Imagine for a moment that it’s raining. It is pouring, in fact. And inagine that you are inside your house, watching as it falls. But imagine that there is something very different about this rain. It is unlike any other you’re ever seen. On this day, it is not raining water. It is raining something much more precious to you. Imagine that on this day it is raining hundred rand bills.

What would you do? What would happen in your neighborhood on that day? what would happen in the world?

Would we not run outside, falling all over ourselves, competing to gain as much of the raining money as we can? Would we not stand outside all night to gather as much as possible?

We would do this for money beacause money is precious. But imagine for a moment that it was raining something priceless. Not thousand rand bills, not trillions, but the mercy of Allah subhana wa ta’ala (exalted is He), a currency that no human currency could even measure. The massenger of Allah, Muhammad (saw) said, Ramadan has come to you. It is a month of blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers.

In it, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in this month of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted.”

In this month, we are shielded from hell-fire, protected from the shayteen, and cleased from our sins. The Prophet said: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith, hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all of his past sins will be forgiven.”

In another hadith he said: “When the month of Ramadan start, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of the hell are closed and the devils arem chained.”

Within this month, there is a night that is greater then a thousand months “There is protection from hell fire, at least 70 times the chance to have all our sins erased.” So, what to find ourselves standing in the middle of this massive collecting all we can of Allah’s mercy?

And while this mercy showers on us throughout the blessed month, the last ten days are like no other. Aisha radi Allahu anha reported that with the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the prophet (saw) used to tighten his waist belt (meaning he would wok hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family nawake for the prayes.

But how can we fully take advantage of this blessed month, especially in the last ten day? Here are few ways: Reserve a Private Mkeeting with Allah :
Set a time before or after suhoor to be alone with Allah (swt). Use this time to connect to him by praying, making dua or reading quran. There is no other time like it. The Prophet (saw) said: “When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One, descends towards the lower heaven and proclaims: ‘Is there anyone supplicating to Me, so that I grant his supplication?

Set a time for Reflection: In the midst of our busy schedule, we seldom find time to stop and relax, let alone reflect on the realities of life. Make time to do this.

Take time to step outside of your daily routine and introspect about where you’re going.

Reflect on the creation around you and on the reality of this life, death, and our final meeting with our Creator Choose a time, such as the last third of the night, when there are no distractions.

Take a Trip to Allah: We all need to get away somethings. Use Ramadan as a chance to go away with Allah (swt) as your companion. Aisha (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) used to practice I’tikaf (seclusion) in the last ten night of Ramadan and used to say, “Look for the night of Qadr in the last ten night of the month of Ramadan”

Don’t miss the night of power: There is a night in the last ten nights of Ramadan that is greater than a lifetime (1000 months, 83.3 years). The Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever prays during the night of Qadr (power) with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven.”

An old American muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Every morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kictchen table reading his Quran.

His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could. One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forgot as soon as I close the book. What good reading the Quran do?”

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and relied, “Take this coal basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and sai, “you’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a buket instead. the old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water.

You’re just not trying hard enough,” and he went out the door to watch the boy trying. All this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather the even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, nut when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, “See Grandpa. it’s useless!”

“So you think it is useless?” The old man said, “Look at the basket.” The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and outside.

Son, that’s what happens when you read the Quran . You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and outside when you read time by time. That is the work of Allah in our lives. . . .

The gates of heaven are flung open wide, the gates of hell are shut tight, the devils are all chained and shackled,
Mercies and blessing from above come in torrents like in no others months, Dua’s are readily and speedily accepted,
pardon and forgiveness take place on large and immeasurable scales, emancipation and freedom from the fire of hell
are granted, an opotunity to sincere and accepted Ibaadah worship is guaranteed to those who find the night of Qadr.

Every nafil and sunnah act is rewarded the reward of a fard act and a fard act is multiplied seventy times in reward.
One of the most salient features of Ramdan is just how close Allah Taala comes to his servants.

Once Nabi Mosha (A.S.) who is known as Kaleemul-laah (the one whom Allah Taala spoke directly to) asked Allah
Taala “O Allah”, he asked, “You, through your grace and mercy have gifted me with the ability of speaking directly to
you. Is there anyone else who has been given this or will there be anyone else that would be endowed with this gift?”

Allah Taala relied, “O Musa, I would give rise to ration who would appear in the latter eras and I will honour them
with the month of Ramadaan.

