Thursday 20th August 2009
Zikr lesson for the week
رمضان
The Blessed Month of Ramadan ___________________________________________________________________________________
The blessed month of Ramadan is upon us, and Allah says that Ramadan is His month. One reason why Ramadan is special is because Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said that Shaitan is chained in this month;
In this month (for them) evil-minded Shaytaan is chained so as not to reach unto those evils to which they normally reach during other months besides Ramadan.
This is a very special blessing for those who keep the fast. Why can’t Satan ‘attack’ us? Firstly, in Ramadan we tend to be more God conscious. We don’t pay importance to a few things that engage our time and energy. We therefore have more time to think about Allah and because of this we get closer to Allah and Satan can’t get between.
Satan uses a few things to distract us. He engages our lust, desires for food/drink, and a person’s arrogance. All of these are the handiwork of Satan and we are commanded to stay away from them. We are advised to engage in more Ibadaat and to show more compassion to others. Fasting is meant to bring you closer to Allah and to keep you away from those things that are not beneficial for us, in this life and the next. There are no avenues for Satan to attack you.
Ramadan helps you become a ‘VIP’ in the hereafter. There is a gate in Paradise called Ryyaan and those who fast shall enter into Paradise through this gate. Look at the status and benefits you could achieve in this blessed month.
Remember if Allah loves you He will try you. If you are aspiring to get closer to Allah He will love you more, and He would also try you more. Even in Ramadan you may get some trials. However you should try to bear them with patience and keep on persevering. Even if someone abuses you in Ramadan we are taught to say “I am fasting”.
Try your best to make full usage of Ramadan. Engage in recitation of Qur’an, plenty of Astagfirullah and send lots of Darood on our Beloved . Make dua to Allah for whatever you desire because He has shown us that He is capable of doing things outside our realm of understanding.
May Allah make this Ramadan peaceful and tranquil for all the believers’. May He make the trials easy and bearable for us and may He remove most of it in this most special month. Let us benefit from it, and whatever you do, do it solely for the sake of Allah .
ABOUT RAMADAN
By Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed
Anxiously I looked out for the moon,
Hoping that it was not too soon;
May it be visible I pray
On the western horizon today.
Welcome, O Ramadan, I cried,
As I saw the crescent in the sky,
The month destined to make me be
In the Hereafter, a VIP.
Restraint, submission and devotion,
Extra worship and Recitation.
I tried to please the Lord each day
Through fasting and the way I pray.
A little thirst, a bit of hunger,
Sometimes I wonder how much longer,
For the time when I shall break the fast,
Patiently I waited to the last.
I enjoyed the numerous preparations
At the many aftari invitations,
Curry being the main menu
Interchanged at times with tasty stew.
I waited anxiously for the Night of Power
Hoping to be awake at the Special Hour.
When the climax of worship was to be
The feeling of peace and tranquility.
The Sermon of Eid I'll never forget,
As it makes me feel a bit of regret
It says: As you gather today to celebrate Eid
One day you shall gather to know your deeds
O Ramadan, when you are gone,
A lot of people shall mourn
They did not fast, pray or give charity
Making them not fit to be a VIP.
