My choicest hours...

My Greatest Need is You

Your hope in my heart is the rarest treasure

Your Name on my tongue is the sweetest word

My choicest hours

Are the hours I spend with You –O Allah, I can’t live in this world

Without remembering You–How can I endure the next world

Without seeing Your face?

I am a stranger in Your country

And lonely among Your worshippers:

This is the substance of my complaint.

[Rabi’ah al-Adawiyya]

The Goals of Fasting

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
As'salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

The Goals of Fasting
The Muslim Creed (Vol. 9, Issue 10), Sha`ban 1422
Published by The Daar of Islamic Heritage

The acts of worship that the Muslims practice seek to achieve certain goals and benefits that Allah wants His slaves to acquire knowledge in them and to comprehend and achieve them. Among these acts of worship is fasting during the lunar month of Ramadhan, which has several goals that the Muslims must strive to achieve with his heart and by his actions. These goals are as follows:

1. Achieving At-Taqwa, that is, the fear from Allah. Allah said, what translated means, "O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious)." [2:183]. Hence, fasting is a means to achieve At-Taqwa. In fact, all acts of worship and Tawhid are methods and means to achieve At-Taqwa, as Allah has said, what translated means, "O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun." [2:21]

2. Acquiring the rewards of Allah. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated that Abu Hurayrah related to the Prophet, that he said, what translated means, "Allah the Exalted said, 'All the deeds of the son of Adam are his, except for As-Siyam, for it is Mine and I will reward for it.'"

3. The Prophet also said, "The Sa-im has two happy moments: when he breaks his fast he is happy, and when he meets his Lord he is happy because of his fast." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. About his saying, "When he breaks his fast he is happy," and Imam Muslim's addition, "Because of his breaking his fast," Imam Al-Qurtubi commented, "It means he is happy because his hunger and thirst have ended, since he is allowed to break his fast. This happiness is natural and this is apparently the desired meaning. It was also said that his being happy is because of his breaking the fast, means that he has fulfilled his fast, and as a culmination for his practicing the acts of worship. His saying, 'And when he meets his Lord he is happy because of his fast,' means he is happy because of the rewards for fasting and its complete awards.'"

4. As-Sawm purifies the soul and helps it acquire the habit of obeying Allah and His Messenger by defeating the desires of the heart. Fasting teaches refraining from following the desires because the soul of the Sa-im becomes obedient to Allah's commands. Also, Satan has a stronger hold over the souls that often obey the desires. When the soul abandons its desires, it will become more difficult for Satan to have a hold on the heart.

5. Being saved from the Fire, for the Prophet said, what translated means, "And Allah has those whom he frees from the Fire, and this occurs every night (meaning in Ramadhan)." [At-Tirmithi & ibn Majah]

6. Ash-Shafa`ah (the right of intercession). The Prophet said, "As-Siyam and the Quran will intercede on behalf of the slave. As-Siyam says, 'O Lord! I prevented him from food and obeying his desires in the morning. Therefore, accept my Shafa`ah on his behalf.' And the Quran says, 'I prevented him from sleeping at night. Therefore, accept my Shafa`ah on his behalf,' and they will be accepted as intercessors.'" [Ahmad, Al-Hakim & Al-Bayhaqi].

7. Having the sins forgiven. There is no doubt that fasting directs to having one's sins forgiven and erased. The Prophet said, "The five prayers, and from Friday to the next Friday, and Ramadhan to the next Ramadhan, are erasers for what occurs between them, as long as major sins are avoided." [Muslim]. Also, the Messenger of Allah said, what translated means, "Whoever fasts Ramadhan with Iman and Ih.tisab, will have his previous sins forgiven." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]. Imam Ahmad and An-Nasaii added the following to the above narration, "And also what will occur later on (meaning future sins, as well)." "With Iman" entails fasting while believing with the heart in the obligation of fasting during Ramadhan. As for Ih.tisab, it means that one anticipates the reward and his fasting is therefore only for the sake of Allah and not to imitate his people and community or for any other worldly gain.

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Advice to Muslims in Ramadhan

Advice to Muslims in Ramadhan
Shaykh Abdullah al-Jarullah

Transl. islaam.com


From the book "Khulaasatul Kalaam" by Shaykh Jaarullah.

