I'tikaaf and 'Laila-tul-Qadr'

Ramadan: Supplications to Allah

Du’a is an act of worship which also acts as one of the most important and powerful weapons of a believer in this world. Du’a can help a person defend himself from any type of evil, be humble knowing that he is weak and vulnerable without Allah’s help and thus get closer to Allah (swt). A believer knows that without Allah he is nothing, and to accede to peace from every and any direction, he needs to equip himself with such spiritual weapon which shall grant him access to the Lord of the Worlds, and Ultimate Protector of mankind, so that this weapon, i.e. Du’a becomes effective as and when he uses it in his everyday life. As we are living the blessed days of the Holy month of Ramadhan, it is good to know that du’a can be of a great avail to us, and we Muslims should make use of this spiritual weapon and means for peace to accede to the stages of honour and pleasure which Allah grants to those who seek him through prayer and supplications.

Allah (swt) says in the Holy Quran, right after the verse of the prescription of fasting in Ramadhan:

“And when My servants ask you, (Oh Prophet), concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me that they may be (rightly) guided.” (2: 187)

When we take into account the place this verse occupies in the Holy Quran, we will find that it is between the verses concerning fasting. This alone brings on the importance of Du’a when fasting, as fasting holds a very great importance and significance in Islam.

Abu Said narrates from the prophet (pbuh) that: “No Muslim supplicates to Allah with a Du’a that does not involve sin or cutting the relations of the womb (i.e. the blood/family relations), but Allah will grant him one of the three things. He will either hasten the response to his supplication, save it for him until the Hereafter, or would turn an equivalent amount of evil away from him.” 

They (the companions) said, “What if we were to recite more (Du’a).” 

He said, “There is more with Allah.” (Ahmad)

'Fidya' and 'Fitra' in Ramadhan

“The month of Ramadan (is that) in which the Quran was revealed, 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.” (2:186).

Ramadhan is a month of countless blessings and virtues. 

The word RAMADHAN is derived “ramdh” which means “burning the feet from heat”. This is because of the fast, which burns the sins of a Muslim into ashes. Ramadhan has been given the name of blessed month because:

1)   In this month, the Quran was revealed, and the angel Gabriel used to come to make the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) recite the Quran, from beginning to end.

2)     In this month, there is the night of Qadr, which is better than 1000 months.

3)     In this month, the reward of a good deed is equal to the fardh of another month.

4)     This is the month of patience and the reward of this patience is Paradise.

5)     This month teaches the lesson of kindness towards others.

6)     In this month, the first ten days are of mercy, the second ten days are of forgiveness and the last ten days are of being freed from hell.

7)    The month of Ramadhan is a month in which the mercy and blessing of Allah (swt) descend upon us continuously if we are truly seeking the mercy of Allah and His countenance.

Ramadan: Fasting and Blessings

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil).” (2:184).

By the immense grace of Allah, we are again witnessing another blessed month of Ramadan. It is a month like no other month as it is the very special and blessed month of Allah, for Allah. From the moment that this exceptional month approaches us and welcomes us in its arms, the emotion becomes stronger and the heart becomes more sensitive. Every sincere Muslim waits impatiently for this great day. 

They all ask: “Ramadan! When will you come? We need you so much!” 

This impatience to welcome the month of Ramadan is found in the need for the believer to purify himself both physically and spiritually.

If a Muslim expresses himself with these words, certainly, he is undoubtedly aware of the true value of this month and the many benefits it contains. This is the month of blessing, whose beginning is mercy, the middle forgiveness, and whose end is freedom from hell-fire. It is a month which includes a night better than a thousand months and reward of good deeds is multiplied. The substance of the believer increases and favours coming from Allah the Exalted is constantly bestowed upon him. This is the month of endurance and forgiveness. And the reward of endurance is paradise.

When the servant realizes all that, his heart softens and his chest is opened to the acceptation of the truth. Thus, submission becomes his priority throughout this intense month of blessings.

Is the time not ripe for the Muslim to make manifest his joy, appreciation and gratitude to Allah the Exalted who kept him alive until the arrival of Ramadan? Every Muslim is recommended to welcome this month with repentance and with the preparation to fast and to spend his nights in prayer with good intention and strong determination. Is there a goal better than this?

