In the Name of
Almighty Allah
Most Benificent, Most Merciful
Assalamualaykum
Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu.
al-Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil 'Aalameen was Salaatu was-
Salaamu 'alaa Ashrafil Anbiyaa'e wal Mursaleen.
Wa Ba'd:
A study
of the Most Holy and Noble Qura'n clearly reveals that the capacity to maintain
the required level of the true faith of Al-Islam, the Din of Almighty Allah
Jallah Wa'ala and the ultimate ascendance to exaltation and glory through it,
are dependent on the fulfillment of a very special task which has been so
graciously assigned by Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal Most Glorious and Exalted
only to the Ummah of His
Beloved Nabee Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Sallalahoo Alayhi Wasallam. It is for this
that they have been given the distinguished position of "Khair-ul-Uman" (the best of all
peoples) in the Most Holy and Glorious Qura'n.
The main purpose behind the creation of this world was to establish and to
prove the Divinity, the Oneness, the Greatness, the Supremacy and the Most
Exalted existence of Almighty Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala, and to reflect His
unlimited Powers and boundless Attributes through mankind, who was to be guided
by the light of true knowledge. It was for this purpose of bringing about this purity
and power in the ranks of mankind that thousands of Ambiya Alayhim Salatu Wasallam had been deputed by Almighty
Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala.
The last in the series, came the 'Sayyed-ul-Ambiya
wal Mursalin' the Beloved of Almighty Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala -
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam - the Gata'man Nabee'een, the
Beloved of Rabbul Ala'meen - the Seal of the Ambiya Alayhim Salaam and the one
whom Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala'meen Exalted blessed with the divine title of Rahmatul Liel Ala'meen. It was through him
that mankind reached the high state of development of mind and body leading to
the final stage of purity. It was then that mankind received the glad
tidings from Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal Who declares in verse 3 of Surah Al-Ma'ida:
"This day have I perfected your religion for you,
completed My favour upon you, And have chosen
for you Islam as your religion."
The Supreme purpose of mankind's creation had been fulfilled, good and evil had
been clearly defined, a complete system of practical life had been revealed,
the lineage of prophethood and apostlehood had been terminated, and lastly, the
duties that were formerly discharged exclusively by the Ambiya Alayhim Salatu Wasallam had devolved as a collective
mission upon the Ummah of 'Sayyid-ul-Ambiya Walmursalin" -
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Sallalahoo Alayhi Wasallam. This declaration by Almighty
Allah Azza Wajjal has been clearly brought out in verse 110 of Surah Al-Imran:
"O you (followers of Muhammad): you are the noblest of peoples,
in that you have been brought out for (the benefit of mankind.)
You enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and you believe in Allah."
Alhumdoelillah hi Rabbil Ala'meen, the entire Muslim Ummah is once again preparing to welcome
the Most Holy and Auspicious Month of Ramadan. The great month that belongs
exclusively to Almighty Allah. We all know that Almighty Allah Subahanahoo wa
ta'ala has blessed the Ummah with
this Glorious month of fasting and the month in which the Most Holy and
Glorious Qura'n was revealed to our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam
for so declares Almighty Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala in verse 185 of Surah Al-Baqara with words of
wisdom:
"Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down The Qura'n
as a guide to mankind, also clear (signs) for guidance and
judgement between right and wrong."
It was a practice of our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam to deliver a
lecture before the beginning of the month to educate the Muslims on the merits
and rewards of this most blessed month. It was reported by Salman Al
Farsi R.A. that our Nabee Sallalahoo Alayhi Wasallam used to deliver a speech
at the end of Sha'baan in which
he said:
"O People! we will shortly be in
the shade of the most blessed and Holy Month.
During this wonderful month, there is a night which is better than a thousand
months.
Allah has prescribed as obligatory fasting for all Muslims during daylight and
to stand
in worship during the night a Sunnah."
