Monthly Archives: July 2012
This Ramadhaan, Fast With Your Heart
O my Brother or Sister in Islaam,Alhamdulillaah, a unique, a generous and a honorable guest is knocking at our door….a guest that visits us once a year and brings with it immeasurable blessings and happiness. A guest that brings with it the wide Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah. A guest that brings with it the smell of Jannah and the sweetness of Imaan….
That special guest, of course, is Ramadhaan.
Ramadhaan is the month of the Qur’aan, the month of Mercy, the month of Forgiveness, the month of making dua and prayer at night, of Iftaar and Suhoor.
And, insha Allaah most of us are going to be fasting.
However, it is HOW we will be fasting that is of utmost importance.
Some of us will be fasting by staying away from food, drink….but, alas, it will be just that and no more…..
Because they will not keep their hands from committing evil and their tongues from committing evil and their eyes and ears from committing evil.
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allaah has no need of his giving up his food and drink.” (Bukhaari: 10/473)
And the Prophet (Sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) also said: “It may be that the fasting person gets nothing from his fast apart from hunger, and it may be that the one who prays qiyaam at night may get nothing from his qiyaam but a sleepless night.” (Narrated by Ahmad (8693); classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibban (8/257) and by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (1/262).And some of us will be fasting, not only staying away from food and drink, etc., but also watching our ears, eyes, tongue, hands and feet and keeping them away from sin. And this is definitely better than the first kind of fasting.
And then there is the third and best kind of fasting….the kind of fasting that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala loves and will be pleased with…..the kind of fasting we ALL should aim for and strive for.
And that is the fasting of the HEART
The fasting of the heart is done by emptying it of all evil, all corruption.
It means getting rid, from our hearts, all forms of shirk, bid’ah, false beliefs, evil thoughts, filthy intentions and immoral ideas.
In fact, the fasting heart is only, and only, filled with the love of Allaah and the desire to please Him.
Its intention is pure, for the sake of Allaah, Alone.
It corrects its Aqeedah and rejects all doubts and false forms of worship.
It stays away from greed, envy, enmity and pride.
It stays away from arguments, gossip and gheebah.
It rejects stinginess and extravagance.It places complete trust in Allaah, full of patience and serenity.
It doesn’t hold any grudges, anger or hatred.
It readily forgives anyone and everyone, no matter how much harm or grief they caused it.It is free of deception, slyness and hypocrisy.
It is conscious of Allaah throughout the day and night, doing its utmost to do good deeds and staying away from all that is haraam….. aware of every thought that crosses his mind, every word that he utters, every action that he commits, lest it be displeasing to his Creator, the Almighty.”
The fasting heart is generous and kind…..eager to give in the path of Allaah, not only the obligatory Zakaah, but extra acts of charity, of money and time and effort, with the intention of pleasing Allaah alone, hoping for a reward from Him.
Its day is spent in complete obedience to Allaah and its night in humble prayer.
At the time of Iftaar, such a heart is overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness to the Lord, Almighty for providing him with such abundant food, such immense blessings..
When this heart recites the Qur’aan, it is completely softened and totally overcome by the Power of the Words of the Almighty….understanding them, contemplating over them, determined to implement them in his life.
When the fasting heart stands in front of Allaah, it stands with utmost humility, eyes downcast, trembling with modesty, ashamed of its deeds, submitting completely to His Will.
It spontaneously exclaims…..
Yaa Allaah, I will no longer be a slave to MY whims and desires. Rather, I am a slave to YOU, O Allaah. My desires, my excuses don’t count anymore. From now on, I submit ONLY to what YOU order me to do.
And as it stands for prayer, it does so, full of love for the Almighty….full of awe and Khushoo’.…full of fear of His Wrath….and yet, full of hope for His Mercy.
As this heart listens to the recitation of the Qur’aan in Taraweeh, tears overflow from it. Uncontrollable tears of repentance….tears of regret and remorse, for all its previous deeds….all its previous sins….all its previous mistakes.
It cries out……
Yaa Allaah, You are the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful……forgive me!
I regret all my prior mistakes! I repent to you and I return to you!
This heart vows to do its utmost best from now on. It promises Allaah to obey Him to the best of his ability, resolving to stay away from sin, determined to set his life aright.
O Brothers and Sisters in Islaam,
Are there any hearts out there that are willing to fast like that……???
The heart of the believer fasts during Ramadhaan and outside of Ramadhaan.
It is from the immense mercy of Allah upon us that He made us Muslims and believers and that He extends our lives till we reach this Ramadhaan.
It is reported that the Sahaabah used to pray to Allah during the six months before Ramadhaan to extend their lives so that they can reach Ramadhaan, and in the 6 months after Ramadhaan, they would pray to Allaah to accept their fasting of Ramadhaan.
So take this great opportunity that Allaah, the Most Merciful has provided you with.
Make the most of the upcoming opportunity and don’t let it pass you by.
