Why I do not want to be Only a " Ramadan Muslim"

With Ramadan 2010 fast approaching,  my thoughts turn to other Ramadans past and I can not help but feel that most of us are in great  need to carry the Ramadan spirit not only for  the the 30 days that Ramadan lasts but also for the rest of the year.

We have already, Alhamdulillah,  started preparing spiritually and physically for the blessed days to come.

We are all making our resolutions. I am sure you have all made your lists:

Day 1- Day 30…

No wasting time, spending more time studying and learning the Religion, dusting our Qur’an off the shelf and trying to read it,more memorisation, asking for forgiveness, attending all prayers in the masjid, taraweeh and night prayers a must,  being extra nice to relatives and neighbours, more peaceful, more loving, more charitable and more…

Of course in the month of Ramadan by Allah’s permission, doing good and being good becomes easier. And that is a Blessing from Allah The Most  High, Who Wants us to remember His great favour upon us , The Reveleation of the Holy Qur’an , be grateful, show our gratitude , ask for His Forgiveness and He Wants us to draw closer to Him, He wants to bestow upon us His bounty and blessings.

But this is not only for the few days out of the year that Ramadan lasts.

Of course it is good to aim to have a Blessed Ramadan for yourselves and your families.

But somehow this aim to get close to Allah (swt) must be maintained all through the year.

So the lists we are making must be L O N G  T E R M.

We need to have the  Qur’an in our lives not just for the duration of Ramadan but also forthe rest of the year. We need to study it and understand it and implement it in our lives on a daily basis.

We need to follow the Sunnah of The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) daily, not only for Ramadan.

We need to be able to easily do what is good and avoid all evil on a daily basis.

We need to be charitable and kind on a daily basis.

That’s why I do not want to be an" Only a Ramadan Muslim".

I want to be a “Ramadan”  Muslim", every single day, every hour, every minute and every second of my life.

And remember….from personal experience I say this:

Set your goals, aim high for this Ramadan  but if you have a draw back, please do not give up, but get up,  ask for forgiveness and try again.

This is what I will also do. Inshallah.

Make dua and ask Allah to Guide you and help you not only for Ramadan but for always.

Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maulâ (Patron, Suppor-ter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Al-Baqarah 2:286)

I ask you all to forgive me if I have done or said anything to upset you.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Xenia

The seasons in life!

I was reading a Hadith the other day:

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

“Take benefit of five things before five other things :

your youth before your old age,

your health before your sickness,

your wealth before your poverty,

your free-time before your preoccupation,

and your life before your death.”

(Hakim)

Spring

New Life. The whispering promise of a bright future ahead. Everything is so new and wonderful. We have the time and the energy.  Old age seems trillions of years away. What next?

Summer

Full of energy.Slightly less time though. But we are ready to harvest. Nothing seems difficult. Study hard, work hard. Make friendships, meet people, make money, travel, spend money.Get married , have young families.  No time to stop and think and contemplate. We are so busy...We are bringing  our young ones  up, helping with homework, running mum's taxi service, watching football matches, attending open evenings... What next?

Autumn.

We have more time now but our energy levels decline. Our hearts might still feel young but the body is slowing down.  We  need rest after the busy summer. Some ailments appear, signs of age and the the quick passing of time become more evident. We start to notice and feel a loss and maybe regret. What next?

Winter

Everything is getting ready  to hibernate. Old age has now caught up, loss of health, loss of wealth maybe, forgotten dreams, loneliness.  Where did all these years go? Where all these dreams go? How did we use our youth,  wealth, our health, our free time, our LIFE?

What next? No matter in what stage in life we are

lets go back and read  the Hadith in the beginning:

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

“Take benefit of five things before five other things:

your youth before your old age,

your health before your sickness,

your wealth before your poverty,

your free-time before your preoccupation,

and your life before your death.”

(Hakim)

InshaAllah, all your seasons will be  wonderful!

Oh Allah please give us what is good in this life, and please give us what is good in the Hereafter!