"The reward for actions or deeds considered as Sunnah during this most
Auspicious
month will be rewarded as a Fard and the reward for a Fard in this month will
be increased
seventy fold.""This is the month of Sabir and the reward for Sabir is
Janna'h.
This is the month of charity, caring and sharing and during this month,
Almighty
Allah Subahanahoo wa ta'ala will increase everyone's sustenance. For those who
feed
a fasting person, their reward is forgiveness and they will also have a
share in the
reward of those who fasted, without diminishing the reward of the fasting
person."
Upon which the Sahaba Ridwanullahi ta'ala alayheem Ajima'een said to
him: "O Beloved Prophet of Allah! not everyone of us is in a position to
feed those who fasted." The Prophet Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam answered
them by saying: "The rewards of feeding those who fast are for those who
give even a single date or a glass of water or milk." Hazrat Ibn Masood Radhi'allahu Anho
reports that on every night of Ramadhan, a Mala'eeka from the heavens calls out: "O you seeker of
good, come near; O you seeker of evil, turn away from evil and open your
eyes"Thereafter the Mala'eeka calls out: "Is there any seeker
of forgiveness, that he may be forgiven? Is there any one with a prayer, that
his prayer may be heard? Is there anyone wanting anything so that
their wish may be fulfilled?"
Fasting has another characteristic. It makes us obey the injunctions of the Holy Shari'ah with sustained intensity for
prolonged periods of time. Salaat
lasts only a few minutes at a time. Zakat
is paid only once a year. Although the time spent on Hajj is long, it may
only come once in a lifetime, and for many not at all. In the school of
fasting, we are trained to obey the Shari'ah
of our Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam for one
full month, every year, night and day. Every year, for one full month from dawn
to sunset and from sunset to dawn, like a Mujahhid in Jihad, or like a soldier
in an army, we continuously live a disciplined life, following certain rules
and regulations at all times. We are then sent back to continue our normal
duties for eleven months so that the training we received during this most
Auspicious month of Ramadan may be reflected in our conduct and behaviour.
The glorious month of Ramadan is earmarked for the entire Muslim Ummah to fast together, to ensure similar
results. This measure turns individual Ibadah
into collective Ibadah. Just as
the number one, when multiplied by thousands, becomes a formidable number, so
the moral and spiritual benefits accruing from the fasting by one person alone
are increased a billion fold if a billion people fast together. Just as plants
have their season of flowering, so too is Ramadan the time of year for the
growth and flourishing of good and righteousness. For this reason our Beloved
Nabee Sallallaho Alayhi Wasallam said: "Every good deed of a person is
granted manifold increase, ten to seven hundred times." But Says Almighty Allah Subahanahoo
Wata'ala:
"Fasting is an exception; it is
exclusively for Me, and I reward for it as much as I wish"
(Bukhari, Muslim.)
All good deeds grow, this shows, in proportion to both the Niyaa'h of the doer as well as their
results, but there is a limit to their growth. Fasting however has no such
limit. During Ramadan, in the season for the flourishing of good and piety, not
one but millions of Muslims water this beautiful garden of virtue. The more we
perform sincere good deeds during this month that belongs exclusively to
Almighty Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala, the more will we radiate their benefits to
all those around us. Almost all of Almighty Allah's Divine scriptures were
revealed during the Holy month of Ramadan. Similarly
in this month, the Most Glorious and Holy Qura'n was brought down from the "Lowhul Mahfuz" to the "Sama'ud Dunya" from where it
was revealed to our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam over a span of
twenty three years.
Nabee Ebrahim Alayhis Salatu Wasallam received his scriptures on the first or
the third day of Ramadan. Nabee
Dawood Alayhis Salatu Wasallam received the Zabur
on the twelfth or eighteenth day of Ramadan. Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salatu
Wasallam received the Taurat on
the sixth and Nabee Esa Alayhis Salatu Wasallam received the Injeel on the twelfth or thirteenth day of
Ramadan.
