HOW PREPARED ARE YOU (2) Brethren, one other way by which a Muslim could prepare inappropriately for Ramadan is to leave a threat to his health unattended to. Since Ramadan is a month of action, it is incumbent on every mature Muslim who knows and believes that fasting is obligatory on him to seek every lawful means by which she would be in the best state of health before it begins. Such a Muslim could go for a medical check-up. A Muslim who knows he is at the risk of contracting ulcer would be doing wrong preparation for Ramadan by engaging in supererogatory fasting before Ramadan. Remember, al fasting outside Ramadan are supererogatory not obligatory: whereas you would not be punished for not fasting in the month of Sha’aban, to intentionally skip Ramadan fast is Haraam. Brethren, it is implicit in what we have mentioned so far the positive ways by which we can prepare for the coming Ramadan. Let us prepare for the month by asking the Almighty to forgive us and redeem our leaders in this country. In an Hadith reported by al-Tabrani and which is classified as Hasan by al-Albani, the prophet is reported to have said: “Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing woman, the almighty will write for him a good deed for each believing man and believing woman.” Brethren let us begin an act of worship before Ramadan which we would then increase as soon as the blessed month begins; an act of worship that would then become our own wadhifahi, a regular spiritual exercise. The prophet says: “The deeds most loved by Almighty are those done regularly, even if they are small.” For example, if you are the type who always pray two rakaats of sunnah after Salat al-Ishaa, why don’t you add extra two with the intention of asking almighty to help you prepare for the coming month so that you can exert your utmost and reap the highest available rewards during the month. ln other words, intensify your acts of worship as rehearsals for acts that would peak during the month. What this means indirectly is that you are planning ahead for the month; you are already in the spiritual mood; the mood that would see you finish the reading and contemplation of the glorious Qur’an at least once during the month; that mood that would see you attend the tafsir sessions; that mood that would see you avoid all vain talks, indecencies and the muharramat (unlawful things) and permanently too. In this mood, you would envision yourself as if you are already standing up for judgment in front of the almighty; you are there in front of Him, all alone, without your loved ones. On that day your money and your status have become (and will become) useless. The only friend you will have on that day is your acts of worship: the salat you observed at the right time, the indecency you shunned even when you were all alone with that “babe” in your office, the smile you put on the face of that neighbour of yours who was in distress, the contract you won and which you conscientiously executed, the duties you discharged for your parent. Each of this act that you do before Ramadan would put you in the “Ramadan mood”. You would be happy to “meet” with Ramadan and it would be happy to meet with you.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 05:07:28 +0000
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