POST RAMADAN GOOD DEEDS: If You Keep Pursuit Of Righteousness, ...

 

Post-Ramadan Good Deeds

If You Keep Pursuit Of

Righteousness, The Blessings

Will Keep Coming!

(M. Javed Naseem)

“And your Lord says: ‘Call on Me;

I will answer your (prayer); but those who

are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find

themselves in Hell - in humiliation!"

(al-Quran 40:60)

Ramadan is the best occasion to practice and continue the journey on the spiritual path. It is the best kick-start that you can get without any investment or without any extra effort. One-month journey on the road to righteousness should enable you (and facilitate you) to follow the arduous road to piety otherwise difficult. Ramadan should have helped you to make the 'good deeds' as part of your routine daily life. It should have helped you to pursue the goal of piety and righteousness without any special effort. But if, unfortunately, you are unable to follow the spiritual 'right' path after 30 days of fasting in Ramadan, then it is not the fault of Ramadan (the declared month of blessings). There is something missing in you effort, in your pursuit and in your 'connection' with the Almighty. There must be something wrong with your commitment.

Those people are very unfortunate and unlucky who had the opportunity to get the maximum benefits and Allah's unlimited blessings during the month of Ramadan but failed to get a ticket to Paradise. Maybe, their efforts lacked sincerity and honesty of purpose. They treated Ramadan as an 'obligation' that they 'must' perform otherwise other people would criticize them. Ramadan is not a social duty; neither a face-saving performance; nor is it an action to show-off. It is an opportunity to establish and consolidate your connection to the Divine. It is a great chance (like a lottery) to blot out the dirty slate of sins and make a fresh start – a head-start – towards working on your Hereafter.

Allah the Most Merciful has given us another chance (another Ramadan) to seek forgiveness of our sins and make things right. If we repent and ask for His pardon, He will certainly forgive us and bless us. He is always ready to give us another chance; only we lack the steadfastness and consistency. His compassion is guaranteed:

“So be patient (O Prophet), for Allah’s promise

is certainly true. Seek forgiveness for your

shortcomings. And glorify the praises of

your Lord morning and evening!”

(al-Quran 40:55)

But at the same time, the Merciful Allah warns us of his wrath too if we revolt against Him by disobeying Him and ignoring His commands. He makes it clear in the Quran:

“Surely those who dispute Allah’s signs – with

no proof given to them – have nothing in their

hearts but greed for dominance, which they will

never attain. So seek refuge in Allah. Indeed,

He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”

(al-Quran 40:56)

As a matter of fact, we cannot count Allah’s favors upon us. His blessings and bounties know no limits. If we stay the course and keep following the right path, showing our loyalty and gratitude to our Creator, we will always be blessed and will enjoy His bounties. We should appreciate what Allah the Most Merciful bestows upon us despite all our shortcomings, faults and weaknesses.

“It is Allah Who has made the night for you

to rest in and the day bright. Surely Allah is

ever Bountiful to humanity, but most people

are ungrateful. That is Allah, your Lord, the

Creator of all things. There is no god ˹worthy

of worship˺ except Him. How can you then

be deluded (from the truth)?”

(al-Quran 40:61-62)

“This is how those who used to reject

Allah’s signs were ˹also˺ deluded.”

(al-Quran 40:63)

All good deeds and rituals in Islam (prayer, fasting, charity, good deeds, etc.) are meant to discipline us so that we become righteous and pious. It is only for our own benefit that we pursue the right path of piety. All rules and regulations, all rituals and all disciplines are prescribed for us to make us righteous and pious so that we could create a just, peaceful and happy society for us and for our children. It is always righteousness. Allah makes it very clear in the Quran:

“O you believers! Fasting is prescribed to you

as it was prescribed to those before you, that

you many learn piety and righteousness."

(al-Quran 2:183)

Same thing goes for prayer (Salat). It is supposed to make us pious and righteous so that we can stay away from evil and indecent behavior. We are supposed to glorify Allah's name and remember Him all the time, under all circumstances. Only the remembrance of Allah can protect us from evil as it thwarts all attacks from the Devil and his friends. It's the best shield. Allah says in the Quran:

“Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration

to you, and establish regular prayer; for prayer

restrains from shameful and unjust deeds. And

remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in

life) without doubt. And Allah knows the

(deeds) that you do.”

(al-Quran 29:45)

The Almighty says that the prayer (Salaat) restrains us from shameful and unjust (evil) deeds. But if it (the prayer) doesn't do that, it is not the fault of the prayer (Salaat). It is our fault because we lack the conviction, the sincerity, honesty, concentration and devotion. There's definitely something missing on our part. We need to be very serious, committed and devout in our prayer. We should not take it lightly. It is a very serious and important matter. Allah commands us:

“Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers (Salaat),

especially the middle prayer; and stand before

Allah in a devout (frame of mind).”

(al-Quran 2:238)

It is very naive to consider and perceive Islam as a 'religion' – a part-time 'once-a-week' affair that has nothing to do with our daily life affairs. That wrong concept was given to it by the evil-spirited promoters of Capitalism as well as Communism. They want to keep religion out of their daily lives. But it is the religion that works as an effective deterrent because we spiritually become mindful of Allah who is the most kind but also severe in punishment.

The Bible says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." – (Philippians 4:6)

"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." – (Jeremiah 29:12)
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." – (Jeremiah 33:3)

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." – (Matthew 6:6)

Islam is NOT a mere religion. It is a system of life that covers all aspects of our lives – social, cultural, political, financial, educational and religious. Religion is just a small part of Islam. The major part concerns 'others' (our families, friends, neighbors, community, the poor, the needy, the less fortunate, etc.). Islam was introduced to mankind to make us pious and righteous so that we could establish a society based on social justice and equality. If we can achieve that immensely important and great objective, we would be successful in both worlds. Here's the guarantee from the Lords of the Worlds:

“Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness,

and establish regular prayers and regular charity,

will have their reward with their Lord. On them

shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

(al-Quran 2:277)

We need to be God-conscious and God-fearing in all our worldly affairs. The fear of Allah and the reminder of the Day of Justice should work as a perfect deterrent against evil deeds. We should be able to achieve a state where everything we do, we do it for the pleasure of Allah. Islam means to surrender or to submit to the Will of Allah.

***********

THE BATTLE OF BADR: The Turning Point In The History of Islam.

 

Battle of Badr

The Turning Point In

The History Of Islam

Numbers don’t matter.

Truth and Righteousness

always prevail.

(M. Javed Naseem)

“And let not those who disbelieve think

they will escape. Indeed, they will not

cause failure (to Allah).”

(al-Quran 8:59)

The biggest lesson we learn from the Battle of Badr – the war between Good and Evil – is that the Truth and its followers, the true believers of God – the just and the righteous – always prevail. The true believers of God have Faith and Trust in God that gives them tremendous confidence and strength that can shatter the mountains of lies and evil.

The Battle of Badr has been referred to in the Holy Quran and Allah called it a “Day of Furqaan”. The Arabic word ‘furqaan’ means to 'separate' or to 'distinguish'. It was the 17^th day of Ramadan, in the 2^nd year of Hijrah (7^th of March, 624 CE) when the Almighty Allah separated/distinguished the Truth from Falsehood; the Light from Darkness; and the Guidance from Ignorance! He gave the believers a great victory and vanquished the hopes and aspirations of the disbelievers who wanted to wipe out Islam which had started gaining popularity. Muslims were a tiny minority and were constantly persecuted by the politically powerful and financially strong Quraish of Makkah.

Reynold A. Nicholson wrote:

“But the importance of Mohammed’s success

(in the battle of Badr) cannot be measured by the

material damage which he inflicted (upon the pagans of

Mecca). Considering the momentous issues involved,

we must allow that Badr, like Marathon, is one of the

greatest and most memorable battles in all history.”

(From 'A Literary History of The Arabs', by R.A. Nicholson, 1969).

