Laylatul Qadr is more than 1000 months.

1hr = 120 months

1 minute = 2 months

1 second = 22 hours (more than a day)

Make even eating and sipping water for Allah

Pray congregational Isha and every Jama3a prayer thereafter with imam (equals whole night of qiyam)

Pray Isha and fajr at the mosque (equals whole night of qiyam)

Do qiyam all night !

(that’s 3 nights worth in 1 night times 1000 months !)

Make dua for the ummah to receive so much more reward than just for yourself.

Pass this on and make a days reward each time 1 person saves a second !!

Assalamu Alaikum,

Jazakum Allahu Khairan for following us these 30 days in preparation for the blessed month of Ramadan. Our beloved guest has almost arrived. Before our guest comes, today’s tip is to sit for a few moments and review each previous tip briefly, and once again renew our intentions. Even if this is the first time you are looking at the countdown, these tips can still be used as your crunch-time inspiration insha Allah. Please forward and facebook today’s post far and wide, and get the reward of everyone who benefits from even a single tip insha Allah. This list has been compiled for your convenience from each day:

Day 30: Make a list of your goals, make dua to Allah for each one, and renew your intentions for every action in your day.

Day 29: Get rid of internal friction by building the habits you want for Ramadan early on, purifying your nafs each day.

Day 28: Reconnect to the Quran. If you have been distant, start with at least 20 min. a day, and take a lesson from it each day.

Day 27: If your reliance is on Allah, you don’t lose hope when a downfall occurs. Stop relying on yourself and rely on Him for an illuminated beginning and end.

Day 26: Add just 2 rakahs more than what you usually pray after Isha, and habituate yourself on Qiyam al-Layl. Make dua just 30 min. before Fajr as well.

Day 25: Pass over dunya swiftly, taking only what you need from it and continuing on. Eat moderately at iftar focusing on  your worship afterwards instead of your food.

Day 24: Increase your love of the Prophet (saw) by regularly reading and reflecting on his seerah, by making salawat (peace and blessings) on him and his family, and by following the guidance he came with, imagining how we would act if he was present and among us (saw).

Day 23: Make dua during the preferred times, and as much as possible while never despairing in the answer from Allah.

Day 22: Reconnect and maintain your family ties and Allah (swt) will bless your rizq and prolong your life.

Day 21: Identify your favorite types of worship and start doing them more often. Realize that different contexts in life make different acts of worship more beloved and/or rewarded so find the worships of your context and embrace them.

Day 20: Strive for concentration in prayer by having presence of the heart, witnessing of the mind, stillness of the body, and humility expressed in your limbs.

Day 19: Have true tawakkul by leaving the consequences  and results up to Allah with full trust in His perfect plan, while focusing instead on your immediate responsibilities and choices that He did grant you some control over.

Day 18: Write down all the things you wish you could have done  in life but never did and think about why you never did them. Then imagine if the fears that held you back actually happened– would it be the end of the world? Free yourself from your fears which are lies of the nafs, and act out of your love for Allah, and Allah will actually put approval in the hearts of people while you are not seeking it. Approve of yourself, and break the cycle of self-sabotage.

Day 17: Seek the best of companionship and don’t fear your own growth, nor be intimidated by keeping excellent company. Stop fearing positive change and allow yourself to be influenced and elevated in your iman and practice.

Day 16: Purify your heart from negativity towards any of your brothers and sisters in Islam, and seek to alleviate distress in the lives of others.

Day 15: Set aside time for the morning and evening adkhar in the day, and also make dhikr of Allah throughout your day walking, driving, sitting, whenever you find a quiet moment, and let your heart find rest in His remembrance.

Day 14: We don’t worship the spiritual high, we worship Allah. Don’t let not feeling focused or elevated spiritually stop you or cause you to do less of your acts of worship, your prayers, etc. Have patience and perseverance to continue worshiping Him, realizing the spiritual high is an added blessing, and focus is only a means, but Allah is your goal.

Day 13: Take account of yourself, remembering your good and bad deeds each day, saying Alhamdulilah for the good you were able to do, and repent for the mistakes. Plan your day so you can get the most amount of good in, or at least have the reward in the intentions if you weren’t able to do what you planned.

Day 12: Plan ahead for Ramadan by thinking about what Allah loves most. For example Isha in congregation has more reward than Taraweeh in congregation during Ramadan, so understand your priorities this Ramadan in advance.

Day 11: Remember to thank and praise Allah(swt) every time He grants you success in your endeavors. Place your joy and gratitude in Him and feel humbled by His blessing on you, instead of feeling arrogant and crediting yourself.

