Thursday, August 25, 2005

The upcoming of Ramadhan

The month of Ramadhan is fast approaching us and before we even realise it, it will dawn upon us.

It is therefore vital that we begin to prepare for this month of Ramadhan before it is too late. The month of Ramadhan is such a valuable and blessed month that wasting a single moment of its precious time would lead to a loss that one may not be able to recover.

This blessed month has been sent by Allah to His bondsmen so that can create a connection and draw closer to Allah by reaping the many rewards that lie in this month.

The month of Ramadhan is not like any other month; its purpose is to rid man of those habits which he has accumulated throughout the rest of the year. It is a month that prepares man for the remaining eleven months by teaching him discipline and self control. Thus, Allah has made some acts which are beloved to man, like eating, drinking and fulfilling one's desires, Haraam. If man can control these desires in this month, which are usually permissible for him, then he can surely control himself from other desires which are not permissible.

It is therefore vital to realise the purpose of this blessed month and prepare for it accordingly. The objective of this month is to guide us in this month in such a manner that the blessings and guidance continue in the eleven months to come. But in order to achieve this objective, it is essential that we make use of every second of this month, for in reality, we are preparing to better ourselves in a span of one month and we anticipate it to last us for the remaining eleven months.

In a length Hadeeth, the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam mentions that the month of Ramadhan is the month of Sabr (patience), and the reward of this Sabr is Jannah (Paradise).

"And it (Ramadhan) is the month of Sabr (Patience). And Sabr, its reward is Jannah (Paradise)"


Our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned that the month of Ramadhan is the month of patience. However, we have been taught to be patient regardless of the month. So what then could the meaning of this sentence be?

The meaning of this portion of the Hadeeth is that the month of Ramadhan is a month in which extreme patience is required. It is a month in which the patience of a man will be tested time and again, for the change of lifestyle always reduces a man's level of patience and thus making him more impatient than he would be in other months.

Similarly, the month of Ramadhan is a month of worship and prayer, we have the extra night prayer of Taraweeh in the month of Ramadhan and we are encouraged to recite the blessed Qur'an at least once in this month. Additionally, we are encouraged to spend more time in worship than we normally do. This continuous pattern of worship is something that the soul and body are not used to due to normally being engrossed in the materialistic world and therefore patience is also required in carrying out these acts of worship in this month.

As a result, it is vital that each and every person concentrates on his level of patience in this holy month so that through this patience he is able to refrain from committing sins and at the same time he can concentrate and exercise patience on fulfilling those acts of worship that he would not normally do.

The Hadeeth further states the reward for exercising patience in this month is "Jannah" (Paradise) and therefore we can see how vital this act of patience is. We, our entire lives, have strived to acquire this Jannah, and here the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam is telling us that if we exercise patience in this month we will be rewarded with Jannah.

Therefore, in reality we are attempting to acquire the reward of Jannah itself in the span of one month. As the month of Ramadhan is blessed and holds a great status, one should not think this act is impossible nor should one think that he is not capable of achieving this reward.

However, in order to be successful in the month of Ramadhan we have to prepare for it and ensure that we do not miss even one vital moment of this month; it is necessary that we begin to exercise patience from today and that we develop it to such a level by the beginning of Ramadhan that we do not need to exhaust our effort in this act whilst leaving the other rewarding acts in this month.

In short, we need to realise the urgency and the shortage of time that we have and what we are trying to achieve in the period of one month.

Insha Allah further points from the Ahadeeth and Qur'an will be discussed later on.

A humble request for Duas is made to all readers in these months leading to Ramadhan and also in the auspicious month of Ramadhan.

Wasalaam

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