RAMADAN

A Time For Revival Or Survival?

Revival or
the Quranic Tafseer (commentary) every morning.

Invite a person you are not very close with to your home for Iftar, at least
once a week. You will notice the blessings in your relationships!

Bring life to your family! Everyday, try to conclude the fast with your family

and spend some quality time together to understand each other better.
Give gifts on 'Eid to at least 5 people: 2 to your family members, 2 to your
good friends, and 1 to a person whom you love purely for the sake of Allah.
Survival?

Commit to an Islamic study circles to enhance your Islamic knowledge and
practice. Plan to complete reading a book on Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh)
life in these 30 days.

Donate generously to the masajid, Islamic organizations, and any where As in years past, the beloved yet unexpected guest of millions, "Holy
people are in need. "This is a month of sharing!" Ramadan" once again enters our lives. Muslims are filled with great joy

Share Ramadan and its teachings of love & patience with your neighbours. in anticipation of welcoming him. Yet to one unaccustomed, it would
Learn how at http://www.soundvision.com/info/ramadan/ almost seem as if Muslims had never met him before!

Initiate a project to promote or revive a ‘forgotten’ social cause in the Muslim All of a sudden, our new-found love for this guest causes us to radically
and non-Muslim community: fight against racism, AIDS, drugs, cancer, change our daily schedules and habits to entertain him. Our Mosques
smoking…etc. mysteriously overflow with worshippers, chapters of the Quran are

Did you know, our society, which constitutes only 20% of world’s population, heard chanted till the wee hours of the morning accompanied by a hail
actually consumes 80% of world’s resources! Volunteer at food bank or Anti- of cries, and our social gatherings and feasts become livelier than ever
Poverty campaign, while fasting! before - all these sacrifices made to honor this special and 'holy' guest

Seek the rare and oft-neglected rewards of 'the night better than a 1000 from Allah.
months', Laylatul-Qadr.

Weep in private for the forgiveness of your sins: It is the month of Isn't it interesting and ironic that while he is among us, for a full 30 days,
forgiveness and Allah's Mercy! It's never too late. we starve, read numerous articles on do's and don'ts of treating this

Learn to control your tongue and lower your gaze. Remember the Prophet's guest, avoid watching TV in his presence, and sing songs or Nasheeds
warning that lying, backbiting, and a lustful gaze all violate the fast! Abandon of joy, yet we fail to understand him and the mission of his visit? For
foul language forever. some odd reason, this same "Holy Ramadan" becomes a stranger to us

Encourage others to enjoin and love goodness, and to abandon everything on the 1st of Shawwal!
evil. Play the role of a Da'ee (one who invites to Allah) with passion and
sympathy. Let the Scrubbing Begin!

Experience the joy of Tahajjud prayers late at night and devote yourself What many of us forget is that this guest accompanies a deep purpose
purely and fully to Allah in the I'tikaf retreat during the last 10 days of
and responsibility. It is as Muhammad al-Shareef notes:
Ramadan.
"Whenever a guest comes to our home, we prepare in advance for his
For More Info arrival by vacuuming the carpet, dusting the shelves, and scrubbing the
Islam: The Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid sinks. We should do this for our guest of Ramadan as well. But the
Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
Let Us Be Muslims by Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi
scrubbing should not just be of our physical surroundings, it should
include the scrubbing of our sins!"
Published by Young Muslims Canada | http://www.youngmuslims.ca
RAMADAN RAMADAN
A Time For Revival Or Survival? A Time For Revival Or Survival?
Ever Wonder Why The 'Change' And 'Blessings' Don't Last? thorns, so is a person with Taqwa conscious of every action he
does (for fear of falling into wrong)."
Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi explains in Let Us Be Muslims:
• Sayyid 'Ali ibn Abi Talib: "Taqwa means fearing Allah, acting in
"The greatest mistake we commit is to regard the outward shape of acts accordance with the Quran, contentment with whatever little you
of prayer and fasting as the real 'Ibadah (worship) and we suffer from have, and preparing for the day of departure (death)."
the delusion that whoever just fulfills these requirements performs the • Imam al-Ghazali narrates: "Whoever fears something (in the
'Ibadah of Allah. Just as physical strength cannot be obtained from the creation of Allah) runs away from it, whereas whoever fears Allah
bread until it is fully digested, the spiritual power cannot be obtained runs to Him (out of love and obedience)!"
from fasting until the person allows Ramadan’s purpose to permeate
one’s heart and mind and dominate one’s thought, intention and deed.” Let us all begin to live a life of Taqwa this Ramadan to avoid the 'thorns'
that come our way in the form of worldly temptations in the media and
Ramadan - A Tool Of Transformation And Month Of Sharing society in general.
In addition to the indispensable personal benefits of fasting, Ramadan
is a time for social awareness. As Hammudah 'Abd al-Ati describes in Intensifying Our Love And Study Of The Quran
Islam in Focus: It is said when you love someone, you would know every little thing he
or she says, likes and dislikes. How can we claim to love Allah, yet
"No sociologist or historian can say that there has been at any period of know very little about His message and gift to us? Ramadan offers the
history anything comparable to this powerful institution of Islam: Fasting rare opportunity for an intense reflection on the message of the Quran.
in the month of Ramadan. People have been crying throughout the It is the source of a constant revolution in the lives of millions of those
ages for acceptable belonging, for unity, for brotherhood, for equality, who possess a living heart, as Allah says, "Indeed in this (Quran) there
but how echoless their voices have been, and how very little success is remembrance for those who have a living heart, listen attentively and
they have met." are awake to taking heed." [Qaaf: 37]
It is reported that Imam al-Zuhri would say about Ramadan, "It is
No Time To Hibernate!
recitation of the Quran and feeding of people." Similarly, 'Aishah (may
As Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick eloquently explains in Ramadan in Allah be pleased with her) would recite from the pages of the Quran
History: starting at the break of day at dawn in Ramadan until the sun had risen.
"Ramadan is actually a time of increased activity wherein the believer,
now lightened of the burdens of constant eating and drinking, should be This Was The Spirit Of Ramadan
more willing to strive and struggle for Allah. The Prophet Muhammad’s "This was the spirit of Ramadan that enabled our righteous forefathers
(peace be upon him) nine Ramadans were filled with decisive events, to face seemingly impossible challenges. It was a time of intense
such as Jihad, and he left us a shining example of sacrifice and activity, spending the day outside and the night in prayer while calling
submission to Allah. Throughout Islamic history, most of the significant upon Allah for His forgiveness. Today, the Muslim world is faced with
battles were won in this month!" drought, military aggression, widespread corruption and tempting
materialism. Surely we are in need of believers who can walk in the
Living Taqwa - Moving Dead Hearts To Action! footsteps of our beloved Prophet (pbuh), the illustrious Sahabah, and
leaders like Tariq ibn Ziyad, Salahuddin and the countless heroes of
Quran [2:183] describes attainment of Taqwa to be the real purpose of
Islam. Surely we are in need of the Muslims whose fast is complete and
Fasting. But, what is Taqwa?
not just a source of hunger and thirst. May Allah raise up a generation
of Muslims who can carry Islam to all corners of the globe in a manner
• Sayyid 'Umar ibn al-Khattab: "A person with the quality of Taqwa is
that befits our age."
like a person walking with caution on a thorny road. The way he
would take care to save his clothes from getting entangled in the a passionate reminder from Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick.