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Fasting New Muslims

New Muslims Filling Post-Ramadan Emptiness

Ramadan is over. The excitement of `Eid is over. You are a revert Muslim and maybe it was your first `Eid. There were times when you were not sure you were going to make it and even times when you were not sure of anything much at all. It was 30 days of extreme physical and mental tests, long nights of prayer and lonely hours (at least in my case) of a dry throat.

Ramadan

Remind yourself why you felt blessed during Ramadan and why you did it in the first place.

Now on completion you will never forget those 30 days; every year from now on will mean something more than you ever could have imagined. They will forever be embedded in your heart and mind as a testimony to your resolve and unshaking belief in the Shahadah, which you know beyond a doubt that you now firmly believe in.

And then in that joy comes the ‘crash’ – the sense of emptiness, of abyss. You climbed so high to achieve the long fasts and Tarawih of Ramadan and now everywhere you look is down. At the top, the climb seems nowhere near as bad as the descent. And if you are feeling like that, trust me I was the same in 2012 in China, knowing I would go back to Spain, which isn’t the most Muslim-friendly place. This thought then filled my heart with a little bit of dread and then the desperation set in.

What do I do now? What does Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) want from me? What do I do at iftar (not fasting)? How do I maintain that sense of community?

With the end of Ramadan, it was like my ‘Muslimness’ was draining away and no sense of scrambling would get it back. That sense of knowing Allah when refusing a cup of tea until the final bowel of Maghrib (sunset) because you’re a Muslim, or the near militant avoidance of the use of bad language or the refusal to listen to non-Muslim worship during Ramadan was gone. Even the wearing of the prayer hat (all Muslims in China wear it as part of their identity), at least not until next year.

And in that desperation, I did the only thing I could do. I turned to Allah (Exalted be He) once more. Not because I was a ‘good Muslim’ but because I didn’t know what else to do. I could not ask my family and within a short time the Muslims I had come to know in China were literally going to be on the other side of the world.

At this moment I knelt in my long prayer clothing with my hood up on my pink prayer mat and opened my ears wide. What did Allah need to say to me? It was my first Ramadan and it was all over. How could I fill the emptiness? The answers did not come all at once. One did but the others come later, some even during my second Ramadan.

First thing to remember is that you are not chasing a spiritual high but you are running after Allah, the One true God.

Any Muslim looking to emulate a spiritual high will be highly disappointed and will only be drunk in it. The ‘high’ is the blessing one gets for seeking Allah. The minute you stop seeking Him is the minute the food spoils and makes you sick. The blessing fades and turns abruptly into a nightmare because as writer Yasmin Mogahed says:

“You can only run in one direction. So you are either running to God, or you are running to something else…”

So with that in mind, how does one stay in the blessing of Ramadan?

1- Remind yourself why you felt blessed during Ramadan and why you did it in the first place. In my case I did not do it because it was a pillar of Islam, but I did it to feel closer to Allah and to understand my path better. So I read the Qur’an more comprehensively, prayed more frequently, actively bought Islamic books on family life and marriage (seeing as it is the other half of the deen) to read in Ramadan and after it.

In other words I surrounded myself with things that would allow me to have a better relationship with Allah and the Ummah. In doing so, I received Allah’s blessing and actively felt blessed. If I had to give one piece of advice this post-Ramadan I would say: write down or talk to a brother or sister about your blessings and how you wish to walk in them in the coming year. This means, at least it did in my case, a brainstorming session (or two or three) with your best friends or family.

2- Reflect on Allah’s greatness every time you say “Allahu Akbar” and what He inspired you to achieve. I am not one to write things down but rather a person who ‘meditates’ on such things. Doing my quiet times on the bus (which were not actually quiet, given how crowded a place China is), I made it part of my worship.

In this worship, I processed what had happened to me doing Ramadan and was happening to me now, after `Eid. I asked friends of mine what they thought of ‘my Ramadan’, which was a rather revealing though a not too comfortable experience that told me a lot about myself and my relationship with Islam (my good and bad attitudes).

