The first day of fasting has now passed and I must say time flew by today! After a productive morning making arrangements so that I would have Ramadan to myself this year with no other obligations I returned home a few hours after midday. I took a nap for a couple of hours and woke up refreshed to the call to Asr prayer.
After praying Asr I had a bit of time to continue reading where I left off the night before until I got called in to the kitchen to help with making Iftar. Thank God we don’t cook more than we can eat at our house and food is definitely not the main focus of Ramadan which is something I appreciate given how I see other people prioritize the kitchen in the Holy Month. In the midst of the potato slicing I stepped away from the kitchen to watch one of the few programs I have been following for many years now, Khawater with Ahmed Shugairi. The program for me has been one that has given me hope for the Islamic world and has always been simply inspirational.
As soon as things were set for Maghrib I returned to my Quran and continued on reading until it was almost time to break our fast and my family and I sat around the table to eat. Not so surprisingly Hasan, who isn’t fasting, was the first to leap into his chair and was more excited to eat than all of us!
As accustomed in our house we prayed Maghrib together with my father leading the prayer. After prayers my father called me into the balcony overlooking the coastline pointing out the beautiful crescent, it was surreal and looked more like a pastel painting. One of the most amazing things I realized about the sea ever since we moved here is that it looks different at every moment and no two moments are ever alike.
I made my mom quickly swallow her dinner as I impatiently told her we need to get to the mosque quickly, I was in thirst of the serenity I had experienced the night before. We arrived to the mosque a little later than yesterday night, and also given that it is now the second night, it wasn’t nearly as empty. I loved seeing the diversity of the way the women in the mosque were dressed, it was a clear indication that we should not be judgmental because when we stand for prayers it is only God that knows what our intentions are. It reminded me of how out of touch our priorities can be when we start fussing over externalities forgetting that we must first cleanse ourselves within and surely then the inner beauty we possess will be reflected on the outside.
As I began reading where I left off, a Quran recitation on the loudspeakers of the mosque began. The voice of the man reciting was stunning and beautiful resembling very much the voice of Abdul Basit Abdul Samad. I got up and sat next closer to better hear the recitation, my heart engulfed every letter of every verse. The slowness of the recitation left the heart in anticipation to hear the next verse and the recitation was in a way such that as you hear every word you give it deep moving thought. You can hear one of the verses which was recited which I recorded tonight here: And if My servant asks about Me
The call to prayer came and about half way through Taraweeh prayers I started to regret not drinking my coffee at iftaar time. Yawning and with my eyes becoming very teary, I was literally about to fall asleep then and there on the spot. I nudged my mom and told her I needed to go home, as we got in the car I was really annoyed with myself for not completing the whole set of prayers because I was sleepy. I got home changed and slipped under the sheets not realizing how tired I was until I attempted to start to write the night’s blog on my phone and was asleep before even starting it. The good news is I woke up over an hour before suhoor time, my ultimate favorite time of the day no matter where I am. A time just for me because nobody else is awake and I can hear is the dead of the night. I took out my laptop a little scared that I had probably forgot half the things I wanted to mention in my blog (which I probably forgot and will remember later after publishing the blog) and began typing away.
I had my suhoor and it was still about half an hour until the call to prayer but the mosque next to us pulls an April fools on us by call to prayer then for reasons I fail to understand.
Here are the verses which inspired me tonight:
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ
” The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His Messengers “We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His Messengers.” And they say: “We hear and we obey; (We seek) Thy forgiveness, Our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.””
لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا أَنتَ مَوْلانَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
” On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray): “Our Lord! condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; help us against those who stand against faith.””
There are many virtues to the last two verses of Surat Al-Baqara here are a few:
- Great Benefit:
From the Hadith regarding the virtues of Surat Al-Fatihah from Ibn `Abbas which stated “While the Messenger of Allah was with Jibril, he heard a noise from above. Jibil lifted his sight to the sky and said, `This is a door that was opened just now in heaven, and it was never opened before.’ An angel came down through the door to the Prophet and said, `Receive the good news of two lights that you have been given and which no Prophet before you was given: the Opener of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and the last Ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah. You will not read a letter of them, but you will be granted its benefit.”’ - Reciting Verses at Night:
The Propher PBUH about the last verses said, “Whoever recites the last two verses of Surat al-Baqarah at night, it will suffice him.” - Prayer is Answered:
It has been authentically reported by Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah (RA) that when the slave says these words, Allah (SWT) replies “Yes” (i.e. your prayer is answered). And according to the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, Allah (SWT) says: “I have already done so.”
