Ramadan Diaries: Intro - Welcoming our Savior

Assalamoalekum (may peace and blessings be upon you).

We've been waiting for Ramadan for so long now, right? Preparatory activities on productive youth websites have been stirring the spirits for quite a while now. We've all been making plans, written or mental, as to how we would commemorate the blessed 30 days and nights that have been gifted to us. But now that I think of it, some of us (the one's who've been desperately needy) have been waiting for Ramadan all year long. Some, who haven't yet had the chance to benefit from the blessings of it, have been waiting for it for a lifetime!

Graphic: muslim2proud at Deviant Art

Why Ramadan?

I feel I am always at a loss of the "right" words when I am asked to answer that question because Ramadan's a very extensive system of blessings that has been designed by our Lord (swt) to help us in this world and the next. There are countless benefits that scholars have summed up and countless remain unexplored. Each person who submits to prayer and worship in Ramadan experiences unique miracles.

The latest definition that I wrote of Ramadan was in an article I wrote for a website. I wrote in my introductory paragraph:

"Globally acclaimed companies like Unilever, Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola Company, and etc. all have a secret formula for corporate success: “Quality Control.” The quality of who they are and what they deliver is what wins them awards for pride of performance. Similarly, a Muslim must function like the global best, the Ashraful Makhluqaat (Best of All Creation). Ramadan is a month of quality control for a Muslim which allows one to polish his/her character, realize and revise his/her virtues, and inculcate good manners into his/her personality. Ramadan is the Muslim’s quality control, a formula to success and winning the award for pride of performance in the Hereafter, inshAllah."

Getting Ready to Greet the Savior
Usually, there is so much information overload that we experience during Ramadan. Websites, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and email feeds are all bombarding us with what to do and what not to do. They're all very useful as a "secondary struggle." The primary struggle is our own because Ramadan is a savior that has been sent to us and we are supposed to benefit from it on a personal level. We are to assess our own self and find out what we should be begging repentance for to save our souls from the burns of Hell fire.

I have some goals set up for myself because I know where have I gone wrong and I am ready to work on them. Some that are non-personal, I shall share:

Prayer is the shield of a believer against the Hell fire and there can be no better opportunity to perfect it than in Ramadan when the Devil is chained and the chaos and evil and its spell is minimized. I have been moderately successful in developing dedicated concentration in my prayers and have been able to pray with meaning. However, the longest prayer i.e. Isha usually is a challenge because after a hard day of work I am too exhausted. I do realize that I procrastinate and if I offer it in the early hours of the night it would be easier, inshAllah.

Quran is my top priority this Ramadan. If you have been born as a believer of a religion and you have no clue what the word of Allah (swt) is in His divine book, then your life is a waste. If I die without having read the whole of the scripture in its true meaning - the exegesis (the tafsir) then I won't be at ease. So I'd be taking my daily free time to read more and more of the stories, morals, and philosophies mentioned by Allah (swt) in the Quran.

Gossip is an inevitable part of our lives and same is for me. I find myself talking about the flaws in other people, repeating the stories of their evil doings to myself and to my family, cursing them in anger, and ranting about how wrong they are. I shall be trying to eliminate the habit completely. Silence would be the best remedy but it doesn't come easy does it?

Negative thinking is almost a concern of the past now, alhamdulillah. I am a more positive person now, after my conscious effort towards self-improvement last Ramadan. But amidst the positivity their are the negative breakouts of emotional chaos. Of course these are the whispers of the Devil. Since he is chained for the next 30 days, I can work on minimizing those.

Edgar Allan Poe said that the morals of a writer do not necessarily remain the same in their writing. This implies that writers tend to write the most absurd and most immoral of things in their poetry and prose. I seek to differ. This Ramadan I shall be engaging in dedicated writing towards self-improvement and religious reflection via The Ramadan Diaries 2011 blog series.

Since long I have been willing to read about the divine messengers, the Prophets of Allah (swt). InshAllah, I'd be reading and sharing stories.

Laziness, commonly during night hours, makes me compromise my ablution rituals. I need to perfect those because they wash sins away!

Practicing simple Sunnahs (lifestyle routines of the Prophet Mohammad (saww)) earn great rewards and I shall be looking up simple Sunnahs that I can practice to make my Hereafter better.

