Alhamdulillah,
Allah Ta’ala has once again blessed us with the beautiful month of Ramadhan.
Like a little child, who while opening a present, can’t contain her excitement
any longer, I shriek in delight that Ramadhan has finally arrived! Another
chance for us to increase our balances in His bank of rewards!
Ramadhan...
Ramadhan is not the month of pies and buffet here and there…Before
it arrives, we busy ourselves in preparing for its arrival. But, the way we
prepare for its arrival is by preparing food. No doubt, food is important, but
is it worth it to spend so much of time and energy in preparing food that we
forsake this greatest opportunity to show our obedience and love towards our
Creator, Allah! What are we doing? Will we just overlook the numerous blessings
that Allah has bestowed on us in this month? Will we really let this wonderful
gift slip right through our fingers?
Do we know what is waiting for us? Every good deed that we do in
this month is far more virtuous than the good deeds done in any other month.
Our rewards will be multiplied by 10 up to 700 times. It’s so easy isn’t it?
Ramadhan nights is the crown of all nights. Its darkness is precious, its hours
are purest. The Prophet (sallallahu a’laihi wasallam) said: “The best prayer
after obligatory solah is the night prayer.” Every night, doors of acceptance
are opened from the heavens. Ask Allah Ta’ala for His bounties and mercy for
this month is the month of rahmah. The weakest person is the one who
cannot supplicate to Allah Ta’ala.
Fasting
reforms the hearts, encourages commendable deeds and prevents one from any
corrupt deeds. It removes sins and increases rewards. The Prophet (sallallahu
a’laihi wasallam) said: “When Ramadhan comes, gates of heavens are opened,
gates of hell are closed and Shaitaans are chained.”
Fasting
also reminds us of the condition of the poor and destitute who suffer the pain
of hunger and thirst throughout the year. It removes the gap between the poor
and the rich for everyone is fasting, seeking the forgiveness of his Lord,
abstains from eating and drinking, and breaking the fast at the same time.
One
simple thing we can do is that when we fast, we fast only for the pleasure of
Allah Ta’ala and hope for its reward, for this will be the means of forgiveness
for our sins.
To feed a
fasting person during Iftaar time has a great virtue. We will gain the same
reward as the other fasting person merely by providing him with a piece of date
or a sip of water so that he can break his fast.
We should
try to spend the last 10 nights or even one or two nights in I’tikaaf (time
spent alone in a masjid or room in our house with sole intention to worship
Allah) and also increase our Ibadah during these days so that we will be kept
away from Jahannam by the distance of 3 trenches. Or for just 1 day of I’tikaaf
we can get the reward of two Hajj and two Umrahs. How tremendous is the reward!
Allahu Akbar!
Nights of
Ramadhan are blessed ones. It contains one night which is the king of all
nights. It is LAILATUL QADR. A night which is better than a 1000 months.
Whoever stays awake and stand in prayer on that night faithfully and hoping for
reward, all his past sins will be forgiven.
Well
sisters of faith! Use the opportunity of these few blessed days in increasing
our good deeds, let’s not spend them in idle talks and other things that will
snatch away our precious times for Ibadah. Say NO to back biting! These things
will be decrease the reward
of our fasting. Will we live on to see the next Ramadhan? We don’t know...So let’s
increase our investments for Akhirah now! May Allah Ta’ala grant us all the
ability and strength to do every good deed, Ameen!
prepared
by: Binti
Abdul Malek - 3rd year student
