Why is Ramadan Special:

What makes Ramadan so special?

1. We try to be as close as possible in our characteristics to the Angels! We all know that the angels never sin and they only worship Allah. We do not eat, we do not drink, we stay away from sins and we only worship Allah in everything we do. How beautiful is that!

2. Allah favored some times of the year than others and Ramadan compared to the rest of the months is like the sun compared to other planets. Allah specified Ramadan with many virtues and many advantages. One of them is that the Qura’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan, Allah says what can be translated as: (The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion..) 2:185

3. Also the other Books of Allah like the Torah and the Enjeel were revealed in Ramadan. Wathila ibn al-Asqa’ reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The scriptures of Abraham, upon him be peace, were revealed on the first night of Ramadan. The Torah was revealed after six nights of Ramadan had passed. The Gospel was revealed after thirteen nights of Ramadan had passed. The Quran was revealed after twenty four nights of Ramadan had passed.” Source: Musnad Aḥmad 16536

Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Al-Albani

4. Ramadan is the month of forgiveness and atonement for sins. According to Abu Horayra, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet said: " Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The five prayers, Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan will expiate the (minor) sins committed between them as long as major sins are avoided.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim " (Muslim).

5. Fasting this month with faith in the promises of Allah, and relying on divine retribution, obtain pardon for past sins. The Prophet said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and hoping divine retribution, will be forgiven his past sins.

6. Whoever Prays the night of Ramadan with faith hoping for reward all their sins will be forgiven  " Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying regarding Ramadan, "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

7. Ramadan is the month of freedom from Fire, Allah releases people from hell fire every night in Ramadan, and when Allah releases you from hell fire means it will never touch you. The Prophet, said in a Hadith narrated by Abu Horayra, may Allah be pleased with him: "A herald called, O thou who researches the property, approach, O thou who searches evil, go away, Allah grants freedom from Fire to servants, and this every night" (At-Tirmidhi) .

8. During this month the doors of paradise are opened and those of Hell are closed and the devils are chained. The Prophet peace be upon him said: " The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained." (Imam Bukhari) "

9. Ramadan is the month of patience, because patience is manifested in any other act of devotion as well as in fasting. During this month, the Muslim renounces pleasure and what he likes, why fasting is half of patience and patience is to reward Paradise. Allah, Exalted be He, says (the meaning of the verse): "The steadfast will have their reward in full without reckoning" (Quran 39/10).

10. Ramadan is the month of invocations, Allah, Exalted be He, said immediately after the verses of fasting (meaning of the verse): "And when My servants ask thee concerning Me, then I am near I answer the call of one who asks me when he asks me" (Quran 2 / 186)

11. In Ramadan while you are fasting your dua and invocation is never turned down. The Prophet said: "the vows of three people are heard: the fasting person until he breaks his fast, Imam fair and oppressed" (Ahmad).

12. Ramadan is the month of generosity and kindness, which is why the Prophet was more generous than ever during the month of Ramadan, according to Saheehayn

13. This month contains the Night of Destiny, where the works are completed worth more than a thousand months, the frustrated person being the one who was deprived of the benefits of that night. Allah, Exalted be He, says (the meaning of the verse): "The Night of Power is better than a thousand months" (Qur'an 97 / 3)
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "The month of Ramadan came and the Prophet said: "You have lived until the arrival of this month, it contains a night better than thousand months, whoever was deprived was deprived of all good, and is still private and frustrated" (Ibn Maadjah).

14. The reward of Ramadan is major surprise from Allah and when the most generous promises you can only imagine.  "Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving ten times it’s like, up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High said, 'Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me.' for the fasting person there are two times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk." [al-Bukhari]

15. Last but not least, fasting is your gate to Paradise in shaa Allah. Abu Umaamah r.a.a. said: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an action by which I may enter Paradise'. He said: 'Take to Fasting, there is nothing like it.' " [An-Nasaa'ee, Ibn Hibbaan, Al-Haakim, Sahih]

So my dear sister and brother keep making a lot of dua for Allah to grant you the blessing of witnessing another Ramadan, many of our loved ones were gone just a month or a week or even a day before Ramadan.

Prepare and plan and do not waste a moment. Study the Quran instead of just reading it without understanding. It is ok not to complete the whole Quran, it is not a competition who reads more pages. Have an intention to read with understanding. Ramadan is the month of the Quran so don't waste it on other things.
Be as generous as you can be and take the example of our beloved Prophet peace be upon him. He was the most generous in Ramadan.
Renew your intention every night and remind yourself why you are fasting so you can stay focused. Remember nowadays a month is like a week so Ramadan will come and go so fast. Stay away from distructions (Social media and TV & Musalsalaat). Be smart and use this amazing bonus from the Most Generous to be able to survive the coming 11 months in shaa Allah. You and I don't know if we will witness another Ramadan.

Allahuma Bal’lighna Ramadan.

Do not Be Sad.

Assalam Aleikum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatuhu

As I was sitting on my prayer matt feeling slightly down, thinking about my life and my challanges, a series of thoughts were running in my head . I could not stop my tears . I asked myself so many questions and found the answers flowing down my head one by one Subhana Allah! as if someone was talking to me. Each answer put me to shame and reminded me how small my problems were.  I am here to ask the same questions my dear sister and brother and help you find answers in shaa Allah.

Right now you might be sad or depressed or unhappy because of a certain thing or things in your life. What is it that is making you sad and depressed and is it affecting your imaan (faith)?
Let’s explore some of the problems you might be going through right now…

Are you looking for a job or suffering poverty? And maybe you feel you have tried many things find the solution but nothing is working and you are asking yourself why me?
Hold that thought my dear sister and brother and take a moment to think of your beloved Prophet peace be upon him.  He suffered extreme poverty to the limit he used to tie a rock on his stomach out of hanger.    Have you ever experienced that in your life?
If the answer is No then be sure that you are in a great blessing and if you are patient and continue to strive and make dua you will be very happy soon in shaa Allah. And if the answer is yes which I really doubt then be super happy because you have a share in the legacy of your Prophet peace be upon him.

