sent by Zaahied Sallie

Allah

THE CRUCIBLE

The month of Ramadān creates an alternate atmosphere all by itself. It’s dawning ushers in a power that can shift states and affect Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Many ride this incoming wave of energy from the beginning to the end of Ramadan without much effort.

But the serious and discerning fasting practitioner knows Ramadān cannot be done by osmosis, meaning that a passive ride-along through the Holy month will not have them breathe the meaning of Ramadān through their pores.

One must actively engage the month to earn its gains. There are numerous, but the greatest gift breathed into Ramadān was Allāh’s Kalām, His magnificent speech: ‘The month of Ramadān in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right and wrong)’ [2:185].

Listening to tilāwat al-Quran—Quran recital—or making tilāwat is insufficient to embody the book. Reciting and listening to the Quran undoubtedly has blessings, but its purpose is for guidance.

Verse 185 of al-Baqarah—The Cow—is centrally nested within the five verses (2:183-187) of Ramadān, indicating the Quran’s centrality in the month.

Studying the Quran, reflecting on its verses, using its compass, and allowing it to inform our lives is an application and rehearsal of verse 2:183: gaining taqwa—mindfulness of God.

Verse 185 does not only propel the four surrounding verses (182-83 & 186-87) into its orbit but also the other verses in the Quran. It is the Quran’s sun and its gravitational well.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, said: ‘The quality of your thoughts is determined by the quality of your reading.’

If you believe James Clear as I do, then our thoughts should be superior during Ramadan and, like the Quranic verses, we, too, would have been drawn in by verse 185’s gravitational force.

The Prophet (s)

GOOD WORKS

Ramadan presents us with the best opportunity to build an investment portfolio worthy of escaping life’s difficulties: ‘You who believe, be mindful of God, seek ways to come closer to Him and strive for His cause, so that you may prosper’ [5:35].

Two words of great import in verse 5:35 other than īmān and taqwa (belief and God-consciousness) are 1) wasīla, intercession and 2) jihād, ardent struggle.

This verse is the ‘Golden Goose’ verse and a treasure trove for those wanting to make their jihād worthy of a wasīla.

Using our good works to intercede for us in times of difficulty is permissible, as taught in a ḥadīth (prophetic tradition) about the parable of the three men imprisoned in a cave by a boulder. The men understood that an escape was impossible and that only Allah could free them. So, they agreed to beseech Allah’s help by presenting the very best of their deeds. Each one called upon Allah, and with each offering, the boulder shifted until the final one moved it enough to free them [Bukhariy 3465].

My spiritual brother and close friend Shaykh Yusuf Agherdien once asked: ‘What if you were the fourth person in the cave and a safe exit hinged upon your offering? What would you present to God?

Allah further reminds us in verse 8:51 that our deeds precede us and prepare our future.

So, this Ramadān, will we endeavour to create deeds that can prepare the best future?

*The ḥadīth has many lessons not shared and discussed here. Read the ḥadīth to learn more

Trump Musk Go

There is no better example of how the corporate elite have coopted the government and used it to strong-arm public opposition than the Trump/Musk narcissistic spectacle admonishing the boycott of Musk’s Mega Corporations. You know who has more power when the leader of the most powerful nation in the world is threatening his citizenry in defence of a plutocrat. Yes, Musk, the Plutocrat, along with all the other plutocrats and their corporations, are in charge in this neo-liberal world that most governments occupy.

Trump Musk go, and so, too, must all predatory capitalists and their government handlers.

Ramadan Karim to you and your family

Until next week, InshaAllah

Zaahied Sallie

Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme

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