Reaping the Benefits of Ramadan

By Ali Al-Timimi 

In the month of Ramadan it is very important that we spent a few moments to understand some of the wisdoms and lessons that we can learn from this month of fasting. Unfortunately, many Muslims come in to this month and they are as a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Let it not be that the day that you fast and the day that you break fast be equal." Meaning, one's behaviour, attitude and outlook are the same whether one fasts or not, i.e. fasting has no effect upon that person. This is why we need to reflect on some of these lessons.

LESSON 1: Gaining Taqwa (piety)
Allah legislated fasting for gaining Taqwa, "O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it has been prescribed upon those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa." (meaning of Soraatul Baqarah (2):183) Taqwa in this case means to make a shield between oneself and Allah's anger and Hellfire. So we should ask ourselves, when we break our fasts, 'Has this fasting day made us fear Allah more? Has it resulted that we want to protect ourselves from the hellfire or not?

LESSON 2: Drawing closer to Allah
This is achieved by reciting and reflecting on the Qur'an during night and day, attending the taraaweeh prayers, remembering Allah, sitting in circles of knowledge and, for those who can, making `umrah. Also for those who can, making I`tikaaf (seclusion) in the last ten nights of Ramadan, so as to leave all worldly pursuits and seclude oneself in a masjid just thinking of Allah, so as to bring oneself closer to Allah . When one sins, one feels distant from Allah. That is why one might find it heard to read the Qur'an and come to the masjid. However, the obedient worshipper feels closer to Allah and wants to worship Allah more, because he is not shy from his sins.

LESSON 3 : Acquiring Patience and Strong Will
Allah has mentioned patience more than seventy times in the Qur'an and has commanded patience in more than sixteen ways in His Book. So when one fasts, and gives up one's food and drink, and one's marital sexual relations for those hours, one learns restraint and patience. This Ummah needs man and women that are strong willed, who can stand upon the Sunnah and the Book of Allah and not waver in front of the enemies of Allah. We do not need emotional people, who just raise slogans and shout, but when the time comes to stand upon something firm, they cannot do so, they waver.

LESSON 4: Striving for Ihsaan (righteousness and sincerity) and staying away from riyaa' (showing off)

Ihsaan means to worship Allah as if one seeks Him, and even though one does not see Him, He sees all. Hasan al-Basree said, "By Allah, in the last twenty years, I have not said a word or taken something with my hand or refrained to take something with my hand or stepped forth or stepped back, except that I have thought before I have done any action, 'Does Allah love this action? Is Allah pleased with this action?' So when one is fasting, one should gain this quality of watching oneself and also staying away from riyaa' (showing off). That is why Allah said in a hadeeth qudsee, "Fasting is for Me and I reward it." (al-Bukhaaree) Allah singles out fasting from all other types of worship saying, "Fasting is for Me", because no one knows whether you are fasting or not, except Allah. For example, when one is praying or giving charity or making tawaaf, one can be seen by the people, so one might do the action seeking the praise of the people. Sufyaan ath-Thawree used to spend the nights and the days crying and the people used to ask him, "Why do you cry, is it due to the fear of Allah? He said, 'No.' They said, "Is it due to the fear of the Hellfire?" He said, 'No. It is not the fear of Hellfire that makes me cry, what makes me cry is that I have been worshipping Allah all these years and doing scholarly teaching, and I am not certain that my intentions are purely for Allah.'"

LESSON 5: Refinement of manners, especially those related to truthfulness and discharging trusts.
The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allah has no need that he should leave his food and drink." (al-Bukhaaree) What we learn from this, is that we must pay attention to the purification of our manners. The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "was sent to perfect good manners." (Maalik) So we must check ourselves, are we following the behaviour of the Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him)? For example: Do we give salaam to those we don't know and those we do know? Do we follow the manners of Islam, by telling the truth and only telling the truth? Are we sincere? Are we merciful to the creation? 

LESSON 6: Recognizing that one can change for the better
The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are those who repent." (Ibn Maajah) Allah provides many opportunities to repent to Him and seek His forgiveness. If one was disobedient they can become obedient. 

LESSON 7: Being more charitable
Ibn `Abaas said, "The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) was the most charitable amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Jibreel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month." (al-Bukhaaree) The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "He who gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the same reward as him, without nothing being reduced from the fasting person's reward." (at-Tirmidhee)

LESSON 8: Sensing the unity of the Muslims
The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, ".Those of you who will live after me will see many differences. Then you must cling to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided khaleefahs. Hold fast to it and stick to it." (Aboo Daawood) In this month we sense that there is a possibility for unity, because we all fast together, we break fast together, we all worship Allah together, and we pray Salaatul-`Eid together. Therefore we sense that the unity of possible. It is possible for Muslims to be a single body, but this will only be achieved when obedience is only to Allah and His Messenger.

