Ramadan is a time of worship where we all motivate ourselves and our families to make the most of the blessed month of the Quran. Self-discipline.
Who can we spend the month we all yearn each year with other than our beloved families? No one loves you more than your parents. It is the most valuable blessing in life. They try their best to make an effort within their abilities to bring us up in the best possible way with a balance of our responsibilities in life day to day and towards our Deen – our religion, Islam. They are our first teachers. Everything starts at home. If it has not started, please start it off by doing something small to motivate yourself and your loved ones around you. If it started but stopped because of different life events, why not restart it? It is not too late. The ingredient for motivation is to pick up the key and have hope. It is about how you practically make it achievable. For example, when a small child enters a location, their laugh or smile arouses the atmosphere positively. Another example is when the weather is sunny outside, motivating people to do something with family and friends. It all comes to the fitrah (natural belief) of oneself. We are all accountable for our actions, so we need to be encouraging and motivating to make the most of any activity even, for the most simple task. For example, start it off by asking: 'Why don't we do this activity?' Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported, The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader of the people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects. A man is the guardian of his family and; he is responsible for them. A woman is the guardian of her husband’s home and his children and; she is responsible for them. The servant of a man is a guardian of the property of his master and he is responsible for it. No doubt, every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock.” [Hadith Ṣaḥiḥ al-Bukhari 7138, Ṣaḥih Muslim 1829] Our parents are what encouraged us to love Islam, especially Ramadan. Gratitude upon Gratitude. Alhamdulilah. One of the practical ways I would advise and; please consider this as a reminder if already done. Is to make time and learn to prioritise and say no to tasks to make a compromise for family Start small. For example: “I am going to spend half an hour each day with my wife or husband or kids or parents and read the Quran together" "Let's read a hadith and its commentary." "Why don't we read a Parable of the Prophet?" "Why don't we donate for a charitable cause?" There are many ways of doing acts of goodness, making it really fun, education and so forth. These are just ideas. Please think and choose ways to make it work and commit to it. Ramadan is an opportunity to do good, so try to start now inshaAllah (If Allah Wills). The Quran is the source of guidance that we all continuously ask and seek. Please ask yourself, will you meet another Ramadan? What is the probability? This is not about negativity but the zeal to accomplish and please Allah (The Most High). It is the reality of life. The true nature is that our existence is temporary. The YOLO (you only live one) and POLO (play only live once) serves no aim nor vision in life because there needs to be an aim and mission to have a valued purpose. We need to make sure we make the most of time by preparing effectively for the month of Ramadan. Please do not waste time. Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good.” [Hadith, Al-Bukhari] Therefore, we should not waste time because time moves forward and is a blessing to make reason and aim for success in this life and Hereafter. Allah (The Most High) states: “By the time, indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” [Quran, Surah Al-Asr (The Afternoon) 103: 1-3]. In another hadith, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, in which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. During it, the gates of heavens are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and every devil is chained up. In it, Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived." [Hadith — Sunan Al Nisai] The Prophet (peace be upon him) always motivated everyone around him to prepare for the blessed month of Ramadan by increasing acts of worship, especially as the Shaytans are locked up. The acts of worship where many perform is easy to accomplish but actions, where a few perform or neglect is challenging to observe. Please do not look at anyone other than what you can do with your time and commitments. Please think wisely. Stay motivated because how we utilise our time effectively for ourselves, families, friends and; anyone else is a measure of how successful we can become internally and externally. Just try.
0 Comments
|
AuthorThe AFT team have organized a series of weekly inspiration, every Wednesday to help motivate and prepare you for this amazing moment we all yearn for. ArchivesCategories |