Meditate on the following words of Allah:

“Say: ‘In the Bounty of Allah, and in His Mercy - therein let them rejoice.’ That is better than what (the wealth) they amass.” (Yunus, 10: 59)

Satanic Impulses on Human Behaviour

Due to the imminent arrival of Ramadan, I thought it would be beneficial to talk about the approaches that Satan uses against us, at every moment of our lives to get us away from the remembrance of Allah (Zikrullah). Insha-Allah, this can be for all of us - myself first - a humble reminder and contribute to our spiritual preparation for the month of Ramadan, the aim being, of course, that when the time comes, Insha-Allah, we maximize the best of these blessed days.

We can read in the Holy Quran the following words which Allah addressed to Satan:

“Excite with your voice whoever you can among them, and assault them with your cavalry and your infantry, and become a partner in their wealth and their children and make promises to them." But Satan promises them nothing but deceit. As for My (believing) servants, you have no power over them. And your Lord is sufficient to protect them!” (17: 65-66)

This verse contains information relative to the main routes used by Satan and his allies to exert power over the human being and thus mislead him from the Straight Path. They often act:

-     Through what man perceives through his sense organs, as mentioned in the verse in question: “Excite with your voice…”

-        Through the negative impact of his acts of disobedience: “…assault them with your cavalry and your infantry…”; verily, all those who acts in disobedience to Allah make up the cavalry and infantry of Satan.

-     Via natural impulses that inhabit him, those innate qualities that make his character and the feelings he develops from his own individual or his surroundings: “...become a partner in their wealth and their children…”

-        Via suggestions addressed directly to his conscience and mind: “...make promises to them…”

Satan can thus infiltrate and access the human heart by internal or external ways, exposed or concealed. Hence the need for the believer to exercise constantly for increased vigilance with respect to the multiple assaults of his sworn enemy, whom the Quran mentions the words thereof, in these terms:

“‘Because You have put me in error’, said (Satan), ‘I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path., then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful (to You).’” (7: 17-18).

Month of 'Shaban': 'Ibadah' for Blessings

Significance of Shaban

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, in less than two weeks we shall Insha-Allah be blessed once again with the coming of the month of Ramadan, the month of Allah wherein He has ordained all His submitted servants to observe fasting and to observe His Remembrance more than in any other month so that they may be admitted into His mercy and proximity. Like you all know, before the month of Ramadan, there is the month of Shaban which we are currently living and which is also an important month in the life of a Muslim. 

Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) once described the letters forming the word Shaban as thus:

1. Sheen for Sharaf – Respect

2. ‘Ayn for ‘Uluu – Elevation

3. Baa for Bir – Goodness

4. Alif for Ulfat – Friendship

5. Nun for Nur – Light.

It is in the month of Shaban, the eighth month of the Islamic calendar that our beloved Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) used to prepare himself physically, morally and spiritually to welcome the month of Ramadan. He (pbuh) said: “Many people are unaware of this month’s significance; it is between Rajab and Ramadan. In this month the deeds of people are lifted to the Lord of the worlds. I like my deeds to be lifted while I am in a state of fasting.” (Nasai). 

Imam Bukhari reports in his Book of Hadiths a narration from Hazrat Aisha (ra) in which she said: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and he would not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) fast for an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Shaban.”

It is not advisable for a Muslim to welcome Ramadan by fasting the last one or two days of Shaban. Hazrat Abu Huraira (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Do not anticipate Ramadan by fasting one or two days before, except for a man who has a habitual pattern of fasting, in which case let him fast.” (Bukhari)

This Hadith gives us the notion to distinguish the Obligatory from the Voluntary, for in another Hadith found in An-Nasai and narrated by Hazrat Umm Salama (ra), it is reported that the prophet (pbuh) would not fast any month of the year in full except Shaban and he used to join it to Ramadan. This means that as a man used to fast on a regular basis, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would occasionally also observe the fast and join it to the first and complete days of Ramadan, or he would prefer to skip fasting the ending days of Shaban and fast only in the month of Ramadan as it was not an obligatory act, but rather a voluntary act. But he liked honouring the month of Ramadan by beginning his preparations for it in Shaban.

15^th of Shaban: Shab-e-Baraat

In addition to fasting, Nabi Kareem (pbuh) used to maximise his time in additional prayers (Nafl Salat), supplications (dua) and Remembrance of Allah (Zikrullah). Furthermore, in many ahadiths though not in the famous Sahih Hadith books, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has been reported to give the importance to the night of mid-Shaban.

Islamic Teachings for Social Peace

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, my Rab again gives me the opportunity to continue on the same subject-matter of last Friday’s Sermon.

