Day 27: The Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr)

                      The Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr)

 Assalam Alaikum my dear brothers and sisters. I wanted to apologize for not blogging for a while. But, I kind of got busy in the day and forgot about my blogs. Sorry about that, but I wanted to blog about Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power) because it is one of the important nights during Ramadan. We have reached Day 27 and we have more 3 more days. I will like to share a hadith with you before I begin: Abu Ayub narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said "Whoever fasts Ramadan, then follows it with six Shawwal, then that is (equal in reward) to fasting every day" (Hadith).

 Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said "Whoever performs the night prayer on the night of Al Qadr with firm faith and seeking rewards will have all his past sins forgiven. This hadith has been recorded by Bukhari and Muslim. Allah says "We sent the Quran down on a blessed night, verily we are ever warning therein on that night is decreed every matter of ordainment" (Surah ad Dukham Verse 3-4). Therefore it is a blessed night, it possess much good and blessings due to its merit and great rewards awaits. The night of Al Qadr is better than a 1,000 months "the angels and Jibreel (Gabriel) descend by their Lord's permission with all decrees there is peace until the appearance of dawn" (Suratul Qadr Verse 1-5). Ibn Kathir said concerning what Allah says therein descends the angels and it means that the descending of the angels increases during this night due to the vast amount of its blessings and the angels send along blessings and mercy. When the Quran is recited and encompass the gatherings in which Allah is remembered and spread their wings, for the true seeker of knowledge out of respect for Him. Abu Huraria reported the Prophet (PBUH) said "Ramadan has come to you a blessed month, Allah has made it obligatory upon you to fast in it. During this month the gates of heaven are open, the gates of hell-fire are closed and the evil are chained. To Allah belongs a night in it which is better than a thousand months whoever is prevented from its good then he has been deprived". This hadith is recorded by Ahmad.

 We should supplicate much on the nights in which the night of Al-Qadr and we should supplicate what the Prophet (PBUH) instructed. Aisha reported that she asked the Prophet (PBUH) "If I realize Laylatul Qadr what should I supplicate in it?" The Prophet (PBUH) replied "You should supplicate Ya Allah you are the most forgiving and you love forgiveness, so forgive me". This hadith is recorded by Tirmdhi. The night of Qadr is during the last 10 days and its on odd days' like 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th. May Allah grant us Laylatul Qadr and give its full rewards to us.

Day 22 of Ramadan: Don't Starve Yourself

                                Don't Starve Yourself

  Assalam Alaikum my dear brothers and sisters we have reached day 22 of Ramadan, we have about a week and a half left. Remember these last 10 days are the crucial part of Ramadan. I will discuss about that if you are not going to try to change your actions don't starve your bodies. I will like to share an hadith: Salim reported on the authority of his father that a person saw Laylatul Qadr on the 27th (of Ramadan). Thereupon the Prophet (PBUH) said "I see that your dreams agree regarding the last ten (nights of Ramadan). So seek it on an odd number (of these ten nights)" (hadith).

 Many of us utilize our time and efforts, we retain the rewards for all the fasting we have done so far. There is one particular hadith that I feel a lot of Muslims faces these days, and the hadith is about fasting. "The one who does not abandon evil in speech and actions, that Allah (S.W.T.) is not needy for this person to leave his food and drink". This is a situation that many of us have. Yes, we are fasting by restricting ourselves from eating and drinking, but the way we act is a form of disobeying Allah (S.W.T.). All we are doing is keeping ourselves hungry and thirsty and fasting is much more than that. A person should be fasting with their eyes, hands, hearts, limbs, and whole bodies. The true fast is the one which is obedient to Allah (S.W.T.) we should stay away from our desires and be careful in our speech and actions. Bad actions can decrease the reward and make you lose the reward that a person could have gained. Allah (S.W.T.) is not in need of our hunger and thirst but we are in need of His mercy and forgiveness. 

 So guys this is the end of my blog. I hope this was beneficial for you. Stay tuned for my daily Ramadan blogs, for the remainder days we have left. May Allah (S.W.T.) forgive our sins and accept all the days we have fasted. As for now Peace and Stay Halal. :D <3

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Day 21 of Ramadan: Facts about the Last Ten Days

                               Facts about the Last 10 Days

  Assalam Alaikum my dear brothers and sisters, we have reached day 21 of Ramadan we have approximately one week left. We have fasted for 20 days in New York and now we just have to fast 10 more days. As I said in my last blog these last 10 days are the crucial part of Ramadan and we shouldn't get week. I will like to share some facts that I have read last night about these last 10 days, and you will feel happy when you read these facts. I will like to share a hadith: Narrated by Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (PBUH) said "No sadaqah is due on a horse or a slave except that given at the breaking of the fast (at the end of Ramadan)" (Hadith).

 Some interesting and important facts to know about Laylatul Qadr. Laylatul Qadr is one night, from maghrib to fajr, let's say that is approximately 9 hours is equivalent to 1000 months. That is 83.4 years. That means 9 hours is approximately equal to 90 years. 1 hour of deeds is considered as 10 years of good deeds, one minute of deed is equal to 2 months of rewards. One second of deeds is equal to one day or 24 hours of rewards. SubhanAllah, and it is written as you did dhikr for 24 hours non stop. Think about it, if you waste one hour in non essential things on Laylatul Qadr you have wasted 10 years. What if we are engaged in a good deed for an hour  than we have gained 10 years of good deeds. Now it times for you to decide where you want to invest your each second of Laytul Qadr.