FAST THIS RAMADHAAN WITH YOUR HEART.
Repentance in Ramadan
And also (what means): “O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance” [Quran 66:8]
Therefore, repentance is not only requested from one who has committed a sin, but rather it is demanded from all people including the believers who wish to win the great prize of Paradise as well as being prosperous in this life.
One of the great blessings of Allaah upon His slaves is that He left the door for repentance open for those who wish to repent and return to Him. Allaah made repentance the new dawn that indicates the start of a new day for the journey towards the Hereafter.
Abu Moosaa Al-Ash`ari 
reported that the Prophet 
said: “Allaah, the Exalted, will continue to stretch out His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and continue to stretch His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west”. [Muslim].
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said: “He who repents before the sun rises from the west, Allaah will forgive him”. [Muslim].
`Abdullaah Ibn `Umar 
reported that the Prophet said: “Allaah accepts a slave’s repentance as long as the latter is not on his death bed (that is, before the soul of the dying person reaches the throat)”. [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi].
Know that the month of Ramadhaan is a great opportunity to repent and return to Allaah, and it is a chance to renew the pledge with Allaah. On the other hand, one must be careful lest Ramadhaan passes him by without him utilizing the season and without being one of those whom Allaah forgave their sins. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said: “May Allaah humble the one who lives long enough to witness Ramadhaan and passes the month without being forgiven”. [At-Tirmithi].
Beloved brothers! This blessed month is the month of the Qur’aan, kindness, repentance, expiation of sins, the descent of mercy and elevation of ranks … So let us rush in repentance to Allaah, because the believers will not find comfort except in Paradise … let us take refuge from Allaah with Allaah and repent to Him before our sins destroy us … let us wake up from our deep sleep as the days pass by very rapidly … let us strive not to be of the deprived ones by undermining the pleasure of Paradise … let us rush and repent and make up for what we have missed out on.
The Prophet whose sins have been forgiven repents to Allaah and asked for forgiveness multiple times in a single day. Abu Hurayrah said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah saying: “I swear by Allaah that I seek Allaah’s Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” [Al-Bukhaari].
Al-Agharr Ibn Yasaar Al-Muzani narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said: “Turn you people in repentance to Allaah and beg pardon of Him. I turn to Him in repentance a hundred times a day”. [Muslim].
Let us follow the example of our beloved Prophet and let us not delay our repentance and let us abandon using the term: “I will do it later on”, and remember that life is nothing but an illusion.
O you who has wasted yesterday and is waiting today … you are killing yourself with sins … repent to your Lord and regret your shortcomings … if you cry and humble yourself before your Lord and ask Him to forgive you, He will accept you and be happy with your repentance.
Indeed Allaah is pleased with the repentance of His slaves. Anas Ibn Maalik the servant of the Messenger of Allaah narrated: The Messenger of Allaah said: “Verily, Allaah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than a person who has his camel in a waterless desert carrying his provision of food and drink and it is lost. He, having lost all hopes (to get that back), lies down in shade and is disappointed about his camel; when all of a sudden he finds that camel standing before him. He takes hold of its reins and then out of boundless joy blurts out: ‘O Allaah, You are my slave and I am Your Lord’. He commits this mistake out of extreme joy” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim].
Do you see how Allaah is pleased with the person when he turns to Him in repentance? Who are we for Allaah to rejoice for our repentance? We are nothing but weak creatures of His who possess no power. On the other hand, He is The All Powerful, Almighty, The King and The One Who controls the Heavens and the earth.
Let us not give up on the mercy of Allaah … we must know that there is no sin too great for Allaah to forgive, and that a slave never turns to Him in repentance sincerely, but He will accept and forgive him, as He is The Oft Forgiving and His mercy has encompassed everything.
Anas reported that the Messenger of Allaah said: “Allaah, the Exalted, has said: `O son of Aadam! I forgive you as long as you pray to Me and hope for My forgiveness, whatever sins you have committed. O son of Aadam! I do not care if your sins reach the height of the heaven, then you ask for my forgiveness, I would forgive you. O son of Aadam! If you come to Me with an earth load of sins, and meet Me associating nothing to Me, I would match it with an earth-load of forgiveness`” [At-Tirmithi].
When you turn to Allaah repentance, never go back to committing the same sins again, as this is one of the most destructive disasters. Never go back after having been blessed and rescued by Allaah, because returning to sins after having been rescued has severe consequences. Remember that fasting is not merely refraining from eating and drinking, and that you must shun all sins ands rush to Allaah in repentance.
