Ramadan is not just for one month it is for everyday of our lives!
Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wb, there are many of us both Muslim men and women who become Ramadan Muslims just for the month of the year.
Just for this one month we blow off the dust on our Qur'an and prayer mats. Some of our sisters put their make up away and bring out the hijaab and jilbaab and put it on for the month.
Then when Eid day comes our brothers get their wacky hairstyles cut many of which are gravity defying and patterns all over their head that even Siberian tigers would be envious of.
The sisters who mashallah wore hijaab and jilbaab for the month pack them away for another year to gather dust and get the makeup out to become hollywood and bollywood princess wannabe's for another year.
Is this the purpose of Ramadan that we only become practising Muslims for just this one month of the year and for the rest of the year we become only Muslim by name moderates who imitate the kufaar and hardly practice their faith?
Fair enough if we have done this for the past few years then there is nothing we can do about the past now but we can do something about it this Ramadan! We can make the necessery changes to our lives whilst we are still alive and let me tell you brothers and sisters we are VERY lucky to still be alive and be benefitting from this blessed month!
Therefore let us practise our beautiful way of life EVERYDAY throughout the whole year. Ramadan is like a training month for us where we train ourselves for the rest of the year.
If we were being given training at work so that we can become better at our job's and then after the training had finished we disregarded everything we learnt and did not implement any of it into our working lives throughout the year then what use was the training?
Our employer would have been so angry with us that they provided us with an opportunity for training and development but yet we did not even bother to implement it in our daily lives.
Sameway Allah has provided us with this most blessed month of Ramadan as a mercy to us and this month is where we can train and develop ourselves and improve ourselves as Muslims for the rest of the year in order to gain the fear of Allah and get closer to him. It is the chance for us to gain forgiveness of all of our sins and freedom from the torment of the grave and of the fire of hell who's feul will be men and stones. This month is to make us practising Muslims everyday of our lives and not just for one month a year in Ramadan.
Therefore let us change our ways and not let ourselves be one month Ramadan Muslims. There is no such thing as being part time Muslim for the only vacancy is for a full time practising Muslim.
Allah tells us In the Qur'an to enter fully into our deen and not partly:
O believers enter into Islam completely and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan, surely he is your clear-cut enemy. If you falter after receiving the clear-cut message, then keep in mind that Allah is Mighty, Wise. Are they waiting for Allah to come down to them in the shadow of clouds, along with the angels, and make His decision known? Ultimately all matters will be presented to Allah for decision. (Surah Al-Baqara, Ayah 208-210)
Allah does not expect us to be perfect angels but he will judge us on what efforts we made throughout our lives. When you hear a person say "I try to read Salaah or i try to do what i can". Do you think they are really trying? Or are they just saying they are and decieving themselves? If we really tried we can do anything.
We can decieve ourselves but we cannot decieve Allah. Allah knows us better than we know ourselves and he knows what we are capable of and praying 5 times a day is not impossible for any of us.
If we calculate how long it would take to pray 5 times a day then you could sum it upto around 40 minutes a day. Now there are 1440 minutes in a day and 40 minutes out of 1440 of our day is ONLY 3% of a day and we still can't manage that? Many of us spend that much time eating, excreting or in front of a mirror and we can't even spend it praying and fulfilling the very purpose of our creation? We spend hours on end in front of the television or listening to Music or playing our playing the latest play station games or seeing who's poked us on facebook but we can't spend a few minutes praying to the one who has given us EVERYTHING we can possible imagine and far more? We are truly at loss!
Many of us work full time jobs having to work almost everyday of the year having to get up at early hours in order to do so. If we can do this then can't we pray Salaah 5 times a day for a few short minutes that it takes to pray them? If we really did try then we would not fail in praying our 5 prayers but we decieve ourselves and we end up wasting our lives decieving ourselves and then regret it later on when it is too late! Let us not be of those who will regret it forever!
So let us internalise these changes in our heads and immerse ourselves into our beautiful way of life and not let ourselves stop practising as soon as Ramadan is over for the best way to know if our Ramadan has been accepted or not is if we actually make changes to our lives after Ramadan is over. If we go back to how we were before Ramadan started then how can we except for our Ramadan to be accepted.
I'm not saying that we should become saints overnight but what i am saying is that we should at least fulfill our obligations to Allah and that is to establish our 5 times prayers and to keep away from that which Allah has forbidden.
We should also keep a close connection with our Masjid and not abandon the Masjid as soon as Ramadan is over. We should not put away our prayer mats and our Qur'ans on the highest shelf to gather dust for the rest of the year but we should continue using them everyday!
Our sisters should not out their hijaab and jilbaab away for another year to gather dust but shoudl realise that to cover is an obligation and would they rather want to please Allah or shaythan? Did our sisters not feel good and at peace wearing the hijaab and jilbaab? Was it not a freedom? Then do not put them away but continue to wear it throughout the year everyday of one's life.
Let us make changes to our lives now because we may not have a tomorrow. Death can strike at ANY second and many i personally knew died this year and they were all ages. Therefore do not think you can change later for death may come to you today or tomorrow. Shaythan says change tomorrow but we MUST change NOW!
This life is so temporary and short but the hereafter is FOREVER! Let us devote ourselves to something that will last forever not something that may end today! So let us devote ourselves to Allah and the Hereafter and we will benefit in this world and the next. Those who chase the hereafter then this world will chase them but if we continue to chase and devote our lives to this world then we will only get what is destined for us and we will not gain the hereafter or this world so we will lose out in both but if we chase the hereafter then we will gain both so it is a win win situation as oppose to a lose lose situation.
