Staying Productive After Ramadan: Yes You Can!

 Ghufran Khir Allah,

 Ramadan has passed! In those past 30 days, all Muslims have written their own story through their unique planning and commitment, their dua and hidden tears, inner peace in their hearts, and their relation with Allah . Today, apart from the good spirit of Eid that fills our hearts with joy, two important questions are certainly on everyone’s minds: Have I done enough? How can I sustain my religious and social productivity after Ramadan? 

First of all, let us be honest with ourselves: who has ever succeeded in perfectly executing his or her Ramadan plan?

As humans, no one is perfect and neither are we expected to be! All of us have certain goals that we could not carry out as efficiently as we had hoped to. It could be because our schedule was a little bit exaggerated or because of unexpected incidents. Many of us may have really tried hard but with little success. Please, do not feel bad or label  your attempt as a “failure”.  Focus rather on how much you tried and be proud of your attempt.

The Prophet  said: “(The value of) an action depends on the intention behind it. A man will be rewarded only for what he intended.” [Muslim]

This hadith is very reassuring because it does not only explain the importance of the intention, but it also indicates that the reward we are promised does not depend on what we eventually accomplish. Rather, the reward depends on what our true and honest intention was before we set out on doing the act. In other words: the reward does not depend on the results. Instead, it depends on our efforts even if the circumstances did not help us fully accomplish our intended act.

A worry that fills the hearts of parents is that they spent the majority of Ramadan working outside or inside home instead of doing ibadah (worship). Here is where they need to make a perspective shift. Their devotion to provide their family with a decent life is not only ibadah, but an important source of sustained and continuous reward In sha Allah. Accordingly, every minute you spend at work, in traffic, every little effort in housekeeping and caring for your kids is considered a blessed mission even on normal days. So imagine how much more rewarding it would be to do the same in Ramadan?

Now review your Ramadan planning. If you find that you had committed to 50% of your Ramadan schedule, that is a great sign! It means that you have boosted 50% of your productivity in 30 days, Alhamdulillah! Your heroic mission now is to sustain this progress as much as you can.

But how can we sustain our productivity?  

When Allah  gives us the privilege to be forgiven on the last day of Ramadan if we fast out of sincere faith and hope for His reward, all the expressions used by Him indicate that ALL our sins will be completely wiped off and our life will be like that of a newborn, pure baby [Bukhari]. If we really appreciate this new start, we will not take a step forward without caution and planning. We need to take this opportunity to carefully measure the progress we’ve made, assess where we had gone wrong and strive to be one of those who are the best of those who make mistakes – as described by the Prophet  when he said:

“All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent often.” [At·Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

Here are some tips I’ve put together to help you in planning for and sustaining your Ramadan productivity levels In sha Allah:

1. Make Dua to Stay Productive

We complete the month of Ramadan with remarkable levels of spirituality and positive energy. Shaytan, who has been held for the past 30 days, will intensify his efforts to take this spirituality away as soon as possible. The conflict between our ego, our spirituality and shaytan is not a battle that we can win easily. Making dua is essential to guarantee Allah’s  support throughout our daily struggles. One of the most beautiful Prophetic duas for holding on to our spirituality and productivity is the following:

‘O You Who makes hearts steadfast make our hearts steadfast in adhering to Your religion.’ (‘Allahuma, ya Muthabbet al-qulub, thabbet qalbi ala deenek’) [Ibn Majah]

2. Pay Attention to Your Environment

Many of us have normal routines such as having a morning coffee or breakfast at work. Unconsciously, we miss doing some mistakes we used to do as well. Returning to our daily routine will include returning to the same environments that bring up those unpleasant desires again (extra free time and energy to waste, friends you used to smoke or waste time with, gossip or even miss salah). Paying attention to your environment is essential to sustain your productivity. When shaytan tries to seduce us, he does not come with his red horns and stick, trying to convince us to return to our old destructive habits. He will take on many forms and shapes, and the old unpleasant company is one of the most efficient sneak-back strategies. Try to eliminate or avoid unproductive environments as much as you can. You can knock the door of your friends’ hearts with a word of caring advice – perhaps they need help and could change. But be cautious: destructive company will drag you over to their side if you cannot drag them to yours!