Spreading the Good News of Ramadaan
Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allaah (saws) said: “Ramadaan has come to you – a blessed month. Allaah has made it obligatory on you to fast in it. During this month, the gates of heaven are open, the gates of the Hellfire are closed and the evil devils are chained. To Allaah belongs a night in it, which is better than a thousand months. Whosoever is prevented from its good, then he has been deprived.” [1]
The hadeeth is a glad tiding to the righteous servants of Allaah, of the coming of the blessed month of Ramadaan. The Prophet (saws) informed his Companions of its coming and it was not just a simple relaying of news. Rather, his intent was to give them the glad tidings of a magnificent time of the year, so that the righteous people who are quick to do deeds can give it its due estimate. This is because the Prophet (saws) explained in it (the hadeeth) what Allaah has prepared for His servants from the ways towards gaining forgiveness and His contentment – and they are many. So whoever has forgiveness escape him during the month of Ramadaan, then he has been deprived with the utmost deprivation.
From the great favors and bounties that Allaah has bestowed upon His servants is that He has prepared for them meritous occasions so that they may be of profit to those who obey Him and a race for those who rush to compete (for good deeds). These meritous occasions are times for fulfilling hopes by exerting in obedience and uplifting flaws and deficiencies through self-rectification and repentance. There is not a single occasion from these virtuous times, except that Allaah has assigned in it works of obedience, by which one may draw close to Him. And Allaah possesses the most beautiful things as gifts, which He bestows upon whomsoever He wills by His Grace and Mercy.
So the one who achieves true happiness is he who takes advantage of these virtuous months, days and hours and draws closer to His Guardian in them, by doing what is prescribed in them from acts of worship.
Thus perhaps he will be showered with one of the many blessings of those occasions and be helped by it, with an assistance that is enough to save him from the Fire and what it contains, such as its blazing heat. [2]
Being able to reach Ramadaan is itself a magnificent bounty that is bestowed on the one who reaches it and rises to its occasion, by standing in prayer during its night and fasting during its day. In it, he returns to his Protector — from disobeying Him to obeying Him, from neglecting Him to remembering Him, from remaining distant from Him to turning towards Him in submissive repentance.
A Muslim must be conscious of this bounty and acknowledge its magnitude. For indeed, many people are prevented from fasting, either because they die before they reach it, or because they are not capable of observing it or because they oppose and turn away from it. Thus, the one who fasts must give praise to his Lord for this bounty and should welcome this month with joy and delight that a magnificent time of the year out of all the occasions for performing obedience is welcomed. He should exert himself deeply in doing good deeds. And he should invoke Allaah to grant him the ability to fast and stand in night prayer, and that He provide him with seriousness, enthusiasm, strength, and energy in that month. And that He awaken him from heedless oversleeping so that he may take advantage of these virtuous times of good.
It is unfortunate to find that many people do not know the value of this virtuous occasion, nor do they consider it to be sacred. So the month of Ramadaan no longer becomes a significant time for obedience, worship, reciting the Qur’aan, giving in charity and making remembrance of Allaah. Rather, to some people, it becomes a signifcant time to diversify their foods and drinks and to prepare different types of meals before the month begins. Some other people do not know Ramadaan except as a month of sleeplessness and constant recurring gatherings, while sleeping by day. This is to the point that some among them sleep past the time of the obligatory prayers, thus not praying them in congregation or in their proper times. Other people do not know Ramadaan except as a signifcant time for conducting worldly affairs, not as a significant time for conducting affairs for the Hereafter. Thus, they work busily in it, buying and selling, and they stay in the market areas, consequently abandoning the masaajid. And when they do pray with the people, they do so in such a hurried manner. This is because they find their pleasure in the market places. This is the extent that the notions and views (of Ramadaan) have been changed.
Some of the Salaf used to say: “Indeed Allaah, the Most High, has made the month of Ramadaan as a competition for His creatures, in which they may race with one another to His pleasure, by obeying Him. Thus, one group comes first and so they prosper and another group comes last and so they fail.” [3]
Also, the individual does not know if this is perhaps the last Ramadaan he will ever see in his life, if he completes it. How many men, women and children have fasted with us the past year, and yet now they lie buried in the depths of the earth, relying on their good deeds. And they expected to fast many more Ramadaans. Likewise, we too shall all follow their path. Therefore, it is upon the Muslim to rejoice at this magnificent occasion for worship. And he should not renounce it, but instead busy himself with what will benefit him and what will cause its effect to remain. For what else is it, except numbered days, which are fasted in succession and which finish rapidly.
May Allaah make us, as well as you, from among those who are foremost in attaining good deeds.
Footnotes:
1. This hadeeth is reported by Ahmad and An-Nasaa’ee. See Ahmad Shaakir’s checking of the Musnad (no. 7148) and Saheeh at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb of al-Albaanee (1490) as well as Tamaam-ul-Mannah (395)
2. These are the words of Ibn Rajab in Lataa’if-ul-Ma’aarif: pg. 8
3. Lataa’if-ul-Ma’aarif of Ibn Rajab: page 246
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Author:’Abdullaah Ibn Saalih Al-Fawzaan
Source:Ahaadeeth As-Siyaam: Ahkaam wa Adaab (pg. 13-15)
Translator:isma’eel alarcon
Islam for Humanity 