Day 10: Watch your speech by watching your thoughts. Do not oppress anyone even in your thoughts and seek refuge in Allah (swt) if and when they occur. Surround yourself with positive speech through engaging positive and beneficial thoughts.

Day 9: Make your Ramadan Resolutions for the year, and renew your oath to Allah (swt). Put yourself on a program to stay committed to your renewed oath of bettering yourself for His sake and to serve Him best.  ipersonalenrichment.com/pro is an excellent option developed by an author of this site. You can also buy a subscription as a Ramadan gift for family and friends.

Day 8: Specify time in the day, maybe after prayers for example or before eating to remember your many many blessings and thank Allah (swt) for them.

Day 7: Get into the habit of giving by putting a charity box in your home, and emptying it for different causes regularly. Realize there are many ways and means to be charitable, as even a smile is charity.

Day 6: Detach yourself from dunya not by isolating yourself from it, but by freeing your heart from it. Give up your whims to feel like you don’t have control, security, and approval– and fill your heart with Allah (swt) trusting His control, His protection, and His approval.

Day 5: Reflect and contemplate the signs of Allah around you in the world and feel awed by His Greatness.

Day 4: Let Allah (swt) be our qiblah before anyone else. When we are need, let us seek help from Him first and foremost.

Day 3: Think about what you will do each day of Ramadan, at fajr and in the daytime, at iftar and in the night time, what will you do in the last 10 nights, and in the last moments? How will you feel on Eid and what will you do after? Read this plan and make your own!

Day 2: Take initiative in giving back and don’t sit on the side-lines of life. Identify opportunities and seize the moment to take initiative with your tazkiyah, with your family, with your community, and even on the internet. Have a positive and proactive approach always.

Day 1: Review these tips, renew the intentions to practice them, and make dua that Allah (swt) makes this Ramadan your best one yet allowing you to come out a completely changed and bettered person insha Allah.

Please also take a few moments and make dua for the authors of the Ramadan Countdown, as well as all your brothers and sisters striving to better themselves this Ramadan. We pray that Allah (swt) accepts this effort from us, and what was beneficial in it, was a blessing from Allah (swt) and the mistakes and shortcomings are from us and the shaytan. We ask for His forgiveness and pray that Allah (swt) bestows His peace and blessings on the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and upon his family, companions, and followers until the end of time. Ameen.

Jazakum Allahu Khairan,

Abdel Rahman Mussa

Fatimah Mahmoud

Jamaal Diwan

Muslema Purmul

By: Muslema Purmul

“And whoever volunteers good – then indeed, Allah is appreciative and Knowing.”

I was really inspired this Sha’baan because I found out that a wonderful Muslim couple I know took initiative in a beautiful way to raise money for the dire situation in Somalia. They had a fundraising dinner in their home which they invited their acquaintances to. Fifteen people came masha Allah. They cooked for the group themselves and sold each dinner plate for £ 20.00, and they also had an auction. One of the touching things the wife had mentioned was that they couldn’t keep hearing about the situation on the news and wait for somebody else to do something. They had planned on attending and helping with the larger community fundraising dinners if and when they occurred, but they felt they could do more in the meantime rather than simply waiting. In fact, she had discussed this in her halaqah and every sister was supposed to host a small fundraising in their home too! Imagine if 6 couples each were able to host 15 people, over a hundred people would be included in a single effort to raise funds and awareness for an important cause, without making a single flyer! This particular couple raised £420 on the day and a couple of hundred since masha Allah!

With so many organizations serving the community, sometimes Muslims have become lax on themselves, forgetting that in their own personal lives there are so many opportunities to volunteer good, to initiate, and give back. It’s very important to be involved in the community teamwork through Islamic organizations, but that does not give us a license to stop there. Every day there are opportunities to plant a seed of goodness wherever we are, in our families, with our neighbors, and yes even on the internet. A sad situation is watching parents in the community unsure of what to do with their kids, yet taking real initiative with them, never crosses their minds. Parents want to lecture and talk, and drop their kids off at programs and that’s all they think they can offer in terms of guidance. Taking creative initiative to actually DO something with their family themselves never crosses their minds! Why not have a Qiyam program in the house in Ramadan and have different members prepare the talks, the suhur, and the activities for example? There are many creative ideas we can come up with that fit our various circumstances if we are willing to invest ourselves in actually taking initiative.

We cannot simply be consumers of other people’s efforts in the community, only attending functions after they are organized. “Liking” articles only, after they have been written. Praising others for their efforts only, like a cheer-leading squad thinking their job is done by simply screaming ‘hooray!’ on the side-lines instead of rolling up our own sleeves and realizing that we too are on the playing field. We too, are part of TEAM ISLAM. Let us never forget that Allah (swt) has always given us some control over our own choices, while the consequences and results are with Him.

If we look at the multitude of ahadith from the Prophet (saw), we see that no act of goodness is belittled in Islam. It always has significance and value with Allah (swt) and He is al-Shakur! Repeatedly in life, we see how when a small tiny effort is put forth, even a smile or giving half a date in charity, with the right intention– Allah (swt) makes that act significant, weighty, and sometimes we are fortunate enough to see in this life some of His blessings in the results!

The 30 day Ramadan Countdown 2011 has brought advice each day hoping to bring everyone important reminders. Let’s take the tip of the day and start with inviting you the reader– to move from being a consumer to a contributor– and leave behind your own important advice for Ramadan  in the comments section to all your brothers and sisters reading on the internet. Volunteer some good, and realize that Allah (swt) appreciates your good like no one else can, and He knows it intimately even better than you know it.

This Ramadan, I will …

A personal plan for the month of Ramadan – By Guest Contributor Wael Hamza taken with his express permission for this site, originally posted on: http://www.mastarbiya.org/resources/lighthouse/episode_2/ramadanschedule.pdf

A very important set of questions  comes to my mind every time I hear the hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) in which he said, “The month of Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month …” Were the several months of Ramadan I went through in my life blessed months? What kind of blessings did they bring to my life and how did they do so?” The more important and more relevant question is, “How can I make this upcoming month of Ramadan a blessed month for me and for those around me?” I know that the Prophet said that Allah sets some people free from the hellfire in every single night in Ramadan. Was I set free at any of these numerous nights I went through in the past Ramadans? Am I going to be chosen to be set  free in one of the nights of this upcoming Ramadan? I know that there is a night in the last ten days called the night of Al-Qadr that is better than a thousand months. Again, I ask myself, “Did I ever worship Allah in this night and gain the tremendous reward mentioned by Allah and his Messenger?” Trying to answer these questions, I realized that Allah does not choose people randomly for these blessings. I am sure He does not set people free based on their gender, race, or wealth. I am of the belief that the great night of Al-Qadr is a gift Allah gives to some people who show some effort during the month and probably throughout the year. The most important question is how can I make myself subject to all these blessings? How can I make this upcoming Ramadan a real change in my life? In the article, I am sharing with you my personal plan in getting the maximum out of this upcoming Ramadan for it may be the last Ramadan I ever experience.

What if I do not plan?

You may ask, what if I don’t plan for this month? The answer lies in the following few lines. One should understanding that the month of Ramadan is a month of preparation for the whole year. It is a strong boost to our level of Iman that will help us move throughout the rest of the year. Missing Ramadan one year is as if we missed preparation for this whole year. Missing many Ramadans is as if we missed a portion of our life. Missing Ramadan throughout our life is as if we missed our whole life. The Prophet (pbuh) was once climbing his three-step minbar, the place he used to stand on to give speech, where he said Amin each time he climbs a step. When asked by his companions about why he said so, he mentioned that Jibril came to him and made three supplications and asked him to say Amin, confirming and joining him in these supplications. One of these three supplications was “May Allah humiliate he who reaches Ramadan and did not get his sins forgiven.”

What is so special about Ramadan?

In the month of Ramadan, one can make all sorts of acts of worship and obedience to Allah (swt). Fasting is a very beloved deed to Allah and a sign of sincere intention. The nights of Ramadan are full of mercy and blessings for those who live them. Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an where extra attention should be paid to the Qur’an. The Messenger used to be more charitable in the month of Ramadan than any other times. It is a real opportunity that we have to utilize and I ask Allah to help us. If all of us do the same and try to get the best out of this month, we as a community of believers will show our obedience to Allah (swt) for He may bestow His mercy upon us, our families, our society, and the whole world.

This Ramadan, I will …

Before the month starts

1. I will count my time by minutes, not hours or days for the time in Ramadan is so valuable.

2. I will make sure I go over this plan enough before Ramadan and have the strong determination to implement it.

3. I will keep thinking of Ramadan from now. I will long for it and I will keep asking Allah to enable me to reach it, “O Allah, allow me to live until Ramadan. O Allah, grant me in it fasting and Salah and accept them from me.”

4. I will give charity BEFORE Ramadan as Anas Ibn Malik reported. He said that the companions of the Prophet used to do that to help the poor enter the month of Ramadan being ready.

5. I will start paying extra attention to the Qur’an BEFORE Ramadan starts to ramp up to something better in Ramadan. I am very encouraged to do so knowing that this was the attitude of the companions during Sha’ban as Anas reported.

