As We Welcome Ramadan, Many Of Our Brothers And Sisters Will Be Breaking Their Fast In Chains Or Behind

Do not be surprised if, in our times, the voice of delusion is loud while the voice of truth seems quiet.

Remember, Abu Jahl loudly proclaimed his falsehoods near the Ka’aba, while Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم quietly recited the Words of Allah in the house of al-Arqam.

And what was their fate?

The first was slain and discarded into the well at Badr!

The second ascended to the Highest Heavens, where he conversed with his Lord at Sidrat al Muntaha

وغادرنا سفول الليل قاصرا

فلا نمنا ولا ذقنا الأمان

وأعوام مضت والعين تبكي

جميعا كلنا في الأسري عاناه

مطاعهم لعل القلب يحنو

ونسرخ تحت وطئتهم كفانا

ولكن القلوب غدت حديدا

وفيها الحقد قد بلغ العلامه

حياة كلها قهر وظلٌ

الا يا موت زرنا في ضحانا

اما والله لا ارهاب فينا

وعار ان تصدق ايا اخانا

❝ When Allah blesses you with a chance to help and support your brother, recognise it as a true blessing! Consider yourself the one being helped. Allah has bestowed upon you the blessings to help others and cleanse yourself. You are a mere vessel of opportunity—either you help or you don’t. Remember, Allah will always find a way to support and aid His faithful slaves. Allah selected you and preferred you for the opportunity to be presented to. But if you don’t help yourself by giving charity and reject this blessing of Allah, you have no one to help you and you are accountable for every penny. The angels will make Duah against you and your fortune sooner or later will diminish as it’s void of the blessings of Allah. Exactly what happened to those before you. ❞

— Shaykh Musa Jibril حفظه الله

Talks are plenty, words are in abundance, what’s actually lacking is the true sincere action.

O’ Allaah, don’t put us into trial with our words and make us people of real action

How can the tears of a believer not flow over the departure of this month when he does not know whether he has enough of his life to see it returning [the following year]?

— Lataa’if Al-Ma’aarif | P. 373

More than half of Ramadan has passed—wake up from your slumber before it’s too late! Rise, seek mercy, and race toward the gates of Ar-Rayyan. Let these blessed nights be your turning point, for the doors of forgiveness are still open, and the chance to earn Allah’s pleasure is within reach. Strive now, before the final moments slip away

The Forgotten Sister

My dear sister whom I have not met, Let me begin with my apologies for that is all I can offer, I’m sorry I can not do more than apologies, But in my dua is where your remembrance lies, I’m sorry your screams and cries go unheard of in the depths of the night, under ground in dark rooms of confinement where strangers imprison you and hurt you, I’m sorry they raped and bruised you, Broke you and shattered you, Squeezed you and shackled you, Choked you and battered you, I’m sorry I was too busy with my life, I wasted my time on my phone chilling out, Checking out what’s new and what’s old, I maybe only thought of you once every few months, Your screams I could not bare so I chose not to listen, We all overlooked you and your struggle, We kept quiet just so we don’t get in trouble, We had the answer all along, I’m sorry we’re too busy saying you and those that defend you are wrong, Once upon a time a single tear falling from your eye would have ranked and sent forth armies to your defence, But it seems as though this ummah has lost its common sense, Sometimes I imagine being in your place, But every time I do I feel like I’m lost in time and space, I admire your strength, If this test was given to just anyone they would have surely crumbled, So my dear sister I am sorry, But Alhamdulilah the ummah is slowly awakening and rising, Your relief after hardship is soon, So bear with beautiful patience, For Allah subhanu wata'ala gives His greatest tests to His strongest soldiers. الْحَمْـدُ للهِ الّذي عافاني مِمّا ابْتَـلاكَ بِهِ، وَفَضَّلَـني عَلى كَثيـرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَـقَ تَفْضـيلا Praise is to Allah, Who has spared me what He has afflicted you with, and preferred me greatly above much of what He has created. Make dua for the ummah this Ramadhan, Alhamdulilah we have it way better than others, the purpose of Ramadhan is to remember the less fortunate and the struggle and to be greatful to Allah subhanu wata'ala for all that He has blessed us with, it’s so much more than just refraining from food and drink, it’s a month of beautiful lessons and a month to feed our souls. A reminder to myself first and foremost In Sha Allah.

A dark way unfolds before me, in it, the only source of light is the lantern of my īman, which I carry in my feeble hands tired of disobedience of their Creator. 

I only see my feet and where they lay, -not much further- unsure of wether the direction I am taking is right or wrong, wether my steps lead me to my eternal success, or to the ruin of my dunyah and akhirah. 

However, my uncertainty remains unable to shake the unwavering hopeful heart that leads me despite my veiled vision, a heart certain that Allah will not harm me wherever I end up. Solely because I sought Him despite my doubts, I sought His pleasure, I sought His forgiveness for my sins, I sought His paradise and He would never stop me in the way leading to it. Alhamdulillah.

I will become from the righteous and enter the paradise of My Lord, Biithnillah… despite my doubts, despite my sins, despite my worry and despite my pain.. not because I deserve it, but because Allah is merciful. Regardless of the plots of Shaytan and His followers, I will sit in the couches prepared in paradise for the righteous, smiling and laughing at the punishment of those who once tried to lead me with them astray.

وكلُّ شيءٍ حُرمتَ منهُ؛ رُحمتَ مِن شرّه.

And everything you were deprived of, you were spared from its harm.

While discussing the merits of the second half of Ramadan, ibn Rajab al-Hanbali mentioned the following more general point:

[كل زمان فاضل من ليل أو نهار فإن آخره أفضل من أوله كيوم عرفة ويوم الجمعة وكذلك الليل والنهار عموما آخره أفضل من أوله ولذلك كانت الصلاة الوسطى صلاة العصر كما دلت الأحاديث الصحيحة عليه وآثار السلف الكثيرة تدل عليه ]

"For every virtuous time – whether it be in the day or the night – its latter part is more virtuous than its earlier part. Take for example the day of ‘Arafah and the day of Jumu’ah. Likewise, this applies to the night and day generally speaking, that the latter part is more virtuous than the earlier part. That is why “the middle prayer” is the ‘Asr prayer, as is indicated by authentic hadith narrations, and a great number of statements from the salaf also support this."

[Lataa'if al-Maraa'if pg. 176]