Ameen

Doing good to others gives comfort to the heart

The first person who benefits from an act of charity is the benefactor himself, by seeing changes in himself and in his manners, by finding peace, by watching a smile form on the lips of another person.

If you find yourself to be in difficulty or distress, show kindness to others, and you will be the first to find solace and comfort. Give to the needy, defend the oppressed, help those in distress, and visit the sick: you will find that happiness surrounds you from all directions.

An act of charity is like perfume it benefits the user, the seller, and the buyer. Furthermore, the psychological benefits that one receives from helping others are indeed great. If you suffer from depression, an act of charity will have a more potent effect on your sickness than will the best available medicine.

Even when you smile upon meeting others, you are giving charity. The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said:

"Do not dismiss certain acts of kindness by deeming them to be insignificant, even if (such an act) is to meet your brother with a smiling face (for that is a deed which might weigh heavily in your scale of deeds)."

On the other hand, when you frown upon meeting others, you are displaying a sign of enmity, an act that is so detrimental to brotherhood that only Allah knows the full extent of its evil effects.

The Prophet (pbuh) informed us that the prostitute who once gave a handful of water to a dog was rewarded for that deed with Paradise, which is as wide as the heavens and the earth. This is because the Giver of rewards is Forgiving, Rich, and Worthy of Praise.

O' you, who are threatened by misery, fear and grief, occupy yourself in the betterment of others. Help others in different way through charity, hospitality, sympathy, and support. And in doing so, you will find all of the happiness that you desire.

We who spends his wealth for increase in self-purification, and has in his mind no.favor from anyone for which a reward is expected in return; except only the desire to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High. He surely will be pleased [when he enters Paradise]. (Qur'an 92: 18-21)

Source

Do not expect gratitude from anyone

Excerpt from the Book: Don't Be Sad

Do not expect gratitude from anyone

Allah, the Almighty, created His slaves so that they may worship and remember Him, and He provided sustenance for them so that they may be grateful to Him. Nevertheless, many have worshipped other than Him and the masses are thankful not to Him, but to others,because the characteristic of ingratitude is widespread among human beings. So do not be dismayed when you find that others forget your favors or disregard your kind acts. Some people might even despise you and make you an enemy for no other reason than that you have shown them kindness.

And they could not find any cause to hear a grudge, except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His Bounty. (Qur'an 9:74)

From among the ever-repeating pages of history is a story of a father and his son: the former raised him, fed him, clothed him and taught him; he would stay up nights so that his son could sleep, stay hungry so that his son could eat, and he would toil so that his son could feel comfort. And when the son became older and stronger, he rewarded his father with disobedience, disrespect, and contempt.

So be at peace if you are requited with ungratefulness for the good you have done. Rejoice in your knowledge that you will be rewarded from the One Who has unlimited treasures at His disposal.

This is not to say that you should refrain from performing acts of kindness towards others: the point is that you should be mentally prepared for ingratitude.

Perform acts of charity seeking Allah's pleasure, because with this attitude you will assuredly be successful. The ungrateful person cannot really harm you: praise Allah that that person is the transgressor and that you are the obedient servant. Also, remember that the hand that gives is better than the hand that receives.

We feed you seeking Allah’s Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you.   (Qur'an 76: 9)

Many people are shocked at the nature of ingratitude in others, as though they had never come across this verse and others like it:

And when harm touches man, he invokes Us, lying down on his side, or sitting or standing. But when We have removed his harm from him, he passes on his way as if he had never invoked Us for a harm that touched him? (Qur'an 10: 12)

Hence do not be in a state of agitation if you give someone a pen as a gift and he uses it to satirize you, or if you give someone a walking stick to lean upon and he strikes you with it. As I pointed out earlier, most human beings are ungrateful to their Lord, so what treatment should you and I expect?


Xenia's note: This is so true. If we do everything for the sake of Allah (swt) and we do not expect anything from anyone else, we will not get upset or disappointed if others give us no thanks for all our hard work. Insha Allah we will find our reward with Allah (swt) , Who knows what  each heart hides and Sees and Hears our suffering.