Qibla Ramadan Message

In the name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuhu

By Allah’s grace, we find ourselves at the doors of the blessed month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is Allah’s gift to the believers. It is a month whose first ten days are mercy, second ten days forgiveness, and final ten days salvation from the Fire. It is a month in which obligatory acts are multiplied seventy-fold and supererogatory works are rewarded as the obligatory. It is a month that contains a night better than a thousand months.

Lives change in Ramadan. Hearts transform in Ramadan. Resolves are renewed in Ramadan.

What practical steps can we take to make this Ramadan a Ramadan that will really change us for the better? This question was posed to me and my colleagues in Qibla’s recent event, Live the Moment: Seize the Chance for Change in Ramadan. I wanted to share our advice with you.

Shaykh Qays reminded us of the great spiritual benefit of eating the morning meal (sahur) with the intention of following the sunna and of breaking the fast with the calmness of someone that is fasting for Allah, not the avidness of someone fasting for the sake of enjoying his evening meal. He also emphasized that we should follow our usual diet and be wary of making Ramadan a time of feasting on delicacies, as that is contrary to the very spirit of fasting.

Shaykh Dler talked about the age-old Arabian custom of honoring the guest. The generous host would go out to receive him, care for him lavishly during his stay and feel extreme remorse at his departure. He then pointed out that Ramadan is a guest that is coming to us bearing tremendous gifts, so we must prepare for it, meet it with open hearts, honor it in its presence, hope in its generosity and be fearful of its departure.

Shaykh Hamza reminded us that every moment of the month is precious and that traditional communities devoted their time to Allah through extra worship and Qur’anic recital. He lamented on the number of distractions we have in our times that hold us back. He urged us to breathe life into the month by un-plugging from all forms of distraction and empty entertainment such as television and the internet.

Shaykh Sulayman reflected on how Ramadan helps many of us manage our time so we should use the opportunity to organize ourselves and develop good habits. He also mentioned the importance of spending on one’s family on the day of ‘Id out of gratitude for having completed Ramadan.

Shaykh Farid reflected on the observably unique miracle of this blessed month – that people not normally known for religious observance are seen fasting religiously, praying tarawih and performing the good. This is a clear mark of the extreme Baraka and divine help that reaches the believers in Ramadan. He urged us all to look to Allah’s kindness in this month and to be swept away by Allah’s help and not see ourselves as the main cause of our spiritual exertion.

I spoke of the meaning of sabr whose essence is suppressing one’s desires for the sake of one’s higher purpose. Ramadan is the month of sabr. There are few better opportunities to develop and display this virtuous trait – which is of the most celebrated traits in the Qur’an – than fasting in the summer.  The secret to benefitting from a Ramadan of the summer is not complaining to anyone about hunger, thirst or heat. One buries one’s weakness within and presents oneself to others as someone perfectly content with one’s circumstance. This is the way of the great as is evident from the beautiful stories of the holy Qur’an.

I ask Allah to cover us all with His mercy, take us by the hand and make this a Ramadan that will mark a great new change in our lives.

On behalf of the teachers, staff and volunteers at Qibla, I wish you all a blessed Ramadan and ask you all to keep us at Qibla in your prayers.

Your brother

Sohail Hanif

Instructor

Qibla: For the Islamic Sciences