A month of great opportunities

[Ridwaan Ravat]

Ramadhaan is a month of great opportunities. The opportunities that a Believer looks for are the opportunities of the Hereafter that make him/her closer to Allah Ta‘ala. Hereunder are some great opportunities which will bring us ‘great returns’.

1. Tahajjud/Nafl Salaah:*The virtues of tahajjud are many. Although we desire to wake up for tahajjud throughout the year, many of us don’t get the opportunity. Ramadhaan is the ideal time, since we are waking up for sehri. Together with the physical nourishment, we should take some spiritual nourishment as well.

Apart from tahajjud we should try to perform other nafl salaahs as well. The reward of a nafl in this month is equal to that of a fardh. However, if one has outstanding qadha (missed) salaah then this should be read in place of the nafl salaahs.

2. Du‘aa:*Ramadhaan is a month of crying to Allah Ta‘ala and presenting our needs before him, since du‘aas are readily accepted in this month. We also learn from the ahaadeeth that there are certain special du‘aas which we ought to be making. These are:

a. Mercy of Allah Ta’ala.

b. Forgiveness of Allah Ta’ala.

c. Emancipation from the fire of Jahannam.

d. Entry into Jannah.

Furthermore, there are certain special occasions for du‘aa as well, viz. sehri, iftaar, last ten nights and especially the odd nights of these last ten nights.

3. Recitation of the Quraan Majeed:Ramadhaan is the month of the Quraan Majeed. The Quraan Majeed and all other divine books were revealed in this month. The pious predecessors completed the Quraan Majeed many times during the month of Ramadhaan. Some of them even made up to 2 khatams daily.

4. Zikr:*The hadeeth teaches us that we should make two particular forms of zikr in Ramadhaan, which are very pleasing to Allah Ta‘ala, viz. The recitation of first kalimah and istighfaar.

5. Taraaweeh:*Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has mentioned that when a person is in sajdah, he is the closest that he can be to Allah Ta‘ala. In the taraaweeh salaah, Allah Ta‘ala is giving us 40 more opportunities (2 sajdahs x 20 rakaats) to be the closest to Him. Therefore the taraweeh salaah should not be taken as a burden. Rather one should complete it with great enthusiasm. We should also ensure that our daughters also perform it.

6. Sympathy and Generosity:*These are great qualities at all times. However, in this month the reward for this is multiplied greatly. Let us open our hearts in feeding the poor, and lessen the workload of our Muslim domestics and garden boys.

7. Taubah and Refraining from Sins:*Together with doing all the good actions mentioned above, one has to sincerely repent from all vices and totally refrain from committing any sin in this blessed month. Insha-Allah, by refraining from sin in this month, Allah Ta‘ala will give us the ability to completely abandon sin for the rest of our life. If one continues sinning in this month, all the rewards that have been accumulated will be lost.

[ali399]

Month Of Blesseings :)