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Ramadan is the month of mercy, not the month of perfection. You’ll still make mistakes, and you’ll still fall short at times. But Allah’s mercy remains. Seek it, and don’t give up.
from "The Month of Mercy, Not Perfection: Ramadan Journal" by Umm Zakiyyah
RAMADAN
“Suhoor is full of blessings, so do not miss it even if you drink just a sip of water. Allah and His angels send mercy upon the people who consume Suhoor.”
[Musnad Imam Ahmad Vol. 4 P.88 Hadith 11396]
Ideas for the last ten days of Ramadan :
1. Give 1 dinar in charity every night, so if it falls on laylatul qadr it's as if u gave charity everyday for 84 years.
2. Pray two ra'kaat every night, so if it falls on laylatul qadr it's as if u prayed everyday for 84 years.
3. Read Surah ikhlaas three times a night, so if it falls on laylatul qadr it's as if u read the whole Quran everyday for 84 years.
He then says spread this as you may find it on your account of good deeds in this holy month.
When we think of a person who had an accepted Ramadan, we tend to think of the one who completes the Qur'an 30 times, the hafidh, the one who gave thousands in charity, and the one who lived in the mosque and prayed all night,
But you know who we tend to forget who shall have an accepted Ramadan? The young person who is fighting depression but still musters the strength to get through the day and complete the fast because of a belief that he/she has in Allāh. The woman who has to speed through her prayers because her little one is crying. The man who lays down the mat and prays at work. The student who turns away from looking at haram because he is conscious of Allāh. The sister who stays in the constant remembrance of Allāh during the days she is unable to fast. The individual who wants to fast throughout the month but his medical situation doesn't allow it. The one who leaves home every morning to earn halal. The guy who leaves what he used to do because it was wrong and returns to Allāh in remorse such that he often feels down. The one who can barely recite a page of the Qur'an but starts alif-baa-taa. The people who give up some private worship time in order to serve the family at Iftar and Suhur.
Righteousness has many doors and styles. If you are obeying Allāh and trying your best this this month - then be pleased and know that Allāh loves you. Allāh knows the efforts you are putting in. He won't let the tears, the tiredness, the effort, the good intentions, and the striving go to waste in Ramadan. Allah bless us all with His love.
Shaykh Mohammad Aslam
Ladies, I used to wonder why I would have to get my period in Ramadan. I would pray so hard for it just to miraculously not come. It felt so isolating not to participate in tarawih or fast and guilt which came with eating was real for me.
�But as I studied Islamic scholarship, I realized that our greater communities put so much shame and guilt and anxiety on a natural, beautiful, critical experience. Being made to feel like your period coming at a time of heightened worship is not a curse nor a punishment- that toxic misconception is not from God or from Islam!
Your period is a blessing and a gift!
Aisha (r), more righteous than all of us women and men combined, got her period when she went to make Hajj with the Prophet (s). How devastated must she have been, after all of those years of waiting to make this journey, coming back into Mecca with the beloved of God (s) and His worshippers. And yet the Prophet (s) simply gently told her, "This is a thing which God has ordained for the daughters of Adam." And then he guided her in the fiqh rulings of worship.
He (s) didn't make her feel like she couldn't participate, like she couldn't reach God in this time, like every door of worship was closed to her. He told her, "So do what all the pilgrims do with the exception of the Tawaf round the Kaba" (Bukhari). He ensured she felt like she was still a part of her community's Hajj experience, and that the small of which she didn't participate in, she was taught what to do instead.
When you go through all of the ugh of menstruating, remember, “Whatever befalls a Muslim of exhaustion, illness, worry, grief, nuisance or trouble, even though it may be no more than a prick of a thorn, earns him/her forgiveness by God of some of his/her sins” (Bukhari). Your physical and emotional pain, it is not overlooked: it’s a means of forgiveness and your ranks raised.
You get your period in Ramadan because God knows it is the best for your body *and* He knows that not making Salah, not fasting, this submission is the best form of worship for you in this time.�
The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us, “When a slave falls ill or travels, then s/he will get reward similar to that s/he gets for good deeds practiced at home when in good health.” (Bukhari).