From this, we note the very close connection between all the Divine
Scriptures and the month of Ramadan. It is stated that our Beloved Nabee
Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam used to recite the Glorious Qur'an and that
Sayyidina Jibra'eel Amin Alayhis Salatu Wasallam used to listen. By combining
these reports, it is said that it is Mustahab
to read the Holy Qura'n in such a
manner that while one person recites, the others listen. Thereafter another
person recites while the others listen. Our Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam
termed the first part of Ramadan as the period of Rahma'h (Mercy), whereby it is meant that Almighty
Allah's Mercy is showered on the Ummah
of His Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. The middle part of Ramadan is
the period when forgiveness is granted to the believers as a reward for their
fasting during the first part. The last part of Ramadan brings immunity from Jahannum. Hazrat Abu Hurairah Radiallaho
Anho relates that Rasoolullah Sallalahoo Alayhi Wasallam said:
"My Ummah" has been given five
special favours that were not given to any other Ummah.
The smell from the mouth of a fasting Muslim is sweeter to Almighty Allah
Subahanahoo wa ta'ala
than the fragrant smell of musk. The fish in the sea seek forgiveness on their
behalf until they break their fast.
"Almighty Allah Subahanahoo wa ta'ala decorates his special Jannah
everyday and then says to it:
The time is near when My faithful servants shall cast aside the great trials of
the world and come to you.
"During this Most Holiest of months, the rebellious "Shayateen"
are chained, so as not to provoke those evils which they normally do during the
other eleven months. "On the last night of Ramadan, the fasting
Muslims are forgiven."
In these times of tension and heartache, we should not neglect the
power of Ibadah and supplication
to Almighty Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala. In this blessed month, we pray Insha'Allah to Almighty Allah Jallah
Wa'ala to cleanse the hearts of the Muslims of all traces of conceit, vainglory,
ego, pride and rancour. Let us not for a single moment forget the great
sacrifices, the suffering, the oppression and repression of our brothers and
sisters throughout the world. Their suffering is our suffering and if we
consider ourselves to be confirmed Muslims, it is our foremost duty and
obligation to do whatever we must to alleviate their suffering as well as the
suffering all over the world.
O Ummatul Muslimeen! let us not ever forget that
Islam is the Din of Almighty Rabbul Ala'meen. Islam is the Din of humanity, the
Din of moderation, the Din of wisdom, the Din of Muhabbat, the Din of Absolute Truth, and the Din of
submission to none other than Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala. Islam is the
Din that invited mankind towards humility and an inner relationship of the Most
Glorious Creator and Sustainer. It taught man and exhorted him to combat evil,
aggression and corruption and to a constant struggle against egotism,
selfishness and the pursuit of carnal desires. Liberalism, communism, socialism,
and all isms have gone through their tests and proved their incapacity. As in
the past, Islam today is the only remedy and angel of deliverance. This call
echoes today my most beloved brothers and sisters as it did fourteen centuries
ago when Almighty Rabbul Ala'meen Most Gracious declared with words of Truth in
verses 15 and 16 of Surah Al Ma'idah:
"Indeed! There has come to you a Light
and a clear Book from Allah;
with it Allah guides whoever will follow His Pleasure on the Path
of Peace and brings them out of manifold darkness into Light by
His Will and guides them to the Path of Seerathal Mustaqeem."
Alhumdoelillah! The vision of the future
horizons of the entire Muslim Ummah
is to make use of the untold blessings of Ramadan that Almighty Allah Azza
Wajjal has blessed us with. Let us get closer to one another. Let us strengthen
the centre and junction that links us together as the nation of "Khair-ul-Uman" - the best of
all peoples - Insha'Allah; Bie Itt'nillah - Ameen Ya Rabbul Ala'meen.
"Allahummah Bariek Lana
fie Rajab
wa Sha'baan - Wa Baliegna Ramadan."
Baarak Allaahu Feekum wa-sal-Allaahu wa-sallam 'alaa
Nabiyyina Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.
Was Salamualakum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu.
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Islamic Surf Group
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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