Ramadan is over…
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
Yup, it’s over.
[Or at least it is in the Gulf. Some of you would still be in Ramadan in which case I would advise you to milk every minute for what it’s worth before Shawwal comes.]
So, what now?
Well, unfortunately most people are already thinking of their Eid food and their Eid clothes…
What should a believer do?
Well, we need to continue being steadfast. As simple as that.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Ramadan or not, our purpose of life is still the same.
Some last bit of advice before Eid (I’ll temporarily resume blogging after a few days after which I’ll go on a long break):
a) Don’t lose that Ramadan feeling.
b) Do all the sunnahs of Eid, even the little ones like eating some dates before going out to pray.
c) Please remember to pray all your fard prayers and try to pray the sunnah too.
d) Don’t forget to recite the Quran even if it’s a little bit.
e) Have fun and be grateful to Allah that you have the opportunity to have fun.
Yes, Eid is supposed to be fun and we can have fun (halal fun, alright?). It’s fine to go out and visit family and friends, etc.
However, don’t forget to be grateful to Allah for being able to do all these things. Just look at the situation of the Somalians and the Libyans. I wonder how much fun they’ll be able to have on Eid in their situation.
Just in case, you’re like “Oh, why is she depressing us with those reminders??”
Depressing you? I was trying to make you feel happy that you’re not in that sort of position…
f) Try not to stuff your face with cakes and sweeties.
I know that this is the most difficult part because every house you visit insists on giving you a bit of their oh-so-delicious pastries and you don’t have the will power to say no (until, of course, your stomach refuses to accept anything more in which case you are forced to say no after which your host glares at you).
But try anyway, won’t you?
May Allah accept our fast and our prayers and keep us steadfast on His deen.
Some resources for the Last Ten Days and Eid
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
Yes, they’re almost upon us – the best nights of the year.
No more napping. We need to take some action.
This Ramadan, I haven’t posted many resources because I did that last year.
I thought I would just link to the useful ones:
[All of these link to the post which contains the resource.]
Last Ten Days, Laylatul Qadr, Itikaf, Zakaatul Fitr and Eid
Articles / Books
1) When is Laylatul Qadr? [Don’t forget to read this one!]
2) The Excellence of the Night of Qadr
3) The Last Ten Days of Ramadan
4) A Guide to the Last Ten Days
5) Why have the Muslims forsaken Itikaaf?
6) Resources for Itikaf – Umm Muawiyah’s very own guide as to what you REALLY need for itikaf.
7) “There is no Itikaf except in the three Masjids”
[Note: It seems that some people get confused between Zakaah and Zakaatul Fitr. They are two totally different things.]
10) Some more Resources for Eid
Lectures
1) Making the Most of the End of Ramadan
2) Focusing on Laylatul Qadr and Itikaaf
3) Rulings and Virtues of Itikaf
4) Zakaatul Fitr – Is it money or food?
Is this the last post for this Ramadan, you ask?
I wish but no. A few more to go, insha-Allah…
Lecture: Shackles of the Mind
Assalamu Alaikum.
In the last Recover Ramadan post, I spoke about adjusting our attitude.
I found this interesting lecture (I’m still at the beginning) by Dr. Bilal Philips about the “shackles” of the mind. The example that he starts of with is also interesting: the Day of Eid.
Then, he moves on to explain how Surah Al-Fatiha talks about the shackles of the mind.
Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?
[According to the comments, this is a straight to the point lecture. Just my type.]
Shackles of the Mind by Dr. Bilal Philips
Some more Resources for Eid
Assalamu Alaikum.
Yes, Ramadan is over and I’m back.
Taqabalallahu minnee wa minkum (may Allah accept from me and from you).
I had already put up some Eid resources. However, there are some more:
[Click on the title to go to the website or download the article.]
1. Eid 101 Flash Presentation by Muhammad Al-Ahareef – Very nice indeed (especially for those who moan about lack of time).
2. Eid Greetings, Cards and Gifts by Muhammad Al-Jibaaly.
3. When Eid and Jumuah (Friday) coincide by Various Scholars.
4. What should be done if Eid coincides with a Friday by Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzan.
A few points:
– Please remember that Friday itself is a day of worship. It has many virtues and there are certain acts that are prescribed for this day.
[Note: The time on Friday when duas are accepted is either the time between the two khutbahs (lectures) in the Friday prayer or in the last hour of Friday (i.e. the hour before Maghrib on Friday). There is an authentic hadeeth that shows that it is the latter but the former is still a good time to do dua as well.]
– Eid is a big test for all of us. Sadly, it’s easy to forget about Ramadan on this day. So what do we do? Well, we should try to do the following:
1) Do the things prescribed for Eid e.g. ghusl, Eid prayer, et.
2) Turn the good acts into ibaadah e.g. visiting relatives and taking care of guests are acts of worship if we do it with the intention of pleasing Allah.
3) Don’t miss the fard prayers no matter what.
4) Don’t sleep without at least reading one page of the Quran. As most people will be busy entertaining the guests throughout the day or visiting friends and relatives, try to do this early in the morning or at night (before sleeping).
5) Try to recite Surah Al-Kahf. The time is from Maghrib on Thursday to Maghrib on Friday,
6) Don’t forget the morning and evening duas. Even if you say them a bit late, make sure that you say them! Also, don’t forget to do dua the hour before Maghrib.
7) Try to stay away from sin. If you mess up, do istighfar ASAP.
8) Try to remember Allah as much as you can throughout the day. Is it befitting that you struggled to remember him for 30 days and then promptly forgot about him on the 31st day?
Have a good Eid.