It’s become a habit from a young age to recite these last two verses before going to bed along with Ayat Al-Kursi, Surat Al-Nas, Al-Falaq and Al-Ikhlas. I then usually recite athkar until I fall asleep and the best nights I have ever slept are the ones that ended like so.
Not to mention aside from the virtues of the last two verses they also carry beautiful meaning. From the first verse I find these words beautiful: “And they say: “We hear and we obey; (We seek) Thy forgiveness”. The second verse reminds us that we are not asked to carry a burden greater than which we can carry, something to keep in mind every time one feels disparity. There is strength within us to overcome the burdens of the world and it is up to us to dig deep and find that strength. Following this line are three beautiful prayers which I catch myself mumbling under my breath whilst driving.
رَبَّنَا لاَ تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ
““Our Lord!” (they say), “let not our hearts deviate now after Thou hast guided us, but grant us mercy from Thee: for Thou art the Grantor of bounties without measure.”
رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ النَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لاَّ رَيْبَ فِيهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ
““Our Lord! Thou art He that will gather mankind together against a day about which there is no doubt: for Allah never fails in His promise.””
If you want to learn how to best make duaa (supplication) my advice is to learn from the Quran. As you read through this Ramadan highlight and take note of every duaa you come across.
قُلْ إِن تُخْفُواْ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ أَوْ تُبْدُوهُ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
” Say: “Whether ye hide what is in your hearts or reveal it Allah knows it all. He knows what is in the heavens, and what is on earth. And Allah has power over all things.”
One of the reasons this verse stood out for me is because it reminds me of a duaa I make when I feel confusion. “God you know what is within me and I do not know what is within You, for You are the All-Knowing. Fix that which is wrong in my state.” No matter how much we think someone may understand us or how much we think we understand ourselves I find it much more reassuring to turn to the judgment of God. With time I have learnt to never beg for anything but only to ask God to grant me whatever is best for me which in turn brings a sense of ‘ridaa’ satisfaction regardless of what the outcome is.
لَن تَنَالُواْ الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِن شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ
” By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love; and whatever ye give, Allah knoweth it well.”
I think we have all been in a situation where we know that to get to the next level of faith, to better ones self we need to give up on something. The more we are attached to that *something* the more difficult to becomes to let go. However hard it is we must always remember nothing in this world goes with us to our graves except our deeds and so we must always keep in mind what truly *remains*. As soon as we rid ourselves of the selfishness and are willing to give up the pleasures of this worldly life we begin to view life in a different perspective. Much easier said than done, I am still struggling with this one.
وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong; they are the ones to attain felicity.”
This verse reflects something I strongly believe in. It’s not enough to just believe and not to spread the message. It really annoys me when I see people living in their little worlds with the mission to just feed their children and they are caught up in meeting the expectations of society with no real mission. Life has much more meaning and we as humans have much more life within us when we are actively participating as members of society.
إِن تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ وَإِن تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُواْ بِهَا وَإِن تَصْبِرُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ
“If aught that is good befalls you it grieves them; but if some misfortune overtakes you, they rejoice at it. But if ye are patient and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you for Allah compasseth round about all that they do.”
If you have had to spend time time around the envious then this verse will make perfect sense to you. Let’s not be like this, rather let us learn to be happy for others when they are successful.
وَسَارِعُواْ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
” Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous,―”
In Arabic, ” Be quick in the race” is one word “Sare3o” which always stands out for me. Don’t wait, don’t make excuses, don’t put it off until tomorrow… be quick. The impression I receive is God is waiting to forgive us and there are many hadiths and other verses about God’s readiness to forgive.
إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
” If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: if He forsakes you, who is there after that that can help you? In Allah, then, let believers put their trust.”
I think this verse is going to be one of my Ramadan highlights : )
الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُواْ لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
” Men said to them: “A great army is gathering against you, so fear them”: but it (only) increased their Faith. They said: “For us Allah sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs.””
The number of times I have been in a situation like this, the harder you try to bring us down the faster we spring back up.
Khadija Ali ••• خديجة علي 