RAMADHAN DAY 21 ★ ★ ★
In today's society, we are so caught up with work and other worldly activities during the day, so it's normal for us humans to get a good sleep during night time.
BUT it's Ramadhan and it is ending as you blink, so n
o
matter how tired or sleepy you are - WAKE UP and do ibadah during night
time! Manage your time properly and insyallah you have no problem
staying awake at night :)
And as said by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w:
"Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?" (Bukhari, Muslim, Malik, Ar-Tarmidhee, Abu Dawud)
From the hadith above, we should know that Allah comes down on every last third of every night (about 2~4am) and He asks us for us to demand wishes from Allah!
So imagine this; if you were asleep in your comfy bed, you'd miss the chance of asking God to grant your wishes. Awwwwesome! ♥
So while the others are sleeping, make a point to wake up and do ibadah to Allah. :) Give your bed a chance to rest!
And as said by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w:
"Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?" (Bukhari, Muslim, Malik, Ar-Tarmidhee, Abu Dawud)
From the hadith above, we should know that Allah comes down on every last third of every night (about 2~4am) and He asks us for us to demand wishes from Allah!
So imagine this; if you were asleep in your comfy bed, you'd miss the chance of asking God to grant your wishes. Awwwwesome! ♥
So while the others are sleeping, make a point to wake up and do ibadah to Allah. :) Give your bed a chance to rest!
RAMADHAN DAY 22
Zakah (or zakat) is not purely about giving money or basic necessities (rice, dates) to the poor and needy, but it's also for purification purposes! It purifies the hearts from greedy and selfishness.
Zakah Eid-Fitri is obligatory and it needs to be paid before the end of Ramadhan. The purpose of the collection of Zakah Eid-Fitri before Eid is to help the needy and the poor for their Eid preparation. Helping one another; ain't that beautiful? :)
"My mercy encompasses all things, but I will specify it for the righteous who give Zakat" (7:156)
So to you righteous Muslims, I urge you to pay zakah before the end of Ramadhan. For Malaysians, you may find many many Zakah "counters" in mosques, shopping malls and even in bazaars!
Upon giving your money, one should make sure that you're doing it for Allah and with most humbleness, not for show-off purposes. Think about the happy needy people you're gonna help, and most importantly, think about the awesome rewards you're gonna get from Allah from your good deed! ♥
RAMADHAN DAY 23
So dear Muslim ladies and gents, when was the last time you had a private, one-one moment with Allah? Set a "date" with The Almighty, for He is available 24/7, all year round! ♥
The most important one-on-one session is to
seek
repentance (taubah) from Him. We're bound to commit many sins for we
are just mere humans, and there's nobody else that can forgive your sins
other than Him, for He is Merciful.
"And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (73:20)
To seek repentance is easy. You don't need to do bungee jumping or sacrifice a fluffy animal. All you need to do is these simple steps:
1. Be completely HONEST and SINCERE
2. Realise your sins and regret doing so
3. VOW and make a promise to God and to yourself that you'll never repeat the same sins. Be strong with this!
4. Continuously do good ♥ ♥
Not only Allah will forgive and wipe away your sins, in addition, he will TURN all the sins you've done to deeds! Masyallah! ♥
To end this, I'd like to share this really wonderful Hadith by Bukhari with all of you. Let's continuously do taubah so that we'll be better Muslims, insyallah.
"The master of invocations for forgiveness is that the servant says:
O' my Allah! You are my Lord, there is no 'Allah but You. You created me, and I am your bondservant, and I will stick to my covenant and promise [of faith and sincere obedience] to You, as to my ability. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done, I acknowledge, to You, your bounties upon me, and I acknowledge, to You, my sin. Thus forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.
Whoever says this as he enters upon evening, then, dies that night, he would enter Paradise; and if one says this as he enters upon morning, then, dies that day, he would enter Paradise."
