday yet we fail to realise the power of the being who is behind this process.

It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abu Maalik al-Haarith bin al-Haarith al-Ash'aree Radhi Allahu Anhu that the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said:

"...Every person starts his day as a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or causing its ruin."

[Saheeh al-Muslim]

This Hadeeth informs us that every morning we are made responsible for the abode and actions of our souls. It is our personal choice which will either grant our souls freedom from the punishment of Allah and from the fire of Hell, or we could cause its ruin by following Shaytaan and his desires.

Allah Ta'ala has stated that if He is the buyer of the soul of a believer then in return for him shall be paradise:

"Verily, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be Paradise"

[at-Tawbah 9:111]

Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of man, to steer his soul in either direction. His actions and intentions will make his abode either Paradise or Hell. So each morning, while man has been classified as being the "vendor" of his soul, he goes out to seek his sustenance and livelihood. It is his option to either sell his soul, or to free it, to earn this livelihood.

Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Mas'ood Radhi Allahu Anhu has narrated that the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said:

"The seeking of a permissible (Halaal) livelihood is an obligation after the obligatory acts (Faraa'idh)"

[Bayhaqi]

On the authority of Hadhrat Umar Radhi Allahu Anhu), He Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam is reported to have also said:

"If you placed your trust in Allah, in the manner in which He should be trusted, then He would arrange sustenance for you just as He provides for the birds; they leave in the morning with their stomachs empty and return with their stomachs filled in the evening."

[Sunan ut-Tirmidhi]

These two Ahadeeth outline the manner in which man should seek his sustenance. A manner in which earning a livelihood will not cause him to destroy his soul.

The seeking of sustenance is an obligatory act just as Salaah, Sawn, Zakaah etc are, yet earning one's sustenance should be done whilst placing trust and belief in Allah Ta'ala. We should convince our hearts to believe that no matter what efforts we put into earning sustenance, at the end of the day, it is Allah Ta'ala's will and decision as to how much we earn and what we shall receive. No effort of man can change the the amount that Allah Ta'ala has written for us.

Hadhrat Jaabir ibn Abdullah has narrated the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam as saying:

Verily a person does not acquire death until he receives his sustenance"

[Sunan ibn Majah]

On another occasion, Hadhrat Abu Dardaa Radhi Allahu Anhu reports the Prophet of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam as saying:

"Verily sustenance seeks the servant (of Allah) more than the manner in which death seeks him"

[Jaami' us-Sageer]

From the above Ahadeeth we can deduce that no matter how much effort a person puts into acquiring his sustenance he will only receive that which Allah Ta'ala has written for him. But, at the same time, it is important to note that every man has to make an effort to earn what has written for him. In brief, we learn that every person has to make an effort to earn his livelihood. However, in order to earn his sustenance, he should not break the Laws of Allah Ta'ala instead he should have complete faith in Allah Ta'ala that it is He who will feed us and even if we were to break His Shari'ah to earn our sustenance we would never acquire more than that which is written for us.

Similarly, just as how death seeks out a man at one time or another, and is certainly to occur, just in the same manner, sustenance seeks the person and he receives the sustenance that is written for him without any doubt. The person who strives to earn his living by breaking the Shari'ah of Allah Ta'ala; whilst sinning and overlooking the requirements of Shari'ah seems to have this belief in his mind that he has, through using using every means possible, acquired a large amount of money, which would not have been possible if he had chosen to stay within the boundaries of Shari'ah.

However, this is far from the truth. A person, in reality, denies himself of the sustenance that was written for him by committing sins and breaking the Islamic Law. Primarily, he is denied from all the Barakah (blessings) that Allah places in the wealth of those who earn their money in accordance to Allah's pleasure and additionally, his the wealth the was written for him decreases due to his sins.

On the authority of Hadhrat Thaubaan Radhi Allahu Anhu, it has been narrated that the Prophet of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said:

"Verily a man makes forbidden upon him the sustenance (that was written for him) due to the sins which he commits"

[Sunan ibn Majah]

All the above Ahadeeth enlighten the believer to the reality of placing trust in Allah in attaining sustenance. It shows the believer that the giver of wealth and food is Allah Ta'ala alone and that we should concentrate of acquiring livelihood in the manner in which the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has shown us, for indeed sustenance is going to reach us no matter what happens, and our sins will actually will be the cause for our sustenance to decrease.

It is vital to note that the earning of Halaal livelihood. is directly connected to the eating of Halaal. Many people are in falsely deluded to think that Halaal and Haraam consumption is limited to the ingredients of a product. However, the chain of Halaal and Haraam begins from the earnings of person. Furthermore, the earnings of a person does not become Haraam only by a person selling alcohol or other forbidden products, but earnings will also have an indication of impermissibility is a person seeks that earning by neglecting his Salaah or any other Fardh (obligatory) activity. Similarly, if a person does not rightfully return money belonging to someone, or acquires money by cheating someone, then that money will also be regarded as Haraam.

May Allah Ta'ala save us all from the harms and punishments of Haraam earnings. May He give us the strength, ability, inclination and means to acquire sustenance that is totally Halaal so that we can make the nourishment our body receives from it can be a cause for good deeds. Aameen.

Insha-Allah, the following post on Halaal Sustenance will contain some verses and Ahadeeth on merits of eating Halaal and the punishments and harms of eating Haraam.

