One thing you MUST do this Ramadan
27th March 2022
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
How many pages should I read every day to complete the Qur’an this Ramadan? How do I make sure I pray taraweeh every night? How do I ensure I do …….? I’m sure you can fill the blanks with several rewardable actions for Ramadan.
Many of us think like this as we plan our schedule for the blessed month.
“We’ve basically turned Ramadan into a 30-day challenge of trying to get as many reward points as we can.” - Mohammed Faris, Productive Muslim
That is out of good intentions, alhamdulillah. However.
Too much focus on what and how much?
I received an email from Productive Muslim which challenged me to think of who we want to be at the end of Ramadan. How do we achieve God-consciousness through transforming our relationship with Allah (swt)?
Ramadan is about gaining taqwa
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become God-conscious [Al-Baqarah 2:183]
Try to picture yourself at the end of Ramadan:
What would you be like as a father\mother - with more taqwa?
What would you be like as a son - with more taqwa?
What would you be like as a worker - with more taqwa?
What would you be like as a Muslim working for the return of the Islamic civilisation - with more taqwa?
Picture that person, that goal, then work backwards and think about what study, actions, and reflection you need to engage in during Ramadan in order to become that person, insha’Allah?
What study of the Qur’an, seerah or fiqh?
What actions at work, with family or the ummah, or in the Mosque?
What do you and I need to reflect on and account ourselves about in order to see the faults and areas we need to make changes in?
So seek the reward by doing the many good deeds this blessed month, but focus on making it a month where our relationship with Allah (swt) is transformed in every aspect of our lives.
Please share the newsletter. Thanks.
Love and salams,
Taji
🧔 What have I been up to?
Hosted a lively Twitter space with Dr AbdulWahid on How the Ukraine war affects Muslim countries. Listen here.
📖 Ayah and Hadith
وَجِا۟ىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ
“And Hell will be brought near on that Day. On that Day will man remember, but what is the use of remembering then?” [Sura Al-Fajr 89:23]
Quote of the Week
“Three things will increase your intellect: sitting with the scholars, sitting with righteous people, and leaving off speech that doesn’t concern you.” -Imam Shafi (ra)
❤ My Favourite Things
Podcast – Islam at a Crossroads in West Africa, an episode from The Making of the Islamic World podcast series.
From the 10th century onward, Islamic polities emerged in West Africa. These states built empires that benefited from the brisk Saharan trade.
They also built centers of Islamic learning as the wider population of West Africa began to embrace Islam. What did Islam mean for West Africa and what West Africa means for the history of Islam. These and other matters are explored in this interesting episode.
Read past newsletters at tajimustafa.com
Read past newsletters at tajimustafa.com