Tuesday, August 10, 2010

RAMADAN DUAS (DAY 1 TO 30)


Assalam o Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah



Dear brothers n sisters of Islam


Alhamdo Lillah, the holy month of Ramadhan is
arrived. So, it is better to learn something in this way, or a reminder, if anybody does not know about this Holy month… Just prepare yourself for getting too many rewards by doing lot of hasanaat in this holy month. 



May Allah lead all of us to purity and perfection and guide us to right

path. (Ameen). (Summa Ameen)
 



Remember me and all the Muslim Ummah as a whole, in your duas.


WASSALAM.
 


Ramadan Dua: DAY 1
ALLAH, on this day make my fasts the fasts of those who fast (sincerely), and my standing up in prayer of those who stand up in prayer (obediently), awaken me in it from the sleep of the heedless, and forgive me my sins , O God of the worlds, and forgive me, O one who forgives the sinners.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 2
ALLAH, on this day, take me closer towards Your pleasure, keep me away from Your anger and punishment, grant me the opportunity to recite Your verses (of the Qur'an), by Your mercy, O the most Merciful.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 3
ALLAH, on this day, grant me wisdom and awareness, keep me away from foolishness and pretension, grant me a share in every blessing You send down, by You generosity, O the most Generous.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 4
ALLAH, on this day, strengthen me in carrying out Your commands, let me taste the sweetness of Your remembrance, grant me, through Your graciousness, that I give thanks to You. Protect me, with Your protection and cover, O the most discerning of those who see.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 5
ALLAH, on this day, place me among those who seek forgiveness. Place me among Your righteous and obedient servants, and place me among Your close friends, by Your kindness, O the most Merciful.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 6
ALLAH, on this day, do not let me abase myself by incurring Your disobedience, and do not strike me with the whip of Your punishment, keep me away from the causes of Your anger, by and Your power, O the ultimate wish of those who desire.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 7
ALLAH, on this day, help me with its fasts and prayers, and keep me away from mistakes and sins of the day, grant me that I remember You continuously through the day, by Your assistance, O the Guide of those who stray.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 8
ALLAH, on this day, let me have mercy on the orphans, and feed [the hungry], and spread peace, and keep company with the noble-minded, O the shelter of the hopeful.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 9
ALLAH, on this day, grant me a share from Your mercy which is wide, guide me towards Your shining proofs, lead me to Your all encompassing pleasure, by Your love, O the hope of the desirous.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 10
ALLAH, on this day, make me, among those who rely on You, from those who You consider successful, and place me among those who are near to you, by Your favor, O goal of the seekers.

 
Ramadan Dua: DAY 11
ALLAH, on this day, make me love goodness, and dislike corruption and disobedience, bar me from anger and the fire [of Hell], by Your help, O the helper of those who seek help


Ramadan Dua: DAY 12
ALLAH, on this day, beautify me with covering and chastity, cover me with the clothes of contentment and chastity, let me adhere to justice and fairness, and keep me safe from all that I fear, by Your protection, O the protector of the frightened.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 13
ALLAH, on this day, purify me from un-cleanliness and dirt, make me patient over events that are decreed, grant me the ability to be pious, and keep company with the good, by Your help, O the beloved of the destitute.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 14
ALLAH, on this day, do not condemn me for slips, make me decrease mistakes and errors, do not make me a target for afflictions and troubles, by Your honor, O the honor of the Muslims.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 15




O Allah, on this day, grant me the obedience of the humble expand my chest through the repentance of the humble, by Your security, O the shelter of the fearful.







Ramadan Dua: DAY 16
ALLAH, on this day, grant me compatibility with the good, keep me away from patching up with the evil, lead me in it, by Your mercy, to the permanent abode, by Your God ship, O the God of the worlds.



Ramadan Dua: DAY 17
ALLAH, on this day, guide me towards righteous actions, fulfill my needs and hopes, O One who does not need explanations nor questions, O One who knows what is in the chests of the (people of the) world. Bless Muhammad and his family, the Pure.



Ramadan Dua: DAY 18
ALLAH, on this day, make me love goodness, and dislike corruption and disobedience, bar me from anger and the fire [of Hell], by Your help, O the helper of those who seek help.



Ramadan Dua: DAY 19
ALLAH, on this day, multiply for me its blessings, and ease my path towards its bounties, do not deprive me of the acceptance of its good deeds, O the Guide towards the clear truth.



