Ramadan Reflections: Day 5

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah my precious readers,

Subhanallah we are fasting our 5th fast today! How quickly time passes! May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us the ability to use every precious moment of Ramadan in His remembrance, ameen!

We do our weekly shopping on Saturdays. By the time, we return home it's almost Zuhr time. It is recommended by our noble scholars not to waste time during this sacred month, shopping without any real necessity. We live in a world where shopping is seen as a great pastime. We, the people of the post-modern world, love shopping even window shopping as it pleases our nafs. In this month, we feel more aware of our limited time. Most of us feel reluctant to go shopping. If only its necessary, we should go out and get things done as soon as possible. I know some sisters who do internet shopping to save time and temptation to some extent. If that's not really an option for you ( certainly not for me as I like to see what I am buying, especially fruits and veg) , try to do the dua for shopping. This dua taught by our beloved prophet Muhammad Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam. This is a great way to turn shopping an act of ibadah, alhamdulillah.

When entering a shopping center,
" Laa ilaaha illa 'Llahu wahdahu laa shariika lah(u), lahu 'l-mulku wa lahu 'l-hamdul(u), yuhyi wa yumit(u), wa Huwa Hayyul laa yamuut(u), bi yadihi 'l-khayr(u), wa Huwa 'alaa kulli shay'in qadir(un).

There is no god but Allah. He is One and has no partner. His is the Kingdom and to Him belongs all praise. He gives life and gives death. He is living, not subject to death. In His Hand is goodness and He has power over all things.

Whoever recites this dua, Allah will reward her with a million good deeds, forgive a million of her sins and raise her rank by a million degrees. [Tirmidhi, Mustadrak]

Subhanallah , we can get so much reward just by making this dua before shopping ( only the necessary one, I guess) Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala always makes everything easy and full of baraka for us, alhamdulillah. So how many of us will follow this dua? May Allah subhana wa ta'ala give us the ability and easeness to do this dua on a regular basis, ameen! If we do it loudly, then our children can learn it too, just by listening. Sometimes, kids remind us to do the dua. Imagine how much more reward we can get through them, our precious investments bi'idnillahi ta'ala.

N.B The dua above is taken from the excellent book 'Reflections of pearls' by Inam Uddin & Abdur-Rahman Ibn Yusuf, Published by White Thread.
I did do a review of this book couple of years ago.

Ramadan reflections: Day 4

Alhamdulillah had a very hectic day today. I am quite exhausted now. Not really in writing mode, I am afraid. Just want to share one of my favourite verses from the Qur'aan. Below I have only shared the translation. Please read the actual Arabic verse and without a doubt, the feeling and understanding will be completely different inshAllah.

"Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. 

Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

Our Lord, indeed whoever You admit to the Fire - You have disgraced him, and for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.

Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.

Our Lord, and grant us what You promised us through Your messengers and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, You do not fail in [Your] promise."

And their Lord responded to them, "Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another. So those who emigrated or were evicted from their homes or were harmed in My cause or fought or were killed - I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allah , and Allah has with Him the best reward." Surah Al-Imran 3:190-195

Ramadan reflections: Day 3

Alhamdulillah today was the 3rd day of Ramadan. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our fasts, ameen! This month is the month of the Qur'an. The Qur'an was revealed to our beloved prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihe wa sallam in this month. It is highly recommended to recite and ponder upon the Qura'n during this month. There are so many people who will be completing the recitation of the whole Qur'an during this month. Some will even do it twice/thrice or more than that. But how many of us will try understand what Allah subhana wa ta'ala is telling us through His Book?

I think, this is the only Book which lots of people recite but don't really understand what its talking about. Even a kid who reads any book wants to find out what the author is talking about in his book. But we are quite pleased with ourselves if we can just manage to recite the Qur'an during this blessed month! Do we really have any excuse in front of our Rabb!?! Most of us are university graduates. MashAllah lots of us are professionals. We are well-versed with politics and various issues in our societies. But when it comes to Qur'an, Allah's Book, we are illiterate. 

Ibn Uthaiymeen (Rahimallah) said that the majority of  Muslims enter Ramadan and exit it, without any true impact. [Buluugh v. 7 p.163] This statement saddens me but can I really deny this bitter truth? 

I hope this Ramadan I can really change myself for the better. I am hoping not to just recite my Rabb's Book but to ponder upon it bi'idnillahi ta'ala. A great way of understanding the Qur'an is to listen and read explanation of the verses. When I listen/read tafseer, and then read the verse , the feeling is completely different. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions in Surah Baqara ( the verse of Ramadan is mentioned only once in the Qur'an) that fasting in Ramadan is prescribed to us so that we can gain taqwa (God consciousness). He also says that He reveled the glorious Qur'an during this month. Let us do our best to study and ponder upon His Book. Let us treat this Ramadan as if its our final one. We may not get this opportunity again to connect to His Book. InshAllah it will motivate us to do our best. Besides, Satan is not here to distract us. Alhamdulillah! To help us to connect to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's Book, let us make this dua during the night prayer:

" Oh Allah, I am Your slave and the daughter of Your male slave and the daughter of Your female slave. My forehead in in Your Hand (i.e You have control over me). Your judgement upon me is assured and Your decree concerning me is just. I ask You by every Name that You have named Yourself with, revealed in Your Book, taught any one of Your creation or kept unto Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen that is with You, to make the Qur'an the spring of my heart and the light of my chest, banisher of my sadness and the reliever of my distress." [Ahmad]

Ramadan Reflections: Day 2

Bismillahir rahmaneer Raheem. In the name of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

Alhamdulillah we just completed our second fast. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our deeds! Just the other day Ramadan started and now we have already done two. How quickly time passes! Every year during this time, I remember my beloved friend and mentor Ferzanah. She was an amazing sister in faith. Couple of years ago , she was diagnosed with cancer during Ramadan. She went through the difficult treatment with patience. Her brother was her donor. But her body rejected it and she died in 2008. She left her three children and husband and her parents and siblings. She is buried in Garden of peace in London. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala grant her with Jannatul Ferdous, ameen!

I also remember Najma Ghani. She left us last year after suffering for years with cancer. She was an amazing sister with so much passion mashAllah. I am sure all her family and friends miss her. 

I miss another lovely sister named Aasia, who also was suffering from cancer and died almost 2 years ago, leaving her three children and husband behind. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant them both Jannatul Ferdous!

Last year, during Ramadan my grandma died. It was a very emotional time for us especially for my poor dad. He hasn't seen his mum for years and I am sure he really missed her. Because of his circumstances he couldn't really travel. I have so many lovely memories of my grandma. She was a soft-spoken lady. It feels so odd thinking she is not going be there when I go to Bangladesh. It is with real sadness, I say that I wish I spent more time with her. I never thought she will leave us that soon. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless my dadi with Jannatul Ferdous, ameen! Maintaining relationship can be quite a daunting task but we should try our best to keep the relations going, bi'idnillahi ta'ala.

All these deaths, remind us that our time is numbered. One day it will be our turn to leave this ephemeral world. The way we live in this world seems like we are here to stay! Have you seen anyone who is travelling, trying to settle in the airport, behaving as if it's his home? We are indeed travellers and this world is our airport. Our destination is Jannah, bi'idnillah! But, unfortunately the hectic life on this earth has deluded us in thinking that we have time. We think we are too young to die yet. Please just visit any cemetery and you will see so many people in their 20/30s who have already left this world. Who are we kidding!? 

Ramadan is a great time to remind each other this very truth. Whether we believe it or not, it is the fact and we will face the consequence of our choices. Ramadan is the time when we can work on our faith and prepare for the best inshAllah. Everything depends on intention so let us make sincere intention to please only our Rabb, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. 

There is a beautiful word of wisdom, I really love keep reading alhamdulillah.

Imam Al-Ghazali (Rahimullah) said: "You should structure your time, arrange your regular devotion (awraad) and assign to each function a set period of time during which it is given first priority but which it does not overstep. For if you abandon yourself to neglect and purposelessness, as the cattle do and just do anything that may occur to you at any time it happens to occur to you, most of your time will be wasted. Your time is life and your life is your capital; it is the basis of your transaction with Allah, and the means to attain to everlasting felicity, in the proximity of Allah the Exalted. Each of your breaths is a priceless (because irreplaceable) jewel and when it passes away it never returns." [The Book of Assistance]

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us the ability to utilise our time properly and gain His Ridwaan, ameen!

Ramadan 1434 Day 1

Alhamdulillah today was the first day of Ramadan. I was worried thinking it must be really difficult to fast for 18 hours given it's quite hot in London. Yes, I know it's very rare to see the Sun shining on us, the Londoners, alhamdulillah! Please enjoy every moment of it. I try to take my kids to the local park so that we can soak up some sun-lights. Trust me, we are always in need of vitamin D, especially us, the Muhajabas! Don't let this amazing blessing of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala go wasted.

But Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala always makes everything easy for us. In the Qur'an Allah says, just after the verse of Ramadan , "Allah desire for you, ease; He desire not hardship for you ; and He desires that you should complete the period (of the fast), and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful." 2: 185

Subhanallah this verse is just one amazing verse! He loves us so much and never wants us to go through any hardship. If we do face any hardship, it's due to our own faults. Or the hardship is a form of test to see how we are going to react. Sometimes people ask how do we know that any difficulty we face is a form of punishment or a test. If we feel bad and angry then it is a punishment. But if we have patience, it becomes a mean to gain closeness to our Lord. 

As it's kind of a hot summer Ramadan, try to take a power nap ( half an hour) after zuhr prayer. I try to sleep around 3/4 pm if my extra-hyper children allow me :-) For me it really works alhamdulillah. After iftar, I feel quite okay to carry on being awake till 12 or 1 am. I am trying to do my best inshAllah and do whatever my situation permits.

As a mum if you feel that you are not able to do a lot of worship such as praying extra salah, reciting and studying the Qur'an, please don't feel guilty. We are mothers for a reason. Allah subhana wa ta'ala has blessed us with a very important role. Be a good mum and make a sincere intention to please only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by being a good mum and that will be a great form of worship, bi'idnillah. 