Badr was the first major encounter between the newly-born nation of Muslims and the evil-living unbelievers or pagans (Kaafireen), the Quraish of Makkah. This was the one historic event that changed the course of history of not only the Arabia but of the entire universe

(The ‘Martyrs of Badr’ graveyard in the town of Badr, Saudi Arabia)

At the dawn of Islam in Makkah, Muslims were killed, injured, tortured, robbed and persecuted. Eventually, they were expelled while some fled their homes and took refuge somewhere else. It is happening again today in every place where Islam has its foothold. Muslims are being persecuted, even massacred, their homes and homelands being destroyed and the survivors driven out as refugees. The history of mankind tells us that it is the oppressed that conquer the oppressors in the end! That’s how Allah balances out the injustice, persecution, aggression, corruption, oppression and inequality. He helps the oppressed to break the shackles. The history of David and Goliath is being repeated – and we know the outcome very well! It’s a matter of time only. Allah tells us in the Quran:

“And We wished to be Gracious to those who

were being oppressed in the land, to make them

leaders (in Faith) and make them inheritors.”

(al-Quran 28:5)

At the battle-field of Badr, there were only 313 Muslims who came out to defend themselves against more than a thousand pagans/unbelievers of Makkah. The odds were heavily against Muslims as they were also ill-equipped. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) invoked Allah for help and the help did come!

“Remember you implored the assistance

of your Lord and He answered you:

'I will assist you with a thousand of

the angels, ranks on ranks'."

(al-Quran 8:9)

Like many other ‘Firsts’ of the history of mankind, Badr also set the first example of the treatment of prisoners of war. Their lives were spared; they were treated humanely; they were provided with shelter and fed properly, even when some Muslims did not have food to eat and survived on dates and water.

Sir William Muir, the famous British orientalist, known for his hostility towards Islam and Muslims, wrote:

“In pursuance of Mahomet’s commands, the citizens

of Medina and such of the emigrants who possessed

houses, received the prisoners and treated them

with much consideration. ‘Blessings be on the men

of Medina’, said one of these prisoners in the later

days, ‘they made us ride while they themselves

walked. They gave us wheaten bread to eat

when there was little of it, contenting

themselves with dates’.”

(Names of the 14 martyrs of Badr are engraved on this ‘Badr Memorial’ in Saudi Arabia)

The Battle of Badr is a constant reminder to the Muslims that if they fear Allah, the way Allah should be feared; and if they obey Allah and His Prophet (s.a.w.), the way they should be obeyed, Allah’s help is guaranteed!

“And remember when you were few and

oppressed in the land, fearing that people

might abduct you, but He sheltered you,

supported you with His victory, and

provided you with good things so that

you might be grateful.”

(al-Quran 8:26)

It's your Iman (Faith in Allah) that gives you immense strength. With it, you can overcome any adversary, no matter how big, how strong or how well-equipped! Here's the promise of Allah:

“O Prophet, urge the believers to fight! If there

are among you twenty [who are] steadfast, they

will overcome two hundred. And if there are

among you one hundred [who are] steadfast,

they will overcome a thousand of those who

have disbelieved because they are a people

who do not understand.”

(al-Quran 8:65)

But this promise is conditional. The verse of the Quran says: “IF there are twenty STEADFAST”. The emphasis is on 'steadfastness'. That means that simply claiming to be a Believer or a Muslim is not enough. You need to show and prove it that you are a steadfast (true, honest, sincere and consistent) Believer/Muslim.

The Message:

The message that Battle of Badr sends to the Muslims of today, is that You must be a believer living by the Book of Allah – somebody who has surrendered to the Will of God – a true practicing Muslim, if you expect help and mercy from Allah!

**************

RAMADAN: THE BEST TIME TO CONNECT WITH THE SUPREME CREATOR.

 

Ramadan Is The Best Time

To Connect With The Supreme

Creator – The Almighty Allah

Every good deed and act of charity

earns multiple rewards and Allah

forgives our sins as a bonus.

Righteousness and piety bring us

closer to Allah. And that connections

guarantees success in both worlds.

(M. Javed Naseem)

We, as mortal humans, cannot see God; but we can feel His presence and mercy all around us. In the Quran He tells us: “Tell my faithfuls that I am close!” As the saying goes: If you are merciful to others, Allah will be merciful to you. Pleasing mankind means pleasing Allah the Almighty. In other words, if you are searching for Allah (God), search Him among the needy, the poor, the handicapped, the sick, the poor and the down-trodden. They are the best means of seeking Allah or connecting with the Divine. If you share love, mercy and compassion with other human beings (and animals too) you’ll certainly get closer to your Creator. God created mankind and those who serve mankind, are actually serving God. They connect easily. Prophet Jesus said:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

-- Jesus Christ (Mark 2:17)