3. Commit to Attending a Weekly Halaqa

Doing ibadah is easy in Ramadan because of the collective focus on it. It is a universal month when all Muslims around the world engage in more ibadah and ritual worship. The act of fasting itself is a good reminder about focusing on staying spiritually productive throughout the day. However, after Ramadan you need extra reminders to boost your motivation because you will not have the same communal support as before in performing ibadah. Moreover, with the busy pace of life, we gradually lose our spiritual energy. Attending halaqa (religious study group) once a week is a great way to bring us back to and stay on the right track. It keeps you aware of Allah  and helps you keep your Afterlife in view always. Attending halaqa keeps you in good company: people whom you can discuss your religious feelings, reflections and experiences with.
Attending halaqa at the masjid with good friends is the ideal image we have in mind. But in the 21st century, a halaqa can have many versions. You can watch a video on YouTube of any speaker whose style and message interests you and later discuss it with a friend. Wherever your are or whatever your circumstances, the Internet has made it difficult for anyone to claim he or she does not have any religious and social resources.

4. Set a New Schedule

I have always held on the belief that it is not heroic to attend taraweeh when every Muslim in your community does so. However it is heroic to remain consistent in performing 4 rakahs (units) of qiyam (voluntary prayer) every single night even if your friends are waiting for you to watch a football match, or when the lights are turned off and everyone is asleep. This is the heroic mission that we should stick to: to do ibadah when everybody returns to his or her usual routines.
Having a new schedule is absolutely essential. Your new plan should comprise at least 30% of what you achieved during Ramadan. You can review each activity you performed in Ramadan and include at least 1/3rd of it in your new schedule. For example: if you used to pray 20 rakahs of taraweeh, schedule 8 rakahs of qiyam daily in your new schedule. If you used to pray 8 rakahs of taraweeh, make that 4 rakahs of qiyam in your post-Ramadan schedule. Set monthly missions like: helping a friend, giving sadaqah (charity), doing dhikr, reading a specific amount of the Qur’an, voluntary fasting, etc. Always specify the quantity of your goals and stick to deadlines you can commit to. Do not exaggerate or try to replicate your Ramadan schedule. I know you will find the new schedule very minimal when you compare it with what you did during Ramadan, but consistency is what matters now. Our beloved prophet  said:

“The most beloved deed to Allah’s is the most regular and constant even though it were little.” [Bukhari]

 5. Keep Track of Your Ramadan Records

“In my first Ramadan, I discovered new limits in me as a human being. I will never, ever forget the feeling of water going down my throat after 17 hours of fasting!” 

This was one of many amazing reflections of a dear sister who experienced her first Ramadan two years ago. These words gave me a completely new understanding of Ramadan. It is an opportunity to discover your hidden limits and overcome them. If you ask any non-Muslim about abstaining from eating and drinking during the long hours of July while still being productive, his or her answer will be: impossible! This is what Ramadan is about: challenging the impossible. If you revisit your Ramadan, I am sure you will find a couple of things that you succeeded in doing even though you never thought you could do them before. That is why you should keep your Ramadan programme as a reference of your hidden potential. Every time you miss qiyam or reading the Qur’an because you feel tired, or stop doing dhikr because you are thinking about everyday problems, or even lose hope in changing the world around you, return to the records you set in Ramadan and get a dose of “yes I can in sha Allah!” energy.
Finally, may Allah  accept our every little effort and count it in our balance of good deeds. Let’s make dua that we will observe the next Ramadan with much more positive energy and honest intentions In sha Allah.

Inner dimensions of Zakat

Inner dimensions of Zakat

Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali

Certain inward attitudes and duties are incumbent on those who seek, through the payment of Zakat, that which leads to good in the Hereafter:

1. Knowing Zakat's purpose and significance

To understand the necessity of paying Zakat, how it represents a test of character, and why it has been made one of the fundamentals of Islam, even though it is a financial transaction and not a physical? act of worship.

Three points deserve consideration here:

(a) Testing the degree of love for Allah

To pronounce the two sentences of the Confession of Faith(Shahada) ("There is no God but Allah-Mohammad is God's Messenger") is obligatory as affirmation of the Divine Unity and testimony to the singleness of the?One to Whom all worship is due.

Complete fulfillment of this obligation requires that he who affirms the Divine Unity should direct his love to none but the One, the Unique.

There is little value in mere verbal affirmation.The degree of love is tested only by separating the lover from other things he loves.