6. I will look for some educational material to share with my non-Muslim friends if they need to know more about Ramadan, and I will make them available with me all the time.

On the first night of Ramadan

7. I will reflect on the hadith in which the Prophet said about this particular night. He said, “When the first night of Ramadan comes, the gates of heavens are open and not a single gate is closed, and the gates of the hell are closed not a single gate is open. The devils are chained. A caller will call, ‘O you who want to do good, come forth; O you who want to do evil stop.’ And Allah sets people free from hell every single night.”

8. I will make the duaa (supplication) which the Prophet (pbuh) used to make, “O Allah, start this month with good and Iman, safety and Islam,” I will then address the crescent and say, “Your lord and my lord is Allah.”

9. I will gather all my family and share with them this remarkable moment. I will remind them with these universal changes and we will all get excited about the month of Ramadan. We will try to celebrate by hanging some decoration. We will try to feel the difference of this beloved month.

10. I will make phone calls to my extended family. I will call my parents and congratulate them. I will remind them to benefit from the blessed month and I will ask them to make duaa for me.

11. I will send emails to all my friends congratulating them with the blessed month. I will ask them to remember me in their duaa while worshipping Allah in these beautiful moments. I will post the congratulation on my Facebook, my blog and my google talk picture. I will change my status to, “blessed with the blessed month, in a dire need of Allah mercy.” This will help reminding everyone with the moment.

12. I will use the moment to repent to Allah expecting his great forgiveness to cover me in these remarkable moments. I will make a strong determination to quit all my sins and come out of Ramadan a different man.

13. I will not FORGET to make Taraweeh at this night which is the night BEFORE the first day of fasting and is almost forgotten by many people.

14. I will NOT get into long disputes about the method of deciding the beginning of Ramadan and I will follow my local community if they adopt any of the legitimate scholars’ opinions in their decision. I will explain briefly to those who waste their time in this dispute that it is better to spend our time worshipping Allah rather than disputing about something which Allah will not hold us accountable for. I will try to foster unity in my community and between local communities as much as I can.

15. I will make a list of my friends and colleagues who may not know much about the blessings of Ramadan and try to make a plan of how to get them closer to Allah in this blessed opportunity.

Every single day

Before Fajr

16. I will start my day a while before fajr. The time before fajr is so valuable. The Prophet (pbuh) said that Allah (swt) descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of the night calling upon his creation, “Is there anyone who wants to ask for something so I give him? Is there anyone seeking forgiveness so I forgive him? Is there anyone who wants to repent so I accept his repentance?” Allah praised high quality believers by the practice of “asking forgiveness during this time.”

17. I will make sure I have suhur, the meal before fajr. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Have suhur for there is a blessing in suhur.”

18. I will take 10-15 minutes before fajr sitting alone asking Allah for forgiveness and calling upon him in response to His call. The Prophet said when asked about which part of the night is better in accepting duaa, “The last part of the night.” I will also make a short night prayer during which I will prostrate and get even closer to Allah as the Messenger said, “The closest the servant of Allah will be is when he is in the state of prostration.” I will glorify Allah in my sujud and call upon Him. I will seek His guidance, help, and support in this beautiful time.

Fajr Time

19. I will try my best to make salat al-Subh (This is the name used for the morning Salah. Fajr salah is often used to mean the two optional salah before Salat Al-Subh) in the masjid. I will go to the closest masjid to my house even if it is a little far. I will consider my steps an elevation in my degrees and an expiation of my sins as the Prophet promised. I will feel the happiness and the gratitude of praying in congregation during fajr time, an act which makes me pure of hypocrisy as the prophet mentioned.

20. I will remember to make the optional fajr salah which is 2 Rak’at before Salah for the Prophet (pbuh) said, “The two raka’at of fajr are better than this life and what is in it.”

21. If I reach the masjid before Iqamah time, I will sit and make duaa for the Messenger (pbuh) said, “duaa between Adhan and Iqamah is not rejected.”

22. I will make sure I do “Khitam Al-Salah,” for the Prophet said, “Whoever says Subhana Allah 33 times, Alhamdu Lellah 33 times, Allahu Akbar 33 times, and then completed the 100 by saying “La Ilaha Illah Allah, Wahdahu La sharika lah lahu alMulk walau Al-Hamd wa howa ‘ala koli shai’ quadir,” his sins will be wiped out even if they are like the foam of the sea.

23. I will remember to say “Ayat al-Kursi,” for the Prophet said if you say it after Salah there is nothing between you and Paradise except death.

24. I will try, especially during weekends, to stay after fajr in the masjid remembering Allah, reciting some Qur’an until 15 minutes after sunrise. I will then make a 2,4,6, or 8 raka’at of Duha salah. I will feel the reward of a complete Hajj and Umra as the Prophet (pbuh) promised.

