Stepping into Ramadan with a Content Heart
Assalamualaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu my dear respected SUMSA family, I pray that you are in good health Insha’Allah.
Intention
Before starting, I would like to remind you to purify your intention for reading this piece. Have the intention of seeking guidance from Allah SWT, so that you perceive this advice in the light that He will allow you to benefit from. As the Messenger of Allah SAW said: “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended….” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 1, Hadith 1).
If you intend to seek tranquility and guidance, then that is what Allah SWT will give you. So purify your intention Insha’Allah.
Gratitude
With Ramadan having begun during another busy semester, in a day & age where the fasting hours have been extended, it can be very daunting and stressful especially when you’re running from one end of the campus to the other to make it on time for your classes under the scorching sun. However, do remember that every pain in this world is temporary, just as the duration of a day’s fast is temporary.
Whilst you’re counting down hours & potentially minutes to enjoy Iftar with your family & friends, there is an orphan out there, motherless & fatherless, sisterless & brotherless, living in dire conditions with not a family to enjoy Iftar with, and possibly not even a date to have Iftar with. Just one date. Not even bread, not even soup. Just one date. So the next time you sit at the Iftar table, I want you to think about how the hungry orphans out there are feeling, and how they would react to being given a date. Think about the smile that would spread across their face, and the twinkle in their eyes upon seeing what you and I probably dismiss as “just a date” because we know that we have a feast ahead of us.
Take a step back and contemplate upon all the blessings in your life. Make a list of them. Even in the mere act of being aware of your blessings, you realise that you have a lot. That alone is enough to humble you and make you content. As Allah SWT says “And remember when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more….” (Quran 14:7).
Being in a position where Allah allows you to be grateful to begin with, is a blessing in itself. This is your reminder to genuinely thank Allah. Go off and pray two raka’at of Salatul Shukr, because we truly have so much to thank our Lord for, and no matter how much we thank Him, it is never enough. Alhamdulillah for everything.
Goal setting in Ramadan
Ramadan is a month in which we revitalise our soul. Allah SWT created the nafs & the soul. The nafs is created for this world, and will not come with us to the hereafter. Yet we tend to make a lot of decisions in life by giving in to our desires. Use this Ramadan as an opportunity to tame your nafs, and abide by the Sunnah of keeping a third of your stomach full with food, a third with water, and a third with air. On the other hand, the soul will stand by our side in both this world and the next. Hence why Ramadan is a month in which our focus should be on our souls, to strengthen our Imaan & increase our Taqwa as a means of coming closer to our Lord.
We’re often bombarded with a thousand ideas of what we could potentially add to our to-do list during Ramadan on social media. From studying the Tafseer of the Quran, to perfecting our salah & improving our khushoo’, to listening to daily Islamic reminders and attending Taraweeh every night - the list will never end.
Amidst all these ideas and the Ramadan hype, we begin to feel overwhelmed especially when we realise the reality: you need to balance uni work with your deen. It’s a struggle that will never end, even once you graduate - because in our next chapter of life, it’ll be about balancing your work or family life with your deen, and the cycle will only continue as we get busier and busier. Despite this burdensome thought that we can’t do much even though we want to do a lot, Allah SWT has gifted us with a simple solution.
Aisha RA narrated that the Messenger of Allah SAW said: “Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 81, hadith 53).
Remember that this month is not just about having a to-do list ticked off with as many tasks done. Rather, it's about building & nurturing Taqwa within yourself. Even if you don’t have an endless list of goals, set yourself three realistic & achievable goals. They could be as simple as reading 3 pages of Quran after Fajr & before you sleep, improving your khushoo’ in salah, and ensuring that you read your adhkar (morning, evening & before you sleep). Stay on top of your personal goals and focus on yourself, and Insha’Allah, you’ll strengthen your connection with Allah SWT one step at a time.
An opportunity to make dua
Allah SWT is Al-Kareem, the Most Generous. But He is even more generous in this blessed month. Al-Kareem doesn’t only come down during the last third of the night asking who is supplicating, but He SWT increases the opportunity for you to make dua whilst you are fasting, and at the time of Iftar. Don’t rush to eat your Iftar. Take your time to make dua first during this blessed moment. As the Messenger of Allah SAW said, “Indeed, the fasting person has a supplication at the time of his iftar which is not rejected.” (Ibn Majah).
Use this as an opportunity to ask Allah for all you’ve ever wanted - for good health, for steadfastness in the deen, for the protection of yourself and your family, for the Ummah suffering at the hands of oppression - and have full conviction that what you pray for, will happen. Make a list of duas that come to your mind during your day, and add them to a notes file on your phone. This will come in handy, especially during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, and Insha’Allah if you ever get the chance to visit Allah’s House, you can save this list to make an abundance of dua over there as well, Bithinillah.
Key advice for making sincere dua:
Make sure your heart is present and you are completely focused on Allah SWT.