Worldly goods are an object of love in everybody's eyes, being the means by which they enjoy the benefits of this world. Because of them, we become attached to life and shy away from death, even though death leads us to meet the Beloved (Allah).

The truth of our claim to love God is therefore put to the test, and we are asked to give up the wealth which is the apple our eye.

That is why Allah said: "God has bought from the believers their persons and their goods,

Paradise being theirs for the price " (part of Quran: 9:111).

Allah also says that true piety means giving away one's wealth, in spite of love for it, to close relatives, orphans, the wayfarer and beggars, and for the emancipation of slaves (see Quran 2: 177) .

(b) The elimination of miserliness

The Divine decree by which Allah bids His servants to spend their wealth, is also significant? in purging the habit of miserliness, which is a deadly sin.

"And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful" (Quran 59:9).

The habit of miserliness is only eliminated by making oneself accustomed to spending money, for to break an attachment one must force oneself away till a new habit is found.

The purity he acquires is in proportion to his expenditure, to his delight?in giving away and to his joy in spending for the sake of Allah.

(c) Expression of gratitude

The third factor is gratitude for benefits received, for the servant is indebted to Allah for personal and material bounties

2. Payment of Zakat at the proper time

The second duty with regards to Zakat concerns the time of payment .

A good practice is to anticipate the moment when payment is due.

This demonstrates a willingness to comply by bringing joy to the hearts of poor, forestalling the obstacles time might place in the way of charitable action, being aware that there are dangers in delaying payment, as the servant runs the risk of disobedience should he or she postpone beyond the appointed moment.

Whenever the impulse to good arises from within,the opportunity must be grasped at once as the believers heart lies between the two fingers of the All-Merciful. Yet how fickle is the heart! The devil threatens poverty and bids us to commit atrocious and abominable deeds.

Demonic suggestion follows hard on the heels of angelic inspiration. One should therefore seize the opportunity and fix a definite month for giving Zakat (if one is used to paying it all at once.)

One should endeavor to choose one of the most opportune times to pay Zakat, resulting in more closeness to Allah and compounding the value of the Zakat.

One such favorable time would be month of Muharram, since it is the first month of the Islamic year and one of the sacred months. Another is Ramadan.

3. Give In Secret

The third duty is secrecy, for this is farthest removed from hypocritical display and reputation-seeking.

Allah says, "If you disclose your Sadaqat (alms giving), it is well, but if you conceal it, and give it to the poor, that is better for you. (Allah) will forgive you some of your sins. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do" (Quran 2:271).

According to one Hadith, the Prophet said, "Seven people will be shaded under Allah's Throne on the Day on which there will be no other shade: (1) a just ruler, (2) a young person who worships Almighty Allah, (3) a person whose heart is attached to Masajid, (4) two people who love one another for the sake of Allah, and who come together and part for His sake, (5) a man who is called by a beautiful woman of good family, but refuses her, saying ?I fear Allah', (6) a person who gives his money in charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives, and (7) someone who remembers Allah privately, so that his eyes brim with tears." (Bukhari, Muslim).

According to one of the scholars, " Three things are accounted among the treasures of righteousness, one of them being to give Alms in secret."

Whenever fame is the donor's objective, his work will be in vain, since the purpose of alms giving is to eliminate miserliness and to weaken the love of wealth. But the love of status has a stronger hold over the soul than the love of wealth, and both of them have deadly consequences in the Hereafter.

4. Give openly

The fourth duty, when one knows that such conduct will tend to encourage others to follow suit, is to let one's giving be seen.

In doing so, however, one must be inwardly on guard against hypocritical motives.

Apart from the expectation of gratitude and the risk of hypocrisy, there is another danger in visible alms giving, namely that of offending a poor man's dignity. It may be hurtful to him to be seen to be needy.

But someone who begs in public is bringing the disgrace upon himself; there is therefore no sense in being wary.

5. Avoid Taunting and Hurting

The fifth duty is not to invalidate one's alms giving through taunting and hurting.

As Allah said, "Do not make your Alms giving void by taunting and hurting."(part of Quran 2: 264).

Taunting is reminding a person of a favor, while hurt lies in making it known. According to others taunting is to exploit a person in return of a gift, while hurt lies in making him feel ashamed of his poverty.

Still others say that taunting means making one's gift an excuse for arrogant behavior.