After Fajr

25. I will try to sleep a little before going to work.

26. I will go to work and will do my best to excel in my job. I will try to remove the misconception that Ramadan is a month of laziness. I will consider my job an act of worship, simultaneously worshipping Allah by fasting and working.

27. I will get a few minutes in the office where I will relax and try to close my eyes in a half-sleeping mode for that gives me energy as if I really slept for some time. I will need it to resume my day and to relax in preparation for a long night.

28. I will try my best to make Dhur and Asr Salah on time and I will make them in congregation during the weekends.

Iftar time

29. I will make my Iftar most of the time in the masjid as my community always does. When it is our turn to prepare Iftar, I will take the intention for giving Iftar to all those who are fasting for there is an immense reward in it. The Prophet mentioned, “whoever gives Iftar to a fasting person, will get a similar reward.”

30. I will try to go a few minutes before Maghreb so I can spend sometime in the masjid remembering Allah and making duaa.

31. I will break my fasting feeling the happiness the Prophet mentioned. The happiness of someone who was allowed to complete his day of fasting and was given the opportunity to eat. I will recall the other part of the happiness the Prophet mentioned when I meet Allah with this day of fasting. These are the two pieces of happiness the Prophet mentioned in his hadith, “the one who fasts has two happiness: one when he breaks his fast and the other when he meets his Lord.”

32. I will remember to make duaa at this very moment of breaking my fasting for this is a time the duaa is accepted as the Prophet mentioned. I will remember my family, my parents, my brothers and sisters, and all Muslims during my duaa.

33. I will not eat a lot to prepare myself for taraweeh and I will make sure I eat healthy food.

After Iftar

34. I will take a short relaxation before taraweeh.

35. I will try my best to make taraweeh in the masjid, every day and I will feel the blessing of praying with the whole Qur’an during the whole month.

36. I will go to sleep after taraweeh and will make a strong intention that my sleep is an act of worship preparing myself for a new day of comprehensive worship.

Last 10 Days

37. I will try to take a couple of days off from work so I can put more effort in the last 10 days

38. I will make I’tikaf, if not the whole 10 days, as much as I can especially during the weekends. During my I’tikaf, I will increase the night prayer and the amount of Qur’an I recite. (Iʼtikaf is an act of worship where one spends time in the Masjid praying, reading Qurʼan and remembering Allah (swt). The Prophet (pbuh) used to do that in the last 10 days of Ramadan. However, it can be done at any time.)

39. I will try to invite my family and friends to I’tikaf since it is really a nice time and a very blessed one.

40. I will try my best in the last ten days to reach the night of Al-Qadr. I will keep doing my best for the whole 10 nights and I will never stop after the 27th.

Last moments

41. In the last few moments before Ramadan is over, I will reflect on my heart. I will feel the happiness of completing a whole month of comprehensive worship. I will feel the happiness of Eid coming tomorrow. I will also feel the sadness that this great opportunity is about to end and will not come again except in a year or may not come again ever.

42. I will have the hope that Allah accepted from me and forgave my sins. I will feel the hope that I am set free from the hell. I am going to feel the fear that I may not be forgiven or my deeds are not accepted.

43. I will get prepared for the Eid and prepare my family for it. I will do my best to make the day of Eid a day of great happiness and joy to my family and my community. I will help in organizing the Eid salah in my community.

44. I will remember to pay Zakat Al-Fitr before Eid salah for it is an obligation upon every member of the household and it helps our brothers and sisters enjoy their Eid without having to ask for charity.

Community work

45. I will never forget my family from all this work. I will involve them in all that I do and will encourage them to join the reward.

46. I will be as charitable as I can even if I donate a little, for the Messenger (pbuh) was extra- charitable in the days of Ramadan.

47. I will join my community in organizing charitable campaigns to feed the hungry and give charity to the poor. I will promote these projects and campaigns.

48. I will join my community in organizing open houses during Ramadan, for people are so curious to visit the Islamic centers and meet Muslims during this month

49. I will respond to the invitation of schools to come and share some thoughts and presentations about the month of Ramadan with Muslim and non-Muslim students. I will offer my presentation even if not requested.

A token of sincerity

50. I will do something I did not share with you and will not share with anyone that only Allah knows about as a token of pure intention and sincere worship.

I ask Allah to help and I ask you to have a similar plan. “O Allah, make us reach Ramadan!”

