In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Be Happy...
Alhamdullillah. If you are reading this, you have lived long enough to almost see Ramadan come to its completion. Ramadan, whose days were the best of days, whose nights were the best of nights, and whose hours were the best of hours. Be happy that you lived long enough to live through this best time. The superiority of Ramadan over other months is like the superiority of Allah over everything else. So be happy that you were blessed with this superior month in health. Ramadan was the month in which each breath we took glorified Allah. Our sleep was our worship, our deeds were accepted and our duas were answered. So be happy that we did ibaadat during this holiest of the holy months. Whether the ibaadat was as small as merely making a dua, or as large as staying up all night seeking forgiveness of Allah, ibaadat is ibaadat, and all ibaadat carry proportional rewards. Be happy that Allah blessed you with a life long enough to do that ibaadat during this month.
Be happy that Allah granted you the favor of living through this blessed month of Ramadan. Be happy that Allah granted you a chance to Fast (Day 2), offer Salaat (Day 8), pray Taraveeh (Day 9), recite the Qur�an (Day 11), observe Aitakaaf (Day 19), and seek Lailatul Qadr (Day 21) all for what? For His pleasure only!! We practiced these actions so that we may become closer to Allah (Day 14), observe his signs in everything we see (Day 15), so that we may realize His Sovereignty and consequently feel guilty of our evil deeds and seek His forgiveness, ask for Tauba (Day 16), attain Taqwa (Day 17), improve our Akhlaaq/Conduct (Day 18), ask lots and lots of Dua for Dua is also a form of ibaadat (Day 22), remember that our life in the world is only temporary and that we all must die one day so remember Death (Day 23), consistently and persistently practice All forms of Jihaad especially Jihaad Bin Nafs (Day 25), and consequently realize and understand �What it Means to be a Muslim� (Day 7).
Reflect upon the last 30 days, and remind yourself of the changes you have made. Whether the improvement you made was in your own lifestyle, or whether you influenced others as well, be happy that you did whatever you could do. Regardless of how small the changes you made were, or how subtle the influence seem, be happy that you did it nonetheless, for indeed actions depend upon intentions, and your Rabb knows your intentions very well. Whether the change was to adopt to a single sunnah, or whether your life took a complete U-Turn towards Islam, remember that each step taken towards Allah brings you closer to Him. A journey of a thousand miles begins being accomplished when taken the first step. When a believer takes one step towards Allah, Allah takes ten steps towards the believer. When the believer walks towards Allah, Allah runs towards him. When a believer wishes to shake hands with Allah, Allah embraces him. When a believer talks about Allah to his friends, Allah talks about the believer to His Angels.
Be happy that you lived through Ramadan because during this month, the mercy and blessings of Allah are like in an overdrive. During this month, Allah�s attitude seems to be like as if He were saying to the mankind, �You take, I�ll give.� It seems as if Allah is just showering his blessings everywhere on everyone all the time. Think about it! If we wake up before Fajr for Sahri, we get rewards for doing that. At sunset, we get rewards for breaking the fast. During the daytime, we get rewards for keeping the fast. It would�ve been enough if Allah had commanded us to fast, we would�ve gotten up for Sahri anyway. So it seems as if Allah gives us rewards for even the things that we would�ve done anyway!! We argue with our teachers and professors for every little bonus points on the test, and here the Master of all the Worlds has given us complete open access to all the unlimited bonuses we could possibly grasp, and yet we ignore the only bonus points that will help us pass the Final Test.
Tomorrow's Topic: Are We Muslims Only In Ramadan?
P.S. Pass it on to friends, family, neighbors, Muslims and Non Muslims alike. Feedback is welcome at MTIA786@yahoo.com