Seeking repentance was my prime goal last year. This year as well I shall pray hard and sincere to connect with Allah (swt) and ask Him to forgive my sins (intentional/unintentional) because repentance is a continuous process.

The first 10 days are called the Ashra of Mercy (Rahmat) and we have a simple task at hand i.e. to seek Allah (swt)'s mercy. Him being the Most Merciful shall grant us if we're sincere.

Tomorrow's the 1st fast of the month of Ramadan inshAllah. Stay with Sisterly Yours and keep reading the Ramadan Diaries.

Ramadan Diaries - What's it all about?

Sha'ban's almost gone, the moon is waning away, and soon, inshAllah, a new crescent shall be gleaming to announce Ramadan.

My initiatives towards a productive Ramadan sparked off as I began to write pre-Ramadan prep articles for Productive Muslim.com's Ramadan project - Productive Ramadan.com. Last year I had participated in their Ramadan activities and their Taskinator, a Ramadan To-Do List, was a structural component of my Ramadan Diaries. Ramadan Diaries was a special Ramadan series that I came up with for the readers of Sisterly Yours. Alhamdulillah, it was pretty successful. This year I wish to take it to a better level. 

Ramadan Diaries was a minimal series that started off with the day's revised Taskinator update and an article pertaining to the theme of the ongoing Ashra of the month. I included Ramadan ethics and etiquette, reflections on the questions prompted by various Muslim youth initiatives like Productive Ramadan, Productive Muslim, Habibi Halaqas, and iPoet, and also some articles about the theme of Ramadan and how it influences our lives.

RAMADAN DIARIES 2011: Features & Activities

Reflections, Musings, Poetry, & Prose on the themes of the 3 Ashras

Glorious Gems, Stories, & Morals from the Glorious Quran

Sehr & Iftaar Recipes by "Anum's Kitchen" & Friends

Planning, Organizing, Scheduling via Productive Ramadan.com's Taskinator

19 Ways of Forgiveness of Sins

These beautiful points were emailed to me by Sr. SNQ, may her life be blessed by happiness and success and the Hereafter be even better. Ameen.

"That is the grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He pleases. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty." [57:21]

1. Perfecting one’s ablution

“No worshipper perfects his ablution except that his past and future sins are forgiven.” [Hasan, al-Bazzaar. Al-Haythami and al-Mundhiri agreed.]

2. Fasting the month of Ramadan with belief and seeking Allah’s reward

"Whoever fasts Ramadhan out of Iman and seeking Allah’s reward then his past and future sins are forgiven." [Hasan, Ahmad. Declared Hasan by adh-Dhahabi, as mentioned in al-Mughni (5876).]

3. Performing the night prayer in Ramadan with belief and seeking Allah’s reward

"Whoever stands (in prayer) in Ramadan out of Iman and seeking Allah’s reward then his past and future sins are forgiven." [Saheeh. an-Nasaa’i.]

4. Performing the night prayer on the Night of Qadar with belief and seeking Allah’s reward

"It (Laylatul-Qadr) is in Ramadan, and expect it in the last ten days; it is on an odd night: on the 21st, or the 23rd, or the 25th, or the 27th, or the 29th, or on the last night (of Ramadan). He who performs the night prayer on it out of belief and seeking Allah's reward his past and future sins are forgiven." [Narrated by Ahmad. There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding this hadeeth, some declaring it weak and some Hasan. Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr said in Al-Fath (4/116), "This addition – meaning, 'and future (sins)' – is also in `Ubadah bin as-Samit's Hadeeth, in (the Musnad of) Ahmad, in two narrations. Its chain is Hasan and it is supported by the previous chain."]

5. Praising and thanking Allah after eating and putting one’s clothes on.

“Whoever ate a food and then said, ‘Praise be to Allah who has fed me this food and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part’, is forgiven his past [and future*] sins. And whoever wears a garment and says, ‘Praise be to Allah who has clothed me with this (garment) and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part’, is forgiven his past and future sins.” [Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa’i, al-Bukhari in al-Kabeer, al-Hakim, ibn Sunni and Ahmad. The addition marked by (*) is related by Abu Dawud. Shaykh Al-Albani declared the hadeeth Hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami` (6086) and in al-Irwaa’ (1989). He said in al-Irwaa’, “Such a hadeeth causes hesitation between making it Hasan (good) and Da`eef (weak). Maybe the first one is closer to be the truth, because those who made it weak didn’t explain it and didn’t explain the reason for its weakness. Allah knows best.”]