Have full conviction that your dua will be answered, as Umar Ibn Al Khattab said “I do not worry about my dua being answered. Rather, I worry about making dua because I know that if I am inspired by Allah to make dua, the answer will follow.”
Bring Salawat upon the Prophet Muhammad SAW.
Say Alhamdulillah, and be grateful for what you already have.
Seek repentance before asking for anything.
Don’t forget to also include the Ummah in your duas.
Ask Allah through His different names. For example, if you’re praying for Shifaa, ask Him through his name Ash’Shafi (the Healer).
Remember, nothing is too big or small for your Lord. You are asking from Allah SWT, the Almighty, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim. Don’t underestimate what He can do. We are privileged to have the opportunity to speak to our Lord as a Muslim. So cherish this opportunity and make dua, consistently.
“All it takes, when He wills something to be, is simply to say to it: “Be!” And it is! So glory be to the One in Whose Hands is the authority over all things, and to Whom alone you will all be returned.” (Quran 36:82). Seek forgiveness, see guidance, seek all that you wish for. I ask that Allah SWT grants us the opportunity to make dua for all that goes through our hearts & minds Insha’Allah.
The Month of the Quran
What makes Ramadan the Sultan of all the months in the Islamic Calendar is that the Quran was revealed in this blessed month.
“Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed - a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (between right and wrong)...” Quran (2:185). It was the month in which Angel Jibreel AS approached our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW, saying Allah’s words “Read, O Prophet, in the Name of Your Lord…” (Quran 96:1).
The Quran is timeless, and so are the endless amount of gems within it. It should be embedded throughout our entire lives, not just during Ramadan, as it is a Muslim’s moral compass. It is the Criterion we resort to during good & difficult times. Take this Ramadan as an opportunity to start reading the Quran consistently on a daily basis for the rest of your life. Start by making your intention to do so, then make dua, and finally, take action. It could be as simple as 2 pages a day after Fajr if you know how to read the Quran. Or if you don’t, then set yourself a goal to learn to read the Quran, one letter at a time. Maybe you’ll decide to have the Arabic Alphabet memorised in a week. Then you’ll learn all the Tajweed rules in a month, and then you’ll be putting sentences together in two months.
No matter how difficult it is and how long it takes, so long as you make the right intention, Allah SWT will ease your journey in learning His words Insha’Allah.
Remember that even if we read the Quran, what is even more important is understanding and hence reflecting upon the words of Allah SWT. Here are some ways you can reflect upon the Quran:
Think about Who is talking to you. These are the words of Allah, your Creator (when you are reading the Quran in Arabic). They are not the words of mankind. Don't take it lightly, and don't rush.
Take your time and reflect upon what you read. Connect with what you read. For example, when you come across an Ayah where Allah tells you to make dua, stop and take a moment to make dua.
Personalise what you are reciting. Think of what is being said as being directly addressed to you.
Visualise what is said. For example, when you come across the Juz ‘Amma which gives vivid imagery of Hellfire, imagine it and allow it to create fear within you and compel you to seek forgiveness. May Allah forgive us for all of our shortcomings, Insha'Allah.
Study the Quran. This should definitely be a habit built and carried outside of the month of Ramadan. Listen to lectures. Make notes. Contemplate on verses and their meaning. Allow yourself to be washed with deep emotions. We may struggle to read the Quran one whole time during this month, even though we may have made the intention to do so at the beginning of the month. People like İmam Abu Hanifah and İmam Shafii used to do 60 Khatams during Ramadan. That is because these respected individuals lived by the Quran and studied it inside out. Even if we can’t reach their level, let's try to be like them, and ultimately like our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW by following in his footsteps and those of his companions Insha’Allah.
As Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on Him) said, “I have not seen anything that nourishes the mind and soul, protects the body, and guarantees success more than constantly engaging with the Book of Allah.” May Allah, Al Noor (the Light) enlighten our hearts & path with the Quran, and grant us the opportunity to constantly strive to study & understand the Quran during and outside of Ramadan, Insha’Allah.
Closing Dua
I would like to leave you with a beautiful dua mentioned by the Messenger of Allah SAW,
“O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the inability (to do good), indolence, cowardice, miserliness, decrepitude and torment of the grave. O Allah! Grant me the sense of piety and purify my soul as You are the Best to purify it. You are its Guardian and its Protecting Friend. O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the knowledge which is not beneficial, and from a heart which does not fear (You), and from desire which is not satisfied, and from prayer which is not answered.” (Muslim, Book 16, Hadith no. 15).
May Allah SWT make your fasting and Quran recitations intercede for you on Yawmul Qiyamah. May He allow this reminder to touch your hearts and be a means that drives you to learn more about Islam, and to strengthen your relationship with your Lord Insha’Allah. May He place barakah in your time, and allow you to maximise your ibadah to your best potential whilst balancing your studies Insha'Allah.
