A blessed journey

Every moment of the month of Ramadan is blessed as evident through value enhancement of all the good deeds in it. Supplementary prayers and deeds reach the status of obligatory acts, and the reward of obligatory deeds increases up to 70 times. Nobody can deny this.

Allah is undoubtedly the most merciful but his mercy will favour only those who strive hard in his way.  Allah says in the Quran; Remember me I will remember you; (Surah Al Baqarah verse 151). So we need to mobilize and energize ourselves. If we stay idle, impervious and heedless, we will get nothing but hunger and thirst. Like farmers, as we sow so shall we reap; and the more we work unwaveringly the more we shall get. But if we act like the farmer who laid back when it was time to wake up and work, then the blessings and goodness of Ramadan will pass without benefiting us. By being engrossed in our worldly affairs, gossiping, harming others, watching filth and futile reels we can't expect the bounties of Ramadan even if we are fasting. Expecting blessings of Ramadan while engaging in haram acts is like carrying water in a wicker basket.

The author has recommended ten strategies to get most of the Ramadhan. These are:

Intention (Niyah) and Resolve (Iradah) The first thing is sincere intention and firm resolve. Intention means being conscious/ aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it. Without true understanding of objective and firm determination no task can be accomplished. Same way we need to have right intention and resolution regarding  fasting and other acts of worship. We should have this conscious niyah that we are fasting for the sake of Allah and not out of social obligation or show off. We are fasting and praying as an obedience to Allah and accordingly our resolution will be to please Allah and to become mutaqqi (righteous who fears Allah). Our Prophet (pbuh) underscored this by saying that everyone would get only what he intends for. In other words, every effort should be aimed at achieving Allah’s pleasure and His bounty and reward. If our ‘intention’ is not sincere, i.e. we do not work solely for Allah’s sake, our toil will not be rewarded. It runs the risk of being wasted!

Bond with Qur’an

The beauty of this month lies in the fact that the greatest of all the treasures; Al-Quran was revealed in this month. Allah says! O Mankind! there has come to you an exhortation from your Lord, a healing for the ailments of the hearts, and a guidance and mercy for those who believe. …... (surah yunus 57) that’s why we must  strengthen our bond with Quran during this month.  We should keep reciting and hearing the Qur’an; knowing its meaning and message and developing deeper understanding of it.  it is essential to absorb it in our  heart ,mind and soul. Mere reading of the verses wont fetch the essence.  Qur’an itself mentions that “when Allah’s name is mentioned, their hearts quake, and when His verses are recited to them their faith grows.”and it is possible only when we understand what we are reading.  For non arabs like us it is imperative to  read the  translation along only then we could feel the depth of  love, hope and warning that allah is trying to convey us through his verses.  Reciting the holy Quran with meaning and reflection create a  feeling in us  that we are standing before Allah and that He is talking to us, telling us  what we  should do  and shouldn’t do ; giving both the glad tidings and warnings. It feels as if every verse is trying to bring forth our attention to the greater purpose of life and trying to heal us and reassure us that Allah is always waiting to embrace our bruised souls and shower his mercy over us.

Make special efforts to avoid disobedience: In another Hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) said that fasting is not about hunger and thirst, rather it requires giving up falsehood and acting upon it. It is not just the stomach that fasts; eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet all should fast: Eye should not see, ear should not hear, tongue should not speak, and hands and feet should not do what Allah dislikes and has prohibited.

Quest for Goodness: In order to get most of the Ramadhan  we should develop in us a special quest for goodness and virtues. In the words of author,  “In this vein, you may, for instance, select three things and stick to them fervently during Ramadan. These are: to offer congregational prayers regularly, not to inflict any harm to others, to meet everyone with a smile.”

Stand in prayers for long hours at night. Standing in prayers at night and seeking repentance , is an essential and very effective prescription for the achievement of piety and getting most of Ramadhan. With little effort, you can attain the blessings and benefit of standing before Allah at night, and may be counted among “those who implore Allah’s forgiveness.  It is quite easy. We can Wake up for sahoor 20 minutes or half an hour earlier and offer tahajud. It is this part of the night about which the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has told us that Allah descends to the lowest heaven; closest to the world and calls ‘Is there anyone who asks Me to fulfil his need, and I will give to him whatever he asks for? Is there anyone who asks for My forgiveness, and I will forgive him?

‘Zikr’ (Remembering Allah) and ‘Dua’ (supplication): The sixth important thing to be observed in Ramadhan is Zikr and supplication. In Ramadhan, mere verbal Zikr, i.e., just repeating some specific words and supplications, is also quite beneficial. This keeps us away from slackness and focused on attaining the blessings of Ramadhan. Its essence lies in affirming the belief  and reminding ourselves that Allah alone is the Owner and Master of all treasures of the universe, and Whatever we want we should seek from Allah alone.

The Blessed Night and Etikaf: In the last ten days we should gear ourselves up in the search of the Blessed Night (Lailat-ul Qadr) and try to do etikaf also so as to detox ourselves from the illicit habits and to seek forgiveness and strengthen our connection with Allah.

Spending in Allah’s Way: We should spend more generously in the way of Allah. But we should keep this verse in mind “We feed you only for Allah’s sake; we do not seek of you any recompense or thanks. (Surah Al Insan 76:9)

Service of Humanity: The Holy Prophet (pbuh) has called the month of Ramadhan as the month of brotherhood and fellow-feeling. This month is meant for showing sympathy and sharing grief . Emotionally and financially we should lend helping hand to those in need.

Call to the Quran: In Ramadan people are generally soft and inclined to doing good. This is why it is more likely that people will receive our message and act on it. So as a moral responsibility we should try to call people to the way of Allah.

Take away: Lets help each other emotionally and financially and most importantly let's help each other in our families so that every member can take maximum benefits of Ramadhan…Take special care of females of your families and try to keep them happy…Acknowledge them…..This is also a worship……Let's pray for one and all…