When they will fast to the extent that their lips will be dry and their throats will be parched as a result of thirst, their
faces will change as a result of the pangs of hunger.

At the time of Iftaar they will make Dua. With you O Musa, there are still 70 veils that come in between you and I
With them and I, O Musa, there would be not single veil or barrier!”

So blessed is this moment of Iftaar and Dua in it that at this time, the angels arround the Arsh (Throne) of Allah
Taala that are commisioned to make the Tasbeeh (Glorification) of Allah Taala are even cammanded to stop their
tasbeeh and say Aameen to the Dua of the person making Iftaar. Allahu Akbar!

It only happens now! yes, Thye month that we are talking about is none other than the blessed and Mubarak month
of Ramadan which will be upon us in just a matter of days from now.

Ramadan is here today and gone tomorrorrow. Whether we will witness the next one or even this one is known
only one by The One above. Should we be arround to witness this one, then it is just our good fortune.

And should we witness this great month but emerge from it untouched and unchanged then it is going to be our
misfortune and loss.

Nabi (saw) rarely invoked cruses upon anyone and rarely sanctioned the curses of another but for the one who
misses the opportunities that Ramadan present out of sheer laziness and a lacksadaisical attitude, Nabi (saw)
sanctioned the curse of Jibreel (A.S.) by saying Aameen to his dua of “Curse be the one who finds himself in
Ramadan but fails to attain forgiveness at its end.”

Today, the month of Ramdan comes and goes in our lives like a mere season. Those of us who bring about a
change, bring about a change that is temporal and nothing beyond that.

With the approach of a season, preparations are made to embrace the season whether it’s in the form of clothes
we would wear, the food that we would eat and the activities we would do.

As soon as the season comes to and end, changes take place in our lifestyle and the dictates of the new season are
adhered to.

Sadly, Ramadan has become just that. We prepare ourselves for Ramadan by begining to fast in the month of
Shabaan, our clothing for Ramdan changes in that it is more compliant with the Shariah, our diets (which shouldn’t
really be) are changed which more often is more detrimental to our physical well being.

In short, our entire lifestyles changes but only for this one month. Once Ramadan is over, we then revert to our
former lifestyles of non-compliance with Shariah.

Ramadan comes as if it is some kind of shackle and binding on our lives. And as sson as it is over we return to
another lifestyle. With this attitude and this action Ramadan has become a season and we have become seasonal
Muslims.

Have we really understood Ramadan and what it stands for? Have we understood the dictates of this great month and what is expected of us after it is over? Our actions after Ramadan spell out clearly that we have the wrong end of the stick when it comes to the understanding of Ramadan and its dictates.

Ramdan is the month where the consciousness of Allah Taala pinnacles and reaches its greatest heights and not, contrary to popular belief, where the consciousness of Allah end not the start of Allah consciousness.

It is when a Momin through all his act of deveotion and worship reaches spitual levels unsurpassed in the previous months.

In short, in the previous 11 months before Ramdan, the consciousness of Allah Taala should have already been there. Ramdan comes only to polish, perfect and further enhance this Taqua that is alrealy there.

So pitiable is our state of affairs that for some Ramdan brings out our identity as Muslims. In months other than Ramdan, we are not recongnized as Muslims.

Ramdan is not merely fasting of abstaention from food, drink and the sensual pleasures of the body. There’s surely more to it. Literally fasting means “To Abstain”. In Ramadan a bliever is obliged to abstain from food, drink and sensures which is the hallmark of Ramadan.

Outside Ramadan is the abstention of all that which Allah Taala a true believer is required to ‘fast’ throughout his life, until he meets with his Creator, Allah Taala.

This fasting that we alude to here is the fasting of the heart. For when the heart is taken into control and regulated by the laws of Allah Taala then abstention from the prohibitions Allah Taala are easily refrained from.

Ramadan should be seen as a reason to change for those who have not yet changed, and not a season. The changes that a season brings are temporary.

A reason, on the other hand, is something that is more permanent that is more and longer lasting. People are generally inspired by occurrences and happenings in their lives.

These are what they use and take as a reason to change and most often these changes are permanent and long-lasting.

Even though Ramdan shouldn’t be used as a reason to change which is permanent in this month, is a most welcome.

A believer sees an oportunity and seizes it when it comes his way. The pitiable state of the ummah can only change of the ummah.

May Allah Taala in his infinite grace and mercy, spare us so that we can witness this Mubarak month of Ramdan, but most importantly endow us with the ability of changing and mending our lives a change that is permannent. Aameen!