To seek Allah, you don’t need any middleman, any broker or any agent. You can call Him directly in your prayers and if you follow His commands (revealed in the Scriptures), He will certainly respond and give you signals of acceptance. Don’t go to any professional preacher! Preachers these days are acting like politicians – living by lies, deception and cover-ups. They are all about money. When they are caught, they cry to win public sympathy. Until then, they have no sympathy for those people whom they abuse physically, financially and socially. Fooling other people and living off their money is sinful in any religion. It is immoral and unethical. Abusing people in the name of God is even worse and is not allowed. God also warned humanity against sinful living, in the Quran:

“Help not one another unto sin and

transgression, but keep your duty to Allah!

Lo! Allah is severe in punishment.”

(al-Quran 5:2)

To find Allah, you don’t need to go to a jungle or quit your normal life. The only requirements are the very basics of life, i.e., believing in God; being honest and sincere; not hurting or doing injustice to others or violating others’ rights; helping others (especially the needy) with love, compassion, charity and guidance (education). Make things easier for others and life will treat you easy in return. The Most-merciful Allah has declared:

“Allah will certainly aid those who aid

His (cause); for verily Allah is full of

Strength, Exalted in Might.”

(al-Quran 22:40)

In this material world, people measure success by the scale of wealth or money. To them people like Elon Musk and Bill Gates are extremely success. There is no doubt that those people have money but they are not very popular people. They don’t serve humanity without any interest or without any return. You don’t know how many people who are working for them, really curse them and hate them. And we don’t even know if the Almighty God is also pleased with them. But they do give in charity to deduct it from the taxes they owe. Most of them don’t pay the correct share/amount of their taxes and that’s how they get super rich. In fact, success should be measured on the scale of righteousness and piety; on the scale of caring about others and helping the needy. Here’s the formula to success in this world as well as in the Hereafter prescribed by our Creator:

“Worship none but Allah; treat with kindness

your parents and kindred, and orphans and those

in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in

prayer; and practice regular charity!”

(al-Quran 2:83)

“And be steadfast in prayer and regular in

charity! And whatever good you send forth for

your souls before you, you shall find it with

Allah; for Allah sees well all that you do.”

(al-Quran 2:110)

The Most Merciful Allah has made it obligatory for all believers to be good to others and help the needy/poor. As an incentive He promises double and even multiple rewards for all that we spend in charity in His name. The purpose of this charity is to create a welfare society based on social justice and compassion. Allah wants us to become righteous and pious. In the Scriptures, He has commanded the believers:

“Serve Allah, and join not any partners with

Him; and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans,

those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors

who are strangers, the companion by your side,

the wayfarer, and what your right hands possess!”

(al-Quran 4:36)

 

The poor, the needy and the less fortunate have a share in our wealth. It is our obligation that we take care of those poor masses and bring smiles on their gloomy faces. When we care about others and share with them the bounties of life, the Almighty God also takes care of us and increases His blessings for us. We never lose as that’s a win-win situation.

 

“And spend (in the way of Allah) out of (the wealth)

which We have given you before death approaches

one of you, and he says: ‘O my Lord, why did You

not give me respite for a short while so that I could

donate in charity and become one of the most pious?”

(al-Quran 63:10)

*************

CHASING LIFE OF THIS WORLD Is Like Seeking Hell.

 

Chasing Life Of This World

Is Like Seeking Hell!

The Worldly Life Is

A Test, An Illusion!

(M. Javed Naseem)

“What is the life of this world but play and

amusement? But best is the home in the

Hereafter, for those who are righteous.

Will you not then understand?”

(al-Quran 6:32)

The life of this world is just a game that gives us an opportunity to earn some bonus points to get the ticket to Paradise. We are given a Book of rules and are advised to play wisely and carefully without forgetting the real target or objective. But the journey is so beautiful and tempting for some that they get lost in the way. They wake up only on the death bed. Then it is too late to do the good work to earn the ticket to Paradise. It is now or never. Chasing the luxuries of this life is like chasing Hell but we always look at others who enjoy luxury lives and want to emulate. Rich and famous don’t seem to bother about the Hereafter or the simple life. Even the corrupt practices are ‘normal’ things for them.

