Marhaban ya Ramadhan..

Assalamualaikum dear readers. The month of blessing is just around the corner, Marhaban ya Ramadhan al-Mubarak. Here I would love to share with you a few common mistakes that we thought simple and tend to neglect to even notice. I may seem a lil' bit longer than my usual post but it's worth to share. ^^,

Taking Ramadhaan as a ritual

For many of us Ramadhaan has lost its spirituality and has become more of a ritual ( Stereotyped behaviour) than a form of Ibaadah. We fast  from morning to night like a zombie (living dead)just because everyone  around us is fasting too. We forget that its a time to purify our hearts  and our souls from all evil. We forget to make Dua, forget to beseech  Allah to forgive us and ask Him to save us from the Fire.  Sure we stay  away from food and drink but that’s about all? Too much stress on food and drink For some people, the entire month of Ramadhaan revolves around food. They spend the ENTIRE day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking about only food, instead of concentrating on Salaah, Quraan and other acts of worship. All they can think of is FOOD so much so that they turn the month of ‘fasting’ into the month of ‘feasting’. Spending all day cooking Some of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their husbands)  are cooking ALL day and ALL night, so that by the end of the day, they are  too tired to even pray Ishaa, let alone pray Taraweeh or Tahajjud or even  read Quraan. This is the month of mercy and forgiveness. So turn off that  stove and turn on your Imaan!   Eating too much Some people stuff themselves at Suhoor (Sehree) until they are ready to burst, because they think this is the way to not feel hungry during the day and some people eat at Iftaar, like there is no tomorrow, trying to ‘make up for the food  missed.’ However, this is completely against the Sunnah. Moderation is the key to everything. The Prophet (SAW) said: “The son of Adam does not fill any  vessel worse than his stomach; for the son of Adam a few mouthfuls are  sufficient to keep his back straight. If you must fill it, then one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air.” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah. Saheeh by al-Albaani). Too much food distracts a person from many deeds of obedience and worship, makes him lazy and also makes the heart heedless. Sleeping all day Some people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) ’sleeping away their  fast’. Is this what is really required of us during this noble month? These  people also are missing the purpose of fasting and are slaves to their desires of comfort and ease. They cannot ‘bear’ to be awake and face a little hunger  or exert a little self-control. For a fasting person to spend most of the  day asleep is nothing but, negligence on his part. Wasting time The month of Ramadhaan is a precious, It is so much precious so that Allah  calls this month“Ayyamum Ma’doodaat“ (A fixed number of days). Before we  know it, this month of mercy and forgiveness will be over. We should try and spend every moment possible in the worship of Allah so that we can make the  most of this blessing. However, there are some of us who waste away their  day playing video games, or worse still, watching TV, movies or even listening to music. Subhaana Allah! Trying to obey Allah by DISOBEYING him! Fasting but not giving evil Some of us fast but do not give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting, etc. and  some of us fast but do not give up cheating, stealing, dealing in haraam, buying lotto tickets, selling alcohol, fornication, etc. and all kinds of impermissible things without realizing that the purpose of fasting is to not stay  away from food and drink; rather the aim behind it is to fear Allah. “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those  before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” [al-Baqarah 2:183]  The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting  upon it, and ignorance, Allah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.” (Bukhaari) Smoking Smoking is forbidden in Islam whether during Ramadhaan or outside of it, as it is one of al-Khabaa’ith (evil things). And this includes ALL kinds of ’smoking  material’ eg.cigars, cigarettes, pipes,’Sheesha’, hookah etc.“he allows them  as lawful At Tayyibaat (all good and lawful things), and prohibits them as  unlawful Al Khabaa’ith (all evil and unlawful things) [al-A'raaf :157] It is harmful, not only to the one smoking, but also to the ones around him. It is also a means of wasting ones wealth. The Prophet (SAW) said: “There should be no harming or reciprocating harm.” This is especially true during fasting and it invalidates the fast.(Fatwa -Ibn ‘Uthaymeen) Skipping Sahur The Prophet (SAW) said: “Eat suhoor for in suhoor there is blessing.” (Bukhaari, Muslim). And he (SAW) said: “The thing that differentiates between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is eating suhoor.”  (Muslim) Missing the golden chance of having your Dua' accepted The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of  breaking fast.The Prophet (SAW) said: “Three prayers are not rejected: the  prayer of a father, the prayer of a fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler.” (al-Bayhaqi, saheeh by al-Albaani). Instead of sitting down and making Dua at this precious time, some people  forego this beautiful chance, and are too busy frying samosas, talking, setting the food, filling their plates and glasses, etc. Think about it…. Is food more  important than the chance to have your sins forgiven or the fulfillment of your  Duas. Fasting but not praying The fasting of one who does not pray WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This is because  not praying constitutes kufras the Prophet (SAW) said: “Between a man and  shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.” (Muslim) In fact, NONE of  his good deeds will be accepted; rather, they are all annulled. “Whoever does not pray ‘Asr, his good deeds will be annulled.” (Bukhaari) Mixing fasting & dieting DO NOT make the mistake of fasting with the intention to diet. That is one of  the biggest mistakes some of us make (esp. sisters). Fasting is an act of  worship and can only be for the sake of Allah alone. Otherwise, mixing it with the intention of dieting may become a form of (minor) Shirk. Fighting over number of rakaah of Tarawikh There is no specific number of rak’ahs for Tarawikh prayer, rather it is  permissible to do a little or a lot. Both 8 and 20 are okay.Shaykh Ibn  ‘Uthaymeen said: “No one should be denounced for praying eleven or  twenty-three (raka’ah), because the matter is broader in scope than that,  praise be to Allah.” Wasting the last part of Ramadhan preparing for Eid Some people waste the entire last 10 days of Ramadhaan preparing for Eid, shopping and frequenting malls, etc. neglecting Ibadah and Lailatul Qadr.  Although, the Prophet (SAW) used to strive the hardest during the last ten  days of Ramadhaan in worship (Ahmad, Muslim) and not in shopping. Buy  whatever you need for Eid before Ramadhaan so that you can utilize the time in Ramadhaan to the max.Aa’ishah (RA) said: “When the (last) ten nights  began, the Messenger of Allah (SAW)) would tighten his waist-wrapper  (i.e., strive hard in worship or refra in from intimacy with his wives), stay  awake at night and wake his family.” (Bukhaari and Muslim). We say We Love Islam But, Do we really follow Allah’s and Our Prophets teaching?