Ibn ʿAṭā said:

“Appeal to no one but Him to relieve you of a pressing need that He Himself has brought upon you. For how can someone else remove what He has imposed? And how can he who is unable to free himself of a pressing need free someone else of one?”[1]

How can you appeal to other than Him when He is the one that controls all affairs? And to whom shall we seek aid if He is not in our aid? If He is in our aid can there be anything that can prevent Him from his magnanimous giving? Indeed, there cannot be.

Then we should know that He is the source of all things, He is the One. So we must learn  submit ourselves to the acceptance of His divine wisdom, as Moses learned with Khiḍr. In doing so we will turn to Him with full attention and intention. He will become our qiblah before anything else. In doing so we acknowledge or weakness and our inability and seek strength and ability through the All-Powerful, the One who is capable of all things.

It is said that one day a poor man went out seeking some rich people in order to ask them for charity. He came upon a rich man who was raising his hands towards the sky in supplication so he asked, “From whom is he asking?” He was told, “From his Lord.” So the poor man said, “He is my Lord and his Lord. So why do I not ask Him as he asks Him?!”

As these wisdoms have reminded us throughout, it is now and in Ramadan that we should renew our relationship with God. We should look to see what our qiblah really is. Are we seeking Him first and foremost in everything that we do? If we are then He will bestow light upon us through His infinite bounty, and we will be guided by it. If not, then we will continue to stumble through the darkness of the absence of recognizing His presence in our lives.

May God enlighten us with the infinite light of His beauty and magnificence.

One of the forgotten acts of worship that carries much reward! Not to be confused with letting our minds wander anywhere and without deliberate focus and purpose.

By AbdelRahman Mussa

Salamu alaykom wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

A dear brother and good friend emailed me a very good question. I thought I’d share it to spread the benefit. May Allah reward him:

“It’s extremely difficult to detach oneself from dunya whilst seeking aakhirah, unless you have strong imaan, which is difficult to attain.

Can it be that if one makes a decision solely for aakhira without having strong imaan, that they burn themselves out and thus ruining the decision they had made, therefore making matters even worse than before.

i.e should one act on a whim which is for dunya but not haram, then try to overcome it, because its difficult to know if you have overcome it beforehand?

…hope i made sense…”

So there are a few question or assumptions in this question, lets tackle them one by one:

Is it difficult to detach oneself from dunya ?

It’s as difficult as you make it. That’s not a cop-out answer by the way.

You see, some people will make the decision that it WOULD be nice to detach from dunya without having actually made the decision TO detach. But they kid themselves that they did make that decision and then they wonder why they still have difficulties.

Some reverts, for example, will sacrifice everything – cold turkey – without any ‘side effects’ what-so-ever. Others will make the decision that it would be nice, then act like they’ve made THE decision – they burn out as the brother described it.

There are a few ways in which people try to detach from dunya:

• Theory 1: leaving it physically, so they go to monasteries or caves and they ‘meditate’.
• This isn’t really detaching from dunya. It’s removing oneself from it.
• It’s escaping the stimulus of dunya.
• When they return, guess what ? Same old dunya ! AND Same old person !

• Theory 2: staying with it physically but cutting it out completely
• This is much closer to detachment than the first type
• They won’t physically escape their surroundings, but they’ll reject dunya
• A lot of homeless people fit into this category – though not all
• This is where they shun everything whilst being within society
• They only buy or own what they need – the bear minimum

• Theory 3: where they are in society, they acquire dunya but it isn’t in their hearts
• so they don’t escape civilisation to go to the mountains
• and they don’t shun materialism whilst remaining in civilisation also
• instead… they see life for what it is. A tool for the acquirement of akhirah
• This one is as per the sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh)

Do you need strong Iman to be able to do so ?

I know of people that have detached from dunya that are not even Muslims ! And it’s important to note that whether you’re attached or not is not the sign of ultimate success: Islam, Iman and Ihsan are. (bear minimum being Islam)

It does help to know that there is something infinitely better coming though.

Can one burn themselves out if they over stretch ?

OK… well, now here’s where it gets interesting:

If you follow detachment theory 1 – it’s a game of will power, it’s a little easier because once you’re out there, you get used to it, you’ve got other ‘monks’ with you etc.

If you follow detachment theory 2 – it’s also a game of will power and it’s significantly harder than theory 1 because the stimulus is still present.

If you follow detachment theory 3 – the way of the sunnah, then you detach bit by bit. And it’s true detachment.

Theory 1 and 2 are a rejection of dunya… they are not a detachment from it.

Theory 3 is the only real way of detaching – actually detaching dunya from your heart. With theory 3, a person could be bribed, you could attempt to seduce them, to entice them… it wouldn’t work !

If theory 3 is done properly, releasing one whim at a time, then you will not burn out – EVER. insha Allah. The reason being, each time you detach, you become more free. You have more power to carry on.

