RAMADHAN, MONTH FOR OVERHAUL TO THE HEART [Prose]

21Ramadan 1423H

Allah Taala created human beings together with his strength and weakness

God knows how to strengthen the weak
as well as how to nurture the strong ones
Allah Taala in the knowing of their goodness
as well as their wickedness

Naturally, God has provided human beings with the good and the bad seeds
God in the knowing of the source of both the goodness and the wickedness
Heart is the recepient for the goodness and wickedness
Throughout the year human beings are exposed to
various teachings and challenges
Challenges in the form of stress in life, busy at work
having to face those whimsical characters
At times dramatic tests do occur
Unexpected accidents
Witnessing, hearing to harmful matters
In addition, the results from these teachings and readings
do have a negative effects to the hearts of many

Exception for those close to God
His soul undisturbed and untouched
Challenges cause no harm to their soul
in fact, they move closer to God

With God's blessing and love
He commanded fasting in Ramdhan including other additional ibadahs
Ramadhan will help to restore the goodness
Damages in a year, only a month to restore
As if Ramdhan is a month for overhauling the human's heart
Like an overused car
with multiple faults especially the engine, requiring overhaul
Overhaul the only way to restore the car
which has not function satisfactorily

Human beings with corrupted heart and minds
attitudes and behaviours, restored through training in Ramadhan
Training in Ramadhan comes in a package
strengthening one another
followed by recitations of Al Quran
Combined with various other good deeds
zikr, tasbih, tahmid, salawat and tafakur
giving alms and being generous are encouraged
Discussions to improve awareness

Fasting during the day, solat plus the Taraweh at night

All these are the basis of mujahadah to fight the nafs
to determine if training in Ramadhan is successful or otherwise
Training in Ramadhan includes mujahadah, fasting, solat
together with Al Quran and other additional things

Mujahadah means strong will is required
compelled to do what's ordered
compelled to leave what's forbidden
To leave all forbidden both physical and spiritual
Mujahadah indicates being forced, feeling miserable
detestful, monotonous and tiring

With a weak soul, the efforts may not proceed
or may be done half-heartedly
As such, mujahadah requires an encouraging incentive or stimulus
The incentive is fasting of both the hearts and minds
solat done full heartedly
teachings of Al Quran which are understood and enlivened
Part of training from solat, increase of feelings of subservience
and refinement of godly feelings
Part of training from Al Quran, in it there are good news
reminders, good examples plus enlightment and realisation

Training from fasting includes feeling of weakness, subservience
understanding, enlightening and realisation

From the 3 training package, prime objective is
to be the incentive or stimulus to strengthen the soul, nurture the soul and firming the faith

When the soul is strong, nurtured, mujahadah will be strong as well
when the soul is strong and Ramadhan's hikmah is nurtured
from the 3 training package, mankind can be developed

When Ramadhan's hikmah is achieved,
extraordinary human beings will be born
Indicating, those being overhauled during Ramadhan
will return to his pure soul
An extraordinary human being appears
One with true feelings of subservience
with humility, patience, acceptance, love and care
understanding, generous, cooperative
Shyness is his attire, tawakal is his emotions, solid faith

When all these attributes possessed, mazmumah automatically destroyed
Arrogance, greediness, stingy, anger, jealousy
grudges, praise-crazy, name-crazy, all would be gone
They are the ones winning and successful with training in Ramadhan
Ramadhan passing, human beings returning to the naturally pure soul
Only they are eligible to celebrate eid
As success in returning to pure soul
Eidul Fitr is the name

Eidul Fitr means returning the soul back to its purity and genuine
If the soul is pure and genuine throughout the year
For the next Ramdhan
It would be only for providing better shine, not for overhaul
This is Ramadhan's training, many failed
only a few succeed.

25.11.2002

After Taraweh

Al-sabru diya'ul Ramadhan

[The pure Light of Ramadhan]

By Ibn Salik

Bismillah

Muqaddeemah

ALLAH said:

"O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for the people before you in order for you to gain TAQWA [God consciousness]…"
[surah al baqarah:183]



The meaning of Fasting

The word fasting in Arabic is Asy-Siyaam or As Saum, fasting also mention in certain kitaab as al Imsak [to refrain from eating and drinking]. Basically, fasting generally means to abstain from something. What it means here is abstaining from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn until sunset with the explicit intention of doing so (for the sake of Allah). [Kitab At ta’leem fee Ramadhan wa Syawwal- Tahqeeq by Maryam Syafie]

The Prophet (s) named fasting "the poor-tax of the body" (zakat al-jasad) and he named it "a shield" (al-siyamu junna) and also "half of restraint" (al-sabru nisfu al-sawm), and he named restraint "pure light" (al-sabru diya'). [Istaqbalu Shahri Ramadhan by Shaykh G.F Haddad]