Ramadan Dua: DAY 20
ALLAH, on this day, open for me the doors of the heavens, and lock the doors of Hell from me, help me to recite the Qur'an, O the One who sends down tranquility into the hearts of believers.

 
Ramadan Dua: DAY 21
ALLAH, on this day, show me the way to win Your pleasure, do not let Shaytan have a means over me, make Paradise an abode and a resting place for me, O the One who fulfills the requests of the needy.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 22
ALLAH, on this day, open for me the doors of Your Grace, send down on me its blessings, help me towards the causes of Your mercy, and give me a place in the comforts of Paradise, O the one who answers the call of the distressed.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 23
ALLAH, on this day, wash away my sins, purify me from all flaws, examine my heart with (for) the piety of the hearts, O One who overlooks the shortcomings of the sinners.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 24
ALLAH, on this day, I ask You for what pleases You, and I seek refuge in You from what displeases You, I ask You to grant me the opportunity to obey You and not disobey You, O One who is generous with those who ask


Ramadan Dua: DAY 25
ALLAH, on this day, make me among those who love Your friends, and hate Your enemies, following the way of Your last Prophet, O the Guardian of the hearts of the Prophets.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 26
ALLAH, on this day, make my efforts worthy of appreciation, and my sins forgiven, my deeds accepted, my flaws concealed, O the best of those who hear.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 27
ALLAH, on this day, bestow on me the blessings of Laylatul Qadr, change my affairs from (being) difficult to (being) easy, accept my apologies, and decrease for me [my] sins and burdens, O the Compassionate with His righteous servants.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 28
ALLAH, on this day, grant me a share in its nawafil (recommended prayers), honor me by attending to my problems, make closer the means to approach You, from all the means, O One who is not preoccupied by the requests of the beseechers.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 29
O ALLAH, on this day, cover me with Your mercy, grant me in it success and protection, purify my heart from the darkness of false accusations, O the Merciful to His believing servants.


Ramadan Dua: DAY 30
O ALLAH, on this day, make my fasts worthy of appreciation and acceptance, according to what pleases You, and pleases the Messenger, the branches being strengthened by the roots, for the sake of our leader, Muhammad, and his purified family. Praise be to ALLAH, the Lord of the worlds.


Monday, August 9, 2010

20 Common Mistakes Made During Ramadan

Ramadhan Kareem to everyone!! (In advance)




20 Common Mistakes Made During Ramadan





Most Muslims who fast in Ramadan focus on the benefits and rewards of it.
But in doing so, we often make mistakes that instead of adding to our
experience actually detract from it. Mistakes that can make us commercialize
Ramadan as so many other religions have commercialized their sacred days.
Insha’Allah the following will serve as a reminder to, first, myself and
then to all Muslims. May Allah help us in spending our time wisely this
Ramadan and help us in avoiding these mistakes. Ameen!





1. Taking Ramadan as a ritual

For many of us Ramadan has lost its spirituality and has become more of a
ritual than a form of Ibaadah. We fast from morning to night like a zombie
just because everyone around us is fasting, too. We forget that it’s a time
to purify our hearts and our souls from all evil. We forget to beseech Allah
SWT to forgive us and ask Him to save us from the Hell-Fire. Surely, we stay
away from food and drink but that’s about it. Although the Prophet
(s.a.w.w.) said:

Jibra’eel said to me, ‘May Allaah rub his nose in the dust, that person to
who Ramadan comes and his sins are not forgiven,’ and I said, ‘Ameen’. Then
he said, ‘May Allaah rub his nose in the dust, that person who lives to see
his parents grow old, one or both of them, but he does not enter Paradise
(by not serving them) and I said, ‘Ameen’. Then he said, ‘May Allaah rub his
nose in the dust, that person in whose presence you are mentioned and he
does not send blessings upon you,’ and I said, ‘Ameen.” [Tirmidhi, Ahmad and
others. It is classified as Saheeh by al-Albaani]





2. Too much stress on food and drink

For some people, the entire month of Ramadan revolves around food. They
spend the ENTIRE day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking only about
food, instead of concentrating on Salah, Quraan and other acts of worship.
They think so much about FOOD that they turn the month of ‘fasting’ into the
month of ‘feasting’. Come Iftaar time, their table is a sight to see, with
the multitudes and varieties of food, sweets and drinks. They are missing
the very purpose of fasting, and thus, increase in their greed and desires
instead of learning to control them. Besides, it leads to wastage of food
and extravagance.