With theories 1 and 2, with each thing you resist from dunya, you build up the temptations, you build up the ‘enemies’ that could potentially kill you whilst you’re not looking or at a moment of weakness.

Is it better to take it one step at a time, than to just make one big monumental decision ?

Both. You need to make the monumental decision that you want to be free. Then… one step at a time, you need to release your whims as you go along.

You won’t be able to release them unless you’ve taken the monumental decision, because you need a driver, an aim, an objective.

I hope this clarifies and explains things insha Allah

NOW… to take this even further:

This question is one that almost everyone that hopes to tread this path asks themselves. If not outright, then a nagging feelings unsettles them. So lets analyse what whims this question represents.

Firstly, there’s a whim for security. You’re afraid of failure. It’s a threat. You’re also afraid of your own nafs – the possible back-lash !

Secondly, there’s a whim for control. You haven’t mastered your nafs enough to know how to control it. One of the things that I teach in “Whims-I-Kill Pro” is that you need to test your nafs after you release. YOU find out if you have released the whim, you don’t leave it to chance only then to be disappointed. That would be a lack of control.

Thirdly, you still want to approve of dunya.” It’s not all that bad, if it’s not haram, then surely I can dabble in it a little. It’s not so bad !”

Ironically, once you’ve detached from dunya… you will approve of it even more. You will know it for what it is worth. Up until then, it will continue to disappoint you – which is the opposite of approval.

There’s more to say, but that’s enough for now

—–

I thought that I should share this question because we are only 6 days away from the month of Ramadan. The month where, if you want to take that monumental decision, well that’s the best time !

The video the brother was referring to was on: http://www.iPersonalEnrichment.com

Every Muslim home should have its own charity box that gets emptied and donated regularly for different charitable causes.

(Apologies for the delay)

Ibn ʿAṭā said:

“Whoever is not thankful for graces runs the risk of losing them; and whoever is thankful, fetters them with their own cords.”[1]

This wisdom is based on the statement of God in the Quran:

“And when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’”[2]

In this verse and in the wisdom we are presented with one of the greatest laws of this life: when you are thankful, God gives you more. When you are not, He does not. In this regard it is very important that we constantly work and seek to development a grateful view on our existence. This is in fact an act of belief and a cornerstone in the Muslim’s daily relationship with his or her Creator.

It is a simple concept but often very difficult to implement. This is especially true for those of us that come from cultures where we have been blessed with so much but at the same time it is common for people to complain about everything. We have to fight this and learn to be content with what we have and appreciate it. We cannot achieve happiness if we do not learn to appreciate the things that we have, especially the “little” things.

This Ramadan let us try and cultivate the habit of being thankful. Two things that we can do are:

-          Specify a few minutes each day to just think about all that we have been given and thank God for it.

-          Before we start eating we should pause and reflect about the food that we are eating and where it came from and how much God has given us. This simple practice, which is commanded from us in the Quran,[3] can make a huge difference in our lives as it pushes us to be people of gratitude.

By: Abdel Rahman Mussa

9 days to go !

Does it feel like 21 days since we started posting on this blog ? What happened to the last 3 weeks ?

Why do we think that when Ramadan comes we will have all the time in the world?! It’s the same world my dear brothers and sisters. The speed with which the last 3 weeks just passed will be exactly the same speed with which the first three weeks of Ramadan will pass.

Exactly the same. Maybe quicker, even.

This article isn’t intended to be a guilt trip, nor should it be taken that way. It’s an objective assessment of where you are and where you are not.

This blog is intended to warm you up. To get you doing before hand, so lets review:

• Quran
• Fasting
• Strengthening the family ties
• Manners
• Zuhd
• Qiyam
• Dhikr
• Self accountability
• Patience
• Khushu’

All of these topics have been touched upon and more, so now…

Have you fasted Monday or Thursday and how many times ? Have you contacted family ? How have your manners been ? Quran, did you increase the amount you read ?

and so on… really take account.

The prophet (pbuh) taught us that Abu Bakr’s faith outweighs the faith of the whole ummah. He (pbuh) describes him as not beating us by actions alone, but rather that something stabilized in his heart (faith).

Any yet, in the famous incident where the prophet asks, after fajr, if any of the sahabah had helped a needy person, visited someone that was ill, helped an orphan… he kept asking. No one but Abu Bakr (raa) raised his hand… and he did so for every question !

The sahabah bettered one another in their race to Allah through their hearts. They supersede us because of their hearts. And we rank, and out rank, one another as per the purity of our hearts.

