Ramadan - Deeds in Ramadan
Written by: SK.
Translated by Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
dd mmm yyyy h
dd mmm yyyy ac
Peace and prayers be
upon the most honorable messenger.
I recommend to you and
to myself to fear Allah. He says: {Ye believers, fear Allah as He ought to be
feared, and only die as Muslims} 3-102.
For days pass as clouds
do and years come to end pretty quickly. We often forget to thinking and
reflecting. Allah says: {It is He who made the night and the day successions
for whoever wishes to remember or wants to be thankful} Forqan-62.
The Muslim in his/her
short life and numbered days is compensated by Allah with seasons of goodness.
Allah also gave the Muslim the honor of the time and place in order to fix and
put right the wrongful part of his/her life. One of those seasons is the month
of holy Ramadan. Allah says: {you who believe, fasting has been written upon
you; just as it was written upon those before you. So you may fear} 2-183
One of the factors
affecting the happiness of a one's self is the return of good times and good
days. Allah has graced his slaves with a whole month of mercies and goodness.
Here are the days of this month quickly pass and in each day a caller calls:
you, who wants goodness, come. Satans are tied up, and the doors to hell are
closed, and the doors to mercy and forgiveness are wide open.
During Ramadan the force
of desires is lightened, and the hands are raised up to Allah, one asks for a
slip to be forgotten, and another asks for his fidelity to be successful.
Another is asking to be helped with his/her punishment, and a forth asks for
the best reward. A fifth was kept busy through speaking of Allah's from asking
Him. Praise be to Allah who guided them to this and others are not as
successful. The fruits and results of fasting are graces that are so many that
can not be counted nor accounted for by a lazy, distracted individual who
spends his month sleeping at day and killing time at night.
Fasting is a shield from
hell fire. The messenger (PPBU) said: {Fasting is a shield the slave uses to
shield him/her self from fire}. Fasting is also a shield from desires. The
messenger (PPBU) said: {All you youth, this who can afford marriage let them
get married. And if you can't let them fast for fasting renews fear}. Fasting
is also a route to paradise. Abi-Aumamah asked the messenger (PPBU):
"Messenger of Allah, tell me something because of it, Allah will benefit me",
The messenger (PPBU) said: {take up fasting, there is nothing like it}. The
messenger also said: {Paradise has a door is called Rayanne (the word means
the well watered one, or the opposite of thirsty), only those who fast will
enter through it. After they enter it is closed and no one else can use it to
enter paradise.
The messenger PPBU said:
{fasting and the Quran intermediate for the individual on the day of
resurrection. Fasting says: My Lord, I held him/her off food and desires
during the day, let me mediate for him/her. And the Koran says: I held him/her
from sleep at night; let me mediate on his/her behalf. The messenger said: and
their mediation is accepted}.
The messenger said:
{whoever fasts in faith and expectation, his/her past sins are forgiven}. The
messenger also said: {whoever fasts has two delights. They are delightfulness
during breaking of the fast, and the delightfulness when meeting his Lord. And
the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better with Allah than the scent
of the Musk}
With all those mercies
in fasting, then a Muslim ought to take as much of such mercies as possible.
So, the Muslim will have better chance in clearing his/her sins, and achieving
the pardon from Hell fire. There is no excuse for not achieving such goals.
For those who work for that, this is the time to do more and enjoy it more.
And for those who have not been paying attention to this matter, this is the
time to wake up. How wonderful it is to apostrophize to Allah at early dawn;
and how quick prayers at fast breaking times are answered. How wonderful are
those times of fasting, staying up the nights, supplications and asking for
forgiveness. Those who suffer the hunger and thirst during fasting in this
life, on the day of resurrection they are told: {Ear and drink wholesome, for
what you did in days gone by}.
Dear brothers and
sisters, take the opportunity of Ramadan to make a true repentance. Repenting
is not limited to Ramadan, but during Ramadan repentance is certain. And who
knows? You may be reborn again in the month of Ramadan. A person can be born
twice: one, is when he comes out of the darkness of the womb to the light of
this life, and the second when he comes out of the darkness of disobedience to
the light of obedience. And what a delight it is for the heart to come back to
its Lord repentant, regretful and remorseful, and rejoins the good people.
Ramadan is a chance to
put life into one's heart, wake it up from its sleep and feed it with the God
fearing sensation. For fear of Allah is an aim of all worships. Ramadan is an
occasion to strengthen ties with Allah and break ties with this worldly life.
Staying up at nights in worship is one of the means to put life into a heart.
The messenger said: {take up staying up at nights; it was the custom of the
good people before you, and it is a way of getting closer to your Lord, and it
is a way to compensate and clear sins, and a deterrent from doing misdeed}.
Staying up at nights in
worship implants faith into the heart. When one stays with Allah alone, and
the heart makes that contact with Allah, the heart becomes purified and gains
goodness.
Ramadan is the month of
the Koran. It is a great mean of enlightenment and guidance of the heart.
Allah says: {"A blessed book we brought down upon you, to think and reflect on
to its miracles or verses"}. Have we given thoughts and time to the Koran? And
its verses? Did that change anything with in us? Where is its effect in our
behaviour, our families and homes?
Koran recitation is a
multi organ task where the tongue, the mind, the heart all take part. The
tongue has the job of pronunciation, and the mind has the job of interpreting
and fathoming the meaning, the heart has the job of picking up the lesson and
be effected.
Allah says: {Take from
their monies a charity to purify and cleanses them} Tawba-103. For the one who
benefits most from giving a charity is the donor him/her self. Because it reds
them from being stingy, clears them from sins. Continuous donations to charity
also reds the heart from love for money.
