*<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Heart_Softening/School/13.shtml> * ** *Ten Days of Forgiveness: Ready?* By Wa'il Shihab<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Heart_Softening/School/13.shtml#1> *Islamic Researcher— Egypt * http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Heart_Softening/School/13.shtml
The blessed days of Ramadan are passing so quickly. The special days of Allah's great mercy, forgiveness and favors are going; therefore, every one should evaluate the efforts he exerted in Ramadan before it is too late. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) told us that the first part of Ramadan is for Allah's mercy, its middle is for forgiveness, and its end is for salvation from Hell-fire. No one knows whether or not he gained the mercy of Almighty Allah before the end of the first third of Ramadan. We should all be faithful and honest when evaluating our success in gaining His mercy in the first part of this blessed month. We should realize our shortcomings in order not to miss out on the blessings of the few days that remain. Now we are favored with the days of forgiveness. Are we ready to work for forgiveness? Have we prepared ourselves to be forgiven by Almighty Allah? It is our great opportunity to repent, to return to Almighty Allah, and to seek His forgiveness. It is a precious time that we should not miss out on. If we fail to gain the forgiveness of Almighty Allah during the days of forgiveness, when would our sins would be forgiven? Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), his companions, and the righteous Muslims throughout the ages used to pay due attention to Ramadan and the blessings it contains. Wise people should never miss the merits of every single day of Ramadan. Now, the important question is: How should we seek the forgiveness of Almighty Allah during these blessed days of Ramadan? Below are some tips that we should consider and implement: 1. Everybody should sincerely repent to Almighty Allah, seeking His forgiveness, 2. Wrongdoings and prohibitions should be avoided, 3. One should offer more optional acts of worship such as Tahajjud (night prayer), charity, dhikr, and Qur'an recitation. 4. Obligatory acts of worship such as the five daily prayers should be carried out properly and faithfully, and 5. One should earnestly make du`aa' to Almighty Allah to bless him with His favors and forgiveness. O Allah, help us all to gain Your mercy, forgiveness, and blessings, Ameen. __________________ *Wa'il `Abdel-Mut`aal Shihab is the deputy managing editor of the IOL Shari`ah Department (English). He graduated from Al-Azhar University and got his master's from Al-Azhar in Islamic studies with a major in Islamic jurisprudence and its principles. He is working on his doctorate in the principles of Islamic jurisprudence. He writes occasionally for IslamOnline.net. You can reach him at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fiqhi Issues<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Fiqhi_Issues/index.shtml> Heart Softening<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Heart_Softening/index.shtml> Ramadan in History<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/History/index.shtml> Fasting & Health<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Fasting_Health/index.shtml> Healthy Ramadan Kitchen<http://www.islamonline.net/english/Ramadan/Ramadan_kitchen/index.shtml> Children & Ramadan<http://www.islamonline.net/English/In_Depth/Society/Children_Ramadan/index.shtml> Iftar Online<javascript:void(window.open('/english/ramadan/Iftar_Online/index.shtml','Family','Top=0,Left=0,height=550,width=718,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes'))> Ramadan News<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Ramadan_News/index.shtml> World Mosques<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/World_Mosques/index.shtml> Ramadan in Pictures<javascript:void(window.open('/English/Ramadan/RamadanInPictures/1429/index.shtml','Family','Top=0,Left=0,height=450,width=700,toolbar=no,scrollbars=no'))> Multimedia<http://www.islamonline.net/English/Ramadan/Multimedia/index.shtml> E-Cards<http://www.islamonline.net/e-cards/english/morecards.asp?hCategory=C7> Ramadan Calendar<http://www.islamicfinder.org/Hcal/index.php?lang=english&home=2003-10-13> Ramadan Links<javascript:openNewWindow('/english/ramadan/1429/links/index.shtml','thewin','height=350,width=530,toolbar=no,scrollbars=no')>