So guys this is the end of my blog. I apologize that today's blog is a little bit, but in the next few blogs I will discuss a little bit more about Laylatul Qadr. May Allah (S.W.T.) grant us this blessed night and may Allah (S.W.T.) have mercy on all of us. Stay tuned for my daily Ramadan blogs. As for now Peace and Stay Halal :D <3

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Day 20 of Ramadan: Sunnah of the Last 10 days

                          Sunnah of the Last 10 days

 Assalam Alaikum my dear brothers and sisters Alhumdillah we have reached day 20 of Ramadan. We only have 10 more days left, time flies by fast it felt like if Ramadan just started yesterday. I wanted to talk about the Sunnah of the Last 10 days so we can leave Ramadan with a lot of blessings that we can gain during this month. The last days are important because usually get lazy at this point and don't complete much ibadaah, but on these days we should complete more. I will like to now share a hadith: It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to encourage (us) to pray Qiyam during Ramadan, without insisting on that, and he said: Whoever spends the nights of Ramadan in prayer (Qiyam) out of faith and in the hope of reward, he will be forgiven his previous sins" (Hadith).

  Have you ever wondered how a person should observe Laytul Qadr (Night of Power)? Is it by praying or reading the Quran or by the Prophet's (PBUH) life stories, listening to lectures and lectures and by celebrating it in the masjid?  The Prophet (PBUH) used to strive hard in his worship during the last 10 days of Ramadan, as he never did at any other time. Praying, reading the Quran and making dua (supplication). Imam Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Aisha (RA) "That when the last days of Ramadan came the Prophet (PBUH) would stay up at night ad would abstain from marital relations. The Prophet (PBUH) used to wake up his family for the prayer during the last 10 days and not in other nights. Safyan At-Thawree stated "Praying tahhajud in the last part of the night is beloved to me and that a person strives in it and wakens his family to pray if they are able. The Prophet (PBUH) used to knock on Fatimah and Ali's door at night and say to them will you not wake up Aisha (RA) up at night after he finished praying Tahhajud before he prayed Witr.

So guys this is the end of my blog, I apologize it for being so short today. I hope that you guys can implement these Sunnah's in these 10 days. May Allah (S.W.T.) give us tawfeeq to stay awake the remaining nights of Ramadan and grant us Laytul Qadr. Stay tune for my daily Ramadan blogs. As for now Peace and Stay Halal :D <3

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Day 19 of Ramadan: Imagine the Reward

                               Imagine the Reward

  Assalam Alaikum my dear brothers and sisters we have reached Day 19 of Ramadan, we are almost approaching the last 10 days. 18 down and 11 more to go. Today I will like to discuss about the rewards of reading the Quran. I will like to share a hadith: Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said "Your (ordinary) fire is one of 70 parts of the Hell fire. Someone asked, O Allah's Messenger This fire would have been sufficient (to torture the unbelievers), The Prophet (PBUH) The (Hell) Fire has 69 parts more than the ordinary (worldly) fire, each part is as hot as this (worldly) fire" (Hadith).

 The Quran has an more important significance in the month of Ramadan Allah (S.W.T.) said "The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proof, for the guidance and criterion that is between right and wrong" (Surat al Baqarah, Verse 185). Jibreel (AS) (Gabriel) used to come to the Prophet (PBUH) every night in the month of Ramadan and studied the Quran with him. This hadith has been recorded by Bukhari and Muslim. Outside of Ramadan there are 10 rewards for reciting each letter of the Quran. The Prophet (PBUH) says whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah (S.W.T.) will receive the reward from it that is his recitation and reward is multiplied by 10. The Prophet (PBUH) said "I do not Alif Laam Meem is considered as a letter rather alif is a letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter. This hadith is recorded by Tirmidhi and Danmi. Good deeds are multiplied by 70 in the month of Ramadan. The Prophet (PBUH) said "Whoever draws near Allah (S.W.T.) during Ramadan with a single characteristic from the characteristics of voluntary good deeds. He is like whoever performs an obligatory act in other times and whoever performs an obligatory act during it (Ramadan), is like whoever performs 70 obligatory acts in other times. This hadith is recorded by Ibn Khuzayman. Each letter of the Quran is rewarded 700 good deeds or more. The greater our intention, and the more sincere we are than our rewards will be multiplied even more. Those who struggle to read get double the reward. They will receive double of the reward minimum of 1400 Good deeds for each letter. Aisha relates that the Prophet said "Verily the one who recites the Quran beautifully, smoothly and precisely. He will be in the company of the noble and obedient Angels. As for the one who recites with difficulty stammering and stumbling through the verse, then he will have twice the reward". This hadith is recorded by Bukhari and Muslim. This hadith shows that people who struggle in the Arabic language get even an higher reward for their extra effort. So, they should never feel down about not being able to recite. Imagine how many rewards it would be for reciting the entire Quran once? or more? So let us recite as much of the Quran during this blessed month.