Five before Five

The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has said:

"Take benefit of five before five:

Your YOUTH before your OLD AGE,

Your HEALTH before your SICKNESS,

Your WEALTH before your POVERTY,

Your FREE-TIME before you are PREOCCUPIED,

& Your LIFE before your DEATH."

Praise be to Allah who bestowed the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam with Jawaami'ul Kalim (conciseness).

Surely, this Hadeeth is few in words but holds a great meaning for those who understand and ponder.

In this narration by ibn Abbas we are asked to take the benefit of five things before the occurrence of five things.

Insha-allah each portion of this Hadeeth will be explained with detail... Starting with one that is most likely to be beneficial for us all... Our Youth before our Old Age...

May Allah give us the ability to understand the value of time and take benefit of this moment that we have before it is taken away from us. Aameen

GOOD DEEDS

Did you do a good deed today?

Was it to show of to others?
Did you intend to do the good deed only to gain reward? or

Did you do it seeking solely the face of Allah?

A good deed is that which is done seeking solely the face of Allah first and the secondary bonus we get in addition is the reward. We have to be very careful in the intention (Niyyah) we make and the actions we take in carrying out the good deed.

As Al-Fudail Ibn Iya'd, may Allah grant him mercy, once said: "The most sincere, the best guided way. If a deed was sincere but misguided, it is not acceptable. If it were well guided but not sincere, it is not accepted either. Only when it is both sincere and well guided is it accepted by Allah. A sincere deed is that which is intended for Allah's pleasure. The correct deed is that which follows the example of the Sunnah." Correct work must be intended for Allah's pleasure, for He does not accept any deed, which is not intended, purely for His pleasure. As in the Sahih Hadith: "Allah says, 'I am the One among the associates who is in least need for associates. He who does a deed which is intended for anyone other than Me, I am innocent of it. It all goes to he who was associated with Me."' [Reported by Ibn Majah]

We need to do good deeds continously, as we do not know which one of those good deeds will take us to jannah. It only takes one misdeed, yes, only one misdeed to take us to hell-fire... Subhan'Allah just think we can commit all the good deeds we want but it is possible that it may not be accepted and our one mis-deed can take us straight to the hell-fire... Subhan'Allah!

A Person's Deeds and Intentions
Allah has written down the good deeds and the bad ones. Then He explained it [by saying that] he who has intended a good deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds to seven hundred times, or many times over. But if he has intended a bad deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down as one bad deed. [It was related by al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Subhan'Allah, Allah is All forgiving and Most Merciful.

A Good Deed Rewarded
Once a nobleman of khajand died. Later he approached in someone's dream. The noble had once pulled a thorn from am orphan's foot. The dreamer saw the nobleman walking among the flower beds of a heavenly garden. The nobleman told him that the thorn had placed him in the middle of the flowers.

Be as kind and sympathetic to others as possible, because then Allah will be generous to you. Never be proud because you helped someone who was in difficulty. The sword of time that has fallen on them may fall again on you. If you help people and they raise their hands in prayers of gratitude to Allah, you should be thankful that you were His instrument. Kindness and generosity are the correct behaviour of kings and emperors. Indeed, they are the qualities of the prophets of Allah.

[Story taken from: The Rose Garden by Shaykh Sa'di]

Some words of wisdom:

• Like for others the things you like for yourself.
• Do not treat others with injustice as you do not like others to treat you with injustice.
• Do not take your friend's enemy as your friend.
• He who makes good his inner intentions, Allah would make good his outer appearance.

Ali (R.A) advised his son saying: "Profession with adequacy is better than richness with injustice. You should keep your secret within yourself. Keep company with good people and keep away from bad people. The worst food you take is the one you earn in a forbidden way. Be kind to anyone who might be harsh to you, for after a while he would become kind to you."

The most faithful to Allah are in constant fear of hidden shirk, and they continually exert efforts to conceal their righteous deeds, unless for, some reason, there is more benefit.
Concealing one's sin is a duty. A Muslim should not speak of sins he has committed; rather, he should be repent privately and correct his behaviour. Then Allah will conceal that sin for him on the Day of Judgment and forgive him.

Abu Hurairah (R.A) reported: Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassalam) said, "Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. A man would be a believer in the morning and turn to disbelief in the evening, or he would be a believer in the evening and turn disbeliever in the morning, and would sell his faith for worldly goods.'" [Sahih Al Muslim]

This Hadith tells that the Day of Ressurection will be preceded by long chain of calamities. Because of the rush of these calamities, religion and Faith will loose their value in people. There will be a race for wealth, so much so that people would not hesitate to compromise their religion and faith to acquire wealth. People will rapidly change their faces. This is what is actually happening. In this situation true believers are exhorted to adhere strictly to Faith and perform noble deeds without delay.

In conclusion, we should abstain from bad deeds and lying. We should continue to do good deeds for as long as we live and with full submission to Allah reciting laillaha illallah in full conviction with support of Amaal (good deeds) and Imaan (faith) and only then shall we be on the correct path of those true believers who are striving for jannah...

"whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it and
whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it."

O Allah, You are my Lord - there is no god but You. You created me, and I am Your servant; and I uphold Your covenant and [my] promise to You as much as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You Your favour upon me, and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me. Indeed, there is none who can forgive sins except You. [Sahih Al Bukhari]

Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and give us from Yourself mercy. Indeed it is You who is the Giver
[of all things]. (Surah Al Imran 3:8)

May Allah grant us the tawfiq to continuously engage in doing good deeds with the right intention...

Insha'Allah Ameen...

In Allah's acceptance is salvation and success.