One should therefore realize that giving alms is actually paying Allah,Great and Glorious is He, what is due, while the poor person is actually receiving his sustenance from Allah.

Anyone who grasps the significance of the three points mentioned above while discussing the purpose and importance of the Zakat, or even one of them, realizes that he is a benefactor only to himself , through spending his wealth either to demonstrate his love of Allah or to purge himself or herself of the voice miserliness, or to give thanks for the blessing of wealth in the hope of receiving more.

6. Adopt humility

The sixth duty to think little of one's donation, for to regard it highly is to invite that pride which is one of the deadly sins, making good deeds worthless.

It must be recognized that ten of two and-a-half percent is a tiny fraction, and that to pay only this is to content oneself with the least generous level of expense as we have explained above.

This is something to be ashamed of rather to boast about. Even if one rose to the highest level, disbursing all or most of one's wealth, one should still reflect on where it came from in the first place, and for what purpose it is being spent.

For all wealth belongs to Allah. It is to Him that one should be grateful for for being given it and being enabled to spend it, so why pride ourselves on spending for the sake of Allah when it is actually His property?

And, if one's situation is such that one must look to the Hereafter, spending for the sake of spiritual reward, why boast of giving what one expects to receive many many times over?

As for action, one's giving should be done with a sense of shame at one's meanness in holding back the rest of one's wealth from God, Great and Glorious is He.

One's demeanor should be humble and abashed, like that of someone who is asked to hand back a deposit but returns only part of it and holds on the rest.

For all wealth belongs to Allah and He would prefer to see us give all we possess. If He has not commanded His servant to do so, it is only because that would be too hard on them by reason of their greed.

As Allah says: "If He were to ask you of it, and press you, you would covetously withhold, and he will bring out all your (secret) ill wills'" (Quran 47:37).

7. Give the best and the dearest

The seventh duty is to select from one's wealth what is best and dearest to one: the finest and most excellent part, for God,exalted is He. Allah is good and accepts only what is good.

If the offering has been acquired by dubious means, it may not strictly belong to the donor and will then be disqualified.

"O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have (legally) earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you, and do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it, (though) you would not accept it save if you close your eyes and tolerate therein. And know that Allah is Rich, and worthy of all praise." (Quran 2:267).

8. Seek the Worthy and Deserving

The eighth duty is to seek out the truly worthy recipient for one's offering (Sadaqa), rather than be content?with just anybody who happens to fall within the eight categories of legally qualified beneficiaries.

For among those generally eligible there are some with special qualities. Attention should be paid to these five qualities:

First, one should seek out those pious people who have renounced the world and devoted themselves exclusively to the business of the Hereafter.

Second, the recipient should be chosen from among the people of learning, to support him in his quest for knowledge. Learning is the noblest form of worship, so long as it is based on right intention.

Third, the recipient should be a person who kept his need to himself, not being given to fuss and complaint.

Fourth, the recipient should be someone with a large family or disabled by illness or some other cause.

Fifth, the recipient should be a close relative, whether paternal or maternal.

Each of these points should therefore be taken into consideration, for they represent the desired qualities. Within each quality there are further gradations, so one ought to seek the highest .

If anyone can be found in whom all these qualities are combined, that is the greatest treasure and the supreme prize. If one does one's best and succeeds, one gets a double reward, but even if one fails, there is still a single reward for the effort.

Excerpted from  Imam Al-Ghazali's "Innner Dimensions of Islamic Worship".

16 things you can do on the Night of Power in Ramadan

Abdul Malik Mujahid

 

Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Quran as, "better than a thousand months" (97:3). Any action done on this night such as reciting the Quran, remembering Allah, etc. is better than acting for one thousand months which do not contain the night of Qadr.
Allah's Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time." (Muslim). Allah's peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, related that the Prophet said: Look for Laylatul Qadr on an odd-numbered night during the last ten nights of Ramadan (Bukhari).
The Prophet said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven." (Bukhari and Muslim recorded from Abu Huraira).
Here are some tips of things we can do on the Night of Power and the time before and after it.

1. Take a vacation for Allah

We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not this time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator.
If this is not possible at least take a few days off if you can. This can make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra Ibadah, not having to worry about getting to work the next day.
It will also facilitate doing Itikaf.

