… Continued
Who is more generous in rewarding than Allah The Almighty? Is there anyone who fulfills his promise like Him? Look at the role of faith pertaining to the reality of fasting during this month in particular; Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith, expecting the reward from Allah, will have his previous sins forgiven.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim], and: “Whoever observes voluntary night prayer during Ramadan, out of faith and expecting the reward from Allah, will have his previous sins forgiven.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Where are those who have strong determination, those who search for the profitable trade with the Lord of the worlds?
In this month there is Laylat Al-Qadr (Night of Divine Decree), which is better than a thousand months of worship; whoever observes prayer on this night out of faith, seeking the reward from Allah The Almighty, will have all his previous sins forgiven. Your Lord provides great opportunities so that you purify your intention and thus attain the honor of receiving His reward. In the books of Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are shackled.”
Abu Hurayrah also narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “If Ramadan starts, the gates of mercy are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.” [Muslim]
It delights the heart to smell the fragrance of Paradise through doors that are opened by acts of worship to the Lord of the heavens; and it pleases the soul that the gates of Hell are closed, and the aides to the arrogant caller towards evil, the accursed Shaytaan (Satan), are chained.
Let us take a look at the way the Ummah (Muslim nation) of Muhammad receives Ramadan. You will find that most people belong to two categories:
The heedless: They are those who prepare for Ramadan solely in order to have a full stomach. Such a person hoards enough food and drink to last his family for over a year, as if the hunger from which our Prophet sought refuge, starts with the first night of Ramadan. He does a grave injustice to Ramadan by turning it into a month of competition in indulging in a variety of elaborate dishes and meals. Moreover, he divides his time during the month between eating, drinking, spending the daytime in sleeping and the night in chatting and seeking entertainment, leaving very little time for the noble purpose underlying fasting in Ramadan.
Instead of sympathizing with the poor and hungry and feeling compassion towards them or seeking the reward of feeding them, he feels sorry for himself and forgets that there is a reward for feeding every living creature. He feeds himself to the fill and squanders his money on his desires, which results in laziness and deep sleep that makes him delay his prayers – if not abandoning them altogether. He abandons the Quran when it is the best time of the year for reciting it, indulging in idle talk, backbiting, tale-bearing, eating the flesh of people along with the flesh of cattle, neglecting the words of Allah The Almighty (what means): {Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it.} [Quran 49:12]
To be continued …