The Gates of Mercy...Now Open!!

[hidaayah]

The month of Ramadan is fast approaching. 30 days, 720 hours, 43200 minutes of Allah's mercy, forgiveness and blessings. The gates of Jannah are open for all, the gates of Hell fire are closed and the devils are chained. It is our 'bonus' month of the year for collecting hasanaat(rewards), renewing faith and re-building our relationship with the Quran.Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying:

When there comes the month of Ramadan, the gates of mercy are opened, and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained. [Sahih Muslim: Kitab us Saum]

Am I Worthy?
The admission test of a college/university is open for all, a number of candidates appear on the test, but then, only those students are admitted who prove their merit. Similarly, Quran is an open book; a guidance for all mankind[ھدی للناس]. However, only those having taqwa qualify to benefit[ھدی للمتقین].

In the same way, the gates of mercy are open wide in Ramadan, but one will have to take a step towards them. They're open does not mean everyone will have a definite share. What we collect depends on our intentions and efforts!

Before Ramadan I tried to mark all the places in the Quran where Allah has mentioned the ones worthy of his mercy. Up till now I could only do this for the first ten para's. Insha Allah I'll share these highlighted verses so that we can endeavor to gain the mercy of the Most Merciful and Beneficent in these blessed days, under the light of Quran.

1. The Scripture is a Mercy:

Allah(swt) says about the Quran in Surah Yunus:

O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers. Say, "In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate." [10:57-58]
In Surah Nisa, verse 174-174, Allah says:

O mankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light. So those who believe in Allah and hold fast to Him - He will admit them to mercy from Himself and bounty and guide them to Himself on a straight path. [4: 174-175]In Surah An'am, Allah says:

And this [Qur'an] is a Book We have revealed [which is] blessed, so follow it and fear Allah that you may receive mercy.[6:155]
In ayah 157 of the same surah Allah (swt) has again defined Quran as 'clear evidence from your Lord, and a guidance and mercy.'
In Surah A'raaf, Allah says:

And We had certainly brought them a Book which We detailed by knowledge - as guidance and mercy to a people who believe.[7:52]
In Surah A'raaf, verse 63, Allah says that Nuh (alayhi salam) proclaimed to his people:

Then do you wonder that there has come to you a reminder from your Lord through a man from among you, that he may warn you and that you may fear Allah so you might receive mercy.[7:63]

In the passages that follow Allah says about Torah:


And when the anger subsided in Moses, he took up the tablets; and in their inscription was guidance and mercy for those who are fearful of their Lord.[7:154]

Ponder over these Ayat and you'll clearly see that Allah has termed his message; the previous scriptures and Quran as a mercy for mankind. In the profound darkness of ignorance Allah's message came as a savior for human kind leading them out to the light of Tawheed, to the goodness of this world and the hereafter.

For this ummah Quran is the life line; the tool for salvation. Through this book Allah arranged for our guidance. This book is actually the reason that makes Ramadan so special! Ramadan is as Noman Ali Khan puts it 'the month to celebrate the inauguration of the Quran'. The night of Al Qadr, better than a thousand nights has this special status because of the Quran. Hence, the most important goal in Ramadan is to revive our connection with this book. Spend quality time with this merciful and compassionate friend. A friend that will hold hands and guide, touch our heart and cleanse it, remind us and show us the right way. A friend that will accompany through hardships and ease, the only friend who'll be there for us in the grave.

Quran indeed is a mercy from Allah. This Ramadan let us struggle to open up our hearts, minds and souls to gain as much as we can from this blessing.

Our Goal: Recite, reflect, act and spread....the Quran!

[To be continued... we'll explore more paths to Allah's mercy Insha Allah!]

Source: https://ummsalih.wordpress.com/

[hidaayah]

2. Patience = Allah’s mercy!

Mentioning His Sunnah about trials and tribulations Allah (swt) says in Surah Baqarah:


Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return.” Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided. [2:156-157]
Patience during trials is another source of Allah’s mercy. Whether it is the loss of a loved one or loss of a beloved possession, whether it is a trivial test of everyday life or a greater affliction comes upon you, endurance and patient perseverance is what Allah wants; it is the key to His mercy.
Ramadan too is the month of patience, as our Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) has said:”This is indeed the month of patience, and the reward for true patience is Jannah.”{Nasai-Bayhaqi} In Ramadan we go through a training program for patience, restricting ourselves and controlling our desires itself entails patience. This endurance does not only require us to keep away from food and drink but also to restrain our eye from watching whatever displeases our Beneficent Rabb, restrain our mouth from blurting out Haram, our ears from hearing that which Allah forbids and our feet to drive us to places that are displeasing to Allah.

The Prophet said, “Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)” [Sahih Bukhari]

Sulaymân b. Mûsâ [d119H] said:

When you fast, your hearing and sight should also fast, and your tongue should fast by keeping away from lies; and do not harm your servant. Don’t let the day you fast be the same as the day you don’t fast. [Tarikh Damishq]

3. Repentence:

And when those come to you who believe in Our verses, say, “Peace be upon you. Your Lord has decreed upon Himself mercy: that any of you who does wrong out of ignorance and then repents after that and corrects himself – indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Surah An'aam 6:54]
The ayah mentioned above relates that” whoever repents from the sins he has committed, intending not to repeat them again and turns towards a rightful life, Allah out of his compassion and beneficence will forgive him. Allah loves that His slaves turn back to him and He has obliged His Most Honored Self to grant mercy.”[Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

The Messenger of Allah said: “When Allah finished with the creation, He wrote in a Book that He has with Him above the Throne, `My mercy prevails over My anger‘.” [Musnad Ahmad]

If we’re tracking on the path of Allah’s wrath, now is the time, and Ramadan is the prime time to turn back to Allah. The mercy of the Merciful is flourishing in Ramadan and performing righteous deeds is relatively easier, why not then return to Allah?
4. Ihsan
Allah Almighty says in Surah A’raaf:

Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.[7:56]
The characteristic specified here for availing Allah’s mercy is Ihsan. This, like many others, is a special terminology of the Quran which is used for a higher level of Imaan. According to a Hadith, Ihsan is worshiping Allah as if you can see Him and keeping in mind that He is watching you. This way a person stops himself from doing everything that displeases Allah and races towards good deeds, searching and seeking them wherever they can. This is Ihsan, doing what is best and in the best possible way.
In Ramadan, when the gates of Jannah are open;i.e, the opportunities of righteousness are abundant, we must aim to collect as many rewards as we can from the showering blessings of Allah. When rewards are multiplied and fasting is singled out for an even greater reward.

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed of the son of Adam will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold. Allaah said: ‘Except fasting, for it is for Me and I shall reward for it’” – i.e., I shall reward it greatly, without specifying how much.[Muslim]

This greater reward depends on the quality of our fast! The Husn (beauty, goodness) of it. So let us struggle and work hard to make this Ramadan meaningful….a Ramadan with the power to keep us charged for the whole year to come! A Ramadan of Transformation!

[Taabuu]

[Sara_786]

:sl:

A friend that will accompany through hardships and ease, the only friend who'll be there for us in the grave.[/B]

[/RIGHT]

So true.

Jazakellah khair for the post and reminder sister. May Allah (SWT), inshallah, give you ajr and increase your knowledge further. Ameen!