"And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (73:20)
To seek repentance is easy. You don't need to do bungee jumping or sacrifice a fluffy animal. All you need to do is these simple steps:
1. Be completely HONEST and SINCERE
2. Realise your sins and regret doing so
3. VOW and make a promise to God and to yourself that you'll never repeat the same sins. Be strong with this!
4. Continuously do good ♥ ♥
Not only Allah will forgive and wipe away your sins, in addition, he will TURN all the sins you've done to deeds! Masyallah! ♥
To end this, I'd like to share this really wonderful Hadith by Bukhari with all of you. Let's continuously do taubah so that we'll be better Muslims, insyallah.
"The master of invocations for forgiveness is that the servant says:
O' my Allah! You are my Lord, there is no 'Allah but You. You created me, and I am your bondservant, and I will stick to my covenant and promise [of faith and sincere obedience] to You, as to my ability. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done, I acknowledge, to You, your bounties upon me, and I acknowledge, to You, my sin. Thus forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.
Whoever says this as he enters upon evening, then, dies that night, he would enter Paradise; and if one says this as he enters upon morning, then, dies that day, he would enter Paradise."
It's (less than) 10 days of Ramadhan - which means:
Lailatul Qad'r is here! OMG! ♥ You must must MUST look forward to it! :D
Lailatul Qad'r, or also known as The Night of Power is special than many other nights in our 3
65 calendar because:
- It's a ONE NIGHT spiritual bless! Yes, for ONE NIGHT ONLY
- It was the day when the Quran was sent down to us
- It's BETTER than a thousand months (that's like, longer than an average human life span!)
- It's EXCLUSIVE. It's only given to Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) ummah, namely us!
So put on your Jihad mode (Jihad for Allah, mind you), and find Lailatul Qad'r! Wake up from your sleep and do extra ibadaah! :D
It's been said that Lailatul Qadar happens in the odd (nights) from the last ten (nights) of Ramadhan. So it's could be on the night of 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th. That's the closest clue we could get, so work hard for ALL nights! ♥
May Allah reward us with His limitless, bountiful blessings ♥ ♥ ♥
- It's a ONE NIGHT spiritual bless! Yes, for ONE NIGHT ONLY
- It was the day when the Quran was sent down to us
- It's BETTER than a thousand months (that's like, longer than an average human life span!)
- It's EXCLUSIVE. It's only given to Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) ummah, namely us!
So put on your Jihad mode (Jihad for Allah, mind you), and find Lailatul Qad'r! Wake up from your sleep and do extra ibadaah! :D
It's been said that Lailatul Qadar happens in the odd (nights) from the last ten (nights) of Ramadhan. So it's could be on the night of 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th. That's the closest clue we could get, so work hard for ALL nights! ♥
May Allah reward us with His limitless, bountiful blessings ♥ ♥ ♥
Iktikaf is a spiritual retreat at the mosque for a certain time, often done during the last 10 days of Ramadhan. “Spiritual retreat” here basically means taking a holiday from all those work, leisure and real life and focus
on Allah and ibadaah only.
To do iktikaf, one should enter the mosque before Maghrib, and stay on after Subuh prayers. The goal is to TOTALLY focus on Allah! Mosques are sacred places, so it’s the best place for you to make loads of dua’s, make sunnat prayers, hear takzirahs, wirid, dhikir and NOT to socialize, play games or browse Facebook on your smart phones or SLEEP! If you want to sleep, you can always sleep at home!
There are many hadiths and words/opinions of many scholars regarding the places of iktikaf (too many references to add, try Googling tho!) but they have listed 3:
The top 3 mosques:
1. Masjidil Haram (Mecca), Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)’s Mosque (Madinah) and Masjidil Al-Aqsa (Jerusalem).
2. Any mosque other than the 3 listed above
3. Your own home
Either way, iktikaf is a holy form of ibadaah, and it should be done to solely please Allah and seek refuge of him.
"(The Prophet pbuh) used to perform i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah the Mighty and Majestic, took him.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
To do iktikaf, one should enter the mosque before Maghrib, and stay on after Subuh prayers. The goal is to TOTALLY focus on Allah! Mosques are sacred places, so it’s the best place for you to make loads of dua’s, make sunnat prayers, hear takzirahs, wirid, dhikir and NOT to socialize, play games or browse Facebook on your smart phones or SLEEP! If you want to sleep, you can always sleep at home!
