PSDS Sam: Blessed Eid Mubarak to one and all

We are very much thankful to Allah (SWT) who guided us to strive hard in the path of Ramadhan since June 6 to this 6th day of July, 2016. Lucky enough are we who were given two obligations. One was to fulfill our duties in the month of fasting and the other one was to offer our teaching duties and education supervision in line with DepED-ARMM mandates for the sake of our school children. With this, Allah increases our rewards and life span for the years to come.

The first night of Ramadhan was so virtuous based on the Saying of the Prophet Mohammad (SAW), "My people (Ummah) are granted five gifts that no prophet before me had been given. First, when it is the first night of Ramadan, Allah looks at His servants. He will never punish those at whom He looks. Second, the smell of their mouths when night approaches is more pleasant [to Allah] than the scent of musk.

Third, angels seek Allah's forgiveness for them everyday and night. Fourth, Allah commands Paradise saying, 'Be prepared and adorned for My servants; they are about to be relieved from the pains of the worldly life and move to My Home and Honor.' Fifth, when it is the last night (of Ramadan) Allah forgives the sins of all people." (Ahmad and Al-Bazzar)

Ramadhan has 3 stages. Every stage is composed of 10 days. The first stage brings Mercy of Allah (SWT); the second stage showers the Forgiveness of Allah (SWT); and the third stage is the Deliverance of Allah (SWT) from the Hell-file.  Everyone of us should always ask the Mercy of Allah. 

So for the first 10 days, a believer must recite this dua, "Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum, birahmatika nashtaghish." (O The Living, O The Eternal, I seek help in Your Mecry.)

For the second 10 days of Ramadhan, everyone of us must seek the Forgiveness of Allah several times by invoking this dua. It is the time of forgiveness. These are the days of forgiveness and a Muslim must seek for the forgiveness from Almighty Allah and repent for all his sins.

"Astaghfirullaha Rabbi min kulli zambiyon wa atubu ilay" (I ask forgiveness of my sins from Allah who is my Lord and I turn towards Him.)

Middle 10 days of month of Ramadhan is a time for Maghfirah. The second Ashra is a time where the forgiveness of Almighty Allah is at its peak, and this is the best time for asking about forgiveness for all the sins from Almighty Allah. Always ask for forgiveness from Almighty Allah in all these days. Do make sure to not repeat the sins after you have done Tauba. Do Tauba as many times as possible, because Allah Almighty loves Tauba during this period and forgives the one who seeks for his forgiveness. Forgive all your beloved in these days as Allah Almighty loves Maghfirah.

In the last 10 days for the end of Ramadhan is about seeking Refuge in Almighty Allah from Hellfire. And everyone must pray that “O Almighty Allah, save me from the fire of Hell”. The dua for these last 10 days is, "Allahumma ajirni minannar." (O Allah, save me from the Fire.)

The last ten days of Ramadhan are third 10 days and are very superior and important as the Lailatul Qadar also falls in the last Ashra.  Most of the Muslims also practice Ihtikaf in the lst ten days. A Muslim must not waste the last ten nights of 10 days and work hard in worshipping Almighty Allah. The best way for practicing Itekaf is one on which a person stays in the mosque and seeks pardon from Almighty Allah for all his sins.

Those who observed fasting in Ramadhan deserve Allah's Mercy for the first 10 days; their sins were forgiven by Allah in the second 10 days; and they would be emancipated from the Hellfire by Allah in the last 10 days.

Ramadhan is a blessed month and time to increase more good deeds, patience, love and kindness, spending and generosity, cleansing of one'self and remembrance of God. For every non-obligatory good deed is as rewarded as obligatory one in other non-Ramadhan month and every  obligatory good deed is rewarded with at least ten to seventy rewards. Giving charity in the month of Ramadhan is desirable one for other Moslem believers may use it for iftar. Likewise, giving of sadaqatul fit'r a couple of days before Eid is much preferable for every Moslem.

When the believers have emerged and presented themselves at their place of prayer, Allah Ta’ala will say to His angels, “O My angels, what is the recompense of the hired labourer, once he has done his job?” The angels will reply, “Our Lord and our Master, You will pay him his wages in full!” So Allah Ta’ala will say, “I now call upon you to bear witness, O My angels, that I have conferred My acceptance and My forgiveness as the reward for their fasting and night vigil during the month of Ramadan.”

Allah Ta’ala will then say, “O My servants put your requests to Me now, for this I swear by My Might and My Majesty, you will not ask Me this day, in this gathering of yours for anything connected with your life hereafter, without My granting it to you; nor for anything connected with your life in this lower world, without My attending to your need. By My Might and My Majesty, I will not put you to shame, nor will I expose you to disgrace amongst those who are faithfully committed to observing the laws (of Shariah). Now you may depart, knowing that you have been forgiven. You have won My approval, and I am well pleased with you.” [Ghunyalit Taalibi Tareeqal Haq, Vol. 3]

Therefore, this day holds great spiritual importance.

Eid Prayer is very rewarding. When Muslims gather in mosques for the salat in the morning of the Eid, Allaahu ta’ala asks angels,

“What is the reward for a person who has completed his task?”

Angels answer,

“To receive a payment.”

Thereupon, Allahu ta’ala says,

“Then bear witness that I gave My servants My own pleasure and forgiveness in return for their fasts and salats in Ramadan.