So let us make the choice now and take this opportunity to change otherwise when death comes then it will be too late and we will regret it for eternity and death awaits for NO ONE!
And Allah knows best in all matters
These days... IMO being good and righteous for 30 days is quite an achievement in itself and should not be knocked.
Besides, Ramadan is not supposed to be like the rest of the year - you are supposed to be better.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Some people will get nothing for fasting
Abu Huraira(RA) related that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim) said: Many people who fast get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst, and many people who pray at night get nothing from it except wakefulness (Darimi).
So let us not be of those when Ramadan comes and goes but it does not make any difference to us and our evil ways continue like normal. The purpose of Ramadan is for us to train and improve ourselves for the rest of the year but those of us that it makes no difference to either way are very unfortunate indeed so the time for change is NOW for tomorrow may NEVER come!
If you worshipped Ramadan, know that Ramadan is leaving. But if you worshipped the creator of Ramadan, know that He the Almighty is everlasting.
Therefore worship Allah alone and remember that he is most merciful outside Ramadan too. His mercy never decreases.
It's us, rather being so weak, we fail to improve our standard so lets raise our game now and keep this high momentum outside RAMADAN because we are not merely RAMADAN Muslims.
We are Full Time Muslims for life!
[B]After Ramadan[/B]
Hadhrat Maulana Yunus Patel
The Holy month of Ramadaan came like seasonal rain and passed by. This rain did not water the plants and crops -it showered upon the hearts of believers. It is sad, but true, that the hearts of the majority of Muslims are stricken with spiritual drought and spiritual decadence. It is a drought caused by excessive indulgence in un-Islamic activities, immoral behaviour, unjust actions, unfair dealings etc.
Drought caused by lack of rain destroys crops -drought caused by lack of piety, lack of fear of Allah and lack of Allah consciousness destroys the SPIRITUALITY of the heart.Ramadaan’s spiritual rains brought to life the Masaajid and other*prayer*places. Ramadaan had fanned the dying spark of*charity*.
Ramadaan had awakened the dying spirit of tolerance, patience and sympathy for the less fortunate.Now that we come to the end of Ramadaan the big question is what to do? Did we go through all the spiritual exercises in Ramadaan in order that we may have the freedom to indulge, on Eid day, in all types of immoral, shameless and indecent amusement? Did we restrain ourselves from halaal food, drinks and other pleasures from dawn to sunset throughout Ramadaan, so that we may return with renewed vigour to gambling, drinking, adultery and fornication?
Will the spirit of tolerance, mercy, patience, charity and sympathy be still evident or will these noble qualities be shelved until the dawn of the next Ramadaan?Will the Masajids which were filled on most nights in Ramadaan remain the same or will they become empty wondering where the faithful have gone? Our lifestyles after Ramadaan will show whether we used the month to bring about a total reformation within ourselves or are we going to waste the valuable opportunity?
The National and international position of the*Muslim*communities leaves much to be desired. Muslims are lamenting the loss of lives, destruction of property, oppression, tyranny, injustice and a host of other problems all over the world. They are wondering why the promised help of Allah to the believers is nowhere in sight. Just one glance into the lifestyles of the overwhelming majority of the Muslims is sufficient to answer the question. Millions of Muslims do not have much to their credit besides Muslim names.
Allah’s help comes with action and Islamic qualities -not with names or faces – Arabs or non-Arabs, African or European, Chinese or Indians. On the other hand every group, organization, society or individual who talks*Islam, seems to have got its own brand of Islam. The Islamic teachings which were left behind for us, crystal clear and pristine pure, have become so adulterated with foreign customs, alien practices and un-Islamic ideologies, that a new Muslim has to make an effort to search for the Quran and Sunnah brand of Islam or remain confused and ignorant.
May Allah Ta’ala on the occasion of Eid give us the guidance to resolve that we shall make the Quran and Sunnah our guiding lights and practise Islam as much as possible. If* the non-Muslim inhabitants of our country see Islam in the lives of Muslims, they will not require much persuasion to accept our beautiful deen.
Source: HaqIslam
O Servants of Allah! Ramadhaan is set to move on, and only a little of it remains. If anyone has done well during the month thus far, it is incumbent on him to complete the month in a good fashion. While anyone who has fallen short let him finish in good shape. Only a few days and nights remain, so bid it farewell with righteous actions that will testify for you before the All-Knowing King.
The hearts of the righteous people are filled with longing, lamenting from the pain of departure. How can a believer not shed tears upon its [Ramadhaan] departure when he does not know if he will live to see it again? O Ramadhaan! Be gentle, the tears of your lovers are pouring out. Their hearts are torn from the pain of your departure. Perhaps standing to bid you farewell will extinguish the burning fire of longing. Perhaps taking a moment to repent will mend everything that has been torn in fast. Perhaps one cut off from the procession of those whose fast has been accepted will be joined with them. Perhaps the one imprisoned by his sins will be freed. Perhaps one deserving to be punished in Hell will be liberated. Perhaps the mercy of the Lord will be granted to the sinner.
‘Lataif Al Ma’arif’ of Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali
[b]What Next After Ramadan?[/b]
https://youtu.be/cKpa3kkhMss