Ramadan is here again providing us
the opportunity to reach out to Allah more than ever asking for
His forgiveness and blessings. As Allah has singled out this month more so than
others for showering His blessings and mercy, it is only prudent that we also
use the opportunity to reassess our conditions, our purpose and direction in
life, and accordingly make appropriate changes in line with His commands.
This Ramadan, as we look at the
state of Muslims around the world in general, we see that Muslim suffering has
reached its highest levels that it has ever been in recent memory. In many
affected communities and countries, Muslims are being subjected to human
torture, killing, persecution, and all forms of unimaginable suffering. With
every passing day, their plight does not seem to be getting any better. Images
of families with shattered homes, dead children, faces traumatized from the
horrors of rape, hunger, and persecution are plastered throughout the media
channels. As Muslims, one cannot stop but wonder whether we are being punished
for our doings or if it is a test of our faiths. We also ask if something can
be done to not only just alleviate these sufferings but to ensure that it does
not spread to engulf others too.
This Ramadan we ought to pause and
reflect upon this condition of the people that share our faith.
In times of hardship, we know both
from Quran and Hadith that we should persevere with
patience, prayers, and Dua. But it is also prudent that we reflect whether our
situations are due to our conduct unbecoming of a Muslim. Such a conduct has
the tendency to keep us preoccupied with the attractions of this world in turn
distracting us from Allah’s remembrance and subservience. It then should come
as no surprise to us that when we turn a blind eye to the divine truths and
warnings, we forfeit his blessings and mercy and pay a price both in this world
and the hereafter.
Relearn
the Message of Quran
Let us then refocus this Ramadan and
read and listen a bit more attentively to those divine truths that Allah tells
us in the Quran. With added devotion and dedication, we will be able to hear
and understand Quran’s verses and Allah’s wisdom in those direct messages to
us. That will then pave the way toward our transformation and open up Allah’s
gates for His mercy, forgiveness, and kindness, which we need so desperately to
be successful in this life and the hereafter. As we ponder over those messages,
we will also relearn what is really good for us enabling us to reprioritize
accordingly. Those messages will also remind us that a soul that is forgiven
and less burdened with sins can bring more benefit to us than the one burdened
with materialistic gains of this life. As Allah tells us in the Quran,
‘Say: “In the bounty of Allah, and
in His mercy; therein let them rejoice.” That is better than what (the wealth)
they amass.’ (Surah Younus, 58.)
Relearning and internalizing what’s
good for us will also provide us with the spiritual fuel that we need to motivate
ourselves to do more good and to bring Quran in our lives rather than merely
paying lip service to its messages and referring to them as superficial maxims.
After all, unless we truly understand what is good for us and how that relates
to the truth, our purpose in life, and our lives in general, how else can we
get spiritually motivated?
Our salaf (righteous followers of
the prophet) clearly understood and internalized those divine truths and their
behaviors clearly reflected that understanding. Imam Ahmad records from Abu
Dardaa as saying: “If only you knew what you will certainly see upon your
death, you would never eat again a single bite out of a craving appetite, and
you would never again drink an extra sip of water for the pleasure of
unquenchable and insatiable thirst.”
Cleanse
Our Lifestyles of Sinful Behaviors
This Ramadan also provides us the
opportunity to pause and pay heed to those hidden sinful behaviors that may
have crept into our lifestyles. For many of us, despite our indulgence in those
sins, Allah has given us the respite to wake up and change course. Let us not
forget that Allah has told us in the Quran the following:
“And if Allah were to seize mankind
for their wrong-doing, He would not leave on it (the earth) a single moving
(living) creature, but He postpones them for an appointed term and when their
term comes, neither can they delay nor can they advance it an hour (or a
moment).” Surah An-Nahl (16:128).
So, let not the comforts of our
lives fool us into assuming Allah’s acceptance of our sinful conduct. Instead,
we should utilize our peaceful times and act with a sense of urgency by
reforming our behaviors and turning to Him in sincere repentance lest the time
comes unexpectedly and we are held accountable for our actions both in this
life and the hereafter by getting burdened with hardships.
Let us also remind ourselves that
Allah has warned us that Satan who lurks in the shadows is our worst enemy and
is committed to detract us from Allah and His message by making this life
appear as an end all for our pursuits. Let us reflect, ponder and become more
aware of how Satan tricks us into rationalizing our actions of bringing haram
into our lives and by pushing us to compromise our values and ideals.
Worship
Allah the Way He wants to be Worshipped
Let us use this month to manifest
our faith by worshipping Allah the way He wants us to worship Him. We know from
the Quran as well as prophet (s.a.w.s)’s traditions about the need to exert
ourselves more – both physically and spiritually – to manifest that faith. We
know that in this month the prophet (s) besides fasting during the day, prayed
for longer hours at night, exerted more in Allah’s dhikr and remembrance, humbled
himself in front of His Creator, and performed in a way that showed His love
and fear of Allah and special reverence for this month. This Ramadan we, too,
need to take the minutes and the hours from our schedules to exert more in that
worship so it can also help train us to do so during other months.
Correct
the Lies About Islam
This Ramadan let us also remind
ourselves of the harsh reality that we live in a world infested with
misinterpreted truths about Islam that are essentially just
lies. Some of these lies have come about by the evil intentions of some and
others have taken hold due to our inability to show the truth to others.
Whether we have not taken the initiative to correct those misconceptions
because we lack enough knowledge or because we choose to keep hiding in the
shadows so as not to be “controversial”, we must realize that as Muslims we
have a duty to correct those misconceptions. We can blame the evil mongers for
spreading the lies but we are to be blamed for letting those lies lurk
unchallenged. Once we strive to correct those misconceptions by educating
ourselves more and by being bold, we will also learn the shortcomings in our
behaviors, providing us with the opportunity to correct and improve ourselves.
Make
Dua for Others’ Suffering
Going back to the suffering of the
millions, let us do what we can this Ramadan to provide them whatever help we
can to alleviate their suffering. At a minimum, we should make sincere Duas for
the souls that are undergoing such trials. The prophet (s) had told us in a
hadith that “The supplication that gets the quickest answer is the one
made by one Muslim for another in his absence.” (Reported by Abu Daw’ud
and Tirmidhi.)
Finally, let us ensure that we do
not let this month go by without asking profusely for His mercy and forgiveness
because if we received even a portion of that, it would be better than all that
we accumulate in this world. To review the verse again, Allah says:
‘Say: “In the bounty of Allah, and
in His mercy; therein let them rejoice.” That is better than what (the wealth)
they amass.” (Surah Younus, 58.)
Let us pray that Allah gives us
the ability to do what He pleases and may He accept our worship and good
deeds in Ramadan!
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