If you are a revert or even a born Muslim it is actually very worthwhile to ask a non-Muslim person you trust to give their honest opinion as they see things that Muslims may not always notice, given that they are themselves focusing on prayer and fasting themselves! Allah’s greatness can be reflected everywhere (unless it is strictly haram) and in every person (obviously to a varying degree) so don’t make the mistake of only asking the holiest person you meet!

3- Ask Allah what He wants you to do with your new found skills of post-Ramadan (in my case more patience and a greater awareness of poverty and physical hardship). I did a lot of du`aa’ following Ramadan and asked Allah about the things I had read, the people I had meet and the skills I had learned. I also went out and actively did something about it.

Du`aa’ is only the beginning and changes little if you do not act on it. Du`aa’ is participatory; it is not a monologue and involves interaction with Allah and subsequently other people, in order that Allah can show you how to make your pure heartfelt desires a reality. Think Action Plan, in blocks or a series of steps (I prefer not to have a timeframe as I lose motivation.)

4- Remember your brothers and sisters are exactly that and did not just adopt you doing Ramadan. Invest time in building and maintaining halal (permitted by Allah) relationships with them. Frequent halal shops, buying only what you need that day so you have to return the next one. Make time, not excuses, no matter how far the mosque is, (trust me all of mine are far) to get there on a daily basis. Actively look for opportunities to interact or offer your support to someone.

5- Continue to frequently consult the new websites from where you obtained Qur’anic insights to live a highly productive and spiritual Ramadan.

blessing of Ramadan

Keep up any one of the routines you established during Ramadan

6- Keep up any one of the routines you established during Ramadan – continuity is key. If you made it your goal in Ramadan 2012 to pray all five prayers no matter where you were or to pray at the mosque daily in Ramadan 2013, keep up the habit! If you found time during Ramadan to go the gym and work a full-time job, you will still have that time when after Ramadan. It might mean, as it did in my case, that you make it your business to know every mosque in the city or that you book appointments and work schedule (or even leisure activities) around prayer times but believe me, it is worth it. I just think of all the exercise and fat I burn cycling to the masjid and the less time I have to sit wasting time on my computer.

7- Ask Allah what you need to work on after Ramadan which you didn’t have time to perfect during Ramadan. In my first Ramadan the focus was more physical, given the shock my body had. The focus of my second one was consistent masjid attendance. I am sure the next thing I must work on is patience. In this year’s post-Ramadan I will, in sha’ Allah, be looking at what frustrates me and how I can avoid that feeling of frustration. In my case prayer is the number solution and actually my best non-Muslim friend gives me my prayer mat when I am annoyed! Attack what you need to work on from two angles, find out the source or the reason behind the need to change, develop and/or grow and facilitate the solution.

Allah says:

O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient. (Al-Baqarah 2:153)

In your post-Ramadan, there will be times where you don’t feel spiritual at all. You might even feel fed-up and irritable, having slipped up and lost your newly created habits, be it gym attendance, masjid attendance, reduction in the number of swear words you allow to pass your lips etc. Pray about it, commit the issue to Allah. Make yourself accountable to a Muslim of the same sex (i.e. not your wife or husband though they should know you are doing it and who with), not to revel in it but to genuinely seek Allah’s Will on the matter. Ask him/her to commit to doing du`aa’ for you too and be patient and steadfast.

Lastly, remember if you forget to take prescribed medicine it normally says on the instruction leaflet, not to take a double dose but rather resume the medicine again as soon as you remember or as soon as you can. This is what I encourage you to do when and if you should slip up. Commit to prayer, be patient with yourself and as soon as you can resume your normal ‘Ramadan’ behavior. For this is now you, not the man or woman before Ramadan but the one after!

So with these tips, prepare yourself to have a different but equally enriching post-Ramadan experience until the next one, in sha’ Allah.

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Source: productivemuslim.com.

This article was written by Kai Ibrahim, a British revert who observed Ramadan on his own in Spain and Poland in 2013, and in Spain and China 2012, in the hope to inspire and encourage reverts and other Muslims to keep up the spirituality post-Ramadan until the next one. He also hopes that the article will encourage Muslim families to adopt a revert Muslim now that Ramadan is over and keep them smiling into the next one!

