❝Ḥusn aḏh-Ḏhan billāh (thinking well of Allāh): For you to not despair of attaining your share of His Raḥmah, even if all that is left of Ramaḍān is an amount of time equivalent to single unit of prayer.❞ -— Sheikh ʿAbdullāh Balqāsim. As this blessed month sets, some may be remorseful over time wasted; remorseful that no good habit was formed, remorseful that no bad habit was left behind, remorseful that the heart is still tough and unchanged… Here’s a…
The Salaf always talked about eating and sleeping less as a means of acquiring energy to perform your ʿibbādah. I never quite understood this. A poor night’s sleep did not leave me energised—it left me exhausted! Similarly, fasting frequently only left me weakened and tired! (I still chose to believe the salaf y’know. I was certain I was doing something wrong.) Over the weekend, I was attending a Ramaḍān prep course, and the sheikha explained this point so well.…
Ibn Rajab in Laṭāʾif al-Mʿārif categorises the one who fasts into two. The first, he says, is the one who leaves his food, drink and desires, for the sake of Allāh, and by doing so, he hopes for a compensation in Jannah. This is the one who has struck a deal with Allāh, and Allāh says, ﴾Indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.﴿…