Remember Ramadan Ramblings – Episode 3: Muharram – Our Fourth Chance

Assalamu Alaikum.

Yes, Ramadan was our 2nd chance and the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah was the 3rd.

Now, we have yet another chance: Muharram.

You might wonder why I keep pointing to specific months as being 3rd or 4th chances when, in reality, a person can make a fresh start from…NOW.

Yes, that’s true. However, the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah and Muharram are what I call mini-goals and iman-boosting opportunities, because of their many virtues.

It is very difficult for a person to think about working hard for a lifetime. So we need to shorten that to working hard until the end of Ramadan, so that we can take it year by year. However, as Ramadan is still quite far away, we need to work towards another goal that is close by in order to keep ourselves motivated.

That’s what I’ve noticed about most people. They need deadlines. I’m like that too. I need a real tangible deadline so that I can get the adrenaline going.

So, let’s give ourselves yet another deadline to improve: Muharram.

And we’ll just keep doing this until Ramadan comes, insha-Allah.

Remember: The only way to actually “remember” Ramadan is to become our “Ramadan selves” and better in all the months.

PS. Question to all of you: Are you still asking Allah to accept your Ramadan? If not, then why not? The early generations did this for 6 months after Ramadan!

The Second Best Month in which to fast…

Assalamu Alaikum.

Is it Dhul Hijjah, you ask?

Nope. It’s Muharram.

And it’s coming up in less than two weeks.

As always, here’s a nice article to get us warmed up:

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http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/books/77

The Virtues of Allah’s sacred month of Muharram

Praise be to Allaah,

the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Chief of the Messengers, and upon all his family and companions.

Allah’s sacred month of Muharram is a blessed and important month. It is the first month of the Hijri calendar and is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein…” [al-Tawbah 9:36]

Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2958).

Lecture: Is it the End or just the Beginning?

Assalamu Alaikum.

Okay, this isn’t a lecture per se, it’s just a short reminder from Productive Ramadan.

I  mentioned this website during Ramadan. It was really quite nice. They sent out iman boosting tips via email (I needed that). Now they’ve moved back to their parent page: http://www.productivemuslim.com/

It’s quite nice and the concept is wonderful, masha-Allah. May Allah reward Brother Muhammad (he’s the one behind the website).

[Note: They’re working on a new website and are looking for duas, donations and sponsorships. Why not help out?]

Here’s the reminder (and a much needed one at that):

Is it the End or just the Beginning?

The six fasts of Shawwal

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Assalamu Alaikum.

Ah, yes. Back to ibaadah. There’s still that huge mansion in Paradise that we want to occupy, correct?

The second thing that people start to discuss after Ramadan ends (the first thing being Eid) is the fasts of Shawwal.

Allow me to provide a summary (please check the links provided for more details):