Gems Of Ramadan ✔

DAY 29 - SAYING GOODBYE TO RAMADHAAN: PARDON AND FORGIVE :)

The days passed by and they passed by faster than anyone expected. It is as if we just gathered here yesterday talking about how one shackles his inclinations the day the Shaytaan gets shackled, and today this is our farewell Khaatirah. That is Ramadhaan and that is the days of one’s life – they pass by and what you get out of them is your deeds for you or your sins against you. Glory and congratulations to those who Ramadhaan leaves with a white clean register – one that will make one proud when he stands before Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala. Congratulations to those whose tears generously flowed over their cheeks in humility and reverence, enjoying the special bond between them and Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala. Blessed be those who purified themselves with deeds – those who honoured and elevated their souls with nearness to Allah. That is the way to honour and cure your soul.

How privileged is he who leaves Ramadhaan with a new relationship with Allah – renewed vows, firm promises, a clean slate and fresh resolutions. They (the others) have worthless New Year’s resolutions that they never keep, and we have honourable Ramadhaan resolutions to Allah. Our resolution is to remain good and distance ourselves from sins, and if we stumble – we jump back up with repentance. As the clock is ticking, Ramadhaan is almost slipping away, but our vow is not to let Qiyaam and Siyaam slip away. Our resolution is that what Ramadhaan instilled in us – it shall become part of us for the rest of the year until next Ramadhaan, and then for the rest of our lives.
We got Taqwa (god consciousness) out of Ramadhaan – awareness that Allah is watchful over us, and that shall remain throughout the year. Ramadhaan has gone, but humility to Allah, recitation of the Qur’an, Du’aa to Allah and pleading with Allah shall remain. You changed your ways, you left so many sins and you repented from many more. Allah rescued you from the deep darkness of the sins and now you are walking out a clean and pure man – as clean and pure as the day your mother gave birth to you Inshaa Allah. Do not drown yourself in the sewage of sins again.
In the last few hours of Ramadhaan, give it all you got. There is no time to rest. As believers, our rest only comes when both of our feet enter Jannah and that is when we rest. You may have had a slow beginning or shortcomings in the early part of Ramadhaan, but matters are based on how they end so let Ramadhaan end with the best that you got. While you do that, you have to start preparing for what is after Ramadhaan. Do not let it take you by surprise. Just like we prepared for Ramadhaan before Ramadhaan, in the final of moments of Ramadhaan we give it all we got and at the same time, we prepare ourselves for what is after Ramadhaan.
What is after Ramadhaan? The Shaytaan has been resting and watching in agony. He sees your Salah and your Ibaadah, he sees that clean cloak of Imaan you are wearing and he wants to drag you into the gutter again. He has been restrained in bitterness and agony. He is watching all the deeds and all the repentance, but he cannot do anything about it. Do not let him get you to breach that covenant with Allah. Do not break your oath and vow with Allah. Your deeds in Ramadhaan are like the most beautiful mansion anyone could build. You built it brick by brick and layer by layer, every second of Ramadhaan. You suffered to build it – the hunger, the thirst, the sleep, overcoming desires and struggling with your Nafs (your inclination). Your deeds accumulated in Ramadhaan are like the billions a man accumulates in hard work throughout his life.
What would you say if any one of you worked so hard on a special project and it took weeks or maybe months, you saved it as a PowerPoint file and then just out of the blue for no reason, right before you were going to hand it to your professor, you went and formatted your hard drive? Everyone is going to say he is a crazy man, just like someone who burned the millions he accumulated throughout his lifetime in hard labour. That is the example of one who goes back to his old ways after Ramadhaan.
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّتِي نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنكَاثًا تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ... ﴿النحل: ٩٢﴾
And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong, by taking your oaths a means of deception among yourselves. (Surat an-Nahl: 92)
Jurayj, as-Suddi and Ibn Katheer said this was that crazy woman in Makkah, as we mention every year. Some even mentioned her name (Raytah Bint ‘Amr Ibn Ka’b) and others mentioned that it is just a breach of covenant or promise. That crazy woman of Makkah would knit that beautiful blanket, cloak, hat or whatever it may be, and when she was done knitting she would pull the two strands, rendering that beautiful item that she made into just a pile of strings. What are you doing crazy woman? Tie those threads, move on and make another one. She does it over and over and over again. Everyone looks at her and says she is crazy, just like the one who had that PowerPoint project and his career was dependant on it, but right before he was going to submit it he formatted his hard drive. The one who destroys his deeds after Ramadhaan is even crazier than that.
