AFTER RAMADAN

 *AFTER RAMADAN*

*Ramadhan has passed and left us. We pray that Allah has accepted our siyam, qiyam, lailatul qadr and all of the deeds we’ve done in the month. Aameen.*

*In the next 11 months, we hope to be given the opportunity to do more good deeds and to serve mankind with love, care and patience as we face fresh challenges.*

*Reflecting upon the Ramadhan that had just passed, we were constantly immersing ourselves in various good activities to please Allah. Now that we are in the new month of Shawwal, it’s time we move forward with a new spirit and adopt the positive attitude we’ve disciplined ourselves to have during Ramadhan.*

*Brothers and Sisters, we are living in a dumbed- down generation. A generation where there is no more real interaction between individuals, parent and child, families and the community. Frustration inevitably occurs when there is a communication breakdown between the older generation and the younger ones, leading to a lot of misunderstanding, preconception and suspicions.*

*If you were to think back to Ramadhan, the month had taught us to stay connected with Allah. It reminded us of how all of His Divine Books were revealed during this month: the New, Old and Final Testaments. The Holy Qur’an in particular was revealed to unite mankind; to guide us to the Straight Path.*

*If we all had diligently embraced this ethos during Ramadhan – looking to the Qur’an and Sunnah to guide our lives – then let’s not stop just at the blessed month. Carry forward this attitude.*

*Unfortunately, we forget easily. When faced with a problem, we do not seem to know where to direct ourselves. We forget to look towards the Qur’an and Sunnah when the Qur’an, the Prophet (Peace be upon him), all of the Companions, the khulafa ar-Rashidin, the four great Imams and the scholars in every Jumaat khutbah have continuously reminded us about it. It is as though all the reminders have fallen onto deaf ears. We fail to act and respond accordingly to that call.*

*There is no impact to our hearts and minds. Is it that our hearts are hardened that we failed to be moved by these reminders? Or are we too ignorant and simply do not care?*

*Allah says in the Qur’an, meaning: “O you who believe, obey Allah, and His Messenger and those in authority, and when you differ, dispute or disagree in anything among yourself, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day” (An-Nisa’ 4: 59)*

*The above ayat ends by emphasising “if you believe in Allah and the Last Day” to show the importance of referring matters to the Qur’an and Sunnah. It is not something to be taken lightly. Allah has shown the way to solve issues, but our arrogance is a sign that we do not believe in Allah and neither do we believe in the Last Day, where we will be questioned on how we resolve matters in this world.*

*“And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute or differ with one another lest you become cowards and your image and strength is lost …” (Al Anfal 8:46)*

*This ayat shows what will happen to us if we do not refer to the Book of Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him). We will be bullied, easily intimidated, dishonoured and easily swayed.*

*From Malik bin Annas (radiyAllahu anhu ), he reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, meaning: “I have left two things among you, as long as you hold fast to them you will not go. astray. They are the Book of Allah the Holy Qur’an and His Messenger’s Sunnah.”*

*From al Irbad bin Sariya (radiyAllahu anhu) reported that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) led them in prayer one day, then he faced towards them and gave a lengthy speech to which their eyes shed tears and their hearts were afraid. A man said: “Messenger of Allah, it seems as if this was a farewell speech, so please advise us.”*

*The Prophet Peace be upon him) then said: “I enjoin you to fear Allah and to listen to and obey your Amir even if it be an Abyssinian slave, for those of you who will live after me will see great differences and disagreements. Then you must follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided khalifahs, hold fast to it and stick to it and avoid innovations, because every innovation is a bida’ and every bida’ is a deviation.” – Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmizi.*

*For example, when a child has a problem with the parent, rarely do they come back to you for advice. Even if they do, rarely do parents guide their children correctly. Instead, everyone is busily entertaining their feelings and their opinions. Discussions are never brought back to Allah when Allah Himself knows best about His creations.*

*If the elders do not look to Allah’s guidance in the face of challenges, how then do we expect to help the younger generation? If we do not react to Allah’s call and His reminders, how then do we hope the younger generation to react?*

*The young are so lost now because of this lack of correct communication between us and them. They look to their friends for answers, or the internet, or worst, to others who are not guided by the Book and the Messenger (Peace be upon him). What we have is a generation full of fitan. This threat to Allah’s Deen can only be overcome when we really listen , respond and react to the Qur’an and the Sunnah.*

*Let us all not let our Ramadhan deeds end in vain. We’ve proven to ourselves that change is possible. So let our behaviours in Ramadhan continue to be perpetuated throughout the year. May Allah bless us all and strengthen our commitment to change for the better. Aameen.*

💕