Brother Muslim, Sister Muslima:

1. Fast Ramadhan with belief and truly seeking the reward of Allah the Most High so that He may forgive you your past sins.


2. Beware of breaking your fast during the days of Ramadhan without a valid Islamic excuse, for it is from the greatest of sins.


3. Pray Salat ut-Taraweeh and the night prayer during the nights of Ramadhan - especially on Layatul-Qadr - based on belief and truly seeking the reward of Allah, so that Allah may forgive you your past sins.


4. Make sure that your food, your drink and your clothing are from halal means, in order that your actions be accepted, and your supplications answered. Beware of refraining from the halal while fasting and breaking your fast with the haram.


5. Give food to some fasting people to gain a reward similar to theirs.


6. Perform your five prayers on time in congregation to gain the reward and Allah's protection.


7. Give a lot of charity for the best charity is that of Ramadhan.


8. Beware of spending your time without performing righteous deeds, for you will be responsible and reckoned for it and will be rewarded for all you do during your time.


9. Perform `umrah in Ramadhan for `Umrah in Ramadhan is equal to Hajj.


10. Seek help for fasting during the day by eating the sahoor meal in the last part of the night before the appearance of Fajr.


11. Hasten breaking your fast after the sun has truly set in order to gain the love of Allah.


12. Perform ghusl before fajr if you need to purify yourself from the state of major impurity so that you are able to do acts of worship in a state of purity and cleanliness.


13. Cease the opportunity of being in Ramadhan and spend it with the good that has been revealed in it - by reciting the noble Qur'an and pondering and reflection of its meanings so that it be a proof for you with your Lord and an intercessor for you on the Day of Reckoning.


14. Preserve your tongue from lying, cursing, backbiting and slander for it decreases the reward of fasting.


15. Do not let fasting cause you cross your boundaries by getting upset due to the slightest of reasons. Rather, fating should be a cause of peacefulness and tranquility of your soul.


16. Upon completion of fasting, be in a state of taqwa of Allah the Most High, being aware of Allah watching you in secret and in public, in thankfulness for His favors, and steadfastness upon obedience of Allah by doing all what He has ordered and shunning all that He has prohibited.


17. Increase in remembrance of Allah, seeking of forgiveness, asking for Paradise and protection against the Fire, especially when fasting, while breaking the fast and during suhoor, for these actions are among greatest causes of attaining Allah's forgiveness.


18. Increase in supplication for yourself, your parents, your children and Muslims, for Allah has ordered making of supplications and has guaranteed acceptance.


19. Repent to Allah with a sincere repentance in all times by leaving sins, regretting those that you have done before and firmly deciding not to return to them in the future, for Allah accepts repentance of those who repent.


20. Fast six days of Shawwal, for whoever fasts Ramadhan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he fasts all the time.


21. Fast on the Day of `Arafah, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, to attain success by being forgiven your sins of the last year and the coming year.


22. Fast on the day of `Aashuraa', the 10th of Muharram, along with the 9th, to attain success by being forgiven your sins of the past year.


23. Continue being in a state of iman and taqwa and perform righteous actions after the month of Ramadhan, until you die. "And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (i.e. death)". [Qur'an 15:99]


24. Ensure that you attain the positive effects of your acts of worship such as prayer, fasting, zakat and hajj, sincere repentance and leaving of customs that are in variance with the Sharee`ah.


25. Invoke a lot of salawat and salam upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, his Companions and all those who follow them until the Day of Judgment.

O Allah make us and all Muslims of those who fast and stand in prayer during the month of Ramadhan based on belief and truly seeking Your reward so that we are forgiven our past and future sins.

O Allah make us of those who fasted the month, attained full reward, witnessed Layatul-Qadr and attained success by permission of the Lord, Blessed and Most High.

O Allah, verily you are Forgiver, like to forgive, so forgive us.

O Lord, accept from us, verily you are the All-Hearing, all-Seeing, O Living, O Independent, O Owner of all majesty and honor.

And may Allah's blessings and peace be upon Muhammad, his family and his Companions.