Iman was born and raised in London. She is a former teacher who taught English as a Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia for almost a decade. Iman loves walking in Central London with her sisters, visiting galleries and museums, reading, writing, travelling and learning about other cultures.
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous” (Quran: 2:183)
Allah, The Almighty, has gifted us with a beautiful and holy month in which we have the opportunity to increase in worship, give in charity, aid others, and improve ourselves. It is during this month that good deeds and spiritual devotion become much easier due to the Shayateen (devils) being chained up and the body becoming lighter and healthier due to fasting. It is incredible and miraculous that we are given the chance to grow and prosper in Islam. The Almighty loves us so much that He has given us, His creation, the tools with which to develop religiously.
“Ramadan, a blessed month…in it the gates of heaven are opened, the gates of al-Jahim are locked, and the rebellious devils are chained.“ (Ahmed)
How honoured we are to be given such an opportunity to develop piety.
Fasting is the only act of worship that is done solely for Him (The Most Exalted). It is something that cannot be done for others or to show off—God forbid—as can happen with other rites of worship. Accordingly, Allah (The Most Exalted) rewards this special act.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Every deed of the son of Adam will be given a ten-fold reward, up to seven hundred. Allah says: ‘Except fasting, for it is for Me, and I shall reward for it.’” (Muslim)
However, in these modern times, with all their distractions and information overload, it is easy to become overwhelmed during the holy month and find ourselves being spread thin, especially as it pertains to religious rites. Before the month starts and during it, we can find that we receive a lot of reminders, videos, and social media posts on productivity, worship, etc. It can leave one feeling overwhelmed.
So, what can we do? I propose, to myself first, and to my Solace sisters, to focus on doing fewer things well and sincerely, rather than trying to juggle many tasks insufficiently.
“Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately…the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little.” (Bukhari)
Firstly, at the minimum, make sure that we are praying the five daily prayers, then add the sunnah prayers if able to do so. Give what one can in charity, however little, because it is the intention that matters. Serve others, such as elderly parents, neighbours, friends, and family, so that reward is gained. Learn a new surah—it does not have to be a long one, even a short one—or a new du’a. The key is to make it achievable according to ability. Join online or offline Ramadan courses that can fit into anyone’s schedule. Attend Taraweeh prayers at a local mosque or even pray it at home.
As humans, we err and make mistakes even during Ramadan, but the key is to repent and start again because every day is a new day. Allah (The Most Exalted) is more merciful to His creation than a mother to her child.
It is easy to become disheartened when others seem to be engaged in extra worship—reading the entire Quran, learning many surahs, going for the taraweeh prayers, lectures, etc. (This is great for them, and may Allah reward them.) However, it can be a struggle if our iman (faith) is low, we are battling mental health challenges, or we are new to Islam. Have rahma (mercy) upon yourself and try not to compare yourself to others. We are all unique and can only do what we can based on our ability. The Almighty sees and knows our intentions and efforts in trying to gain closeness to Him.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said that Allah, the Glorious, said:“ Verily Allah ta’ala has written down the good deeds and the evil deeds, and then explained it [by saying]: ‘Whosoever intended to perform a good deed, but did not do it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as a complete good deed. And if he intended to perform it and then did perform it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds up to seven hundred times, up to many times multiplied. And if he intended to perform an evil deed, but did not do it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as a complete good deed. And if he intended it [i.e., the evil deed] and then performed it, then Allah writes it down as one evil deed.’” (Al-Bukhari)
May Allah, Ar-Rahmaan (The Beneficent) Ar-Raheem (The Merciful) make this year’s Ramadan and success for all of us and accept our fasting and good deeds, Ameen.
