We should be cautious of the way we spend this month and avoid wasting it. If we spend this month in the best way, then it is guaranteed that we will pass the rest of the year in an excellent manner. Whatever habits you make in Ramadan, are the habits that will last. Whoever wastes this month engaging in futile things, quarrelling and dramas, then he will do the same for the rest of the year and fall into problems. If you adopt good habits, then they will remain for the entire year.
Allah ta'ala has given us the first days of Ramadan for Mercy. The successful one is he who has instilled mercy within him because the purpose of this month and the greatest worship is to improve ourselves. We should assess our progress. Such a person who has Mercy within him, has progressed and become deserving of Allah ta'ala's Mercy. Those who have improved themselves even by one percent during the first Asharah, will have promoted himself to the next Asharah.
When you utilise Allah ta'ala's blessings in the correct way with the reason they were given, then you are truly grateful for that blessing. For example, using your hands for good and not for wrongdoing. Thus, a person becomes truly grateful to Allah ta'ala and He will increase him in blessings.
All of us desire our Imaan to be strengthened so we can become better people. We should be grateful of our current level of Imaan and then, Allah ta'ala will strengthen our Imaan. We complain about illnesses, but we don't thank Allah ta'ala for our good health. We consider it part of our routine to attend the dhikr gathering. In reality, it is a great blessing from Allah ta'ala that He allows us to partake. Allah ta'ala could've prevented us, He could've made us sick. He could've set a restriction. He could've caused us to argue with someone. Instead, Allah ta'ala allows us to sit in the company of a great Wali Allah, and He allows us to attain the rewards of the dhikr gathering.
Naqshbandi’s are those who have sealed the name of Allah ta'ala upon their heart. This name will not be wiped away in the world, in the grave, and neither on the day of reckoning. In fact, the more a person progresses, the more light the name of Allah ta'ala will bring to him.
During the second Asharah, the mercy of Allah ta'ala is demonstrated. Sometimes a person commits grave sins which are indescribable and cannot be forgotten. The worst sin is to dishonour and abuse a respectable person. However, Allah ta'ala has promised that if a person repents, no matter how many sins he has, He will be forgiven.
We may have improved ourselves within, but we will only be successful once Allah ta'ala forgives us, so this is what we need to seek. Allah ta'ala places a condition here, that we must first seek forgiveness from His creation. And if we desire to be forgiven by Allah ta'ala, then we must not quarrel and fight, rather, we should forgive those who seek our forgiveness. When we do this for the sake of Allah, then Allah ta'ala elevates our status and forgives our sins. This is the way to attain this Asharah.
We often seek revenge instead and deem it our right. This action of seeking revenge has destroyed our entire country and caused much corruption and dispute. Unfortunately, it also takes place within our homes. Instead of doing Tasbih, we should mend the hearts of those we have hurt and forgive those who have hurt you. This is a very great action with great reward because the nafs within us makes it very difficult to forgive others.
This is the method of pleasing Allah ta'ala, so we should avoid prioritising external worship. We have entered the days of forgiveness and wish to be forgiven, but have we given up quarrelling with someone? Have we forgiven our spouse who hurt us? If we want Allah ta'ala to overlook our misdeeds, then we must overlook those who have wronged us.
If you take up this advice, then your grave will become a portion of paradise, it be will vast and expansive and full of light. Those who wasted their time and took these days as a mockery, will not have this benefit.
On the Day of Judgement, some fortunate people won't be reckoned for their deeds. They are those who lived amongst their enemies and didn’t take revenge for the sake of Allah. This is a great Sunnah.
Make a habit to forgive for the sake of Allah, whether it's a young person or an old person. Forgiveness is a very great thing, not a minor action. There will be many people who pester you and this is because Allah ta'ala wants to elevate your ranks. When a person becomes reformed via his Sheikh, he thanks Allah ta'ala for those people who pester and dishonour him, as he knows that his status will be elevated in return for his silence.
It has been mentioned that, “Once, a person was verbally abusing Hadhrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه while the Prophet ﷺ was curiously watching with a smile. After taking much abuse quietly, Hadhrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه responded to a few of his comments. At this, Nabi ﷺ exhibited his disapproval, got up and left. Hadhrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه caught up with Nabi ﷺ and wondered, ‘O Messenger of Allah, he was abusing me and you remained sitting. When I responded to him, you disapproved and got up.’