You are rewarded for eating in Ramadan and nourishing your body when it’s vulnerable in this state. For resting and recharging your body instead of spending hours praying. You're rewarded for the fasting and salah you would be doing if you could. And even if you don't feel you need to eat or rest, you're rewarded for simply submitting to His guidance. �
It isn't a punishment, a curse or a sign of God not accepting your prayers. It is a blessing, it’s a time to honor and nurture your mind and body, and with the right intention, every minute of it can be an act of worship.
Ustadha Maryam Amir
If Allah didn’t love you, He would never have let you fast the days of Ramadan and stand it’s night.
He only gifted you this because He wanted to forgive you.
Shaykh Mohammad Aslam
I know what it’s like to hate yourself for not being able to do the type of worship you used to do. I know what it’s like to wonder if God used to love you more- or if you used to love Him more- when you were able to pray for hours or read Quran with feeling or pray with focus. And now…what? What happened to you? What happened to me? What happened to our hearts?
Our life circumstances can affect our spiritual states. If you’re struggling with your connection with Allah and then suddenly you’re blessed with going to Mecca, how do you think your faith will be? What do you think the state of your heart will look like? You’re the same person, but your circumstances now allow for you to worship Allah without any distraction or temptation as your entire day revolves around His worship.
But here, with life, with responsibilities of work, school, parenthood, taking care of your elderly parents and all the other realities you’re dealing with: it’s hard to maintain the spiritual high and the sweetness of faith you’re so desperately missing.
But listen: the fact that you wish you were doing more, the fact that you’re worried about His pleasure and His love is a sign in and of itself, is a testimony in and of itself, of your love for Him!
What you need to do is realign your perspective: the blessings or the tests He has given you now that are keeping you from what you used to do, that is what is best for you right now in this time of your life. And it is out of His wisdom that whatever you’re busy with in life is coming to you at this particular time because in and of itself it is the best form of worship for you.
How can you use whatever you have going on to be a means of worship? In a hadith qudsi we are taught, “He who removes from a believer one of his difficulties of this world, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and he who finds relief for a hard-pressed person, Allah will make things easy for him on the Day of Resurrection; he who covers up (the faults and sins) of a Muslim, Allah will cover up (his faults and sins) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah supports His slave as long as the slave is supportive of his brother…” [Muslim]
You cleaning your baby’s diaper is a relief for her. You’re aiding her, praying God is aiding you because of it. You helping your parents, you’re removing their troubles praying God will remove yours in the Hereafter. You supporting a friend who is going through a traumatic situation, praying God will make things easy for you on the Day of Judgment.
Shift your paradigm so that your intention is all about worship. It is easy to feel close to Him in front of the Kaba. It's a battle to feel close to Him while busy with life. And inshaAllah the first is greatly rewarded and so needed to refuel. But inshaAllah the second you'll be counted amongst those who strive for His Sake.
He perhaps put you in your life situation now to draw nearer to Him in ways that wouldn't have been possible even if all you were doing was praying all night long and reading Quran all day long.
Remember, He says, “I am as my servant thinks I am.” So think really, really well of Him.
Even if you don’t feel you’re good enough, think of Him as AlKareem- the Generous- He will reward you and bless you anyway because that’s who He is, even when you don’t feel deserving of it. He is AlShakoor- The Appreciative. He’ll appreciate the little amount you do and He’ll multiply it anyway, even when you feel it’s too little.
Don’t focus on what you aren’t. Focus on Who He is.
Ustadha Maryam Amir
As we enter this blessed month of mercy, I give this advice to myself first, and then to you:
Don’t let this Ramadan be just a holiday of rituals. Don’t finish reading the Quran without it transforming you. Don’t feed your body at suhoor, but starve your heart of Qiyam. Don’t reduce this downpour of mercy to just a month of sweets and lavish iftars. Seek Him and you will find. Take a sincere step towards change, transformation, redemption. If you do, you will find Him in front of you. Find Him this month. He’s been there all along. Closer than your jugular vein. Look and you’ll find. Begin and you’ll arrive.
Yasmin Mogahed
