Ramadan Cleaning: Getting the Act Together

It is mid Rajab and in about a month's time Ramadan would only be a fortnight away, insha'Allah. Considering this perspective, it is high time to begin planning for the big month of great merits. 

Ramadan is a month of heavy-duty quality control for Muslims. The thought had occurred to me when I was writing an article for Productive Ramadan. I titled it 'Muslim Quality Control: Develop Your Character this Ramadan' and discussed various tips on how an individual could be productive in the blessed month. The website went offline and my articles, Ramadan-related, disappeared. This year, for my Ramadan Diaries project, I shall be sharing the goodies I had shared through my articles on that website, insha'Allah.

So, for a heavy duty quality control to begin, a factory always undergoes some down time for maintenance, overhauling, and re-stocking. That is exactly how I feel each one of us should function too. 

Ramadan cleaning does not only comes as restocking the kitchen pantry and the freezer, and getting planning out my Quran and extra prayers schedule. I realized that Ramadan Cleaning (inspired from Spring Cleaning) has a lot more to it.

Types of Cleaning

Apart from the literal meaning of cleaning, I feel that a psychological, spiritual, and social cleanse is also required before I start fasting. It would be useless to fast and worship without getting some serious garbage that tends to accumulate in one's system. We're human after all, we tend to err. 

1. Psychological CleanseGarbage in, garbage out is a simple rule of quality control. Unless you flush away the junk in your mind, you will not be able to feel the blessings of Ramadan. The junk is usually stress, anxiety, depression, negativity, panic, and fears. They automatically contribute to health issues like insomnia (sleeplessness), somnolence (sleeping too much), stomach acid, blood pressure spikes or lows, irregular heartbeat, fibromyalgia (muscular distress), and the list goes on and on. They make fasting a major challenge, and painful too.
   
   Try to let go. Ease up on your over thinking of things and try planning your Ramadan routine. Avoid people and events that trigger emotional chaos. Start meditating if you cannot calm yourself down with will power. Go out for walks, give yourself some alone time, sleep well and eat well.
   
2. Spiritual CleanseIf you're fasting wholeheartedly it means you are most definitely looking out for Allah's forgiveness, inshaAllah. Unless you cleanse your soul of the obvious evil of your nafs (psyche), you cannot attain His Mercy. Personally speaking, a spiritual cleanse begins with Taqwa (fear of Allah) and the realization that you have wronged. The next step is to make an intention of seeking His Mercy and taking a divine oath of not repeating the mistakes.
   
3. Social CleanseGossipy phone calls (gheebat (gheebah) pilers), texts, invites to non-productive parties (breeding grounds for Satan), non-productive friends, and of course the Fitnaahbook a.k.a. destructive part of Facebook are potential pollutants in our immediate sociosphere. As I moved to the USA, alhamdulillah (all praise for Allah), a large portion of my social circle got chucked off. The useless gossips, nonsense discussions about people and events, and the politics of academic life just diluted. I am blessed with a complete social cleanse but there are always exceptions and I always run into people who lure me into making judgement and speaking about their wrongs and rights. I have to tighten the controls there. My family goes into hibernation mode, socially, during Ramadan because we're observing the fasts, reciting Quran, and praying persistently.
   
   Some common social distractions to avoid during Ramadan are:
   
   Iftaar parties. Some of them continue outrageously until sehri (suhoor) time
   Gossipy phone calls. They eat up your fast because they indulge you into gheebat
   Television. Light entertainment never hurts, but reserve the routine TV programs until after Ramadan
   Shopping. We women could go on and on and time flies by. Eid shopping should be done away with before Ramadan.
   
   As Sha'ban would being, insha'Allah, I shall try my best to write about Ramadan preparations; hence, giving the Ramadan Diaries an early start.
      

Be The Change You Wish To See In The World

The most perfect bringers of change in the world have been the blessed prophets (peace be upon them) all the way from Adam (peace be upon him) to the seal of prophet-hood at Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny). They changed the fates of great civilizations. How did they manage to succeed, despite mighty rebellions, in delivering the message of Allah to the world and winning believers? It was simply because they BECAME the change they wished to see in the world.

Change is difficult. You cannot wave a magic wand and go POOF! to change something. You need to become a ‘transformational leader’ - one who exemplifies the change as an aspect of his own personality – in order to make things happen.

A Muslim woman is an epitome of responsibility and contrary to the usual misconception that she is an oppressed individual in a male-dominated society, Allah has built in her immense power; emotional and physical, to bring about change.

A woman can change the fate of nations because as a mother, daughter, sister and etc. she is a major influence on her family, friends, and children. The people she influences make up family units, and then societies and then nations.

It depends on her what kind of change she wishes to bring. She may be a devout Muslimah who wishes to attain the highest ranks in heaven and would strive to bring about a prosperous change in her circle of influence. Or she may be a diseased mind that has been impregnated with the evil whispers of Satan and change things for the worst – in that case she would be grilling in hell fire.

How Can You Bring Change?

In pursuit of transforming into a perfect Muslim woman of substance, a woman can take influential steps to model the change she wishes to see in people around her. 

To begin with, she should be, outwardly, representative of her faith. She should observe the Hijab and motivate others to do the same. Muslim women often feel that the cover of modesty would dampen the effect of their beauty, or would make them appear like a symbol of oppression. I’m striving to make it known each day that the way you choose to dress yourself should not be revealing. Beauty is not in becoming a public exhibit of pomp and show but to become a symbol of grace and modesty. An ideal way to make them feel proud of the gift of Hijaab that Allah has blessed them with – I wish to initiate gifting fellow Muslimahs scarves and accessories.

Groom myself to look dressed and beautiful at home among family members so that others develop the sense of self-grooming as well. Since they observe Hijaab outside the house, Muslim women tend to become ignorant of themselves sometimes and push back self-grooming. Some are too lazy to work on adorning themselves with jewelry! Some don’t even bother combing their hair! And when you neglect yourself you start wasting away.

To initiate clean living I would personally start a cleanliness drive! Cleanliness is half our faith and I should model it for others to get their inspiration from. For that, I would have to design a cleaning-spree mission which would include critical concerns like cleanliness during menstruation and also a makeover of my room!

Another good way to pass on the vibe for positive change would be for me to spread the word around supported by sahih ahadith and Quranic verses. The blogosphere is the best medium of today. I could narrate my daily life experiences which would include the goodness that I strive towards everyday and create an impact on my readers, inshAllah.

Muslimah's Wardrobe

In Islam a woman has been considered a prestigious individual of the society; she is the golden asset of her family, an ensemble of respect and esteem. That brings an automatic responsibility for guarding chastity. The Muslim code of conduct prescribes that a woman should not be a public exhibit and her charms should be hidden - preserved to be shared only with her husband. Sounds fair? Yes, it does. Every Tom, Dick and Harry should not enjoy the sight of how beautiful a woman is.

The delicate feminism and gentleness that Allah has provided to a woman are blessings. She has been blessed with a responsibility to please her husband and make a family with him. If she chooses to appear "pretty, hot & tempting" for someone other than her husband, it is similar to being the Devil's accomplice.

The blessed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: 

“There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not seen: men with whips like the tails of cattle with which they strike the people – meaning wrongfully and aggressively – and women who are clothed yet naked, and walk with an enticing gait.” (Sharh Al-Nawawi 'ala Saheeh Muslim 17/191).

When planning wardrobes, the skimpy (tight) options should be eliminated. The main objective is to hide the 'awrah (body parts that are to be hidden). The 'awrah criteria are more relaxed before mehrams, i.e. men a woman cannot marry, e.g. a brother or father. But this clearly does not mean that a woman transforms into a swimsuit model  in front of mehrams. Body-fit clothing should be avoided before mehrams as well, because fitnah can take birth in the most pious of hearts. Shaytan is just hovering over our shoulders to find the best moment to strike.

There is NO ruling on covering yourself up in front of your husband. So you can stop nagging about not being able to shop at Victoria's Secret or the like. There is a REASON they call the fancy lingerie a SECRET. Discussing such ideas is considered a taboo - but I feel it needs to be said because a very uptight image of the Muslimah is being communicated to the world ... as if she is a no-fun woman. A Muslimah is everything! In a HALAL way that is. She may choose to be as 'pretty, hot & tempting' as she wants but only for the ONE man she is made for from the heavens. 