2. Do Itikaf

It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights of Ramadan in the masjid for Itikaf.
Those in Itikaf stay in the masjid all this time, performing various forms of zikr (the remembrance of Allah), like doing extra Salat, recitation and study of the Quran. They do not go outside the masjid except in case of emergencies, therefore, they sleep in the masjid. Their families or the masjid administration takes care of their food needs.
Itikaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of days is encouraged as well.

3. Make this special Dua

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of Allah: 'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?' He said: 'Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.' "(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).
The transliteration of this Dua is "Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee"

4. Recite the Quran

Perhaps you can choose Surahs or passages from the Quran which you have heard in Tarawih this past Ramadan to recite.
If you attend a class where the recitation of the Quran is taught, this is a great time to put your knowledge into practice.

5. Reflect on the meaning of the Quran

Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've heard in Tarawih and read their translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how it affects you on a personal level.
(If you want to study the Quran with more understanding, check out Way to the Quran and Access to Quranic Arabic.

6. Get your sins wiped out

Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger said: Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylatul Qadr while nourishing his faith with self-evaluation, expecting reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven. [Bukhari and Muslim).
Don't just pray using the shorter Surahs that you know. Try to make your prayers longer, deeper and meaningful. If you are familiar with longer Surahs, read the translation and explanation and then pray reciting these Surahs, carefully reflecting on the meaning while you pray.
Even if you are only familiar with the shorter Surahs, read the translation and explanation beforehand, and then pray reflecting on the message of the Surahs.
This is a good way to develop the habit of concentration, even in regular prayers, where many of us tend to be fidgety and/or easily distracted.

7. Make a personal Dua list.

Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with this world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you can do three things:

• Ask Allah to give you those things
• Think about what actions you have taken to get those things
• Develop a work plan to get those things in future.

8. Evaluate yourself.

Ask yourself those questions that need to be asked. Do an evaluation of where you are and where you are going. Let this evaluation lead you to feel happiness for the good you have done and remorse for the bad you have done. (see a short and a long evaluation guide) This latter feeling should make it easier to seek Allah's sincere forgiveness when making the Dua mentioned in tip number one above.

9. Make long, sincere and deep Duas

One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.
Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet said: When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs Me for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgiveness, and I forgive him? (Bukhari, Muslim).
That means for instance, waking up one hour before Suhoor time to ask Allah for anything and everything you want that is Halal. This can be done using the Duas of the Sunnah, but also Dua in your own language, with sincerity and conviction.
For some tips on making Dua please see the article Some personal Duas you can make.

10. Memorize a different Dua every night

They don't have to be long. They can be just one line. And be sure to know what they mean generally at least, even if you don't know the exact translation in English.
You can put them on index cards (or and keep them with you during the day, glancing at them during work, while driving, waiting in line, etc.) Then practice them at night in prayer.

11. Have Iftar with the family

If you've spent Iftar time on weekdays in your cubicle at work alone with a couple of dates, now is the last few days you'll have this Ramadan to spend with your family. Use it wisely.

12. Take the family to Tarawih

Have your spouse and kids missed Tarawih most of Ramadan because you weren't there to drive them to the Masjid, which is too far away to walk to? If so, do all of yourselves a favor and bring everyone for Tarawih in these last ten nights.

13. Attend the Dua after the completion of Quran recitation

Almost all Masjids where the Imam aims to finish an entire reading of the Quran in Tarawih prayers in Ramadan will be completing their recitation in these last ten nights. They may try to end on one of the odd nights and read the Dua at the end of a reading of the Quran. Attend this particular night's Tarawih prayer with your family. See if you can attend different Masjids' Tarawih prayers the night they finish reading the Quran.

14. Finish reading a book on the Prophet

Read about the Prophet's life, which can increase your love for him and Islam by seeing how much he struggled for Allah's sake. It may inspire you to push yourself even harder during these last ten nights. This community is built on sacrifice.

15. Plan for the next year

Once you've done a self-evaluation, you can plan on where you want to go, at least in the next 12 months. Laylatul Qadr is a great night to be thinking about this (without taking away from your worship), since you'll Insha Allah, be in a more contemplative state. You may choose to dedicate one night of power for evaluation and one night for planning for the next year.

16. To do list for the Night of Power

Make a to do checklist for each Night of Power. This should define how you would like your night, the one better than a thousand months, to be used. Pick things from this list and define the sequence you would like to do things in. This will help you avoid wasting your time in unproductive chats which common in the festive atmosphere of Masjids at the Night of Power.