It is from the practice of the Salaf as-Saalih
to strive to make their deeds as perfect as possible, upon completion, they
would seek for it to be accepted from them and they were always in a state of
fear that their deeds would be rejected. These are the ones referred to:
“Verily! Those who live in awe for
fear of their Lord;”
[Mu’minoon 23:57]
It is also narrated from ‘Alee bin Abee Taalib
[May Allaah be Pleased with him] that he said, “Seek to make your deeds
accepted, have you not heard the statement of Allaah, the Glorified and the
Exalted, ‘Verily, Allah
accepts only from those who are Al-Muttaqun’ [Maaidah 5: 27].”
Fudaalah bin ‘Ubayd said, “If I knew that Allaah
has accepted from me even a minute atom’s weight of good deeds, this is more
beloved to me than the whole world and all it contains. As he says; ‘Verily, Allah
accepts only from those who are Al-Muttaqun’ [Maaidah 5: 27]”
Ibn Deenaar said, “To fear that your deed will
not be accepted is more difficult than doing the act itself.”
‘Ataa said, “One should be cautious that his
deeds are not for Allaah.”
‘Abdul-‘Azeez bin Abee Ruwaad said, “You strive
to do good deeds but upon completion, you should be worried on whether it will
be accepted or not.”
Others from the Salaf used to supplicate to
Allaah for six months that Allaah gives them life so that they will be alive
for the forthcoming Ramadhaan. Once Ramadhaan was completed and over, they
would then supplicate to Allaah for the rest of the year that Allaah accept
their deeds.
‘Umar bin ‘Abdul-‘Azeez once went out on the day
of ‘Eid al-Fitr and said in his Khutbah, “Oh People! You have fasted for thirty
days and you have stood for thirty nights. You have now left your homes this
morning hoping that Allaah accepts it all from you.”
Some of the Salaf would also show sadness on the
day of ‘Eid al-Fitr and they would explain their sadness was due to them being
afraid. They would say, “I am slave and I have been ordered by my Master to do
certain deeds and I am not sure if I have done them so that they may be
accepted by Him.”
Wahb saw some people laughing on the day of ‘Eid
al-Fitr and he said, “If these people have had their deeds accepted then this
is not the behavior of those who are thankful and if they don’t know if their
deeds have been accepted then this is not the behavior of those who fear that
their deeds are not accepted.”
Hasan al-Basree used to say, “Verily, Allaah has
made the month of Ramadhaan an arena or stadium for his creation, in which they
can compete with one another to do good deeds and seek His Pleasure.”
These are the generations that came before us
and they have succeeded and those who came after them have become spoilt and
have become involved in idleness, laughing and playing. So the day will come
that the successful will receive their rewards and those who are losers will be
falsified.
What have you lost if you have lost the benefits
of Ramadhaan? What else is that can stop you from being deprived? How many
people have had their deeds accepted and their sins forgiven? And how mant are
there that have not gained anything except wretchedness and misery? So people
stood and have not got anything from this except a sleepless night and some
people fasted and got nothing except thirst and hunger.
The month of Ramadhaan is filled and is a means
for us to the Forgiveness and Mercy from Allaah. In it we fast and in it we
stand during the night. In it we feed the poor and in it we share our wealth by
remembering others. In it we remember Allaah, as it appears in the Hadeeth,
“The Dhikr of Allaah in Ramadhaan is a cause of forgiveness for you.” In it, we
seek forgiveness in Allaah and we seek His Mercy. We supplicate to Him, whilst
we fast and at the time of breaking our fast. Because of this, Ibn ‘Umar [May
Allaah be Pleased with him] used to feed the poor and say, “Oh Allaah! Oh the One
Who is Vast in Mercy! Forgive me!”
Also in the Hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah [May Allaah
be Pleased with him] in talking about the virtues of Ramadhaan, it states that
Allaah Forgives everyone except for the one who is too proud.
So it was asked, “Oh Abaa Hurayrah! How is the
one who is too proud?” He replied, “The one who is too proud to ask Allaah to
Forgive him.”
Also in this month, the Angels ask for
forgiveness for those who fast until evening.
So there are many various ways one can gain the
Forgiveness and the Mercy of Allaah during this month. Therefore, the one who
isn’t forgiven during this month is the one who is prevented and deprived.
On the authority of Aboo Hurayrah [May Allaah be
Pleased with him] that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him]
was on his Mimbar and he said, “Ameen, Ameen, Ameen.” It was asked, “Oh
Messenger of Allaah! Why did you say Ameen, Ameen, Ameen.” He [Peace and
Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] replied, “Jibreel came down and supplicated
thrice and said, ‘Whoever reaches Ramadhaan and is not forgiven, may he enter
the fire. Whoever has old parents and doesn’t enter Jannah by looking after
them, may he enter the fire and whoever hears my name being mentioned and
doesn’t sent Salaat upon me, may he enter the fire.’ So I replied each time by
saying Ameen.”
This was narrated by Imaam Ahmad, at-Tirmidhee
and Ibn Hibbaan. Ibn Hibbaan’s narration has the wording, “May he be
disgraced.”
The Hadeeth have been classified as being Good
or Hasan by at-Tirmidhee.
It is also narrated that Qataadah said, “Whoever
is not forgiven within Ramadhaan then he will not be forgiven outside of it.”
In another narration, it says, “If one doesn’t
become pious within Ramadhaan then when will he become pious? If he is not
cured this month from ignorance, negligence and all forms of sickness, then
when will he seek a cure? Everyone’s wealth are grown on trees and the season
comes for us to pick the fruits off the trees as they ripen, if you don’t pick
them, then they will fall and be wasted. If one harvests his crops and doesn’t
pull them out of the ground when the time for harvest comes, he will be
overcome with regret and severe loss.”
Taken
from Chapter 42: Saying Farewell to Ramadhaan in Lataa'if al-Ma'aarif (Pg. 160-169)
by Haafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee (d.795) [May Allaah have Mercy on him]
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