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Categories
Articles of Faith New Muslims

Islam & Life’s Struggles: What Is Missing in Your life?

nature seat

What is standing between you and God?

What do you struggle with in life? Do you ever wonder what is really missing in your life?

What is standing between you and true peace; between you and God?

In what do you believe? Do you really believe the things you believe in? Are you a true believer? And how do you know you are one? What should we do to enhance our faith?

Do you feel God’s love? Are you struggling with perfecting your faith and getting really close to Allah?

Have you asked yourself these questions before?

Some fellow American Muslims were asked these and other similar questions and here are their responses…

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Source: ibn.net

 

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Categories
Articles of Faith New Muslims

For More Meaningful Effective Worship

By Jenna Evans

Oh mankind! Worship your Lord, who created you and those who were before you so that you may become pious. (Al-Baqarah 2:21)

du`aa' after prayer

Islam is a complete way of life where a constant state of worship is not an unreachable ideal, but a rational possibility.

When we hear the command to worship Allah (Exalted be He) in the Qur’an, what comes to mind?

Most likely we think of completing the five daily prayers, fasting during the month of Ramadan, or sharing a portion of our wealth with the poor. Although these acts are considered the foundations for faith – the pillars (arkan) of Islam – they comprise only one aspect of worship.

Worship, or `ibadah in Arabic, is an inclusive term for all that Allah loves. In other words, worship consists of everything one says or does for the pleasure of Allah, whether it is abiding by the required rituals, living by the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him), or perfecting our behavior.

Allah created us to worship Him and developed the religion of Islam as a “complete way of life” with rules and recommendations to govern our spiritual, physical, emotional, and social lives; these facts, clearly outlined in the Qur’an, suggest that a constant state of worship is not an unreachable ideal, but a rational possibility.

But when faced with the demands of school, work, and family, and desires to socialize and pursue hobbies, how can we engage in the ongoing worship Allah asks of us?

Part of the answer lies in the following seven words: Intention elevates deeds from habit to worship.

The Prophet emphasized the importance of our intentions when he said:

“All actions are judged by intention, and each person will be rewarded according to their intention.” (Al-Bukhari)

By explicitly changing our attitude from a bitter “I have to do this” to a positive “I want to do this for Allah” many of our habitual tasks can in fact become acts of worship.

The Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet set out specifics on morals and manners that can aid us in achieving a constant state of worship. Each of the following personal and social acts has the potential to draw us closer to our Creator:

Personal Acts

– Modesty in dress and behaviour

– Grooming and cleanliness

– Eating and drinking

– Using the bathroom

Seeking knowledge

– Travelling

– Going to work

Social Acts

– Keeping in touch with loved ones

Greeting others

Being punctual

– Exchanging gifts

– Respecting elders

– Kindness to animals

Expressing gratitude

– Volunteering

Many of us attend to these everyday tasks with little forethought, ignoring the numerous opportunities to earn reward.

Instead, take note of that which Allah loves, and use the power of intention to remain in a state of worship. As Khurram Murad states in the book “In the Early Hours”:

“Let there be no territories carved up and no frontiers set up in serving Him….Let nothing motivate us but an intense longing to please our Lord in the next world, and let that expectation give a decisive shape to our life here.”

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Source: Sisters Magazine

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Categories
New Muslims Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam

Learn about the five pillars and obligations of Islam; the general duties that regulate a Muslim’s relationship with Allah, Prophet Muhammad and worldly desires…

Narrated Ibn `Umar: “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “Islam is based on five: Testifying that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger, offering Salah (Prayer), paying Zakah (alms giving), performing Hajj (pilgrimage) and observing sawm (fasting) during the Month of Ramadan.”

The Narrator

The narrator  of the hadith here is `Abdullah ibn `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both). He was born 4 years after the advent of Islam and died in 74 or 73 AH. He embraced Islam at an early age and migrated to Madinah with his father `Umar, when he was 10. He was one of the greatest Hadith narrators among the Companions.

Islam Is Based on Five

Shahadah: The testimony of faith, namely no one has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger

Salah: It is the central worship of Islam. It consists of certain acts, sayings and supplications, such as kneeling, prostration and takbir (saying Allahu Akbar).