On Social Welfare 

Furthermore, as Islam teaches us, we must stress on the rights of the poor for we must regard them as our brethrens. Thus, a person should not be deprived of that which he has acquired by the exercise of his talents. The competition which is the result of a divergence in talents and capacities is essential for the progress of the world; but that those who are in possession of the wealth of a nation are bound to allot a certain portion of it, fixed by Islam, towards the welfare of the poor, and to employ the balance towards objects of public utility rather than towards the gratification of personal desires; that is to say, that they ought to prefer the happiness to be derived from the distribution rather than that to be derived from the hoarding or squandering of wealth.

The teachings of Islam stand unique in this respect. Islam recognises and upholds the principle of private ownership, but it also recognises that no man can be rich without a contribution of the labour of others, and it therefore explicitly enjoins that out of the wealth of the rich a portion should be set apart and spent through the government for the welfare of the poor as compensation for the contribution made by the poor towards its production. It also enjoins upon the State the duty of providing for all its people the necessaries of life and the means of instruction.

Foreign Relations 

With regard to international relations, they can never be put on satisfactory basis till it is realised that nations and Government are as much subject to the dominion of morals as individuals. Indeed, most international disputes are the result of the false doctrine which prevails that Governments are not bound to conform to the moral standard expected of individuals. For the peace of the world it is necessary that the subjects of each state should cooperate with their respective Governments. There can be no objection to their taking measures to demand and safeguard their rights, but in so doing they must not adopt a course of conduct which is calculated to disturb the public peace or to undermine the authority of the Government, or which is objectionable from a moral viewpoint.

So long as there are people who believe sincerely in some religion or other, and the world is not composed entirely of men who use religion as a cloak to be donned on ceremonial occasions, religions differences are bound to arise. True harmony would be established only when the world, or the majority of its people, were united by the restrictions of one common faith.

Inter-Religious Harmony

To bring peace, therefore, to the universe, I have claimed that God Almighty has sent me so that, through me, men may be gathered in the fold of one faith and thus find outward and inner peace. Even though, presently man and man is not yet united in one religion, the true religion and way of life, viz., Islam, however, to ensure the improvement of the present conditions of individuals, religions and society at large, the following suggestions are to be observed:

Human Morals and Spirituality- I & II

No religion can claim to be perfect unless it contains full teachings concerning human morals, for, although morals are not part of spirituality, yet they constitute the first step towards it, and without perfect morals man cannot attain to perfect spiritual development.

A study of those principles startles one into the admission that the world was merely groping in the dark in the search for moral principles. As it is not possible to attempt a detailed exposition of the whole question, but through the grace of Allah I shall give a brief reference to some matters of principle.

The Natural Condition of the Humans

The first matter relates to the definition of morals. The nature of moral qualities has been misconceived and has led mankind into serious error and is responsible for long but futile discourses in religious books. People fail to realise that there is an intermediate stage between animalism and morals. Animalism signifies that condition of man in which, owing to defective training, disease, habit, ignorance or ill-will, he acts out of purely selfish motives for purely selfish ends, and has neither regard nor consideration for the feelings of others. But this is not the natural condition of man, for man has been invested with many natural feelings which prompt him to do good to others and which people mistake for good morals.

For instance, a man has been created social and these feelings are the necessary equipment of a member of society. Even a child who is brought up in strict seclusion and is deprived of every kind of instruction is bound to exhibit these feelings in his conduct, which shows that these feelings are distinct from morals and are merely natural instincts. For instance, affection and aversion are both equally natural feelings, and neither of them can, therefore, be described as good or bad; for if one of them is good and the other bad, we would have to confess that God had made evil inherent in our nature, which would amount to blasphemy. Beside, this doctrine is refuted by our experience, for a feeling of aversion towards certain things, for instance, towards oppression or evil doing, is highly creditable. But if every feeling of aversion were to be regarded as evil the repugnance towards evil-doing itself would be a sin, which is absurd.

Religion stands for Moral Perfection

A religion which merely exhorts its followers to be kind, or forgiving, or affectionate, or beneficent, or not to be extravagant, is merely enumerating our natural feelings and this does not amount to moral instruction of any kind. Only that religion can claim to have given moral instruction which lays down rules calculated to control the exercise of natural feelings and gives directions for their proper exercise. In other words, the exercise of some natural feelings and the suppression of others do not amount to morals; it is the conscious and intentional exercise of all natural feelings on their proper occasions and a restriction of such feelings on every undesirable occasion which is moral.