The Muslim woman and Ramadhan

assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

All praise is due to Allaah, the one who raised the heavens without any pillars, the Creator and lord of all things, and may peace and blessings be upon the leader of mankind, the final messenger, and prophet, salaAllahu alayhi wassalam and his blessed family and companions and all those who follow his way until the day of judgment:

To Proceed:

O Muslim sisters, as we know, Ramadhan is the month of Allaah, a special month, in which Allaah bestowed his mercy on this ummah when He chose Muhammad ibn Abdillah (salaAllaahu alayhi wassalam) to be His last and final Messenger, the month in which the first verses of the Quraan were revealed, as Allaah (ta3alla)says:

"...It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was [first] bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by which to discern the true from the false. Hence, whoever of you lives to see this month shall fast throughout it; but he that is ill, or on a journey, [shall fast instead for the same] number of other days. God wills that you shall have ease, and does not will you to suffer hardship; but [He desires] that you complete the number [of days required], and that you extol God for His having guided you aright, and that you render your thanks [unto Him].”


In this blessed month, we are to be more careful in what we do than in other months. Why? Because as soon as Ramadhan enters, the gates of al jannah are flung open and the gates of hellfire are locked, and the devils are chained up as our prophet said:

« إذا دخل رمضان فتحت أبواب الجنة، وغلقت أبواب جهنم، وسلسلت الشياطين » رواه البخاري، ومسلم

The Prophet(salaAllahu alayhi wassalam) said: " When Ramadan enters, the doors of paradise are open and the doors of hellfire are closed, and the devils are chained up." (al Bukhari and Muslim)


What mercy and graciousness from Almighty Allaah!! O muslim sister, know and realize that after realizing this wonderful oppurtunity, Ramadhan is not just a month where you must cook for hours in preparing iftaar for the family and making all these exquisite and extravagant dishes. NO! This is but a waste of time, if no acts of worship occupy some of your time.

O sister in Islaam!! This ramadhan, increase in duaa to Allaah! Turn to Allaah, beg Allaah, plead and humble yourself before your lord. No one can stand between you and Allaah! Allaah has ordered us to make duaa to Him:

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ


And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islâmic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islâmic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!"

The prophet (salaAllahu alayhi wassalam) also said in the famous hadith that "ad-Duaa is worship" So after this, how could you O sister resist from turning to your lord in prayer and supplication!!! It is an utter disgrace and humiliation that many Muslims now, whenever they are faced with a problem, try to fix it and go through all these means, but forget to turn to Allaah and ask Him for his assistance, when he is the fixer of all problems and the knower of all things. Glory be to Him, Lord of al-Alameen!!

Know O muslim sister, may Allaah forgive me and you that, there are manners and ettiquttes when making duaa. Ask Allaah and supplicate to him using his names and attributes, say " ya Rahmaan, ya Raheem...Ya Ghafaar, ya Ghafur, Ya Jabaar, ya Rabb al Alameen..!!!" Sending salah and salam on the prophet (salaAllaahu alayhi wassalam )is also important especially at the end of the duaa, it is important that you have yaqeen or certainty when making duaa to Allaah and not doubting the duaa and Allaah, for this is a great loss! Allaah is capable of all things, nothing is hard for Him so nothing is impossible for him! Allaah created you and He knew what you needed and what you will need!


There are other manners when supplicating to Allaah. This beneficial book explains other important points:

http://tawheednyc.com/ibaadah/dua/mannersofdua.pdf


Another important thing to do this Ramadhan, is increasing in reading the Quraan. The book of Allaah! Have you ever wondered and asked yourself honestly, when was the last time you took the book of Allaah between your hands and read?!! O sister! Are you not afraid of Allaah's anger and curse on you at the fact that you can sit hours in front of the devil TV, or spend hours listening to music and your favorite singer, and all the latest hits of the season, while you cannot sit and spend a few minutes reading the glorious verses?!!! what a loss and disaster! And yet we ask Allaah to rectify our affairs and to give us victory! Allaah will not give His victory and to a people who have neglected His book and deen!! This is the reality.

Has a lock and seal been placed over our hearts when we cannot read or even think about Allaah's words? Allaah, Most High, Says in the Quran (what means):

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا

meaning:

Do they not then think deeply in the Qur'ân, or are their hearts locked up (from understanding it)?

May Allaah have mercy on Ummar ibn al Khataab(radiaAllahu anhu) when he said:

“Verily Allaah raises some people by this Book and lowers others by it”

to be cont'd inshaAllaah...