 So guys this is the end of today's blog I hope you guys have learned something new and feel this is beneficial. Stay tuned for my daily Ramadan Blogs. As for now Peace and Stay Halal :D <3

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Day 18 of Ramadan: Fasting is a Shield

                                Fasting is a Shield

 Assalam Alaikum my dear brothers and sisters we have reached day 18 of Ramadan so far. I apologize for posting so late today but I had a busy day. I know I have said numerous times in my blog that fasting is a shield but today I will to emphasize a little bit more and also how fasting has became obligatory for us. I will like to now share a hadith: Ibn Abbas (RA) reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said "Do not observe Saum (fasting) before the advent of Ramadan. Observe Saum at sighting of the crescent of Ramadan and terminate it at sighting the crescent (of Shawwal). If the sky is overcast, complete (the month as) thirty (days)" (Hadith).

 The Prophet (PBUH) has said that "Fasting is a shield" and He commanded that those who had intense desire for marriage, but were not able to marry should fast because it will make it a shield to go against these desires. When the benefits of fasting one will come to realize that Allah prescribed it as a mercy for mankind, goodness for them and a protection from desires that can cause a person harm. The Prophet (PBUH) guidance was the most perfect guidance and the best for reaching the desire. Objective and the easiest on the soul, since restraining the soul from what it loves and desires is one of the most difficult and hardest. Ramadan's obligation was delayed until the middle of Islam. After the Hijrah this was at the point when tawheed and the prayer had become firmly established in the soul of Muslims, when they loved the commands of Allah (S.W.T.) their souls would light to its obligation. Ramadan became obligatory in the second of Hijrah. When the Prophet (PBUH) passed away he had only fasted 9 Ramadans. It was obligated as an option left to the people to choose whether they wanted to fast or to feed needy people everyday. Then the option finally became obligatory for fasting. Feeding the needy people was only an option for the elderly. Fasting had 3 stages: the 1st stage was it being obligated with the option of fasting or feeding a needy person. The 2nd stage only the fasting was allowed, but if the person fasting, he was forbidden from eating and drinking until the following night. The 3rd stage Islam has settled until the Day of Judgement, this is the wisdom and benefits from fasting.

 So guys this is the end of my blog, I hope you guys learned something new in this blog. Stay tuned for my daily blogs about Ramadan. From now on I will post around this time on the weekdays because I am busy during the afternoons on weekdays. May Allah (S.W.T.) give you the tawfeeq to understand. Peace and Stay Halal :D <3

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Ramadan Blog Day 17: Tackling your Weakness

                       Tackling Your Weakness

  Assalam Alaikum my dear brothers and sisters we have reached day 17 of Ramadan. We have almost reached the last 10 days of Ramadan. SubhanAllah time flies by fast I can't believe we are almost done with this blessed month. Today I wanted to talk about our weakness and how we can overcome it. We all have weakness in life and in our Iman (faith) and we need to fix that. In order to fix societal problems one must fix themselves in order to fix the problems that the outside world facing. I will share a exercise that I saw last night in a video and I thought it was beneficial, and thought why I don't share it with my viewers. This exercise you can use for any of your weakness that you face, it doesn't only have to be based on Ramadan, use it to fix your weakness in other parts of your life. Now I will share a hadith with you before I begin: Abu Huraira Verily the Prophet (PBUH) said "The five prayers and from one Friday prayer to the next Friday prayer, and from Ramadan to Ramadan are expiation's for the sins committed in between provided one shuns the major sins" (hadith).

 

 We are victims from our weakness to Iman (faith). We are all individually different, so therefore we have different weakness. I will share an exercise with you so you can define your weakness and then have a plan for overcoming the weakness in your Iman (faith). It's called the Ramadan Circle of Re-enforcement. This exercise begins by drawing a circle on the middle of your page or wherever you want to make your plan and you write your name in the circle. After, that your draw 4 arrows which says each weakness you want to tackle. Be honest about your weakness so you can make an accurate action plan. Once again, you do not have to share it this is for your own self. For example one of your weakness can be is that you get caught up in work, another can be missing Fajr (morning prayer). Another one can be that you feel that you lack confidence in your Iman (faith). The next step is you draw another arrow but this time its away from the circle. One arrow for each weakness that you have. The arrows away from the circle represent the daily actions or habits that you need to implement for you to overcome that specific weakness. Let's say for the example that you get caught up in work, than your action will be get a calendar so you can balance your work and ibadah (prayers). If you keep missing your Fajr (morning prayer) your action plan can be try to go to sleep early. If you lack confidence in your Iman (faith) your action plan can be by going to classes get to know people who have confidence in their Iman (faith) so you can see what they are doing. Now, go make your own Ramadan circle of re-enforcement by defining your weakness and the actions that will help you tackle your weakness.

 So guys this is the end of my blog, hopefully this is beneficial for you and your love ones. Don't forget to share with friends and family. I will post the link of the video that I saw this exercise.  Peace and Stay Halal :D 

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0so2f4WRYtc

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