What have we gained from Ramadhan?

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Ramadhan is a school of iman and a 'stop to recharge one's spiritual batteries' - to acquire one's provision for the rest of the year...

For when will one take a lesson and change for better if not in the month of Ramadan?

The noble month is a true school of transformation in which we change our actions, habits and manners that are in variance with the Law of Allah 'azza wa jall. "Verily, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves." [Ar-Ra`d, 11]

If you are from those who benefited from Ramadan, fulfilled the requirements of taqwa, truly fasted the month, prayed in it with truthfulness, and strove against you soul, then praise and thank Allah, and ask Him for steadfastness upon it until you meet your death.

Be not like one who has sewn a shirt and then destroyed it... Have you seen one who sewed a shirt or thawb, so when she looked at it, she liked it. Then she destroyed it pulling a thread by thread for no reason. What would people say about such a person?! Or have you seen one who earns a fortune trading throughout the day, then when the night comes, he throws away all that he earned, dirham by dirham. What would people say about such a person?!

This is the condition of one who returns to sinning and evildoing after Ramadan and leaves obedience and righteous actions. So after he was favored with the blessing of obedience and enjoyment of communicating with Allah he returned to the blaze of sins and evil actions. How evil are the people who know Allah only in Ramadan!

My dear ones,

falling short in one's commitment to Islam after Ramadan is manifested in many ways, including:

1 – Men leaving the five prayers in congregation, after they filled mosques for Taraweeh prayers, thus going to the masjid for recommended prayers and leaving obligatory ones.

2 – Return to musical entertainment, forbidden films, women displaying their adornment beyond that which ordinarily appears thereof, free mixing etc.

This is not thankfulness for blessings and favors, nor is it the sign of acceptance of one's actions, rather this is opposition to favors and absence of thankfulness.

These are from signs of one's deeds not being accepted – and Allah's refuge is sought – for one who truly fasts rejoices on the occasion of `eid, praises his Lord for helping him complete the fast, and remains fearful that Allah may not accept his fasting, just as the Salaf would continue asking for acceptance of their actions in Ramadan for six months after it.

From signs that one's deeds are accepted is that he or she has improved in his or her obedience to Allah `azza wa jall. "And remember when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]…" [Ibrahim, 7] Increase you in good, faith and righteous actions. So if the servant is truly thankful to his Lord, you will see him guided to more obedience and distanced from sinfulness. Thankfulness is leaving sins, as the early Muslims said.

"And worship your Lord until there comes you to the certainty [i.e. death]." [al-Hijr, 99]

The Muslim must continuously be in the state of obedience of Allah, firm upon His Sharee`ah, steadfast upon His Deen, so that he or she is not of those who worship Allah only during one month or only in one place. Rather, the believer knows that the Lord of Ramadan is also the Lord of other months, and that He is the Lord of all times and places, so he is steadfast upon the Sharee`ah of Allah until he meets Him while He is pleased with him. Allah ta`ala said, "So remain on a right course as you have been commanded, [you] and those who have turned back with you [to Allah]." [Hud, 112] And, "So take a straight course to Him and seek His forgiveness." [Fussilat, 6] And the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, "Say 'I believe in Allah', then be steadfast." [Muslim]

-- If the fasting in Ramadan has ended, then there remains voluntary fasting, such as fasting six days in Shawwal, on Mondays and Thursdays, the three days in the middle of the month, the days of `Aashoora and `Arafat, and others.

-- If standing in prayer at night during Ramadan has ended, then there remains voluntary night prayer throughout the year. "They used to sleep but little of the night." [Adh-Dhaariyaat, 17]

-- If the charity in Ramadan and zakat ul-fitr have ended, then there is the obligatory Zakat, and also there are many other open doors to charity, voluntary actions and jihad.

-- Reading of the Qur'an and contemplating it is not only for Ramadan, rather it is for all times.

Righteous actions are for all times and all places, so strive – O my brother and sister – and beware of laziness. And remember that it is not allowed for us to leave the obligatory actions or delay them, such as the five daily prayers on time, in congregation etc.

And do not fall into forbidden actions, such as forbidden sayings, food and drinks, or by looking at or listening to what is forbidden.

Be steadfast and upright upon the Deen of Allah at all times, for you do not know when you'll meet the Angel of Death. Beware of him taking you while you are in a state of sin. "O Allah, Who turns the hearts, keep our hearts steadfast upon Your Deen."

I ask Allah to accept from us and you our fasting, our prayers and other righteous actions, that our condition after Ramadan be a better one, that the state of our Ummah improves, that we are granted honour and that we truly turn to our Lord…Ameen

The above is taken from: What After Ramadan? - Adapted from "Wa maadha ba`da Ramadaan", by Dar Al-Watan

Articlesoure -http://muslim.multiply.com/journal/item/1386/What_have_we_gained_from_Ramadhan

Historical Deviation: Iskandar Zulqarnain Vs Alexander the Conqueror

In many occasion, we heard about Iskandar Zulqarnain story which according some people was a same person with Alexander the Conqueror, son of Philip XI the King of Macedonia; the king who’s believes with many gods in his religion. So, why this person became a famous Iskandar Zulqarnain who’s his story written in Alqur’an?

The great Iskandar Zulqarnain is truly different with Alexander the Conqueror. From Alqur’an, we knew if Zulqarnain is a great leader and trust in One God. The Zulqarnain story inside Alqur’an written in Alkahf 83-99 which the meaning of some of them are:

“Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water; near it he found a people: We said: ”O Zulqarnain! (thou hast authority), either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness”. (86).

Until, when he reached (a tract) between two mountains, he found, beneath them, a people who scarcely understood a word”. (93).

“Bring me blocks of iron”. At length, when he had filled up the space between the two step mountain-sides, He said: “Blow (with your bellows)” then, when he had made it (red) as fire, he said: “Bring me that I may pour over it, molten lead”. (96).

“Thus were they (Ya’juj and Ma’juj) made powerless to scale it or to dig through it”. (97).

Many historian and archeologists also found many proofs of ancient great wall older than Chinese great wall, which also much older than Alexander the Conqueror’s era.

The differentiation between Iskandar Zulqarnain and Alexander the Conqueror are:

(I) Alexander is: (1) he believes with many gods, (2) he is homosexual, (3) colonialist occupy another land with murder and war (come, destroy, and steal the resources), (4) didn’t build great wall to separate and protecting the borderline.

(II) Zulqarnain is: (1) he believes with one God, (2) he get revelation, (3) make conquest and deal with people didn’t steal the resources, (4) build the great wall to protecting borderline from bad habit people’s attack from outside.

That’s why we should differentiate these two personalities. Zulqarnain is different from Alexander.

By the way, because of many aspects, there are still many versions about Zulqarnain in Islam. Some experts said if he was Kuros or Cyrus, the Persian King cr. 300 years before Alexander era, or another King who’s older than that. If we follow this analyze we will get the roll story: when this Persian King make a trip and explores the land, he build great wall to protects the borderline form un-civilized people’s attack from outside the borderline which their hobbies are killing and attacking another country (perhaps Macedonia and their family counties). When he makes the wall rounded from west to east, he left some people outside the wall who’s later called as Turk people (Turk mean left behind). This wall collapsed and destroyed by Alexander from Macedonia.

The second version was take a guess that Zulqarnain is one of Pharaoh’s sons who’s went out from Egypt moving away as the followers of Moses after he and his family accept Moses teaching. They moves out from Egypt make a journey and stay in china land (of course this part story is long and have many detail), but in the end, he was asked by Chinese to build wall to protect them from another country’s attack (perhaps Mongolian). From the ruins, experts’ belief if the construction was closely looks like same with Egypt base construction and also comparable with Alqur’an explanation. This also makes assumption and probability why papyrus (paper) develops and spread in china even with different method from Egypt process. This wall through many lands from west to east, leafing Turk at outside the wall, and Mongolian pointed and interpreted as Ya’juj and Ma’juj, this wall also as the plot and model for the latest great wall which still exist in this time.

So, all Muslim must left behind Alexander as Zulqarnain version, which absolutely wrong. Choose the best most proof able in Islamic version. Those two version (King of Persia and Pharaoh’s son) have some similarities: (1) the point figure prays and believes in One God, (2) use crown or nickname which expresses their authorities in two world (east and west, or sea and land); two horn (in Arabic = Zulqarnain), (3) great king and noble deed person, (4) both of them build wall to protect their border land from bad habits people’s attack.

Wallahu a’lam.

Articlesource: http://muslim.multiply.com/journal/item/1334/Historical_Deviation_Iskandar_Zulqarnain_Vs_Alexander_the_Conqueror