Charity has benefits in
this life and in the life after. With charity the sick can be treated, and it
guards against the afflictions and against bad aimed at a person. It makes
daily life matters easier, it brings more money, it turns off the anger of
God, and it removes the effects of sins, and it shades the donor on the Day of
Judgment, it hides him from the fire, and fights off the torment.
Charity has a
relationship with going towards Allah. Allah says: {bring the ken their
rights, and the destitute, the one which is on the road, that is better to
those who seek Allah's face} Room-38.
For charity to give its
fruits it need to be continuous. Allah says: {Those who spend their money by
night and by day, in secrecy and in public, their rewards are with their Lord,
and there is no worry about them and they need never be saddened} 2-274.
Dear brothers, remember
and speak of Allah. Allah says: {This who remember and speak of Allah and this
that does not is like one who is alive and one who is dead}.
For remember and
speaking of Allah to be useful and in order to connect between the tongue and
the heart it must be connected with the worship of reflection and thinking.
Allah says: {in the creation of heavens and earth, and the difference in night
and day are miracles for those with brains. Those who remember and speak of
Allah when standing, sitting and on their sides, and they reflect in the
creation of the heavens and earth, Our Lord, you did not create all this in
vain, Praise be to you. Protect us against the torment of fire} 3-190/191.
Slaves of Allah, pray
upon the messenger, for Allah ordered us to do so when He says: {Allah and his
angels pray upon the prophet, You believers, pray upon him and give him
greetings for peace} Ahzab-56.
Dear Allah, bless us
with the great Koran, and may He make us benefit with its verses and miracles.
And forgive our sins. Ask your God for forgiveness, He is the most forgiving,
the most merciful.
Notes:
-
Adhan
- The call to prayer.
-
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the
messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of
Islam.
Assalam Alaikum -
The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace
be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching
it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during
leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.
Aya (or Ayah):
is a verse of the Koran.
It also means a miracle or a sign from God.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
is a mountain
outside the city of Mecca
that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing
Hajj must stay at this location on the same
day.
Badr
- The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the
pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.
Caliph
- A Muslim ruler. See:
(Khalifa)
Dajjal
- Antichrist or the False Massiah.
Dawah
- The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.
Deen (Din)
- Religion or way of life.
Duaa:
a prayer in the form of
talking to Allah;
praising him and asking him for help.
Fatwa
- Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are
the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.
Ferdose:
is the highest level of
the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Fiqh
- Religious law.
Hadeeth:
is something reported
that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave.
It is usually narrated or told by one
of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are
reported and checked to be genuine. No
more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajar -
The Black Stone set into the corner of the
Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.
Hajj -
The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in
the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.
Hasana or hasanas:
is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.
Hadith
- The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his
followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.
Hajj: is
the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra (or
Hejrah):
the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This
event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12
months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a
name for the Islamic dating system.
Ibadah -
Worship. All the words and deeds with which
Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.
Iblis - (Ibleese):
On of Satan's names.
Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used
by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar
or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn
Omar.
Imam
(or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.
Iman:
belief or faith
Injil (Enjeel) -
The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the
Christians.
Islam
- Submission, the religion of all the
prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.
Jannah -
The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of
the faithful in the afterlife.
Jihad:
is striving in the
line
of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving
oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection
of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the
fight one's self against temptations.
It also means "holy war."
Jinn
-
Supernatural, invisible beings race of
beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst
them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on
Judgment Day.
Ka'aba:
A cube shaped building in
Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say
Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by
Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers.
Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage
in a ritual known as Tawaf.
Khalifa:
is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation:
"Successor".
Khutbah -
A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.
Kufr -
Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for
anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.
Koran
- Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book
of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran
literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to
the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)
Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the
Arabian
peninsula
(in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to
immigrate to.
Then it was called Yathrib.
Masjid -
A
center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.
Masiah -
A
sin, or a sinful act
Mecca or Makkah:
is
the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous
black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).
Mosque - A Muslim
house of worship.
Muhajir -
(Muhajireen)
Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It
was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median
and Ethiopia.
Muhammad -
the final messenger and
prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He
received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in
Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad
ibn Abd-Allah
Muslim
- One who holds faith to the religion of
Islam.
Nafilah:
a voluntary prayer other
than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Nasara -
Christians. Nasrani:
A Christian individual. Nasraniah:
Christianity.
Ommah:
is the Arabic word for a
nation. It usually refers to
the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
Paradise -
Another word for heaven. A
garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and
imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels.
All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty
Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise
is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.
PPBU
(P.B.U.H.) :
Peace and Prayers Be
Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the
messenger or make a reference to him.
Qadar -
Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all
things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
Qadr - (night of Qadr):
The night when the first
revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the
last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to
the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and
few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the
holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.
Qibla -
The direction which Muslims turn for daily
prayers, towards Mecca.
Quraish -
An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger
Muhammad belonged.
Ramadan -
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which
is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.
Salat -
Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of
worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is
performed to worship Allah five times daily.
Shiaa:
A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion
leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants
of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who
ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.
Shirk -
Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with
Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of
Monotheism or Tawheed.
Siam or Soam-
Fasting
Sunni:
is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life
style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah):
Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he
dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought.
Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered
the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an
important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes.
It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all
Muslims.
Surah -
A
chapter of the Koran.
Tawaf:
part of the pilgrimage (Hajj)
ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise
direction a number of seven circles.
Tauhid - Tawheed -
Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that
there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement
of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new
Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)
Taqwah -
Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person
to understand God.
Taurat: The old
Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.
Ummah -
the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to
the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.
Umrah - (Amrah):
A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to
Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic
year, Umrah can be performed at any time.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual
done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Zaboor -
The
Psalms
Zakat -
The
third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.
