A Gift in Bliss and Misfortune
Allah says twice in Chapter Ash-Sharh of the Holy Quran: “So truly where there is hardship there is also ease; truly where there is hardship there is also ease.”
This
pure month brings about a strange kind of inner strength which enables the
believer to go through all kinds of trials so that he may accede to Allah, to
His pleasure, and to be considered once again sinless in His sight.
The
sacred month of fasting brings about a true pleasure in him to deprive himself
of food for His Lord, and in remembrance of the sufferings of the poor who
struggle for food and drink in their everyday lives. It is a month of
forbearance, a month of steadfastness, a month of yearning for God Almighty’s
approval in each and every one of his deeds and intentions.
The
month of Ramadan is for him the key to the door of Paradise. It is a hope
beyond expectation which His Lord has given him every year of his life, and
within this month has blessed him with the opportunity to strive to seek the
blessing of the Night of Decree which is worth one thousand years of divine
blessings.
During
this month, and most particularly on this special night, the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) has taught us Muslims through his wife Aisha (ra) to recite
this most beautiful prayer for repentance: “Allahumma innaka afuwwun
tuhibbul afwa fa’afu anni” [O Allah! You are Forgiving, You like to
forgive, so forgive me]
What
does a true believer seek? That his Lord is ever pleased with him! To get
forgiveness for his countless sins and mistakes! So, this prayer is a great
prayer taught to us by our great teacher and prophet, the Seal of all Prophets
to guide us to acquire this divine forgiveness and pleasure. When Allah is
pleased with us, nothing else really matters for we know that He will always be
with us, guiding us all through the way: the path of trials, as well as the
path of bliss.
With
every bliss there is a trial and vice-versa. In the times we are living, we are
witnessing many calamities, many tears of not just our Muslim brothers and
sisters, but the tears of all humanity. There are many sufferings that they are
undergoing and it is our duty as Servants of God Almighty to help them in any
kind of way we can, and if we have nothing, then our prayer is such a boon for
them that Allah uses in their favour as well as ours.
Every
deed is based on our intention. Let us be Muslims not just for our own selves,
for our own sake, but for the sake of Allah and His creatures who need us, not
just to help them financially but to enlighten their lives with hope, with
prayer, with love; such love which reflects the divine love within us, a love
which Allah cherishes for us, and us for Allah and all His creatures.
Let
this Ramadan be in remembrance of Allah and all His servants who are suffering,
or who are in too much joy that they have forgotten Allah. Let us pray for them
that they return to Allah and that Allah let them accede to His proximity
through His mercy.
I
wish to all my Muslim brothers, sisters and children: Ramadan Mubarak, Ramadan
Kareem. May these days bring about divine light in your lives and may this
light stay with you throughout your whole life, that you accede to this
perpetual “Laila-tul-Qadr” (Night of Decree). Ameen.
Your
brother in Islam,
Imam
Muhyi-ud-Din Munir A. Azim
Jamaat
Ul Sahih Al Islam
[This Article first appeared in LE MAURICIEN Newspaper published from Mauritius, on 27 March 2023. To access it, click here].