And most importantly, what’s in our hearts manifests into action. This is the only way that Abu Bakr (raa) was able to so blatantly out do all the sahabah in the example above.

What does it take to have a healthy heart ?

In verse 44 of surat al Naml the Queen of Sheeba says the same thing that the Prophet Mussa (pbuh) says in verse 16 of Surat Al Qasas:

“My Lord, I have transgressed against myself”

Would you hurt someone that you truly loved ? Impossible – unless it was a mistake or you didn’t realize what you were doing ! Right ?

The Prophet Mussa kills a man – accidentally. The queen of Sheba didn’t know better, but the second she saw the miracle, she realised.

They felt sorry for themselves – the way a parent feels guilty when they find out that they were unwittingly harming their child whilst thinking they were strengthening him or her. The parent adores his/her child.

How is it that we end up not loving, but instead loathing or despising ourselves ?

Well, for most people as they grow up, they are reprimanded whenever they DO something bad or naughty and they are praised whenever they DO something that is good.

Whilst there might not be anything wrong with that as a child, as you grow, you need to shed that programming. Approval comes from within.

Most people walk around disapproving of themselves, seeking approval from others – either through positive or negative attention seeking. They look for dunya to make them feel happy, not realising that they hold the key and the lock themselves.

Instead, they act like they’ve handed over the keys to someone else without realising that THEY can’t give the keys to anyone – it’s just an act, but they forget that… and that’s worse than ACTUALLY giving the keys to someone else (if you could).

It means that ultimately, the person that you think has the key (but doesn’t) can never use the key to open the lock… it means you will definitely be disappointed.

If you are looking for happiness in your spouse, your children, your job, your wealth, your family… you will be disappointed and it’s not fair on them.

The source of happiness in this life and the next is Allah. When we give our hearts to Him (swt), in a comprehensive way– not simply in theory– but actually go through the process of releasing the grip of everything else on our hearts, freeing them from every whim and worry– only then do we feel a sense of calm, fulfilment and achieve happiness both in this life, and insha Allah the next as well. A heart that is free doesn’t simply endure trials and challenges, it excels in their presence. Allah (swt) mentioned those who excelled in the Quran as being true to their covenant

“Among the Believers are those who have been true to their covenant with Allah. Of them some have completed their vow , and some wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least.” (Al-Ahzab: 23)

Ramadan is the time to renew our oaths, the covenant that we would serve and worship Him to the best of our abilities. We owe it to ourselves to make a commitment to become our best. Every year we renew our commitment in Ramadan trying to reach an even higher level with Him, trying to soak enough in from the blessed month to fuel our engines for the year. Yet sometimes, just a few weeks out of Ramadan, and we find ourselves returning to our old ways.

This year, the process to truly grow and continue growing is being facilitated by a unique program we invite all the readers to.

i-Personal Enrichment is launching Whims-i-Kill Pro: a program that seeks to take us on a twelve month journey to free our hearts from every limiting whim that holds us back from allowing us to become our best. Please take a look at the site:

http://ipersonalenrichment.com/pro/ The video at this link also explains how it works. Pray istikharah and reflect on what investment you are willing to make to really free your heart this year from all that prevents you from true ihsan. Realize that in this program is an opportunity for a specialist to guide you step by step through your internal hurdles. These are the hurdles you have lived so long with and thought there was nothing more you could do about them but be patient. Subhan Allah, it doesn’t have to be that way.

With this program you will be given methods to rid your heart of them once and for all, and perform better comprehensively in your worship of Allah, in your family life, your career, your involvement in dawa, as everything becomes enhanced when the heart is freed of its whims. And though you will be doing more, your heart will actually be more at rest. Like the eye of a hurricane which is the most still and at peace while the stormy waters whirl around it, the heart can be full of tranquility and sakeenah if freed through practical tawakkul, while the challenges of the world may whirl around it.

Even if you don’t register for this program, at the very least make a resolution this Ramadan to renew your oath with Allah, and strive to be true to it, strive for excellence in comprehensive worship. Don’t let your past sins or slip ups, allow you to despair or want only mediocrity for yourself. And remember that real growth always requires an investment, and that you areworth that investment.

Allah (swt) promises in surah Yunis, verse 26:

“For those who have done their best (ahsanoo) is the best [reward] and extra. No darkness will cover their faces, nor humiliation. Those are companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally”

This dunya is an investment for the akhirah. We want what is best in dunya so that we can exchange it (in dunya) for what’s best in the akhirah.

This investment requires that you value yourself. Guilt will only take you so far and back to almost where you started !

Will-power alone will not work. It requires that you value yourself. In fact, it requires that you love yourself enough. That’s the only way.

So are you ready to invest ?