Imam Ash Sya’ranie mention in his book called Salabus Salaam Volume 2:151 explain;

“…to refrain oneself from eating and drinking and sexual intercourse and other actions that has been forbidden [by the Creator] and to refrain from doing it during the day, according to what has been sent down. And to refrain someone by talking about things which are useless or utter vulgar words. And speaking on matter which has been haraam [forbidden] and makruh [offensive] on certain time and with certain condition…â€‌

As Saum also can be translate as; an obedience that arises from a sense of fear towards ALLAH s.w.t that helps to prevent from khateeah [bad / evil action]

The Virtues of Fasting
[Fiqh As Sunnah, Volume 3, Page 107a:]
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, saying:
"Allah said: 'Every action of the son of Adam is for him except fasting, for that is solely for Me. I give the reward for it.' The fast is a shield. If one is fasting, he should not use foul language, raise his voice, or behave foolishly. If someone reviles him or fights with him he should say, 'I am fasting,' twice. By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the [bad] breath of the one who is fasting is better in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection than the smell of musk. The one who is fasting is happy at two times: when he breaks his fast he is happy with it, and when he meets his Lord he will be happy that he has fasted." [This is related by Ahmad, Muslim, and an-Nasa'I]
A similar version was recorded by al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud, but with the following addition: "He leaves his food, drink, and desires for My sake. His fasting is for Me... I will give the reward for it, and for every good deed, he will receive ten similar to it."
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said:
"The fast and the Qur'an are two intercessors for the servant of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. The fast will say: 'O Lord, I prevented him from his food and desires during the day. Let me intercede for him.' The Qur'an will say: 'I prevented him from sleeping at night. Let me intercede for him.' And their intercession will be accepted." [Ahmad related this hadith with a sahih chain].
Abu Umamah reported: "I came to the Messenger of Allah and said: 'Order me to do a deed that will allow me to enter Paradise.' He said: 'Stick to fasting, as there is no equivalent to it.' Then I came to him again and he said: 'Stick to fasting."'[This hadith is related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i, and al-Hakim who classified it as sahih]
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah said: "No servant fasts on a day in the path of Allah except that Allah removes the hellfire seventy years further away from his face." [This is related by "the group," except for Abu Dawud.]
Sahl ibn Sa'd reported that the Prophet said: "There is a gate to Paradise that is called ar-Rayyan. On the Day of Resurrection it will say: 'Where are those who fasted?' When the last [one] has passed through the gate, it will be locked." [This is related by al Bukhari and Muslim.]

The Virtues of Ramadan and the Deeds Done During It
[Fiqh As Sunnah, Volume 3, Page 109]
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said: "The blessed month has come to you. Allah has made fasting during it obligatory upon you. During it, the gates to Paradise are opened and the gates to hellfire are locked, and the devils are chained. There is a night [during this month] which is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good is really deprived [of something great]." [This is related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i, and al-Baihaqi.]




Categories of Fasting

There’s two type of fasting, obligatory and voluntary. In this case, we will cover the obligatory fasting.
As mentioned by Imam Ghazali [may ALLAH have mercy on his soul] in his book called Ihya’ U’lummuddeen. There are 3 types of people who fast.

Awwaamul Musleemin

2. Saumul Khusus

3. Saumul khusul khusus

Practices that you can do in the month of Ramadhan

1. Recitation of the Quraan with full understanding of its meaning and its context
2. Qiamul Layl [Solat Taraweh]
3. I’teekaf [retreat] in the masjeed
4. Sadaqah [giving charity]

Some Hadiths on Zakat ut-Tatawwu [Voluntary Sadaqah]
[Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3 Page 98: Types of Sadaqah]

The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said:

"Every Muslim has to give sadaqah." The people asked: "O Prophet of Allah, what about the one who has nothing?" He said: "He should work with his hands to give sadaqah." They asked: "If he cannot find [work]?" He replied: "He should help the needy who asks for help." They asked: "If he cannot do that?" He replied: "He should then do good deeds and shun evil, for this will be taken as sadaqah." This is related by al-Bukhari and others

It is related following Abu Zhar that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said:
"Sadaqah is prescribed for each descendant of Adam every day the sun rises." It was asked: "O Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, from what do we give sadaqah every day?" He said: "The doors of goodness are many--the tasbih [to say 'Subhaan-Allah'], the tamhid [to say 'Alhamdu lillah'], the tahlil [to say 'La-ilaha-illallah], enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf, leading the blind, guiding one to the object of his need, hurrying with the strength of one's legs to one in sorrow who is asking for help, and supporting the feeble with the strength of one's arms--all of these are sadaqah prescribed for you." This is related by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih. Al-Bukhari related it in a shortened form and added in his report: "Your smile for your brother is sadaqah. Your removal of stones, thorns, or bones from the paths of people is sadaqah. Your guidance of a person who is lost is sadaqah."