Some women choose to ignore the strict commandments of the preservation of modesty. Their dressing styles are revealing and skimpy! Show's on! There are young girls who do not realize the importance of hijab or safeguarding their 'awrah. 

Wearing a body-tight T-shirt and a capri trouser is not permissible and just because it hides your flesh and bones doesn't mean that it suffices. In clear words, ladies, do NOT reveal the shape of your limbs and parts to the world! Phew! That was REQUIRED to be said. 

There are several other Haraam fashions we could pick on. The churidaar pajama under the pishwaaz is not okay - the shape of your legs is on a world exhibit! Those sleeveless blouses or waist-open sarees are not going to help. Sleeves won't burn your skin and a saree blouse could very well be longer to cover your waist. Capri pants are skimpy AND they show your ankles! WEAR ALL OF THIS AT HOME! Not out on the streets or in front of your non-mahrams.

I think we have the general idea about 'coverage' ...? Let's move on.

There is also loads of instruction about extravagant clothing (Libaas-ul-shuhrah). mmhmm, you're not going anywhere with that $300 Versace or Armani whatever. You cannot choose clothes to build up a status symbol. This is the beauty of Islam, it cares for the feelings of those who look at you and cannot afford to dress themselves up so lavish. 

Allah's messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He who wears libaas ul-shuhra in this world will be dressed in humiliating clothes on the day of judgment." (narrated by Ahmed & Abu Dawood, confirmed sahih by Al Albani in Sahih Al-Jami' 6526

Isbaal is also forbidden i.e. wearing your clothes so long that they drag below the ankles - that too is a sign of pride. Recall the old movies? The kings have these cloaks that are trailing off on the ground for yards and yards. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Isbaal (wearing one’s garment below the ankles) may apply to the izaar (lower garment), the shirt or the turban. Whoever allows any part of these to trail on the ground out of arrogance, Allaah will not look at him on the Day of Judgement." (reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4085, and al-Nisaa’i, no. 5334, with a saheeh isnaad

Colors also play a part in dressing mannerisms. There are encouraged (mustahabb), makrooh (disliked) and haraam (forbidden) colors for both men and women. 

BLACK
Black, I feel, is a beautiful color. Afterall, the Ka'abah is shrouded in black and gold! It is permissible for both, men and women. The prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) used to wear a black turban and a cloak.  
At one time, prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) preferred giving a black garment from an offering of clothes to a Muslimah, Umm e Khalid. It had green or yellow markings on it which he described as good (sannah). 
It is purely innovation (bida'ah) to consider black as a color of death, grief, or bereavement. The innovation comes from Christians who consider black to be a negative color symbolism. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen said (Fataawa Islamiyah, 3/313): “Wearing black at times of bereavement is a false symbol that has no basis. At times of bereavement people should do what is commanded in Islam, which is to say ‘Innaa Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon. Allaahumma ajirni fi museebati wa’khluf li khayran minhaa (Truly! To Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return. O Allaah, reward me for my calamity and compensate me with something better than it).’ If a person says this with faith and the hope of reward, Allaah will reward him for that and will replace what he has lost with something better.” He also said: “Allocating certain clothes for mourning is an act of bid’ah (innovation) in our opinion, and because it could indicate that a person is discontent with the decree of Allaah.”

Ever seen the black pirate flag? It is the Black Death symbol - of mutiny as well.

WHITE
It is a prestigious colors and angels are said to be shrouded in it.  
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Wear your white clothes, for they are the best of your clothes, and shroud your dead in them.’” (Reported by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Ahkaam al-Janaa’iz (p. 82)). White is also the preferred colour for men’s ihraam (special garments for Hajj), which consists of an izaar (lower garment) and a rida’ (upper garment). 

RED 
It is the color for Muslimahs, basically, for it is beautiful and is considered as vanity. Any garment dyed PURELY red is forbidden for men. Combinations can be worn e.g. if a garment is striped red and black or etc. Why? There are several suggestions. For one, non-Muslim men wear pure red e.g. the people at the Vatican and etc. Two, it is an imitation of feminism. 

FAST FACTS
1) A woman should not imitate a man in dressing & a man should not imitate women - so the gentlemen who adore wearing dupattas around their neck at mehendis (following the Indian tradition) should reconsider. 