6. Getting old in Islam

“No one reaches forty years in Islam except that Allah protects him from madness, leprosy and leucoderma. When he is fifty, Allah makes easy his reckoning. When he reaches sixty, Allah grants him repentance. And when he reaches seventy, Allah loves him and the inhabitants of the heavens love him. And when he reaches eighty, Allah accepts his good deeds and overlooks his sins. When he reaches ninety, Allah forgives his past and future sins, he is named ‘the prisoner of Allah on earth’ and is granted intercession (for forgiveness) for his family.” [Hasan, Ibn `Asakir. Ahmad Shakir said in his notes to Al-Musnad (8/23,25): “Its chain is at least Hasan. It is supported with other chains which raise it to the level of Saheeh.”]

7. Leaving the following: performing ruqya (curing with Qur’an), seeking having ruqya performed on one, cauterization, believing in bad omens.

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas, radhiallahu `anhu: Allah’s Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, “…I was told: ‘These are your people and amongst them there are seventy thousand who shall enter Paradise without being taken to either account or torment.’ …'They are those who do not make Ruqya nor seek it, nor believe in bad omens, but trust in their Lord (Allah).'” [Bukhari and Muslim]

8. Whose two or three children die and he remains patient

“Whoever buries three children, Allah will forbid the Fire for him.” [Saheeh, Tabarani in al-Kabeer, Al-Albani authenticated it in Saheeh Al-Jaami` (6238)]

“There are no two Muslim parents whose three children die before reaching puberty except that Allah will enter them into Paradise due to His mercy to the children. It will be said to them, “Enter the Paradise”, so they will say, “Not until our parents enter first”. It will be said, “Enter the Paradise you and your parents.”[Ahmad, an-Nasaa’i, and Al-Albani authenticated it in Saheeh al-Jaami` (5780)]

“’Whoever iHtasaba (remains content and patient after the death of) three of his offspring will enter Jannah.’ A woman said, ‘What about two?’ He said, ‘And two’”. [Saheeh, an-Nasaa’i, Ibn Hibban, authenticated by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami` (5969)]

“To no woman three children die and she remains patient and content, except that she will enter Jannah. Or two (children).” [Muslim]

9. Who raises three daughters or sisters and is nice to them

“There is no one from my Ummah who takes care of three daughters or three sisters, and is nice to them, except that they will be a veil (protection) for him from the Fire.” [Saheeh, al-Bayhaqi and Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab, authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh Al-Jaami` (5372)]

10. Defending the honor of a Muslim

“Whoever defends the honor of his brother in absence has the right over Allah to be freed from the Fire.”[Saheeh, Ahmad, al-Tabarani. Authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami` (6240)]. Al-Manaawi commented, “’Whoever’ is limited to other than the disbeliever and public wrongdoer.” [Fayd al-Qadeer 6:136]

11. Sincerity to Allah

No servant who says ‘la ilaha ill Allah’, seeking the pleasure of Allah, will reach the Day of Judgment, except that Allah will forbid the Fire for him. [Ahmad, al-Bukhari] Hafidh Ibn Hajr said, “It’s not like that (i.e. not entering the Fire at all) for everyone who believed in tawheed and worshipped, but it is specific for the sincere, and sincerity (ikhlas) requires the realization of its meaning by the heart. One cannot imagine that the heart will reach that while persisting upon sins, as the heart would be filled with the love and fear of Allah, whereupon limbs will embark upon obedience and leave disobedience.”

12. Crying out of fear of Allah

“No man who cried out of fear of Allah will enter the Fire until the milk returns to the udder, and dust in the path of Allah (jihad) and the smoke of the Fire cannot go together.” [Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasaa’i and Hakim who authenticated it. Authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami` (7778)]

13. Performing the prayer in congregation for forty days while reaching the opening takbeer

“Whoever prays to Allah for four days in congregation, reaching the opening takbeer, will have two written for him: freedom from the Fire and freedom from hypocrisy.” [Hasan. at-Tirmidhi, declared Hasan by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami` (6365)]

14. Being consistent in praying four rak`ats before Dhuhr and after it

“Whoever is consistent in praying four units of prayer before Dhuhr and four after it, Fire will be forbidden for him.” [Saheeh. Abu Dawood, An-Nasaa’i, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim who authenticated it. Al-Albani authenticated it in Saheeh al-Jaami` (6195)]

15. Being consistent in praying before sunrise and before sunset.

“No one will enter Fire who prays before sunrise and after sunset.”[Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, an-Nasaa’i] Meaning, Fajr and `Asr prayers.