This Ramadan, my goal is to do my best to be a great mum to my children, bi'idnillah. And to do so we have started detoxing ourselves from TV as I believe this is one of the biggest killer of time and productivity. Kids are allowed to watch TV for maximum of 15 minutes. I myself don't really like to watch TV apart from Ramadan TV (Sky 192) which I try to watch after the kids gone to sleep, with the intention of seeking knowledge bi'idnillah. Kids love watching the Little Explorers show around 5 pm. Alhamdulillah we are reading books together and basically enjoying the holiday. They will start full time school from September inshallah so I really want to use these last couple of months to bond with them and create some beautiful memories to cherish forever, inshAllah. May Allah subahana wa ta'ala enable us to do our best in this beautiful month and gain taqwa, ameen! 

Ramadan 1434

Bismillahir Rahmaneer Raheem. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Aa'lameen. I am really looking forward to this year's Ramadan inshAllah. I hope and make dua that I can do my best to connect to my Rabb and get closer to Him ( Subhana Wa Ta'ala) bi'idnillah. Nothing is possible without His Help.

This year has been quite a hectic one for me. Last year, I enrolled to an online Qur'anic Arabic course. It's been quite an intensive one for me. I believe being pregnant for the last couple of years has left me with very few brain sells :-( I am also learning to drive! I know, I left it too late but I have to learn as soon as possible inshAllah as I can't bare the pain of using the public transport with my three children. Also looking after three little kids and running an online magazine have been quite difficult. Sometimes, I feel too overwhelmed with life and its enormous responsibilities. Motherhood is really tough  and there is no break from it. I really don't want to neglect my job as a mum. I have been thinking about my life a lot and sometimes feel quite lost! I love my kids and my soul-mate and never want to let them down, bi'idnillah. But I believe I got too much to cope with :-( I really need to sort out my life inshAllah. I am hoping that during this sacred month of Ramadan, I can find a solution to my difficulties and hopefully find some inner peace bi'idnillah. I am really excited that Ramadan is here to rescue me Alhamdulillah :-) This is definitely one of the biggest pleasure of being a muslimah Alhamdulillah. Whenever I am in any difficulty, I know who I can turn to, alhamdulillah. Raditu Billahi Rabban, Wa Bil Islami deenan wa bi Muhammadin Sallallahu Alaihe wa sallam Nabiaan. 

I hope that this Ramadan will be a month of REAL CHANGE for me and my beautiful family. Allah subhana  wa ta'ala will never change my situation, until I myself take the plunge to change my situation.  May Allah subhana wa ta'ala give us the ability to do our best and gain His Ridwaan, ameen!

So to prepare myself for the change, I have been listening and attending some great talks alhamdulillah.I hope to write everyday during this Ramadan so that I can keep a diary of my journey and share my story with you, inshAllah. Please do share your suggestions inshAllah. 

Please do listen to the recent talk by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan. MashAllah he has given some very useful tips on what sort of action plan we should have during Ramadan. 

RAMADAN ACTION PLAN  I wish you all a very productive Ramadan, inshAllah.

So for us the UK Muslims, Ramadan starts inshAllah on this Wednesday! Just 24 hours till the doors of Paradise are wide open and the doors of Jahannam are shut! And Satan, our greatest enemy is locked up! May Allah subhana wa ta'ala bless us with the most spiritually uplifting Ramadhan and make this years the best ever insha'Allah! Ameen!

Please keep me and my family in your precious duas and please forgive me for anything I may have done or said knowingly, unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally. Love you all feesabilillah. JazakumAllahu Khairan 

Warming up for Ramadan inshAllah

I have been listening and re-listening some excellent talks to get me into Ramadan mode bi'idnillah. I hope to share some of the talks through my blog. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala give us the tawfique to do our best, ameen!

Ramadan, A gift for Muslims - Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan

So what did I learn?

In this talk, Ustadh went through the verses of the Qur'an which deals with Ramadan. 

Ramadan is referred to in verse (2:185) of chapter (2) sūrat l-baqarah (The Cow):

The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. 
So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. 
Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.

The verse is in Surah Baqara and the topic is mentioned only once through our the Qur'an. Ramadan is a month of celebration as a new nation. Allah subhana wa ta'ala changed the direction of prayer (kibla) for Muslims from Jerusalem to Makkah. The Jews of Madina were furious. There are so many lessons to learn from the children of Israel. Allah subhana ta'ala has mentioned about them several times in the Qur'an. The Qur'an is sent as guidance for the humanity, not like other previous, divine scriptures revealed to their respective communities. 

With any profession which involves risk, regular training is very crucial for the employees. Ramadan is the training for us as Muslims. This is a very important time to re-connect to our Lord. And to do so, fasting is a must for every healthy and able Muslim. And reciting and studying the Qur'an is highly recommended. 

O Allah , make the month of Rajab and Sha'ban blessed for us and let us reach the month of Ramadan ( so that we can gain blessings from it), ameen!