2) Silk is NOT to be worn by men for it is for the women - so gentlemen, try buying Halal ties and shirts next time - read the labels for silk.

3) Clothes with graphics of living beings are forbidden

I thank Allah for blessing me with new clothes and I pray that He keeps me and all Muslims and Mulimahs on the righteous path by dressing beautifully, modestly and Halal. May we all stay far, far away from tabarruj (haram display) and carry ourselves gracefully and elegantly all the way to the Hereafter where if in paradise we shall be dressed in the finest of silks and velvets, inshAllah, Ameen.

That Menacing Atom Of Pride

While being proud is not entirely negative, in general it is a negative reference and unfortunately it is found like a pandemic in the global Muslim community over several matters. The sense of pride of being Muslims and of being the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alehy wasallam) peace and blessings upon him, is worth harboring in our hearts only to remember that it does not pollute the hearts with a sense of boastful superiority over others. Other common reasons of pride within Muslim men and women are because of their observance of the Hijab, the growing of their beards, being students of knowledge, being of different countries and cultures, and likewise. In the chaos of the social jungle, while such people compete to rule the roost, that menacing atom of pride takes them far, far away from smelling even the fragrance of Paradise.
An Emotionally Intelligent Muslim Is Proud With Humility
I believe that every phenomenon, unless classified as a solid vice, has a good and a bad side. Likewise, pride has two aspects. Since it is an emotion, a Muslim is required to be emotionally intelligent and channel the sense of superiority into positive expression and productive upbringing of the Muslim community. If he or she chooses to act foolish, the same pride can give birth to social intolerance, derogatory treatment of others, and would eventually tarnish the image of the Muslim nation at large. I find extremists, who claim to be Muslim, to be proud beings who possess such an inflated sense of pride that they despise anybody else who is any different than them. Contrary to such fools, a proud, yet humble, Muslim is tolerant of others.
Do Not Take Pride In Your Knowledge
Do Not Take Pride In Your Appearance
Do Not Take Pride In Your Connections

Angel Jibr'il: The Ruh Al-Qudus

The name of the four angels of Allah (swt) i.e. Jibril, Mikail, Israfil, and Izrail all mean the same thing. Jibr, Mik, and Israf all mean "worshipper" while il in their names is a constant like Abdul in Abdul-Rahman. Where Abdul means "slave of", il means "of Allah".

Jibril has been entitled Ruh Al-Qudus for bringing down the miracle of Qur'an. He is one of the messengers of Allah, and the only one who interacted with human beings i.e. Prophets. Refuting one messenger equals refuting all. Besides Jibril this is true of all Prophets as well. If one rejects Prophet Isa (Jesus) then he has rejected all prophets, if one rejects prophet Musa (Moses), or Haroon (Aaron), or Yaqub (Jacob), any from the chain of prophets beginning from prophet Adam, he will be considered equal to have refuted the entire chain. Muslims believe in the complete chain right to the very conclusion, the seal of Prophethood at Prophet Muhammad sal allahu aleyhi wa a'aleyhi wasallam. Believing in Ruh Al-Qudus i.e. Jibril; therefore, is a critical component of belief because he is the link between Allah and the prophets, the medium of communication between them. 

Ruh Al-Qudus means the Trustworthy Spirit. Jibril's missions to descend with the Word of Allah were conducted on Allah's Command and not of his own will. Allah's Messengers; therefore, are both angels and men and all of them should be acknowledged by the Believers unless they wish to invoke Allah's fury. Mika'il also descended with Allah's Message to some prophets, which is why the Jews considered him a friend, but his real work is to make winds and weather by Allah's Command. The work of carrying out Allah's revelation to the prophets is basically Jibr'il's. In the Qur'an, Allah has mentioned Jibr'il and Mika'il together to highlight the equal importance of Jibr'il and Mika'il and the rejection of one causes the rejection of the other. 

By refusing to believe in Jibr'il; therefore, it is clear that one invokes the fury of Allah.