LESSON 9: Learning discipline
The Prophet (ma Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) made us adhere to discipline and strictness, strictness that does not lead to fanaticism or going outside the bounds that Allah has laid down. One cannot knowingly break the fast before the sunset, as this will not be accepted by Allah. Muslims should learn to be very strict in their lives, because they are people of an important message, which they mold their lives around.

LESSON 10: Teaching the young to worship Allah

It was the practice of the people of Madina that during the fast of `Aashooraa (which is now a recommended fast of one day) to get their children to fast with them. When the children would cry of hunger and thirst, their parents would distract their attention by giving them some sort of toy to play with. The children would break their fast with their parents. (as mentioned in al-Bukhaaree). So the young should be brought to the masjid and they should pray with their parents, so that they are able to get into the habit of becoming worshippers of Allah. If one does not encourage children to fast when they are young, they will find it very difficult to fast for thirty days at the age of puberty. This is why the Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "Command your children to pray at the age of seven and beat them at the age of ten (if they do not pray." (Haakim)

LESSON 11: Caring for one's health

Fasting has many medical benefits and it teaches Muslims to take care of their health and too build strong bodies. The Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, "A strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone." (Muslim)

More articles. Read on missionislam.com

Mutiara Kata ♥

♥♥Hati-hati dengan fikiran kita kerana ia menjadi kata-kata♥♥
♥♥Hati-hati dengan kata-kata kerana ia berubah menjadi perbuatan♥♥
♥♥Hati-hati dengan perbuatan kerana ia menjadi kebiasaan♥♥
♥♥Hati-hati dengan kebiasaan kerana ia menjadi karakter kita♥♥
♥♥Hati-hati dengan karakter kerana ia menentukan masa depan kita♥♥

Jgn bangga berkulit putih kerana kulit terakhir kita = TANAH LIAT
Jgn bangga dgn rumah bagus dan besar kerana rumah terakhir kita = KUBUR
Jgn bangga dgn baju bagus kerana baju terakhir kita = KAIN KAFAN
Jgn bangga dgn kereta & mtor bsr, krn kenderaan kita yg terakhir = KERANDA

Renung-renungkan dan Selamat Beramal. Insyaallah

Sumber: Facebook

 

Salam Ramadhan Al-Mubarak!

Assalamualaikum.

Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi Maklumat Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor akan mengadakan sebuah Wacana Ilmiah pada Jumaat, 5 Ogos 2011. Maklumat seperti di poster.

Warga FSTM, berikan sokongan kalian dengan menghadiri Wacana ini. Terima Kasih. Wassalam.

10 Tip untuk Mencapai Kecemerlangan Dalam Ramadhan

1.Laparkan Kejayaan : apa-apa pun target anda pada diri sendiri, anda akan mencapai sekurang-kurangnya 80% daripada target anda itu. Jangan jadikan kegagalan sebagai pilihan anda pada Ramadhan kali ini, tanamkan keinginan dan laparkan kejayaan

2.Tetapkan Matlamat : Apabila kita menetapkan matlamat kita pada Ramadhan kali ini, tetapkan matlamat yang tinggi! Allah S.W.T telah menetapkan matlamat yang tinggi kepada kita semua, iaitu Syurga Firdaus, Insyaallah. Kita tidak boleh hanya menetapkan matlamat, tetapi berusaha untuk mencapainya.

Melatih anak pelihara kesempurnaan puasa

Oleh Khairunneezam Mohd Noor

IBADAH puasa Ramadan adalah salah satu tunjang utama Rukun Islam dan semua umat Islam tidak kira usia perlu sedar kewajipan menunaikannya termasuk golongan anak kecil. Ulama berpandangan walaupun kanak-kanak belum diwajibkan melaksanakan syariat, ibadah puasa dilakukan dianggap sebagai satu bentuk latihan.

Pernyataan ini jelas memberi isyarat ibadah puasa perlu dididik dan dilatih kepada anak kecil. Menjadi tanggungjawab ibu bapa memastikan anak seawal usia empat atau lima tahun belajar menghayati kelebihan berpuasa pada Ramadan.

Latihan menahan nafsu makan dan minum pada siang hari serta memperbanyakkan amalan mulia dan mengelakkan diri daripada kemungkaran besar impaknya apabila anak meningkat dewasa kelak.
Mereka tidak akan berasa canggung untuk melaksanakan bukan saja amalan berpuasa juga ibadah fardu lain seperti bersolat, zakat dan sebagainya. Jiwa mereka terdidik untuk memperbanyakkan ibadah sampingan yang melengkapkan diri menjadi manusia soleh dan solehah.