There are many hadiths and words/opinions of many scholars regarding the places of iktikaf (too many references to add, try Googling tho!) but they have listed 3:
The top 3 mosques:
1. Masjidil Haram (Mecca), Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)’s Mosque (Madinah) and Masjidil Al-Aqsa (Jerusalem).
2. Any mosque other than the 3 listed above
3. Your own home
Either way, iktikaf is a holy form of ibadaah, and it should be done to solely please Allah and seek refuge of him.
"(The Prophet pbuh) used to perform i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah the Mighty and Majestic, took him.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Remember others in your doa :)
RAMADHAN DAY 27 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them i
"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them i
n terms of honor." (17:23).
Parents in Islam play a MAJOR role in Islam. In the Quran verse above, Allah has commanded every child to be kind to their parents ♥ Honouring parents can be considered as an ibadaah if the intention is to please Allah, the Al-Mighty.
Words alone fail to prove how awesome and beautiful parents are! Sure, they nag you or order you around against your own selfish principles or make you listen to stuff you don’t want to, but one cannot deny that they love and cherish you (after Allah and Prophet Muhammad pbuh) ♥ ♥ ♥
True, righteous Muslim parents would want their kids to attain happy and successful lives in this world, but wanting their precious beings to succeed in the hearafter is MORE! Deep in their hearts, they want their children to enter Paradise with them :) So pray to Allah for our parents to enter Paradise, AMIN.
If you still have your parents around, consider yourself very lucky! Many children do not have the same privilege or opportunity to meet, grow or love their parents, for some may have passed away and gone to Allah.
To those who no longer have your parents around, do not be sad! Allah has promised that you will be with your parents and loved ones in Paradise. Continue making dua’ for them, for them to have their sins wiped and be granted Paradise. :)
In a hadith by Sahih Muslim, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught that three things continue to benefit a [believing] person even after death :
1. Charity which he had given (which continues to benefit others)
2. Beneficial knowledge which he had left behind (i.e. authored or taught)
3. Dua’ on his behalf by a righteous child
Remember, to prove your love to your parents is not to score straight A’s in your exams or to be able to buy castles for them. They would need your dua’, and that is the best gift for you to give to your parents ♥
"My Lord, bestow on them Your mercy even as they cherished me in childhood." (17:24)
Amin ♥
Parents in Islam play a MAJOR role in Islam. In the Quran verse above, Allah has commanded every child to be kind to their parents ♥ Honouring parents can be considered as an ibadaah if the intention is to please Allah, the Al-Mighty.
Words alone fail to prove how awesome and beautiful parents are! Sure, they nag you or order you around against your own selfish principles or make you listen to stuff you don’t want to, but one cannot deny that they love and cherish you (after Allah and Prophet Muhammad pbuh) ♥ ♥ ♥
True, righteous Muslim parents would want their kids to attain happy and successful lives in this world, but wanting their precious beings to succeed in the hearafter is MORE! Deep in their hearts, they want their children to enter Paradise with them :) So pray to Allah for our parents to enter Paradise, AMIN.
If you still have your parents around, consider yourself very lucky! Many children do not have the same privilege or opportunity to meet, grow or love their parents, for some may have passed away and gone to Allah.
To those who no longer have your parents around, do not be sad! Allah has promised that you will be with your parents and loved ones in Paradise. Continue making dua’ for them, for them to have their sins wiped and be granted Paradise. :)
In a hadith by Sahih Muslim, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught that three things continue to benefit a [believing] person even after death :
1. Charity which he had given (which continues to benefit others)
2. Beneficial knowledge which he had left behind (i.e. authored or taught)
3. Dua’ on his behalf by a righteous child
Remember, to prove your love to your parents is not to score straight A’s in your exams or to be able to buy castles for them. They would need your dua’, and that is the best gift for you to give to your parents ♥
"My Lord, bestow on them Your mercy even as they cherished me in childhood." (17:24)
Amin ♥
RAMADHAN DAY 28!!
It’s Eid! Muslims, rejoice! For Eid is celebration for the victorious ones (the ones who fasts during Ramadhan)!