16. Dust of Jihad

“The dust of Jihad and the smoke of the Fire will never coexist within a servant, and greed and Iman will never coexist in the heart of a servant.” [Saheeh. An-Nasaa’i and al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak. Authenticated by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami` (7616)]

17. Good character

“Whoever is easy-going, easy to deal with and kindhearted, Allah will forbid the Fire for him.” [Saheeh. Al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, al-Bayhaqi, at-Tabarani. Al-Albani authenticated it in Saheeh al-Jaami` (6484)]

18. Freeing slaves

“Whoever frees a believing slave it will be his salvation from the Fire.” [Saheeh. Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasaa’i. Authenticated by al-Albani (6050)]

19. Salat ut-Tasbeeh (Tasbeeh Prayer)

There is an unusual difference of opinion about this one. Scholars have greatly differed about the authenticity of the relevant narrations, with their rulings ranging from fabricated to authentic. In a narration, Al-Mustamir ar-Rayan relates, “Whoever prays it will be forgiven his past and future sins, what he did secretly and what he did openly.”[Mentioned by Ibn Hajar in Ma`rifat al-Khisal al-Mukaffirah, p. 48, who said it was Hasan due to supporting narrations. Allah knows best.]

Dr. As-Sayyid bin Husayn al-`Affani From "Al-Bihaar az-Zaakhirah fee Asbaab al-Maghfirah"

Dua’a Request for My Grandma in Her Last Stage of Life

My beautiful, brave, and beloved grandmother, Firdaus Yousufi is in her last stage of life. She’s been fighting Multiple Myeloma, cancer of the bone marrow, for 6 painful years. She’s journeyed this far with countless blood transfusions and Allah’s Will. Now, her body’s given up. Blood transfusions are not working, she cannot swallow food and water, kidney functions are impaired; she’s urinating via a catheter tube, and severe bed sores on her entire body have undergone countless surgeries. Doctors say it is time for her to pass whenever Allah wills. Please, take a moment to make dua’a that she doesn’t suffer any longer and pass into the next world with ease and peace, inshAllah.

Love and Dua'as from Muslim Brothers and Sisters
SY

• Hubbal Jadeed sicknes is frm Allah and cure is frm Allah, may Allah gv her sabr and a reward 2. Amin amin.
  

  4 hours ago · 
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  Taking Muslim Initiative Insha'Allah she will be in my dua'as. I'A this hadith will make you feel better.
  
  Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri and Abu Huraira (R.A): The Prophet said, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." (Bukhari: Volume 7, Book 70, Number 545)

DRL

• Du'a Request Line https://www.facebook.com/DuaRequestLine#!/photo.php?fbid=223182784380053&set=o.215438011281&type=1&comments
  

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  Hijab Hippie Ameen
  

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  Abu Khalid Mack May Allah give her life as long as there is good in it for her, and may He gave her death when there is good in that for her!

THG

• Hanaa Elba I'm so sorry to hear that may Allah help her and ease her from her pain and suffering and may she be granted paradise Inshallah and may Allah give you and your family paciance take care sister
  

  2 hours ago · 
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  Anum Ali InshAllah ta'ala! May Allah reward your effort to share my feelings and make dua'a
  

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  Hanaa Elba thank you sister may Allah reward you also Inshallah :)
  

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  Aqua Pari i'll pray for her nd i'll make spl dua for her... insha allah...allah help her nd ease her frm her pain nd suffering nd may she be granted paradise Inshallah nd may Allah swt giv u and ur family sabar...
  

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  Denise Dobyns may Allah make her transition easy
  

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  Kaylynn Lee Strain may Allah give her peace in the grave and forgive her sins
  

  about an hour ago · 
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  Sadaf Bashir i pray to ALLAH (swt) to give her peace and keep her on a bed of rose petals.
  

  about an hour ago · 
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  Assia Mustafa My prayers are with her and you all xx
  

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  Anum Ali My grandma is the luckiest... she's receiving dua'as from my sisters in Islam. mashAllah.