Please take the offer of Ramadan seriously!

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

Reflection

The Declining Day (Al-'Asr)
1. By the declining day,
2. Lo! Man is in a state of loss,
3. Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort 
one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.

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BUKU TERBUKA UNTUK JUALAN

4. Tajuk: Di Dalam Lembah Kehidupan

Penulis: Prof Dr Hamka 

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Penilaian LanH terhadap buku ini yang sudah dibaca beliau: Sangat bagus

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3. Tajuk: Keadilan Ilahi

Penulis: Prof Dr Hamka 

Penerbit: Pustaka Dini

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2. Tajuk: Rahsia Madinah (Jejak Rasul 2)-----------(XXXXXXXXX  MAAF, SUDAH DIJUAL)

Penulis: Khalil Ibrahim Mulla Khothir 

Penerbit: Al-Hidayah Publishers

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1. Tajuk: Rahsia Mekah (Jejak Rasul 1)-------------(XXXXXXXXXXXX MAAF, SUDAH DIJUAL)

Penulis: 'Atiq bin Ghaits Al-Biladi

Penerbit: Al-Hidayah Publishers

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TIME flies very fast; by the time readers are reading this article, two weeks had past since we started 'puasa' (fasting) in the holy month of Ramadan. 'Alhamdulillah' (all praise to Allah) we are blessed again to observe Ramadan but remember Ramadan is not only about 'puasa' as many of us think.

If that is our thinking, then we would like to see the 'puasa' month pass by quickly so that we could eat and eat and do other merry things like the other 11 months. After half a month now, many of us had lost focus on Ramadan; the main focus now is on Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Many 'masjids' and 'suraus' nowadays had lost half (1/2) to the extent 3/4 and 1/10 of their attendees for the night 'isyak' and 'tarawih' prayers; well where have they had gone to? Previously 'masjids' were crowded or overcrowded, nowadays you could park your car at ease and be abled to be in the second or third 'saf' (row) in the 'masjid' and at times in the first 'saf' even if you are late! 

An 'ustaz' (religious teacher) during his 'kuliah subuh'  (early morning lesson) at a 'masjid' near my house last Sunday (June 11th) said many people are now forgetting 'the gift' of Allah SWT to them during the 30 days of Ramadan but are eyeing and enjoying 'the discounts' offered by shopping malls and traders of the Ramadan bazaar.

In about 10 days, 'insya-Allah' this Ramadan would be over; it is timely for us to do some reflections - we do not know if this is our last Ramadan. Please remember Allah's offer during this holy month and make the best of it to work hard so that we would be blessed in this world and Hereafter. Take Allah's offer this Ramadan very, very seriously to the offers of the material world.

Remember all things related to this world would not satisfy human beings and 'new things' of course would be 'old'. For the coming 'Hari Raya', almost all of us love to have brand new attires and equipment for example furniture and 'baju Raya' and if we have had one, we would go for the second and so on. Regarding richness (wealth) the Holy Prophet said: “Even if there were for a man two valleys full of wealth he would aspire for a third one, and nothing would fill man’s belly but dust, and Allah turns him who turns to Allah." 

The Holy Prophet s.a.w. warned us when he said: “On the day of Judgment, one will not be able to move away before Allah until he has accounted for his life, how it was spent; on knowledge, to what use it was put; regarding wealth, how it was acquired and spent; and on body, how it is utilized? 

Ramadan is the time for us repent from the burden of our sins; who is to forgive us other than Him? If we were not forgiven, then what would be our future...'nauzubilah min zalik' (I seek refuge from Allah) we would be dumped into 'neraka' (hell). 

To safe us from the fire, Allah SWT gives this warning in the Quran: “O! You who believe, save yourself and your families from Hell-fire, whose fuel are humans and stones (idols)…” (At-Tahrim 66: 6) 

Scholars have reminded us again and again that wealth and money such as RM, dollars, pounds, rupees and yen would of no use in the Hereafter. The much sought items there were ‘iman’ (faith) and good deeds; unfortunately the Hereafter is not a place to do good deeds but a place to reaped ‘our best crop’ grown on earth!" Ramadan is the best period to do our best deeds.

So, it is timely during this Ramadan to remind myself, friends and readers that our priority in life should be expanding our stock of ‘amal’ before our ‘Big Day’ (death) catches up on us. Don’t gamble with our lives, thinking that death is still far away from us; well it is good to be reminded again, who knows this Ramadan would be our last!

As for this Ramadan, pray and work hard to please Allah; we should 'be greedy' to stock up our 'pahala' (good rewards). In our 'greediness' for 'pahala', please hope and hope and 'du'a' that we would get Lailatulqadar (Night of Power) this Ramadan. 

In Surah Al-Qadr, Allah SWT says: “Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power; Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is!; The Night of Power is better than a thousand months; The angels and Spirit (Jibril, Gabriel) descend therein, by permissions of their Lord, with all decrees; (That night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.” 

When one performs his obligations and good deeds during ‘Lailatulqadar’, then he/she would be rewarded for his/her deeds for that night better than a thousand (1,000) months (1 night = 83 years 4 months!).  Please work hard for this offer...take it seriously!

As human beings, we always make mistakes, and the best among us are those who repent and seek forgiveness from God, especially during Ramadan. Mistakes against Allah SWT can be wiped off if we repent to Him because of His kindness, forgiveness and merciful.

But dear readers, please remember that sins related to other human beings can only be erased if we repent and seek forgiveness from that person and off course from Allah SWT. Regarding this matter, the writer would like to propose to readers a simple 'way out'...do it during the coming Hari Raya...I would like to take this opportunity to seek forgiveness from all...Selamat Aidilfitri (Happy Eid), Maaf zahir dan batin.