Ramadan: A School of Piety - III

Ramadan: A School of Piety - III

Ramadan the month of the Quran, repentance and returning to Allah The Almighty, has come to you.

Let us make it a starting point for returning to Allah The Almighty with sincere repentance so that it may erase our sins and remove our offences and evil deeds.
The devils are chained in the month of Ramadan, the heat of lusts dies down, desires are restrained, and the bodies come under the control of minds. Therefore, the evildoer is left with no excuse to persist in his evil deeds.
It is a time when the sinful people stand up on their feet in prayer in the late hours of the night and seek forgiveness, saying (what means): { "O ‘Azeez, adversity has touched us and our family, and we have come with goods poor in quality, but give us full measure and be charitable to us.”} [Quran 12: 88] they would receive the answer: {"No blame will there be upon you today. Allah will forgive you; and He is the most merciful of the merciful."}[Quran 12: 92]
If someone does not repent in Ramadan, when will he repent?
If someone does not return to Allah The Almighty in Ramadan, when will he return?
If someone does not perform the obligatory prayer regularly in Ramadan, when will he do so?
If someone does not give up committing sins and doing evil actions in Ramadan, when will he do so?
Time is running out, days are passing, and death comes in the twinkling of an eye, when it is least expected.
So hasten to return to Allah The Almighty with repentance and ask Him for forgiveness, for this is Ramadan the month of repentance and forgiveness.
One of our pious predecessors once said, “The most beneficial forgiveness is that accompanied by repentance. It is the untying of the knot of persistence in committing sins. So whoever asks for forgiveness and his heart still persists in committing sins and is determined to return to do evil again after the month is over, then his fasting is in vain and the door of acceptance is locked in his face.”
Ka‘b  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him said, “Whoever fasts Ramadan and intends to disobey his Lord when he breaks his fast after Ramadan, then his fasting will be of no avail.”
A Mutawwif (pilgrim) used to say in his invocations, “O Allah! Be pleased with us. If You are not pleased with us, then forgive us.” Indeed, he was truthful, for the one who perceives his sins to be enormous does not dare to ask for the pleasure of Allah The Almighty, but his sublime aim is to receive forgiveness. In fact, he who knows himself well, and cannot see himself except in this position.
This is the month of the reform of the sinful, the neglectful and the transgressors.
O Muslims, do you not contemplate the warning? Do you not take heed of the reminders? Putting the verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.} [Quran 2: 186] between the verses of fasting is a warning for the sinners and a reminder for those who take heed. It is also an indication of the virtues of good deeds. Invocations in such an honorable month are more likely to be answered and one is more likely to be pardoned and forgiven.
It was reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), said: “Three persons will not have their supplication rejected: the just ruler, the fasting person until breaking the fast, and the supplication of the oppressed person.”[ Al-Musnad, As-Sunan of At-Tirmithi, An-Nasaa’i and Ibn Maajah]
It was narrated that ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr, may Allah be pleased with them, said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) saying: “For the fasting person is an accepted invocation at the time he breaks his fasting.” [Abu Daawood]
‘Ubaidullaah ibn Abi Mulaykah said, “I heard ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr saying, ‘O Allah! I ask You by Your mercy, that encompasses all things to forgive me.’”
Our pious predecessors understood the words of the Lord of creation and were well aware of the value of time and the sanctity of these days. Therefore, they set examples that are unmatched in history, and which are difficultfor laypersons to emulate.
Ash-Shaafi‘i  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him used to complete the recitation of the Noble Quran sixty times in Ramadan. Az-Zuhri  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him used to say when Ramadan begins, “It is for reciting Quran and giving food.” Maalik  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him when Ramadan began, used to stop studying Hadeeths and attending the sessions of scholars to dedicate himself to the recitation of the Noble Quran from the Mus-haf  (copy of the Quran).
Has not the time come yet for us to comprehend this wisdom as they comprehended it, to do good deeds as they did, and to attain the status that they attained?  
Let us then regard the month of Ramadan as a school for learning patience, as Ramadan is the month of patience, and it was narrated that the Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), said: “Fasting is one half of patience.” [Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]
Let us learn in Ramadan to have patience concerning the acts of worshipping Allah The Almighty such as fasting, praying, standing in night prayers, recitation of Quran and charity. The Prophet of the Ummah,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), gave us a practical example in his life. He used to stand at night in prayers during Ramadan and recite the Quran slowly. He did not reach any verse that mentioned mercy except that he paused and asked for mercy, and he did not reach any verse that mentioned punishment but he paused and sought refuge from punishment. So he used to combine praying, recitation, invocation and contemplation over the verses. This is the best and most perfect act of worship.
Giving charity in Ramadan was a significant act in the life of the Messenger of Allah,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ).
It was reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim that Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with them, said,
"The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, visited him, and Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention, used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) used to recite the Noble Quran to Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention, and when Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention, met him, he used to be more generous than the blowing wind. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was asked about the best charity and he replied: “Charity in Ramadan.” [At-Tirmithi]

Ramadan: A School of Piety - I

Ramadan: A School of Piety - II

Ramadan: A School of Piety - IV

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