We have these mixed feelings of sadness and joy. I’m extremely sadden by the fact that Ramadhan is leaving!
The Devils would be out again, even smokers would be roaming out in the
streets during the day… and the chance to obtain many “free” rewards
given by Allah is ending soon!
But on the other hand, we're very much excited that it’s going to be Eid, because it’s one of the two greatest celebrations that is celebrated by Muslims! No doubt it’s the time for sillaturahim, yummy home cooked food and colours all around! (Did we mention home cooked food? And cookies? Omnomnom)
Although some are very fortunate to celebrate Eid in a blessed, happy mood, some might not be very unfortunate for many reasons. Even so, be strong, make loads of dua’ and remember Eid’ in your hearts! Allah will always be with you whenever you may be, insyallah.
Since most of our readers are Malaysians, we would like to touch on some Eid “rituals” that many locals tend to do… without realizing the true meaning of Eid. Sadly in Malaysia, many put culture ahead of religion, this abandoning the syariaah of Islam.
So here are some reminders on how to celebrate Eid – the Islamic way! We hope this will benefit us in some way or another. :)
1. Start your Eid by going to the mosque to do Eid prayers! Not only the dudes, even the ladies are COMMANDED to go to the mosque to join in the victory, even if you are in your menses!
“The Messenger of Allah commanded us to bring out on Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha, young women, hijab-observing adult women and the menstruating women. The menstruating women stayed out of actual Salaat but participated in good deeds and Dua’” (Muslim). So leave your cooking behind and pray solattul Eid!
2. To the ladies, if you’re planning to go to the mosque to pray (which is good!), We beg you, please do not any make up or perfume on! You are encouraged to wear the nicest clothes, but make-up and perfume in the mosque? You are there to please Allah, not to please the men!
3. Offering salams to others. Have you noticed how Malaysians like to go around, shaking hands with random people and say “Selamat Hari Raya!”? At most times, you don’t even know who the dudes you shook hands with! Fellow Muslims, remember that touching non-mahrams is HARAM in Islam, and you should avoid shaking hands with them! If they offer to shake hands with you, decline politely and if possible, educate them at the same time.
4. What do you usually get upon visiting people from houses to houses? FOOD! ♥ So this is to remind you to not waste food, and eat moderately. Plan ahead before scooping that yummy “rendang” in your plate to avoid unnecessary wastage.
5. Don’t forget your 5 daily prayers! Many tend to “forget” them with all the busy-ness of celebrating, so avoid that and keep your prayers in tact!
6. Last but not least, observe 6 days fasting after Ramadhan! The reward is aweeesome!
“Whoever fasts Ramadan, and then six days after Eid, it is [like fasting] an entire year. Whoever does a good deed shall have ten times its reward.” (Ibn Majah, Muntaqa)
So remember to keep your Eid as Islamic as possible, for it is a holy celebration and should not be tainted with cultural rituals.
Eid Mubarrak everyone! ♥
But on the other hand, we're very much excited that it’s going to be Eid, because it’s one of the two greatest celebrations that is celebrated by Muslims! No doubt it’s the time for sillaturahim, yummy home cooked food and colours all around! (Did we mention home cooked food? And cookies? Omnomnom)
Although some are very fortunate to celebrate Eid in a blessed, happy mood, some might not be very unfortunate for many reasons. Even so, be strong, make loads of dua’ and remember Eid’ in your hearts! Allah will always be with you whenever you may be, insyallah.
Since most of our readers are Malaysians, we would like to touch on some Eid “rituals” that many locals tend to do… without realizing the true meaning of Eid. Sadly in Malaysia, many put culture ahead of religion, this abandoning the syariaah of Islam.
So here are some reminders on how to celebrate Eid – the Islamic way! We hope this will benefit us in some way or another. :)
1. Start your Eid by going to the mosque to do Eid prayers! Not only the dudes, even the ladies are COMMANDED to go to the mosque to join in the victory, even if you are in your menses!
“The Messenger of Allah commanded us to bring out on Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha, young women, hijab-observing adult women and the menstruating women. The menstruating women stayed out of actual Salaat but participated in good deeds and Dua’” (Muslim). So leave your cooking behind and pray solattul Eid!