…and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allaah)
likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance) [Qur’an, al-Araaf
:31]





3. Spending all day cooking

Some of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their husbands)
are cooking ALL day and ALL night, so that by the end of the day, they are
too tired to even pray Ishaa, let alone pray Taraweeh or Tahajjud or even
read the Qur’an. This is the month of mercy and forgiveness. So turn off
that stove and turn on your Imaan!





4. Eating too much

Some people stuff themselves at Suhoor until they are ready to burst,
because they think this is the way to not feel hungry during the day and
some people eat at Iftaar, like there is no tomorrow, trying to ‘make up for
the food missed’. However, this is completely against the Sunnah. Moderation
is the key to everything.

The Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse
than his stomach; for the son of Adam a few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep
his back straight. If you must fill it, then one-third for food, one-third
for drink and one-third for air.’ [Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah. Classified as
saheeh by al-Albaani]

Too much food distracts a person from many deeds of obedience and worship,
makes him lazy and also makes the heart heedless. It was said to Imam Ahmad:
Does a man find any softness and humility in his heart when he is full? He
said, I do not think so.





5. Sleeping all day

Some people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) ’sleeping away
their fast’. Is this what is really required of us during this noble month?
These people are also missing the purpose of fasting and are slaves to their
desires of comfort and ease. They cannot ‘bear’ to be awake and face a
little hunger or exert a little self-control. For a fasting person to spend
most of the day asleep is nothing but negligence on his part.





6. Wasting time

The month of Ramadan is a very precious time, so much so that Allaah SWT
calls this month ‘Ayyamum Ma’doodaat’ (A fixed number of days). Before we
know it, this month of mercy and forgiveness will be over. We should try and
spend every moment possible in the worship of Allah so that we can make the
most of this blessing. However, there are some of us who waste away their
day playing video games, or worse still, watching TV, movies or even
listening to music to occupy their mind so that they won’t feel the hunger
pangs. Subhaan Allah! Trying to obey Allah by DISOBEYING Him!?





7. Fasting but not giving up evil

Some of us fast but do not give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting,
etc. and some of us fast but do not give up cheating, stealing, dealing in
haraam activities, buying lottery tickets, selling alcohol, fornication,
etc. and all kinds of impermissible things without realizing that the
purpose of fasting is to not stay away from food and drink; rather the aim
behind it is to fear Allaah, to increase our Taqwa.

‘O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for
those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)’ [Qur’an,
al-Baqarah :183]

The Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘Whoever does not give up false speech and
acting upon it, and ignorance, Allaah has no need of him giving up his food
and drink.’ [Bukhaari]





8. Skipping Suhoor (sehri)

The Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘Eat suhoor for in suhoor there is blessing.’
[Bukhaari, Muslim].

And he (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘The thing that differentiates between our fasting
and the fasting of the People of the Book is eating suhoor.’ [Muslim]





9. Stopping Suhoor at ‘Imsaak’ (a correction on my part)

Some people stop eating Suhoor 10-15 minutes earlier than the time of Fajr
to observe ‘Imsaak’.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: This is a kind of bidah (innovation) which has
no basis in the Sunnah. Rather the Sunnah is to do the opposite. Allah
allows us to eat until dawn: ‘and eat and drink until the white thread
(light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of
night)’ [Qur’an, al-Baqarah :187]

And the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘….eat and drink until you hear the adhaan
of Ibn Umm Maktoom, for he does not give the adhaan until dawn comes.’

This ‘imsaak’ which some of the people do is an addition to what Allaah has
prescribed, so it is false. It is a kind of extremism in religion, and the
Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘Those who go to extremes are doomed, those who go
to extremes are doomed, those who go to extremes are doomed.’ [Muslim]





10. Not fasting if they missed Suhoor

Some people are too scared to fast if they miss Suhoor. However, this is an
act kind of cowardice and love of ease. Missing a few morsels in the morning
will, insha’Allah, not lead to death. Remember, obedience to Allaah
overcomes everything. Saying the intention for fast out loud or saying a
specific dua’a to start fasting are bid’ah. The intention is an action of
the heart. We should resolve in our heart that we are going to fast
tomorrow. That is all we need. It is not prescribed by the Shari’ah for us
to say out loud. Also, there is no specific dua’a to be recited at the time
of starting the fast in the Sunnah. Whatever ‘dua’a’ one may see on some
papers or Ramadan calendars, etc. is Bid’ah.





