Pick Your Calls* [[-- Episode 1 --]]

 *Pick Your Calls*

[[-- Episode 1 --]]
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بسم الله الرحمان الرجيم

Think about this. One year is gone. Just like that. One whole year of your life, subtracted. Finished😢. We are now one year closer to our final day. The day we will meet our Lord.

It feels like yesterday we were eating and celebrating after last Ramadan. Now? The beautiful smell of this year's Ramadan is already in the air. Allah (swt) has kept us alive to see this time again. Alhamdulillah!

But this is a serious truth:

We are on a moving bus. The bus of life. It does not stop. It is taking us, right now, to one place: our grave, and then to the Hereafter.

So, let's ask ourselves, honestly:

(1) What good have I really done since last Ramadan ended?

(2) Can I be 100% sure that Allah accepted my prayers, my fasts, my charity from last year? Are my deeds pure enough?

(3) What about all the wrong things I did? The promises to Allah I broke? The people I hurt?

This is our chance. Yes. A new Ramadan is a golden gift. A clean slate. A factory of forgiveness that opens for one month.

But listen carefully. A gift must be received with the right hands😃.

Yes!

Think of making a phone call. Three things must happen:

(1) Battery (Your faith and energy must be charged).

(2) Airtime (Your good intentions must be full).

(3) Network (Your connection to Allah (swt) must be clear, with no evil blocking it).

My People,

Our worship in Ramadan is the same. For Allah (swt) to accept it, we MUST have:

(1) Sincerity: Doing every good deeds only for Allah's pleasure. Not to show off.

(2) Correctness: Following the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him). No shortcuts or strange new inventions.

(3) Pure Faith: Truly believing in Allah alone. Leaving behind charms, fortune-tellers, and all things that steal our faith.

Allah says: "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you... so that you may learn self-restraint (become righteous)." 📚(Quran 2:183)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and hoping for reward from Allah, his past sins will be forgiven. 📚Bukhari, Muslim

Now,

Did you see the condition? "With faith and hoping for reward from Allah."

That means we cannot just be hungry and thirsty from dawn to dusk. Our hearts and actions must be in it.

If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.

Yes!

Ramadan is a beautiful battle. A battle against our own desires, our laziness, our bad habits. We must prepare our weapons NOW:

(1) Weapon of night Prayer: Start maky your prayers now consistently. Don't wait for Ramadan.

(2) Weapon of Quran: Let the Quran touch your heart again. Read even a little, but with understanding everyday from now.

(3) Weapon of Good Character: Fix your relations. Forgive those who hurt you. Ask for forgiveness from those you hurt.

(4) Weapon of Desire: Start lowering your gaze. Control your tongue. Eat less. Sleep less for Allah's sake.

My People,

Let's not just "enter" Ramadan tired and unprepared. Let us charge our batteries, fill our airtime, and find the best network of faith before it begins.

So that when the moon is sighted, we are ready. Not just to be hungry, but to be changed. To have our sins wiped clean. To earn a reward only Allah knows.

This could be our last chance. Some of us who saw last Ramadan are not here today😢. Some who will see this one may not see the next.

Let's prepare. Let's make this Ramadan the best one of our lives.

To be continued...