2. To the ladies, if you’re planning to go to the mosque to pray (which is good!), We beg you, please do not any make up or perfume on! You are encouraged to wear the nicest clothes, but make-up and perfume in the mosque? You are there to please Allah, not to please the men!
3. Offering salams to others. Have you noticed how Malaysians like to go around, shaking hands with random people and say “Selamat Hari Raya!”? At most times, you don’t even know who the dudes you shook hands with! Fellow Muslims, remember that touching non-mahrams is HARAM in Islam, and you should avoid shaking hands with them! If they offer to shake hands with you, decline politely and if possible, educate them at the same time.
4. What do you usually get upon visiting people from houses to houses? FOOD! ♥ So this is to remind you to not waste food, and eat moderately. Plan ahead before scooping that yummy “rendang” in your plate to avoid unnecessary wastage.
5. Don’t forget your 5 daily prayers! Many tend to “forget” them with all the busy-ness of celebrating, so avoid that and keep your prayers in tact!
6. Last but not least, observe 6 days fasting after Ramadhan! The reward is aweeesome!
“Whoever fasts Ramadan, and then six days after Eid, it is [like fasting] an entire year. Whoever does a good deed shall have ten times its reward.” (Ibn Majah, Muntaqa)
So remember to keep your Eid as Islamic as possible, for it is a holy celebration and should not be tainted with cultural rituals.
Eid Mubarrak everyone! ♥
Muhasabah is to have an HONEST assessment of yourself. As mere humans, we should always find ways to improve ourselves in actions and words, so muhasabah is one way for a self-upgrade. Muslims are encouraged to do this n
oble act all the time, but for Ramadhan, it’s special.
So it’s the end of Ramadhan. Are you happy because it’s finally ending? Or are you sad because you haven’t done enough ibadaah?
Sit down, clear your mind and assess yourself of what you’ve done in Ramadhan.
- Did I read atleast one page of Quran every day?
- Did I manage to khatam (finish) the Quran before Syawal?
- Did I manage to keep my 5 prayers intact?
- Did I do any solattul sunnat?
- Did I manage to not utter bad, vulgar words and keep my mouth guarded?
- Did I manage to treat people with upmost kindness and love?
- Did I wake up and night and pray when everybody else is sleeping?
- Did I give sedekah to the needy?
- Did I spend my Ramadhan days with ibadaah and not wordly entertainment?
- Did I do a good job by doing terawikh prayers?
So on and so forth.
If you answered YES to most of the questions; May Allah accept your deeds and reward you limitlessly (Amin). And if you answered NO to most of the questions… perhaps you should make an effort to make your Ramadhan meaningful next year, insyallah.
"Truly he has succeeded who purifies it (soul). And truly, he has failed who defiles it" (91:9-10)
So it’s the end of Ramadhan. Are you happy because it’s finally ending? Or are you sad because you haven’t done enough ibadaah?
Sit down, clear your mind and assess yourself of what you’ve done in Ramadhan.
- Did I read atleast one page of Quran every day?
- Did I manage to khatam (finish) the Quran before Syawal?
- Did I manage to keep my 5 prayers intact?
- Did I do any solattul sunnat?
- Did I manage to not utter bad, vulgar words and keep my mouth guarded?
- Did I manage to treat people with upmost kindness and love?
- Did I wake up and night and pray when everybody else is sleeping?
- Did I give sedekah to the needy?
- Did I spend my Ramadhan days with ibadaah and not wordly entertainment?
- Did I do a good job by doing terawikh prayers?
So on and so forth.
If you answered YES to most of the questions; May Allah accept your deeds and reward you limitlessly (Amin). And if you answered NO to most of the questions… perhaps you should make an effort to make your Ramadhan meaningful next year, insyallah.
"Truly he has succeeded who purifies it (soul). And truly, he has failed who defiles it" (91:9-10)
sila update blog. terima kasih.
ReplyDeleteinsya Allah....siapakah gerangan cik/encik anonymous?
ReplyDeleteada la. mana boleh bgtau.
ReplyDelete