Are you sad because you lost a loved one and you really miss them?
Let’s look at our beloved Prophet peace be upon him and how he lost both his parents by the age of six. Can you even comprehend how he was feeling!? If you have a young son or daughter, look at them and picture the situation. And in his adolescent age he also lost his uncle who used to defend him and protect him (who was a father to him) and his beloved wife in the same year when he needed them most as everyone was against him. Allah sometimes takes people and things away from us not to torture us but because we need to grow a thicker skin to survive what is coming.

Are you having a problem with your family or friends for any reason or are they cutting you off because of Islam?
No matter how hard it is, it will not be harder than what he went through peace be upon him. Imagine your family and community plotting and planning each day on how they are going to kill you and torture you and your loved ones!! 
Are you sad because you wish to get married and have children and that hasn’t happened yet?
The Prophet peace be upon him got married to the woman he loved but she died and left him. He had three boys but he lost them all and he had to start life all over again.  Don’t despair my dear sister and brother, anything which Allah decrees on you is what is good for you no matter how bad it looks or feels. And these are not my words but the words of Allah and the Prophet peace be upon him, so hang in there and wait for the khair (good) as it is coming soon in shaa Allah.
Allah says what can be translated as: But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. 2:216

Are you sad because you lost a child or lost someone dear to you?
The Prophet peace be upon him lost his three boys and not just that, his own family had no sympathy for him. As he was crying out of pain and sadness for his own baby, they were out making fun of him and mocking him, calling him abtar (the one who is crippled   because he did not have boys). How would you feel if you were in his situation?!
Remember the story of Musa and Al Khidr in surat Al Kahf. Allah might have taken that child to replace him with another pious child, just rest assured that Allah gives you only good and Allah gives only khair.

Are you feeling lonely or feeling unloved?
Think of him peace be upon him in his late fifties beaten up with rocks, running and trying to find a safe place to hide. His feet bleeding to the limit they were sticking to his sandals and he was the Prophet of Allah peace be upon him!! Sitting in a secluded area alone crying to Allah for what they did to him! But the question did Allah leave him?! Why are you despairing my dear sister and brother?  Go back to Allah, you will find Him. Allah never leaves a sincere caller.

If you are sad for any reason my dear sister and brother think of the following and remind yourself that it could have been worse and that your beloved Prophet peace be upon him had it worse than you and he was the messenger of Allah. He had it worse than you and he was the chosen one. He had it worse than you and he used to spend the night in prayer. He had it worse than you and he never mistreated a human being or a living thing. He had it worse than you and he never gave up. .He had it worse than you and he never stopped praying and making dua!!

But why do you think he had it worse than you?
Simply to teach you that Allah will never give you more than you can handle, Allah says what can be translated as: (Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. 2:286
He had it worse than you to teach you that these trials are to strengthen you, to give you a better status in the eyes of Allah and to grant you Jannah which you can never attain with your own deeds. So remember that promise.

When the Prophet peace be upon him was praying at the Ka’bah while his enemies were watching his every move and action, one of his uncles put on his back the intestine and filrth of a slaughtered camel during his prostration. The Prophet did not react and stayed in the position of sujoud. His daughter, Fatimah, rushed to take the filth off his back and cleaned him up while crying. The Prophet peace be upon him said to her: Don’t cry ya Fatimah your father is on the haqq (The truth)

In the battle of Uhud, when his Makkan enemies attacked the Muslims, Prophet Muhammad suffered head injury and his front teeth got smashed and blood started to seep from his head.
Despite all this and more, he prevailed. They tried to humiliate him and they still try until this day but Allah honored him and promised to honor him until the day of Judgement. Allah says what can be translated as (Indeed, We are sufficient for you against the mockers) 15:95
The door of heaven will not open to anyone before our beloved Prophet Mohammed peace be upon him as an honor to him. 
Muslim also reported from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:  "I will come to the gates of paradise and ask for it to be opened. The gatekeeper will ask, "Who are you?" I will say, "Muhammad". The gatekeeper will say, "I was ordered not to open the gate for anyone else before you"".  [Saheeh Muslim]

The result for all his struggles was for you to have this complete beautiful religion to practice it at ease. A religion of haqq (truth) which gives you peace and tranquility in this trying life and will give you eternal happiness where you will have and find everyone and everything you want and more. This deen which will bring you honor among all nations in shaa Allah.
Bukhaari, Muslim and an-Nasaa'ee report from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said:  "We are the last, but we will be the first on the Day of Resurrection. We will be the first of mankind to enter Paradise".

Now my dear sister and brother ask yourself!  How bad is it compared to what your beloved Prophet peace be upon him went through?  Let’s learn from him to be better believers. Let’s always remember his sufferings and compare them to ours. Let’s have strong faith and know that if Allah tested him peace be upon him then He will for sure test us also but not because He wants us to suffer but because He wants us to be better believers and have what it takes to survive this world and attain that level in Jannah.
Remember as long as the problem is not in your deen then you are good to go. If the trial is in your deen then that is when you should be sad and depressed because that is dangerous and may lead you to hell fire but if the trial is in the matters of this dunia, then let it be as the matters of dunia are always changing and Allah will guide you through them. Just hang in there and hold tight on to your deen and you will be minal faizeen (the winners) in shaa Allah.

Allahum Sall’I wa sall’im Ala Sayydina Mohammad