O My servants, ask for anything you wish from Me today. By My Honor and Glory, I will grant you whatever you ask for.

[Bayhaqi]

The prophet SAW did not usually encourage women to go outside of their home for prayers, however, he SAW strongly advised everyone to attend the two Eid prayers. He encouraged entire families to attend the prayers including children and menstruating women. (Bukhari and Muslim) One may ask why? Prophet SAW said words to the effect of: “Do not deny them of the goodness which spreads on this day.”

When one goes out of the home to Eid salah there are angels present making dua’a, making dhikr, and recording the names and steps of the attendees to be presented to Allah SWT.

He SWT showers us with mercy and love, which spreads among us. Only if we understood the magnitude of this day, we would not stop praising and thanking Allah SWT!

Another purpose of this gathering is to demonstrate to everyone the unity of Muslims and the bounty of Islam. It is a time for Muslims to feel the joy of being united and to build strength, and to generate mercy to each other by giving charity before the prayer. That’s why it is recommended to delay Eid-ul Fitr until Zakat-ul-Fitr is given to the needy Muslims so they can join the ummah in the celebrations. Can you see the bounty of Islam?

Imagine a king who is very happy and decides to give out gifts on a particular day. What would you do? You would go and ask him all that you want, especially when you know that he is happy and won’t deny you. Prophet SAW said:

“Whoever spends the nights of the two Eids in praying qiyaam al-layl, seeking reward from Allah, his heart will not die on the Day when hearts will die.” (Ibn Majah)

Closer to the end of time Allah will kill the hearts of the people. People will be living but they will lose the ability to see, comprehend and understand the purpose of creation. Those who illuminate the night of Eid, Allah SWT will keep their hearts alive when the majority of hearts are dead.

Oh Allah forgive me and my parents, and have mercy on them as they have taken care of me when I was a child. Because the night of Eid is a chance to gain the pleasure of Allah SWT, one should illuminate it with maximum amount of takbirat, dhikr, recitation of Quran, and remembrance of Allah SWT.

Even Our Celebrations Are A Source Of Cleansing:

Islam is not just worship five times a day and fasting, it is a complete way of life. We are slaves of Allah SWT and we must acquire knowledge about the Islamic sunnah and etiquettes related to different situations and occasions. We have certain duties on the day of Eid such as visiting our relative’s and the sick in the community, making efforts to join heart with those we dislike or don’t get along with, take initiatives to forgive others for the sake of Allah SWT.

It is also recommended to visit the dead at the cemetery and make dua’a for them. It is also a moral duty to share what Allah SWT has given us with those around us, especially the underprivileged. This is an occasion to make peace with each other and create unity.

Allah SWT is telling us to go to Him with our dirty hearts to be cleansed. Eid is a great opportunity to invite guests to your house. Prophet SAW said words to the effect of: “Guest come with blessing from Allah and leave with sins of the host for their generosity.”

It is almost as if the guests take away our garbage of sins on their way out. But these gatherings cannot just be an eating affair. They have to have a purpose just like everything else in our lives. These should be the occasions of remembering Allah SWT and strengthening our Iman and the bond of brotherhood. The house that has a gathering for the sake of Allah SWT is illuminated and rewarded.

Some traditions related to Prophet Muhammad SAW suggest that from 70,000 to 100, 000 come and make dua’a for the host. If unable to invite a large crowd, you can do this with your family; have a gathering with a few people and spread the name of Allah SWT, do dhikr, spreadgoodness and earn this reward. The key factor here is generosity. Allah SWT wants us to emulate His qualities and among them the most loved quality is generosity and kindness. The one who makes an effort to serve others with humility earns the reward of all those who are involved. Allah SWT loves those who are weak in worship, but strong in generosity, and hates those who worship a lot but are stingy with people and in spending for the sake of Allah SWT.

The condition of the Muslims has become such that we eagerly await the end of Ramadan and the coming of Eid al-Fitr to gain ‘freedom’ in order to go back to committing sin and disobeying Almighty Allah. Instead of being stronger in our spiritual struggle, most of us forget Allah SWT and our commitments with Him after the Eid and start falling back on our mundane routines.

If we can’t celebrate this day the way Allah SWT would like us to, we have already failed the chance given to us during Ramadan of renewal of faith and gaining closeness of Allah SWT. What is the purpose of any worship in Islam? It is to increase our obedience of Allah since this is what we will be graded on, on the Day of Judgment.

We have to keep the purpose of this celebration alive in our hearts, minds and our practices. Our focus shouldn’t be on how many dishes to make nor which dresses to wear. Our happiness or sense of celebration shouldn’t depend on how many houses we visit and what kind of sweets we eat, rather our happiness should be directly related to our remembrance of Allah and the remembrance of the condition of other Muslims. We should remember our less unfortunate brothers and sisters, both in money and in spirituality. We should be busy thinking about and praying to leave behind a good legacy, to gain His mercy and forgiveness, and ultimately the happiness of entering Jannah.

Upon leaving Ramadan our behavior and actions should be more humble and God conscious. The mercy, tranquility, peace and love that we have gained between us and Allah SWT should be carried over to others throughout the whole year InshaAllah. Ramadan was a rehab center for us to clean our dirty heart and it is important that we give thanks to Allah SWT for giving us another chance and beg Him to give us the gift of meeting him with a clean heart—a heart full of mercy and love for the ummah, for each other and for entire humanity.