Zakah: It is a kind of charity obligated on those who have properties that reach the nisab (the minimum amount of property on which Zakah is due) paid to eight beneficiaries (set in the Qur’an) with certain conditions.

Hajj: Pilgrimage means to leave to the House of Allah (i.e. the Ka`bah) and perform certain obligatory and recommendable rituals in the order reported from the Prophet Muhammad.

Sawm: The abstention from eating, drinking and sex from the break of dawn to the sunset with the intention of worshiping Allah, the Almighty.

So what Does This Hadith Mean?

The hadith at hand mentions the main and central obligations upon which the whole religion of Islam is established. Islam has been defined as submission, obedience and worship of Allah, the only God and Lord of the universe, being its Creator.

The hadith is showing the major principles that exemplify these meanings. Imam An-Nawawi said, “This hadith is a great source of understanding the religion of Islam as it included all of its pillars.”(1)

The hadith deals with the general duties that regulate a Muslim’s relationship with Allah, Prophet Muhammad and worldly desires. It explains the main individual obligations that are required from every Muslim, male or female. Imam Ibn Rajab said, “The hadith means liking the religion of Islam to a building, while the pillars of the building are these five things and without them the building is collapsed. Then, the rest of Islam’s rites are complements of this building.”(2)

Below is a brief description of the five pillars mentioned in the hadith:

1- The Testimony of Faith

The first pillar of Islam is to testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah, the Almighty and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. Sheikh Mohamed Salih Al-Munajjid explains the meaning of the Testimony of Faith by saying: “To bear witness that there is no god except Allah means to deny that no one other than Allah has the right to be worshipped, and to affirm that this is the right of Allah alone, with no partner or associate. Allah says:

That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand. (Al-Hajj 22:62)

To bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah is to believe firmly that Muhammad is Allah’s slave and His Messenger to all of creation; the mankind and the Jinn. That means believing in what he has told us, obeying and following what he has commanded, giving up and avoiding what he has forbidden, following his laws, adhering to his Sunnah in secret and in the open, accepting and submitting to his judgments, and knowing that obedience to him is obedience to Allah, and disobedience to him is disobedience to Allah.(3)

2- Performing Salah

Prayer occupies a matchless rank in Islam. It is the column of religion and the first thing that one is called into account about. If it comes to be good, the rest of one’s deed will be so and if it is invalid, the rest of one’s deed become null and void.

Mu`adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet said: “Shall I not tell you of the head of the matter and its pillar and peak?” I (Mu`adh) said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is prayer and its top is jihad.” (At-Tirmidhi)

It is a constituent part of Islam, without which one’s religion is nothing. It implants modesty, unity, equality and common cooperation in the hearts and souls of Muslims. Also, it brings the worshipper closer to Allah and purifies him from the filths of sins. Moreover, it teaches good manners and upright attitude. Almighty Allah says:

And establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing. (An-Nahl 29:45)

Prayer has been obligated five times a day so that a praying person implores his God, regrets his sins and asks Him help and support in all matters. It is a good time to get out for a while of the discomforts of life to spiritual contemplation and meditation.

Therefore, it is highly required to perform with utmost reverence because this is reflected on one’s attitude and morals in the daily life, as mentioned in the aforementioned verse.

3- Zakah

Zakah means to give the prescribed shares from certain specified kinds of property to those who are entitled to them. The types of property include gold, silver, crops, fruits, trade goods and livestock (i.e., camels, cattle and sheep). It is required that a full Hijri year passes while the property in in one’s possession as well as that it must reach the nisab (the minimum amount of property on which Zakah is due).

Moreover, the Qur’an illustrates that Zakah should be given to eight types of people and it is not permissible to give it to other than these eight types:

Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect (zakah) and for bringing hearts together (for Islam) and for freeing captives (or slaves) and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the (stranded) traveler – an obligation (imposed) by Allah . And Allah is Knowing and Wise. (At-Tawbah 9:60)

Zakah represents one of the highest forms of thankfulness to Allah, and Islamic solidarity. Those with big wealth are commanded to pay out a small part of their money to be spent for the benefit of the poor, community and religion, showing gratitude to Allah who blessed them with that wealth and all other all favours.