Nabi ﷺ responded,
‘There was an angel with you responding to him. When you responded to him, Shaytan took his place.’ He then said:
‘O Abu Bakr, there are three solid truths: If a person is wronged and he forbears it (without seeking revenge) just for the sake of Allah almighty, Allah will honour him and give him the upper hand with His help, if a person opens a door of giving gifts for cementing relationships with relatives, Allah will give him abundance; and, if a person opens a door of seeking charity for himself to increase his wealth, Allah will further reduce his wealth.'" [Musnad Ahmad]
We often give cheap gifts to please other people without considering their status. We gift without making any effort and without considering the recipient’s liking. We should gift with love and sincerity and avoid gifting to remove burdens or 'for the sake of it.' We should give gifts according to the status and honour of the person we are gifting. Through this selfless action, even the person who is most upset with us, will become happy, as Allah ta'ala has placed blessings in gifting others. The more effort you take in making another person happy, the more Allah ta'ala will grant you.
To study and learn the Quran is very rewarding, but the best thing is to implement the Quran. Such a person gains the highest level of respect and will be the most respectful in the Hereafter.
When you respect a Haafidh, in reality you are respecting the Quran, not the Haafidh. So the Haafidh should be grateful for the Quran and thankful to Allah ta'ala because it is due to the Quran, he is respected.
Be firm in completing your Tazkiyah sheets and fulfil the instructions of your Sheikh with passion and enthusiasm. In order to be spiritually reformed, you must sell yourself at the hands of your teacher by obeying his instructions. Then you will understand your value and become priceless. When a diamond is hidden in the mud, it holds no value. But when it is unearthed and washed, then it sparkles and its price tag increases by thousands.
Similarly, we are tainted human beings, but when the Sheikh picks the student up and polishes him, then his price tag increases in the sight of Allah ta'ala. This is only if we adhere to the Tazkiyah sheets and the instructions of our Sheikh.
We should be cautious of the way we spend this month and avoid wasting it. If we spend this month in the best way, then it is guaranteed that we will pass the rest of the year in an excellent manner. Whatever habits you make in Ramadan, are the habits that will last. Whoever wastes this month engaging in futile things, quarrelling and dramas, then he will do the same for the rest of the year and fall into problems. If you adopt good habits, then they will remain for the entire year.
Allah ta'ala has given us the first days of Ramadan for Mercy. The successful one is he who has instilled mercy within him because the purpose of this month and the greatest worship is to improve ourselves. We should assess our progress. Such a person who has Mercy within him, has progressed and become deserving of Allah ta'ala's Mercy. Those who have improved themselves even by one percent during the first Asharah, will have promoted himself to the next Asharah.
When you utilise Allah ta'ala's blessings in the correct way with the reason they were given, then you are truly grateful for that blessing. For example, using your hands for good and not for wrongdoing. Thus, a person becomes truly grateful to Allah ta'ala and He will increase him in blessings.
All of us desire our Imaan to be strengthened so we can become better people. We should be grateful of our current level of Imaan and then, Allah ta'ala will strengthen our Imaan. We complain about illnesses, but we don't thank Allah ta'ala for our good health. We consider it part of our routine to attend the dhikr gathering. In reality, it is a great blessing from Allah ta'ala that He allows us to partake. Allah ta'ala could've prevented us, He could've made us sick. He could've set a restriction. He could've caused us to argue with someone. Instead, Allah ta'ala allows us to sit in the company of a great Wali Allah, and He allows us to attain the rewards of the dhikr gathering.
Naqshbandi’s are those who have sealed the name of Allah ta'ala upon their heart. This name will not be wiped away in the world, in the grave, and neither on the day of reckoning. In fact, the more a person progresses, the more light the name of Allah ta'ala will bring to him.
During the second Asharah, the mercy of Allah ta'ala is demonstrated. Sometimes a person commits grave sins which are indescribable and cannot be forgotten. The worst sin is to dishonour and abuse a respectable person. However, Allah ta'ala has promised that if a person repents, no matter how many sins he has, He will be forgiven.
