By Barr Olori-Aje Adam
Our lives, as Allah (SWT) has ordained them, carry a quiet but piercing lesson. It is a journey that begins with nothing and ends with nothing.
We entered this World with closed fists that held nothing, and one day, as we are lowered into the earth, those same hands will be left bare and empty.
Between the first cry at our birth and the final silence of the grave lies our ordained test: to choose between striving for what we can take along to our final abode or striving for what cannot accompany us beyond this World.
Seek, through what Allah (SWT) has given you, the Home of the Hereafter, but do not forget your share of the World. Do good as Allah (SWT) has been good to you, and do not seek corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah (SWT) does not love those who engage in corruption.
This verse is explicit enough on our duties with what we gathered as wealth in life and I urge you to ponder more on it.
We arrived this World weak, helpless, and dependent. We were just a soul, pure and unburdened. But slowly and quietly, the ‘dunya’ began to whisper to us: to compete, to achieve, and to acquire more earthly wealth. And so we began the race. We began to run, chasing what is now commonly called “the runs.”
We run for wealth. We run for status. We run for influence. We run for applause. And somewhere along the line, many hearts became attached to what was never meant to last or be taken home, forgetting that our exit will be with open, empty hands.
But let us pause and ask ourselves this question: when it is the clear teaching of the Prophet (SAW) that we should live in this World as strangers or travellers, and when the Qur’an clearly states in Qur’an 57:20 that the life of this World is just an amusement and diversion;
Why would man, blessed with senses and the Rū inspired into him, which elevated him above Allah’s creations, lower himself to struggle endlessly for what he must ultimately lose?
Why would a Muslim, blessed with perception, the light of guidance, and the clarity of the Qur’an, not strive for that which will lead him into eternity?
“Yet look at us, who are meant to live in this World like travellers. We’ve become; Travellers who forgot that the journey here is short, Travelers who are building palaces on a road they must soon leave, and Travelers who are packing everything they will eventually abandon. We work so hard until our bodies grow tired. We worry so much until our chests grow tight. We chase and chase endlessly, thinking that peace is just one more achievement away. Why are we so confused?
Then Allah (SWT), in His mercy, sends us Ramadan, not to starve us, but to wake us up to the values that will aid our true journey to the Hereafter. Ramadan comes to break the chains of the heart. Ramadan comes to guide us through the ultimate test of life. Ramadan comes to remind the distracted soul and slow the racing servant for earthly accumulation before the final stop, arrives.
Ramadan is here, gently whispering to you that; Your rizq was written before your birth, Your time on earth is limited and counted, Your return to Allah (SWT) is certain and when the inescapable moment comes, our titles will not follow us, our bank alerts will not comfort us and our followers will not sit with us in the darkness of the grave. The powerful and the weak, the wealthy and the poor, the famous and the forgotten, all will be treated alike in the grave.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I asked: “O Messenger of Allah! If I realise Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of Decree), what should I supplicate in it?” He (May Gods peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “You should supplicate: Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun, tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa’fu ‘anni (O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me).” [At-Tirmidhi]
Make the intention to give consistently in the last 10 nights. The reward is great and if your charity falls on the Night of Power, the reward is immeasurable.
“Upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is the hand of a giver, and the lower hand is the hand of a beggar.” [Bukhari]
Solitude is a healthy endeavour when done with the right intention. One of the ways you can maximise on your worship is through the practice of I’tikaf. If you are unable to make I’tikaf during the last 10 nights, try to pursue many days and nights as possible. Make an intention to do Nawafil I’tikaf every time you visit the Masjid.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whoever stands (in the voluntary night prayer of) Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. And whoever spends the night of Lailat Al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i]
It is imperative to your success in life that you use your time wisely. During these blessed nights, avoid actions that will hinder your ‘ibadah. Take a break from social media for the last 10 nights and avoid watching television.
The Prophet (PBUH) said: “There are two blessings concerning which many people are cheated: health and free time.” [Al-Bukhari]
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Kind speech and feeding (the hungry) guarantee you Paradise.” [al-Tabarani]
Work on your internal state by guarding your tongue, protecting your eyes from that which will cause the displeasure of Allah (SWT). The more time you spend idle and engaging in speech that is fruitless, the more it will harm you and your chance at benefiting from these blessed nights.
“The believer does not defame, abuse, disparage, nor vilify.” [Al-Tirmidhi]
The Prophet said, “Verily, Gabriel came to me and he said: Whoever reaches the month of Ramadan and he is not forgiven, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amīn. I said amīn. Whoever sees his parents in their old age, one or both of them, and he does not honor them and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amīn. I said amīn. Whoever has your name mentioned in his presence and he does not send blessings upon you and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amīn. I said amīn.” [Sahīh Ibn Hibbān 915]