Untuk melatih anak berpuasa perlulah dimulakan secara berperingkat. Turuti tahap kemampuan mereka seadanya seperti puasa setengah hari, sekadar beberapa jam atau hanya beberapa hari sepanjang Ramadan.

Ramadhan : Batalkah Puasa Kita Jika...

Oleh : Dr. Zaharuddin Abd Rahman www.zaharuddin.net 

Ulama terbilang dunia ketika ini, Dr Yusoff Al-Qaradhawi pernah menyebut dan meluah rasa kurang setuju beliau dengan tindakan para ulama yang terlalu meluaskan perbuatan yang membatalkan puasa. Beliau lebih setuju untuk mengecilkan skop dan ruang lingkup pembatalan puasa kepada perbuatan yang benar-benar terdapat dalil tepat dari al-Quran, al-Hadith dan disepakati ulama sahaja.

Beliau berpendapat perbincangan panjang lebar oleh ulama silam, antaranya para ulama dari mazhab Hanafi dan ulama mazhab-mazhab lain menyebut sekitar 57 bentuk perbuatan yang membatalkan puasa adalah adalah tindakan yang kurang sesuai. Malah ia juga amat digemari oleh ulama masa kini sehingga terdapat yang menghabiskan masa begitu lama untuk merangka fatwa, berijtihad dan meletakkan kaedah bagi sesuatu perbuatan. Adakalanya ia adalah isu yang tidak memerlukan perhatian begitu mendalam.

Masalah ini dilihat semakin bertambah, apabila ijtihad dalam bab ini semakin bercambah hingga menyebabkan kesukaran orang kebanyakkan (awam) menjalankan ibadah ini dengan tenang kerana perincian perbuatan yang membatalkan puasa amat cabang (furu') dan terlampau banyak. Ia menyebabkan orang awam yang terhad kemampuan, masa dan rujukan sering berada dalam kebimbangan dengan isu batal dan tidak batal puasa ini. Lebih dikesali adalah perbincangan tentang ini juga ada meninggalkan perbincangan yang lebih besar berkenaan Ramadhan. (Taysir al-Fiqh - Fiqh As-Siyam, hlm 86-87)

Sebagai contoh, antara isu terbesar yang patut diberikan fokus mendalam di waktu Ramadhan adalah :-

1) Raih Taqwa & Mendapatkan Keampunan : Sangat jelas arahan Allah dan RasulNya menegaskan keperluan kita berusaha meraih taqwa dan keampunan di dalam bulan ini. Perbincangan berkenaan kaedah, cara dan cabaran yang boleh menghalang kita mencapai target ini perlu diberikan perhatian lebih.

Doa Harian Bulan Ramadhan

Doa Harian Bulan Ramadhan

Doa Hari Pertama

اَللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ صِيَامِيْ فِيْهِ صِيَامَ الصَّائِمِيْنَ وَ قِيَامِيْ فِيْهِ قِيَامَ الْقَائِمِيْنَ وَ نَبِّهْنِيْ فِيْهِ عَنْ نَوْمَةِ الْغَافِلِيْنَ وَ هَبْ لِيْ جُرْمِيْ فِيْهِ يَا إِلَهَ الْعَالَمِيْنَ وَ اعْفُ عَنِّيْ يَا عَافِيًا عَنِ الْمُجْرِمِيْنَ

Ya Allah.. Jadikanlah puasaku sebagai puasa orang-orang yang benar-benar berpuasa. Dan ibadah malamku sebagai ibadah orang-orang yang benar-benar melakukan ibadah malam. Dan jagalah aku dari tidurnya orang-orang yang lalai. Hapuskanlah dosaku… Wahai Tuhan sekalian alam. Dan ampunilah aku, wahai pengampun para pembuat dosa.

Doa Hari Kedua

اَللَّهُمَّ قَرِّبْنِيْ فِيْهِ إِلَى مَرْضَاتِكَ وَ جَنِّبْنِيْ فِيْهِ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَ نَقِمَاتِكَ وَ وَفِّقْنِيْ فِيْهِ لِقِرَاءَةِ آيَاتِكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ

Ya Allah.. Dekatkanlah aku kepada Keredhaan-Mu dan jauhkanlah aku dari kemurkaan serta balasan-Mu. Berilah aku kemampuan untuk membaca ayat-ayat-Mu dengan rahmat-Mu, wahai Maha Pengasih kepada semua pengasih.