O My Ramadaan!!


Assalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatulahi wa Barakatu!

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My beloved readers ! Insha'Allah everyone is well and gearing up for the Holy Blessed Month of Ramadaan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I firstly want to apologize for the long delay in posting! I have just been super busy and I needed a long but much needed break from the online social networking (and will continue to). Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Aalameen... Allah is the Most Merciful and Most Generous!

I wanted to dedicate a post to the Blessed Holy Month of Ramadaan. 
As you should all know, this month is a very beloved month; Ramadaan is a month to kick bad habits, to develop good habits, and to hold onto those good habits so that we can carry on throughout the year as a better Muslimah and a weaker slave to our Lord, The Almighty. 

Ramadaan is a month to recharge our emaan, replenish our soul, and to revive our spirits. The goal of this month is to get closer to Allah Subhanahu wa'ta'ala, to prepare ourselves for our death, to increase our scale of good deeds and to keep all that going even after Ramadaan has passed us. I'd like to call this month, the month of developing ENDURANCE. This month we all strive and increase in our 'ibadaah so that we can reap the rewards from Allah, The Most Generous. But why must it stop after Ramadaan (and I speak for myself first and foremost because there are still many things I struggle to keep up with once Ramadaan is over , may Allah make it easy for all of us, ameen)?? 
It should not stop. Our worship to our Lord should never stop nor should it ever slow down. We must constantly remind ourselves that death is around the corner and our next Ramadaan is never guaranteed. We must live our lives seeking forgiveness and repenting to Allah as often as we can. Remembering Him on our tongues, in our hearts and through our actions. Endurance. This is the only way that can keep us going. This is one month out of the entire year where we train for our marathon, our marathon to the Akhirah. This month is not the marathon rather this is just the period where we prepare ourselves; we nurture our emaan and we pay close attention to our own self. This is the period where we pinpoint problems within ourselves, within our souls and we figure out what we can do to fix it so that Allah, The Almighty, will be Pleased with us and so that we will be PREPARED TO MEET HIM. We work on fixing those bad habits, those things that Anger Allah and the things that we KNOW are the reasons for Allah's Punishment (Audhubillah). 

If you have noticed, this year has flashed before our eyes, another year came and another year gone. What have we done in between? Have we been productive after Ramadaan? Were we able to keep up with the routine that we strove so hard to keep during the blessed month? Well, for me, the answer is "not really"...There are many things that I know I must keep doing even after Ramadaan is over. I reflect upon this year and things that I would like to keep with me in my marathon to my Akhirah, and I know the only thing stopping me is my nafs. Being lazy is the biggest hindrance and it is through being lazy that we end up in regret. Insha'Allah, I would like to strive hard this Ramadaan to remain steadfast even after the Holy Month for I do not know the unseen and it could be that I won't even make it until the next Ramadaan. We all don't know if we will make it til the next Ramadaan and it will not suffice to say "well I fasted the entire month and I stood in prayer for TawareeH and taHajjud, so I'm good"...no this will not suffice us because we are Muslims 24/7 all year round. We are not just "Ramadaan Muslims" where we practice for one month and khalas but rather we are Muslims who strive to practice until that very moment of our last breath and insha'Allah we will die upon TAWHEED and with "La ilaha illa'Allah, Muhammad ar'Rasoolullah" on our tongues.

Let us make our scale of good deeds so heavy that it will break and let us train for endurance this Holy Month so that we can race our marathon to al-Akhirah. Let us die as believing Muslims and let us die in the highest state of emaan. Let us die with Allah's Pleasure and let us die upon Tawheed and al-Haqq. May Allah grant us tawfeeq for a successful, productive month and may He  make us successful to carry on our worship for Him even after the month of Ramadaan. 

Here are some reminders about Ramadaan and insha'Allah if you want to read about my last two Ramadaans: Ramadaan posts 

The month of ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Saum (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allah [i.e. to say Takbir (Allahu Akbar; Allah is the Most Great] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him.
(Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #185)

Verily, the Muslims (those who submit to Allah in Islam) men and women, the believers men and women (who believe in Islamic Monotheism), the men and the women who are obedient (to Allah), the men and women who are truthful (in their speech and deeds), the men and the women who are patient (in performing all the duties which Allah has ordered and in abstaining from all that Allah has forbidden), the men and the women who are humble (before their Lord - Allah), the men and the women who give Sadaqat (i.e. Zakat, and alms), the men and the women who observe Saum (fast) (the obligatory fasting during the month of ramadan, and the optional Nawafil fasting), the men and the women who guard their chastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).
(Al-Ahzab, Chapter #33, Verse #35)

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever prayed at night the whole month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven." Ibn Shihab (a sub-narrator) said, "Allah's Apostle died and the people continued observing that (i.e. Nawafil offered individually, not in congregation), and it remained as it was during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and in the early days of 'Umar's Caliphate." 'Abdur Rahman bin 'Abdul Qari said, "I went out in the company of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab one night in Ramadan to the mosque and found the people praying in different groups. A man praying alone or a man praying with a little group behind him. So, 'Umar said, 'In my opinion I would better collect these (people) under the leadership of one Qari (Reciter) (i.e. let them pray in congregation!)'. So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind Ubai bin Ka'b. Then on another night I went again in his company and the people were praying behind their reciter. On that, 'Umar remarked, 'What an excellent Bid'a (i.e. innovation in religion) this is; but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time is better than the one they are offering.' He meant the prayer in the last part of the night. (In those days) people used to pray in the early part of the night."   (SAHIH BUKHARI) 

Narrated 'Ubada bin As-Samit: The Prophet came out to inform us about the Night of Qadr but two Muslims were quarreling with each other. So, the Prophet said, "I came out to inform you about the Night of Qadr but such-and-such persons were quarreling, so the news about it had been taken away; yet that might be for your own good, so search for it on the 29th, 27th and 25th (of Ramadan). (SAHIH BUKHARI)

Sahih Bukhari :: Book# 31 :: Hadith# 120
Narrated Sahl: The Prophet said, “There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Raiyan, and those who observe fasts will enter through it on the Day of Resurrection and none except them will enter through it. It will be said, ‘Where are those who used to observe fasts?’ They will get up, and none except them will enter through it. After their entry the gate will be closed and nobody will enter through it.”
Sahih Bukhari :: Book# 31 :: Hadith# 123
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.”
Sahih Bukhari :: Book# 31 :: Hadith# 124
Narrated Ibn Umar: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “When you see the crescent (of the month of Ramadan), start fasting, and when you see the crescent (of the month of Shawwal), stop fasting; and if the sky is overcast (and you can’t see It) then regard the crescent (month) of Ramadan (as of 30 days)”.
Sahih Bukhari :: Book# 31 :: Hadith# 125
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Whoever established prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.”

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