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Keep the Spirit of Ramadhaan Alive All Year
As we enter upon the month of
Shawaal, let us not leave off the many acts of
worship we performed during the blessed month of
Ramadhaan. Ramadhaan, for most of us, was a time of
renewal and reestablishment of our commitment to
Allaah and His religion.
We fasted, gave charity, read the Quran and performed the night prayer. We
avoided gossip, slander and every evil that would
invalidate our fasting. But now that Ramadhaan is
over, the majority of us, unfortunately, will put
the Quran back on the shelves, will suspend fasting
until next year and will abandon the night prayer.
This is not the way it should be, because all of
these acts of worship carry rewards and are of
benefit to us throughout the year, in addition to
the fact that there is no divine prescription
limiting them to Ramadhaan.
The Quran
It's sad, but true, that many of us have fallen into the bad habit of only
reciting the Quran during the month of Ramadhaan. By
doing this, we cheat ourselves out of the abundant
blessings that come from reading the words of
Allaah. Reading the Quran is the best way to
remember Allaah, it is a protection from the Satan
and in it are cures for what ails us. For Allaah
says (what means): "O
mankind, there has come to you a protection from
your Lord and a healing for what is in your hearts
and for those who believe, a guidance and a mercy."
[Quran; 10:57]
The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:
"Whoever reads a letter
of the Book of Allaah (Quran) shall have a good deed
(recorded for him or her) and every good deed is
increased a ten-fold (reward). I do not say that
Alif Laam Meem is one letter, but rather Alif is a
letter, Laam is a letter and Meem is a letter."
[At-Tirmithi]
The Quran is also the best way for a servant to draw closer to
his or her Lord. Khabbaab Ibn Al-Arat, may Allaah be
pleased with him, said to a man: "Draw closer to
Allaah as much as   you can, and remember that you can do so
by no means more pleasing to Him than by His own
Words (i.e. the Quran)."
The Night Prayer
Many of us passed the nights of the month
of Ramadhaan, especially the last ten, standing in
prayer before Allaah. Just because Ramadhaan is
over, does not mean that Allaah does not see us now
if we stand in the night prayer. Allaah Says (what
means): "Surely your
Lord knows (O Muhammad) that you stand (in prayer)
two thirds of the night, or half of it, or a third
of it..." [Quran; 73:20]
The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam, said:
"The best prayer, after
the obligatory prayer, is the night prayer."
[Muslim]
The night prayer carries with it many
blessings. For example, Al-Hassan, may Allaah have
mercy upon him, was asked: "How is it that those who
stay up at night have the most attractive faces?"
He, may Allaah be pleased with him, replied,
"Because they are on
intimate terms with The Merciful, and He adorns them
with some of His light."
And for those of us who feel that standing
in the night prayer will leave us tired and unable
to go about our daily tasks in the morning, we
should consider the following words of Allaah's
Prophet. He, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:
"When any of you sleeps,
Satan ties three knots at the back of his head. On
each knot he repeats and exhales the following
words, 'The night is long, so stay asleep.' If you
wake up and remember Allaah, one knot is undone and
if you perform ablution the second knot is undone
and if you pray, the third knot is undone, and you
get up in the morning full of energy and with a
clear heart. Otherwise, you will get up feeling lazy
and with a muddled heart."
[Al-Bukhaari]
Fasting
The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam,
said: "Whoever fasts a
day in the way of Allaah, Allaah will place between
him and the Fire a trench like that between the
heavens and the earth." [At-Tirmithi]
Likewise, fasting wipes away the evils
that arise out of person's wealth, family or
neighbor. Huthayfah Ibn Al-Yamaan, may Allaah be
pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of
Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:
"The evils caused for a
man through his family, wealth and neighbor are
expiated by prayer, fasting and charity."
[Al-Bukhaari]
The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam,
explained to us that fasting protects us from our
unlawful desires, shields us from the hell fire and
draws us closer to Allaah and His Paradise. He,
sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, also encouraged us to
fast at least three days each month. The best days
for this optional fasting are Mondays and Thursdays,
or the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth days of
the lunar month.
Charity
Allaah has blessed most of us to live
relatively comfortable lives. But there are Muslims
all over the world that find great difficulty in
attaining the most basic necessities of life. During
Ramadhaan most of us give in charity, but we forget
to do so for the rest of the year. Giving charity is
of greater benefit to the one who gives it, than to
the one who receives it. It is a means of purifying
our wealth, increasing our faith and attaining
righteousness. Allaah Says (what means):
"It is not righteousness
that you turn your faces towards the East or West,
but it is righteousness to believe in Allaah, and
the Last Day, and the angels, and the Books, and the
prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it,
to the
kinsfolk, the orphans, the needy, and to the
wayfarer
..."
[Quran; 2:177]
Giving in charity also allows us to
express our faith. To truly taste the sweetness of
faith, we must want for our brothers and sisters
what we want for ourselves. For the Prophet,
sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:
"None of you will have
faith until he likes for his (Muslim) brother what
he likes for himself." [Al-Bukhaari]
Clearly, fasting, praying during the
night, reading the Book of Allaah and giving charity
should not be relegated to Ramadhaan alone. These
good deeds, and others like staying away from gossip
and slander, are all things we should do all the
time. By keeping the spirit of Ramadhaan alive
throughout the year, we can safeguard our religion
and will be able to seize many opportunities to earn
the mercy and blessings of Allaah.
Source: Al-Jumu'ah
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