References

Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Vol. 1, p.304-306, Darussalam Publications

The Shade, the Manna, and the Quail

The Shade, the Manna, and the Quail

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2003, p.233-236)

(The Gathering of the Manna (Manna Ioroli) by James Tissot)

“And We shaded you with clouds, and sent down on you Al-Manna and the quail, (saying): “eat of the good lawful things We have provided for you,” (but they rebelled). And they did not wrong Us but they wronged themselves.” [Surah 2. Al-Baqarah 57, Al-Quran)

            During the days when the Children of Israel used to roam in the deserts, in hardship, Allah (swt) blessed them with countless, miraculous favors. Clouds, better and cooler than the ones we know (commented by Ibn Jarir), used to shade them from the sun. As they roamed the wilderness, a sweet, nutritious truffle-like food called the Manna used to rain down on them like snow. They used to collect it in baskets, enough to last for the day. Manna from the Heaven was different from that which we have, it was whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. This collection was a daily chore, because the Manna used to spoil the next day. On Friday; however, they collected for two days because of observing the Sabbath the next day when nobody left to gather food or any other purpose.

According to Prophet Muhammad (saww), “Kam’ah (truffles) is a type of manna, and its liquid is a remedy for the eyes.” (Fath al-Bari 8:14).

 

Terfeziaceae, the sweet fruit-like, desert truffles are scientifically classified as fungus (Zur and Roth-Bejerano, 2008). is called Kama in Arabic and is sold as two varieties: (1) Khalasi (oval, black skin, ivory-pink interior), and (2) Zubaidi (cream colored). It generally grows in desert areas.

The Israelites would also catch Salwa (quails), as much to last for the day, along with collecting Manna. Scholars unanimously agree that the Salwa (bird) in Paradise is about the size of a sparrow, and bears resemblance to the quail. The catching routine was similar to the collection of Manna, i.e. they caught quails every day for the day’s share and on Friday they caught enough to last for the Sabbath.

Briefly mentioning, the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, Saturday, and was a day of rest and religious observance among Jews and some Christians (“Sabbath,”, 2012).

Allah (swt) speaks in the Quran about the ungratefulness, the rebellion, and disbelief of the Children of Israel despite witnessing and prospering from these miracles.

References

Sabbath. (2012). Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sabbath

Zur, V.K. & Roth-Bejerano, N.R. (2008). Desert Truffles. FungiMag.com. Retrieved from http://www.fungimag.com/Truffle-Issue-08-articles/desert-truffles.pdf

Demand to see Allah: Miraculous Death and Resurrection of Children of Israel

Demand to see Allah: Miraculous Death and Resurrection of Children of Israel

(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2003, p.231-233)

After the incidence of the worship of the golden calf, and killings ordered as a trial from Allah to seek repentance, The best among the Children of Israel; seventy men, i.e. the considerably better off in belief, asked prophet Musa (a.s.) to see Allah publicly as proof of His existence.

Prophet Musa (a.s.) had returned from his 40 nights of meeting with Allah (swt), and after the trial of the killings, he showed the Children of Israel the Tablets on which he had written the Tawrah. The words had been revealed to him from Allah (swt). The people refused to believe that they were Allah’s commandments and demanded to see Allah (swt) before their eyes. They did not take Prophet Musa’s (a.s.) word for it and inquired why Allah (swt) could not speak to them as he spoke to the Prophet.

This brought Allah’s wrath and anger upon them. They were struck by a bolt of lightning, some of them, while others watched, and all of them. Prophet Musa (a.s.) was devastated at their death and cried in supplication to Allah (swt), questioning why He killed the best of the Children of Israel and what would he tell the rest of the population that awaited. Allah (swt) is the All Knowledgeable, He revealed to Prophet Musa (a.s.) that the 70 men who were electrocuted were also guilty of worshipping the calf. Next, Allah (swt) began to show the miracle of His Mercy. He started bringing the men back to life, one by one, so each one got the chance to witness the resurrection.

After they were alive, Prophet Musa (a.s.) asked them to take the Book of Allah (swt) i.e. the Tawrah and carry out the commandments. They said, ‘No’. The prophet inquired about the matter. There are two opinions about why they refused:

(1) They felt that by witnessing the miracles they were compelled (coerced, forced) to believe, so they did not have to fulfill the commandments, and

(2) They were required to follow the commandments, so that no responsible adult is free of such responsibilities. Although they had witnessed the tremendous calamities (the killings) and incidents, this did not acquit them from carrying out the commandments.

Allah (swt) sent some angels and made them topple the mountain over them.