Most politicians in this world are corrupt and selfish because they seeks power to have control over others as well as control over all the material/financial resources of their country. They fool people with empty promises, lies and deception. They all work for themselves and for the benefit of their families or friends. During election time, the candidates try to expose other candidates. Corruption is brought to light; secret love affairs or marriages are disclosed; black-money and off-shore accounts are discussed; malpractices are publicized and candidate’s own good points and achievements are highlighted. Every candidate condemns the failures and evil practices of the opposition. Everybody tries to get the best publicity and exposure in the media using all his financial, social and political resources. Unfortunately, people are so stupid and naive that every time they fall into the same trap and compromise with corruption and evil.

We are all sinners but the best sinners are those who repent and ask Allah for forgiveness. The Most Merciful always forgives us if we honestly and sincerely beg for His mercy. But the worst sinners are those who, in their arrogance and ignorance, don’t repent and keep doing evil. They don’t remember that one day they’ll be standing in front of their Creator to answer question. That will be the Day of Justice or Judgment.

We love to blame the system and the society for all evils. In fact, we are part of the problem. We are trying to accumulate as much wealth and material property as possible – and as quickly as possible too – by all means (Halal or Haram). In the process, we don’t care about how much misery, pain, trouble and discomfort we bring to others – as long as it is not happening to us. And on top of it, every one of us is complaining about the corruption and injustice in the world, as if only others are responsible for that. We have become irresponsible hypocrites.

************************************

You are one step away from the grave

(death)! You have very little time to work

on your Hereafter! Try to please Allah

with your good deeds and maximum

charity before Death knocks you out!

************************************

Today, people run for public office because of its material benefits, clout, power or authority, perks, luxury life and above all chances of making endless money. People fight for that fiercely and put their lives at stake too. This worldly life is so important to them that they would go any length (even killing people) to achieve it. They are misguided souls. They did not learn any lesson from history, from life, from books, from their parents’ lives, nor from the society. They are in the bad business and on the Day of Judgment, they would have to answer questions about corruption, about every misdeed, every injustice and every transgression.

“These are the people who buy the life

of this world at the price of the Hereafter.

Their penalty shall not be lightened,

nor shall they be helped.”

(al-Quran 2:86)

There is a very beautiful small chapter (Surah) in the Quran on this subject and it is called al-Takathur (or at-Takassur), meaning: Rivalry in material accumulation, or competition, or hoarding. It has only 8 short verses. In those verses Allah wakes you up and shakes you up by saying:

“The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things

of this world) diverts you (from the more serious

things), until you visit the graves. But nay, you

soon shall know (the reality). Again, you soon

shall know! Nay, were you to know with certainty

of mind, (you would beware!) You shall certainly

see Hellfire! Again, you shall see it with certainty

of sight! Then, shall you be questioned

that Day about the joy (you indulged in!).”

(al-Quran 102:1-8)

The Bible says:

“You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” – (James 4:4)

“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” – (1 John 2:17)

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” – (Mark 8:36)

As a matter of fact, it is our greed that is responsible for all our problems. Allah the Almighty has created this world with plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains and other foods. It is more than enough for our consumption. But we monopolize the food business to starve one community or one country to get richer and richer. Greed knows no bounds.

God is infinite Truth and He is also the infinite Love – pure and incorruptible! So, He likes His world pure and without corruption. The Almighty sent different Prophets and Messengers during different eras to eradicate the evil of ignorance and spread the enlightenment so that people follow the path of piety and righteousness. The last Prophet, Muhammad (s.a.w.), appeared with the same mission like his predecessors to guide people to the right path. In the Quran, Allah commanded the man on many occasions with plain and simple words: “And don’t spread corruption (or mischief) in the earth!” Unfortunately, the man proved, on every occasion, that he is disobedient and ungrateful to God; he is ignorant, unjust, corrupt and dishonest. He loves wealth and his own family and does not mind hurting and killing other people/families for the purpose of his own material gains.

People appreciate simple life but nobody wants to live a simple life. We chase luxuries of life and try to copy the ‘rich and famous’ to impress others. Most of us talk but don’t care about the Hereafter, nor do we work for that. Allah the Almighty reminds us in the Quran:

“Your wealth and your children are

only a trial; but in the presence

of Allah, is the highest reward.

(al-Quran 64:15)

*************