PS. The Shawwal fasts can be done from the 2nd of Shawwal onwards. We don’t have to do it from then but we can. I’ll post more on this tomorrow, insha-Allah.
Resources for Eid
Assalamu Alaikum.
Resources for Eid, you ask?
Yes, of course. The days of Eid (Al-Fitr and Al-Adha) are part of the shariah. Therefore, there are certain etiquettes to be followed within those days.
Too early, you say? Well, I’m planning to stop blogging for the next week so…
A note to all my brothers and sisters: Let’s analyse ourselves on the Day of Eid. If we forget about Allah on that day, and we go back to being the same way that we were before Ramadan, and we carelessly commit all sorts of sins (not praying on time, not safeguarding our tongues, free mixing with the opposite sex, wasting money, etc) on the Day of Eid on the pretext that it is a day of celebration*, then we should know that this is a big sign that our Ramadan did NOT get accepted.
[*Is this how we “celebrate” a month of obedience to Allah? By disobeying Him the day after that month ends? Allahul mustaan.]
Yes, because that is one of the ways to know if a deed got accepted or not – by seeing how we behave AFTER it. So, if a person goes for Hajj, and comes back and doesn’t pray his 5 prayers, then this is a sign that his Hajj was not accepted.
If you’re worried about not being able to obey Allah after Eid, then why don’t you turn to him in this blessed month and ask for His support and help in this matter?? Ask Him to make you obedient on the Day of Eid and beyond that.
Note: There are some differences between Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. For example, in Eid Al-Fitr, the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wasallam) ate some dates before the Eid prayer. In Eid Al-Adha, he did not eat anything until after the prayer.
[I messed it up a few years on Eid Al-Adha. I told my mother that I had followed the sunnah and eaten some dates before the prayer. I expected a pat on the back. All I got was “Hmm? I read that you were supposed to eat the dates after the prayer?” Oh well…]
The Resources
Books / Treatises:
Ruling concerning the Two Eids from the Purified Sunnah – Shaikh Ali Hasan Al-Halabi
The Two Eids and their Significance – Abdul Majeed Alee
Eid Etiquettes and Rulings – Shaikh Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid
Praying Eid in the Musalla is the Sunnah – Shaikh Al-Albani (rahimahullah)
Articles:
Ramadan: A Reminder of Unity – Shaikh Al-Albani (rahimahullah)
I should have put this up at the beginning of Ramadan because it pertains to the beginning and end of Ramadan.
I remember a sister from London telling me about the “fitnah of Eid” and I was like “Huh? What fitnah?”. She meant that the non-Muslim kids used to get confused when half of the Muslim kids didn’t show up on one day (because they were celebrating Eid) and the other half didn’t show up the next day (because they were celebrating Eid on a different day).This was because of a lack of unity amongst the Muslims on when Eid was, which resulted in the non-Muslims having an unfavourable opinion about Islam.
The Meaning and Reality of Holidays in Islam – Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jamee (rahimahullah)
The Prophet’s (salallahu alaihi wasallam) Guidance Regarding the Eid Prayer – Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullah)
Variations for the Eid Takbeer – Various Scholars
Videos:
Some of the Manners of the Eid Day by Abu Taubah.
View it here.
Want to buy nice halal dollies for your kiddies? (For those in the Emirates and in Qatar)
Assalamu Alaikum.
I know your first question might be like: “And what does this have to do with Ramadan?”
[For those of you who know me, you know that I could post an article about some turtle in Australia and somehow link it to Ramadan. My brain just works a bit differently.]
Well, the poster for these dollies said: “A lovely gift for Eid” so that’s why I’m mentioning it on my Ramadan blog.
So, here’s the flyer:
RAMADAN VIDEOS FROM AL HUDA TV
Assalamu Alaikum.
Al Huda TV had loads of Ramadan programs last year, and they’ve all been recorded and uploaded by a brother, may Allah reward him greatly.
In fact, he’s also uploaded the other programs.
You can download the regular programs here (you need to go to the thread of each series) and the Ramadan programs here.
As for the 2010 programs, I believe you can view them directly from the Al-Huda site: http://www.huda.tv/
Hate downloading and like to view videos online? Well, some of them can be found online here, here, here, here and here.
Please note: I don’t necessarily agree with all the videos that these brothers have uploaded. I’m just pointing out the Al-Huda programs to all of you.
WEBSITE: AL MINBAR
Assalamu Alaikum.
Here’s a nice website where they’ve transcribed and translated the various Jumuah khutbahs (mostly from Makkah, I think): http://www.alminbar.com/
They’ve also got many Ramadan khutbahs which you can read here. I’ve posted two of them on this blog. There are lots more though. Excellent stuff.
BOOK: THE FAST OF RAMADAN
Assalamu Alaikum.
I discovered another Ramadan e-book in my e-library: The Fast of Ramadan by Shaikh Muhammad ibn Jameel Zino.
Some points that I noted as I quickly browsed through the book:
1) It’s very simple but he has covered just about all the topics related to Ramadan.
2) It’s extremely well-organised.
I remembered something as I browsed through it: the greater and more knowledgeable the author, the simpler the book. Don’t believe me? Just take a few books of the top scholars* of today and compare them to the books of the students of knowledge and you’ll see what I mean. The scholars have a simplicity to their writing that will really touch you.
[Unfortunately, this word is overused in our time. There are very few scholars in the world. For example, the UAE has NO scholars – although there are many people of knowledge here, alhamdulillah.
Who decides who is a scholar and who isn’t? Well, the scholars themselves. decide. When the scholars accept a person as a scholar, well then, he is a scholar.]
The Greatest Month 