Do not be like that crazy woman who undoes the thread which she has spun, after it becomes good and strong. She finishes it, and then she takes the strings apart. Do not be like the man who built that high-rise after years and years, and as soon as it was done and he was about to move in, he puts dynamite in it and blows it down. Do not be a Ramadhaani, be an Imaani, Ihsaani, Rabbaani – that is exactly what we are trying to get at. Ramadhaan dies and the days die, but the Lord of Ramadhaan and the days never dies!
Do you ever see or smell someone who smells very horrible – you look at him and he in unkempt, untidy, dishevelled and dirty. You see him and you cannot look at him or stand his smell. Suddenly, he takes a shower, combs his hair and puts on cologne, and then immediately after his makeover he heads to a sump of waste and takes a dive into it. That is the one who Allah cleaned from sins, and right after Ramadhaan he walks into the sump of sins. Did you ever see a weak man or woman who is yellow and pale, because they caught some kind of illness or disease. He was about to die and he went to the hospital for that illness. They do therapy on him, they give him medicine or whatever it may be, and he comes back to life a strong and healthy person, free of his illness. What if he walks out of that hospital and goes right back to that which the doctor told him caused the illness that he had? You are a healthy person with the Imaanic therapy of Ramadhaan, so do not let the disease of sins make you hazel and weak after Ramadhaan. Do not let the Shaytaan fulfil his vow and promise over mankind. He said:
...لَئِنْ أَخَّرْتَنِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لَأَحْتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ﴿الإسراء: ٦٢﴾
“If You give me respite (keep me alive) to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring (by sending them astray) all but a few!” (Surat al-Israa’: 62)
I shall surely seize them and mislead them, just like one leads a dog – that is what Ahtanikan (أَحْتَنِكَنَّ) means. He wants to leads us, just like someone puts a tether on a dog and leads him.
After that, Allah says:
وَلَقَدْ صَدَّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِبْلِيسُ ظَنَّهُ فَاتَّبَعُوهُ إِلَّا فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿سبإ: ٢٠﴾
And indeed Iblees (Shaytaan) did prove true his thought about them, and they followed him, all except a group of true believers (in the Oneness of Allah). (Surat Saba’: 20)
Shaytaan fulfilled his promise.
إِلَّا فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
All except a group of true believers (in the Oneness of Allah).
Be among those exceptions. From now on, you need to plan for what is after the ‘Eed, otherwise the Shaytaan will get the better part of you. After Ramadhaan, have a certain portion of Qur’an to recite every day. From now you have to make the intention that no matter what happens, I am not going to miss it every single day. Have nightly private moments with Allah, no matter how small they are. Never miss them, no matter what. Have days of the month that you fast, no matter what. Two or three days a month, and then you are going to see that you need more. You are going to progress, but just start with a little bit that you will not leave no matter what kind of day you have.
In these days, do the honourable and noble deed of asking Allah to accept.
وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَا آتَوا وَّقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ رَاجِعُونَ ﴿المؤمنون: ٦٠﴾
And those who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their hearts full of fear (whether their alms and charities, etc have been accepted or not), because they are sure to return to their Lord (for reckoning). (Surat al-Mu’minoon: 60)
Aishah asked the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – those are the ones who drink alcohol and steal (the sinners)? Listen to the unexpected answer from the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He said those are not the sinners – those are the ones who pray, fast and give charity, and then fear it is not going to be accepted. Some of the Salaf remained asked Allah to accept their Ramadhaan for six months. Just because you did it, that does not mean you are guaranteed acceptance.
Ibraheem raised the pillars of the Ka’bah by an order from Allah. A super special Messenger, a very noble task, and a direct order from His Lord. A Messenger whose sincerity no one can doubt, yet he is saying:
...رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴿البقرة: ١٢٧﴾
“Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All Hearer, the All Knower.” (Surat al-Baqarah: 127)
Do not feel arrogant that you did a worship to Allah. Imagine you were desperate and you borrowed a thousand dollars from someone, and then you went to pay it back. You were late and it was deficient, so do you give that thousand dollars back in arrogance? Do you say hey take your thousand dollars and get out of my face? Or do you give that thousand dollars back in humility, wanting him not to be mad at you because he did you a favour? The blessings of Allah over you are numerous and there is nothing you can do on this earth that can pay Him back for what He has given you, so do not get arrogant with your deeds. Ask Allah to accept your deeds from you and be humble. Allah gave you and gave you and no matter what you do, you can never repay it. No matter how good you perfected it and no matter how much of it you did, Allah gave you much more than you can imagine.
وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّـهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا... ﴿النحل: ١٨﴾
And if you would count the graces of Allah, never could you be able to count them. (Surat an-Nahl: 18)
In a few hours, the big ceremony of one’s life will be held and the certificates of Ramadhaan will be handed out. Keep working and asking Allah that your neck will be among those necks freed from Jahannam, and that you are liberated from Jahannam. A’aathanallahu Wa Iyyaakum Minhaa (أعاذنا الله وإياكم منها). While you prepare yourself for this transition, there is another matter to work on as Ramadhaan slips away. What we have talked about so far is first of all, you keep working to the last moment of Ramadhaan and of course like we said at the beginning, the last moment of Ramadhaan is Maghrib. Our days start and end at Maghrib, so if they say for example tomorrow is the last day of Ramadhaan, then it ends at Maghrib. You work to that last moment. Number two – you ask Allah to accept. Number three – you work on the transition. Number four and the final point that I want to talk about is keep in mind to rinse and clean your heart.
Part of the university of Ramadhaan is to leave with a pure heart, but why is that more important in Ramadhaan? We talked about this issue pertaining to Ibaadah, and now I am talking about it pertaining to other brothers and sisters of yours. You have to clean your heart towards Muslims. Why does that pertain more so to Ramadhaan? Listen to the Hadith. Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
تُعْرَضُ الْأَعْمَالُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمِ خَمِيسٍ وَاِثْنَيْنِ ، فَيَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ لَا يُشْرِكُ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا...
The deeds of people are presented to Allah every Monday and Thursday. Allah forgives everyone who does not associate a partner to Him (everyone who is a Muslim).
...إِلَّا امْرَأً كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ أَخِيهِ شَحْنَاءُ ، فَيُقَالُ : اَرْكُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا ، اَرْكُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا
Except those two who were deserting each other. Allah says leave those until they reconcile. Put theirs aside until they reconcile.
Reconcile and re-establish your relationships that you severed with others. Why is it so important in these days? If you want that hard work you did in Ramadhaan to soar to the heavens, reconcile and re-establish relationships that you severed right now. Do it right now before Ramadhaan ends. Someone might say it was not my fault – it was his fault, he started it and he did it. That is not the issue here – we are not judging whose fault it is. We are saying reconcile with your brothers and sisters if you want your deeds to soar. He might say I do not get along with him, or a sister might say I do not get along with her. We are not talking about going overnight or bringing them over for a feast, and inviting them for coffee or dinner. If you can do that, then do it and that is good. The minimum amount so you will not be considered as the one whose deeds Allah says to put aside, is As-Salaamu ‘Alaykum. That is the minimum amount. You have to have that with your brother and you have to have that with your sister, meaning brothers with brothers and sisters with sisters. You have to say As-Salaamu ‘Alaykum to lift abandoning your brother. Do it before ‘Eed in a phone call or in a text, or at the Masjid. Be the one who initiates it because that is the best of the two.
That is the first issue on abandoning your Muslim brother. Say As-Salaamu ‘Alaykum and break it with As-Salaamu ‘Alaykum. Another issue is that most mingle with other Muslims and relatives more so in this month than on regular days. Iftaar, Taraweeh and in the Masjid. They have Iftaar together with families and there is more contact, so there is more of a chance of problems occurring. That is why it is also essential to clean your heart at the end of Ramadhaan. Brothers from out of state came to visit me a few days ago. They said we want to stop by after Taraweeh, so after I returned I waited and waited and they came very late. I said where have you been? They said after ‘Ishaa someone takes the microphone and begins to blast another group in the Masjid and then the feud goes on back and forth, and the Taraweeh gets delayed. Now the final moments approach, so establish hearts with no ill will and no evil – something that is lacking in this Ummah. Where are those who go to sleep like our Salaf, with no ill feelings in their hearts towards their brothers. He could be right or he could be wrong, but that is not the issue. The issue is cleaning the heart.
وَالَّذِينَ جَاءُوا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿الحشر: ١٠﴾
And those who came after them say: “Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.” (Surat al-Hashr: 10)
Look how beautiful that is. Allah praised them because they make the Du’aa:
لَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
In the thirteenth volume of Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah (البداية والنهاية) by Ibn Katheer, Sufyaan Ibn Husayn said I mentioned something bad about a brother in front of Iyyaas Ibn Mu’aawiyah. Iyyaas was a knowledgeable scholar and a man who feared Allah. Sufyaan said Iyyaas looked me straight in the eyes and said did you fight the Romans? They were some of the enemies of Islam who were killing Muslims back then. Sufyaan said no. Iyyaas said did you fight the people of Sind, the people of Hind or the Turks? Sufyaan said no. He said the Romans, the people of Sind, the people of Hind and the Turks (the enemies of Islam) are at peace from you and the Muslims are not? Sufyaan said I never went back to talking about Muslims after that.