Zakah is paid for helping the needy and indebted people, establishing public facilities and spreading the message of Islam. It is not to be given to saints or sheikhs, or to a specific tribe or class. Rather, it is expended only within the eight categories mentioned in the Qur’an, as mentioned in the verse above.

4- Hajj

Hajj or pilgrimage consists of certain rituals such as Tawaf (circumambulation of Ka`bah), standing in `Arafat and throwing pebbles. Allah says:

And (due) to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House – for whoever is able to find thereto a way. (Aal `Imran 2:97)

Abu Hurairah reported: “The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever performs Hajj (pilgrimage) and does not have sexual relations, nor commits sin, nor disputes unjustly (during Hajj), then he returns from Hajj as pure and free from sins as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The majority of scholars are of the opinion that Hajj was prescribed in the ninth year of Hijrah. However, it is enjoined one time in life and it is required only on those who are capable to perform it financially and physically. One should be keen to offer it because it is a means of expiation of sins, if a person does it in the manner prescribed in Shari`ah.

Sheikh Ibn `Uthaimin says: “During Hajj, Muslims from all parts of the world come together and show their love for one another and get to know one another. Also, Muslims demonstrate unity in time, place, actions and appearance. All of them stand in the different locations of Hajj at the same time, doing the same actions, and wearing the same clothes, with humbleness before Allah. The season of Hajj brings a great deal of good in both spiritual and worldly terms, as the Muslims may benefit by coming together, learning from one another and doing business.”(4)

5- Sawm

Fasting or sawm is defined as the abstention from the things that invalidate fasting from the break of dawn to the sunset with the intention of worshiping Allah, the Almighty.”(5)

Fasting was enjoined in 2 AH, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) fasted nine months of Ramadan. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) fasted Ramadan for nine years, because it was made obligatory in Sha’ban 2 AH.” (Al-Majmu`, 6/250)

Regarding the obligation of fasting, Allah says:

O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous. (Al-Baqarah 2:183)

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, “Fasting is for Me and I reward it. Every good action is rewarded by ten times its kind, up to seven hundred times, except fasting, which is for Me, and I reward it.” (An-Nasa’i)

Fasting teaches sincerity and righteousness. It also makes us feel the sufferings of those who do not find food and drink, so that one becomes more generous and bountiful with them.

Also, it has a lot of healthy and moral benefits. The Prophet stated that Allah has prepared a great reward for the fasting people and there will be a special door for them in Paradise called Ar-Rayyan.

Lessons and Rulings

  • The hadith does not include all the obligations of Islam. There are, of course, other obligatory and top ranked deeds, such as Jihad. This is because the hadith highlights the basics of Islam as well as that Jihad is a collective obligation.(6)
  • The rites not mentioned in the hadith are also required and they complete one’s religion and one will be called into account about abandoning them for no excuse, such as enjoining good and forbidding evil.
  • The five duties mentioned here are indispensable and it is impermissible to abandon them, except within the legal excuses set by Shari`ah.

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(1) Muslim, Sahih Muslim, Dar Al-Khair, 1996, volume 1, p. 146.

(2) Ibn Rajab, Jami` Al-`Ulum wa Al-Hikam, Beirut, Al-Risalah, 2001, p. 145.

(3) http://www.islam-qa.com/en/21738 (Last accessed, 17/Nov/2013)

(4) Quoted from http://www.islamqa.com/en/109234 (Last accessed, 20/Nov/2013)

(5) Ibn `Uthaimin, http://ar.islamway.net/fatwa/6253 (Last accessed, 17/Nov/2013)

(6) Ibn Rajab, Jami` Al-`Ulum wa Al-Hikam, Beirut, Al-Risalah, 2001, p. 152.

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Categories
Fasting New Muslims

What’s After Ramadan?

What should we do after Ramadan? How should we carry the torch of Ramadan forward?

How should we benefit from the taqwa (God-consciousness) that we gained in the blessed month?

Watch this sermon by Abdur Raheem McCarthy to learn how to keep the blessings of Ramadan and maintain good deeds and habits after Ramadan.

Know the answer to these questions here…

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