We may have improved ourselves within, but we will only be successful once Allah ta'ala forgives us, so this is what we need to seek. Allah ta'ala places a condition here, that we must first seek forgiveness from His creation. And if we desire to be forgiven by Allah ta'ala, then we must not quarrel and fight, rather, we should forgive those who seek our forgiveness. When we do this for the sake of Allah, then Allah ta'ala elevates our status and forgives our sins. This is the way to attain this Asharah.
We often seek revenge instead and deem it our right. This action of seeking revenge has destroyed our entire country and caused much corruption and dispute. Unfortunately, it also takes place within our homes. Instead of doing Tasbih, we should mend the hearts of those we have hurt and forgive those who have hurt you. This is a very great action with great reward because the nafs within us makes it very difficult to forgive others.
This is the method of pleasing Allah ta'ala, so we should avoid prioritising external worship. We have entered the days of forgiveness and wish to be forgiven, but have we given up quarrelling with someone? Have we forgiven our spouse who hurt us? If we want Allah ta'ala to overlook our misdeeds, then we must overlook those who have wronged us.
If you take up this advice, then your grave will become a portion of paradise, it be will vast and expansive and full of light. Those who wasted their time and took these days as a mockery, will not have this benefit.
On the Day of Judgement, some fortunate people won't be reckoned for their deeds. They are those who lived amongst their enemies and didn’t take revenge for the sake of Allah. This is a great Sunnah.
Make a habit to forgive for the sake of Allah, whether it's a young person or an old person. Forgiveness is a very great thing, not a minor action. There will be many people who pester you and this is because Allah ta'ala wants to elevate your ranks. When a person becomes reformed via his Sheikh, he thanks Allah ta'ala for those people who pester and dishonour him, as he knows that his status will be elevated in return for his silence.
It has been mentioned that, “Once, a person was verbally abusing Hadhrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه while the Prophet ﷺ was curiously watching with a smile. After taking much abuse quietly, Hadhrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه responded to a few of his comments. At this, Nabi ﷺ exhibited his disapproval, got up and left. Hadhrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه caught up with Nabi ﷺ and wondered, ‘O Messenger of Allah, he was abusing me and you remained sitting. When I responded to him, you disapproved and got up.’
Nabi ﷺ responded,
‘There was an angel with you responding to him. When you responded to him, Shaytan took his place.’ He then said:
‘O Abu Bakr, there are three solid truths: If a person is wronged and he forbears it (without seeking revenge) just for the sake of Allah almighty, Allah will honour him and give him the upper hand with His help, if a person opens a door of giving gifts for cementing relationships with relatives, Allah will give him abundance; and, if a person opens a door of seeking charity for himself to increase his wealth, Allah will further reduce his wealth.'" [Musnad Ahmad]
We often give cheap gifts to please other people without considering their status. We gift without making any effort and without considering the recipient’s liking. We should gift with love and sincerity and avoid gifting to remove burdens or 'for the sake of it.' We should give gifts according to the status and honour of the person we are gifting. Through this selfless action, even the person who is most upset with us, will become happy, as Allah ta'ala has placed blessings in gifting others. The more effort you take in making another person happy, the more Allah ta'ala will grant you.
To study and learn the Quran is very rewarding, but the best thing is to implement the Quran. Such a person gains the highest level of respect and will be the most respectful in the Hereafter.
When you respect a Haafidh, in reality you are respecting the Quran, not the Haafidh. So the Haafidh should be grateful for the Quran and thankful to Allah ta'ala because it is due to the Quran, he is respected.
Be firm in completing your Tazkiyah sheets and fulfil the instructions of your Sheikh with passion and enthusiasm. In order to be spiritually reformed, you must sell yourself at the hands of your teacher by obeying his instructions. Then you will understand your value and become priceless. When a diamond is hidden in the mud, it holds no value. But when it is unearthed and washed, then it sparkles and its price tag increases by thousands.
Similarly, we are tainted human beings, but when the Sheikh picks the student up and polishes him, then his price tag increases in the sight of Allah ta'ala. This is only if we adhere to the Tazkiyah sheets and the instructions of our Sheikh.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement.