Ramadhan mubarak

 

Dear readers,

Salam aleikum and Ramadhan mubarak!

Insha'Allah all our efforts this month will be rewarded,

may Allah swt make your fast easy and may you achieve greater spiritual grounds.

I wanted to write this blog update firstly to congratulate everybody with the beginning of the Holy month of Ramadhan, secondly to apologize for my long absence and thirdly to share some things about Ramadhan that maybe not everybody thought or thinks about. As I congratulated you with the beginning of the month of the Holy month of Ramadhan, my second point on the agenda was to apologize for my absence. I am truly sorry for not working on this blog for the last 3 months. I have been quite busy. I finished my studies and obtained a Bachelor of Science and on top of that I got married :). So as you can imagine, it has been quite busy these last few months. But alhamdullillah Allah swt has given me great people which have helped me during this period. Insha'Allah they are rewarded for their efforts and kindness and may their reward in the next life be even greater. 

Thirdly and most importantly is the information about Ramadhan that I for one was also not so aware of, until recently. As I knew before, it is good to eat during Suhur (the time just before morning prayer), however I did not know that there are extra du'as you can do which will isha'Allah help you through a day of fasting, especially long ones you experience during summer. 

It is recommended to read Surah Qadr at the time of Suhur, the verse is as seen here and the translation is the following: 

In The Name Of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

(1) Surely We revealed it on the grand night.

(2) And what will make you comprehend what the grand night

(3) The grand night is better than a thousand months.

(4) The angels and Jibreel descend in it by the permission of their Lord for every affair,

(5) Peace! it is till the break of the morning.

Here is a list of Du'as recommended at the time of Suhur:

Dua Al Baha

Dua Ya Mafzai

Tasbih for Suhur

Dua Idrees

Dua Ya'Uddati

Dua'a Abu Hamza Thumali

As these acts of worship are all before the beginning of the fasting day,

here are some for Iftar (the breaking of fast). It is recommended to read Surah Qadr again

and to recite the following du'a upon breaking the fast:

O my Allah, for Thee, I fast, and with the food Thou gives me I break the fast, and I rely on Thee.

It is advisable to say the following at the first bite of food taken:

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, O He whose indulgence is boundless, forgive me.

Dua-e-Ahad

This supplication brings about great merit. The Holy Prophet (saws) recommended this dua to Imam Ali (as) and said that Jibreel (as) came to me and said," Whoever in the holy month of Ramadhan before iftaar recites this dua, Allah (swt) answers his prayer, accepts his prayer and fasting, grants his ten requirements, forgives his sins, removes his grief's, makes his heart at ease, grants his wishes, makes his deeds to ascend upward with the deeds of prophets and righteous saints and on the Day of Judgement brings him to HIS presence with his face illuminated like a bright moon."

Also a nice document on the Etiquette of Iftar, which in most cases is forgotten.

One should be reminded of the status of this month, even when one is not required to fast any more,

one should strive to keep a high spiritual level.

Remember that when fasting, one does not only refrain from eating food, one should also refrain from letting the tongue say bad words, letting the eyes see bad things and letting the ear hear bad sounds/words. For on the Day of Judgement, all these parts (and more) will testify against us. Insha'Allah for all of us, let their testimony is kheir. I wish you a blessed Ramadhan yet again and insha'Allah I will have the time to post another update soon!

Khodahafez (Be under the protection of Allah swt)

Most of this information is taken from the following website:

www.duas.org