11. Delaying opening fast

Some people wait until the adhaan finishes or even several minutes after
that, just to be ‘on the safe side’. However, the Sunnah is to hasten to
open the fast, which means opening fast whenever the adhaan starts, right
after the sun has set (and not before). Aa’ishah (RA) said: This is what the
Messenger of Allaah (s.a.w.w.) used to do. [Muslim]

The Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘The people will continue to do well so long as
they hasten to open the fast.’ [Bukhaari, Muslim]

Determine to the best of your ability, the accuracy of your clock, calendar,
etc. and then have tawakkul (trust) on Allaah SWT and break your fast
exactly on time.





12. Eating continuously until the time for Maghrib is up

Some people put so much food in their plates when breaking their fast and
continue eating, enjoying dessert, drinking tea, etc., until they miss the
Maghrib prayer. That is obviously not right. The Sunnah of the Prophet
(s.a.w.w.) was that once he broke his fast with some dates, them he would
hasten to the prayer. Once you are done with the prayer, you can always go
back and eat some more if you wish.





13. Missing the golden chance of having your Dua’a accepted

The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of
breaking fast.

The Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘Three prayers are not rejected: the prayer of
a father, the prayer of a fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler.’
[al-Bayhaqi, classified as saheeh by al-Albaani]

Instead of sitting down and making Dua’a at this precious time, some people
forego this beautiful chance, and are too busy frying samosas, talking,
setting the food, filling their plates and glasses, etc. Think about it…Is
food more important than the chance to have your sins forgiven or the
fulfillment of your Dua’as.





14. Fasting but not praying

The fasting of one who does not pray WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This is because
not praying constitutes kufr as the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘Between a man
and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.’ [Muslim]

In fact, NONE of his good deeds will be accepted; rather, they are all
annulled.

‘Whoever does not pray ‘Asr, his good deeds will be annulled.’ [Bukhaari]





15. Fasting and not wearing Hijaab

Not wearing the Hijaab is a major sin as it is obligatory for Muslim women.
(See Surah Nur, Surah Ahzaab). So fasting and not wearing hijaab certainly
takes away, enormously, from the rewards of fasting.





16. Not fasting because of exams or work

Exams or work is NOT one of the excuses allowed by the Shariah to not fast.
You can do your studying and revision at night if it is too hard to do it
during the day. Also remember that pleasing and obeying Allaah is much more
important than ‘good grades’. Besides, if you will fulfill your obligation
to fast, even if you have to study, Allaah will make your studies and other
activities easy for you and help you in everything you do. ‘Whosoever fears
Allah, He will appoint for him a way out and provide for him from where he
does not expect, Allah is Sufficient for whosoever puts his trust in Him.
[Qur’an, Surah at-Talaaq :2-3]





17. Mixing fasting and dieting

DO NOT make the mistake of fasting with the intention to diet. That is one
of the biggest mistakes some of us make (especially sisters). Fasting is an
act of worship and can only be for the sake of Allah alone. Otherwise,
mixing it with the intention of dieting may become a form of (minor) Shirk.





18. Praying ONLY on the night of the 27th Ramadan

Some people pray ONLY on the 27th to seek Lailat ul-Qadr, neglecting all
other odd nights, although the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said: ‘Seek Lailat ul-Qadr
among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.’
[Bukhaari, Muslim]





19. Wasting the last part of Ramadan preparing for Eid

Some people waste the entire last 10 days of Ramadan preparing for Eid,
shopping and frequenting malls, etc. neglecting Ibadah and Lailatul Qadr.
Even though, the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) used to strive the most during the last
ten days of Ramadan in worship [Ahmad, Muslim] and not in shopping. Buy
whatever you need for Eid before Ramadan so that you can utilize the time in
Ramadan to the utmost.

Aa’ishah (RA) said: ‘When the (last) ten nights began, the Messenger of
Allaah (s.a.w.w.) would tighten his waist-wrapper (i..e., strive hard in
worship or refrain from intimacy with his wives), stay awake at night and
wake his family.’ [Bukhaari and Muslim]





20. Iftaar parties

Although inviting each other for breaking fast is good and encouraged, some
people go to extremes with lavish ‘Iftaar parties’ with all sorts of
disobedience to Allah, from flirting, mixing of the sexes and hijaab-less
women to show-off and extravagance, to heedlessness to Salaah, and Taraweeh
to even music and dancing. It’s not too late to rectify ones mistake and do
good for the sake of Allah.

Inform My servants that I am the Forgiver, Most Merciful. [Qur’an,
al-Hijr:49]









Please remember me and my family in your prayers!!



Ramadhan Kareem to everyone!! (In advance)