Ramadhan: My Specific Goals.

In the Qur'an, Allah says:  

"When My servants ask about Me, I am indeed close to them.  I listen to the prayer of every supplicant, when he calls on Me.  Let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me, so that they may walk in the right way" (Qur'an 2:186).

Ramadhan is coming, InsyaAllah.. This time, I really want to give my best. I really hope I can go through till the end of the month with much much good deeds. I realize enough how many sins that I had committed through out the year. Ramadhan is the time, to catch up my good deed so I can exceed over throw my bad's Ramadhan is the fast track. One good deed in this blessed month will be rewarded with 10 goodness. How awesome is that? That is the bonus in this month because it is so special. The offer of the 10 rewards applied to all good deed EXCEPT fasting because the reward of fasting is by Allah. He evaluates the quality of it. 

Imagine if I do 5 good deeds per day in this month, I will get 50 rewards! 50 rewards x 30 days = 1500 rewards per month! Awesome. I can't miss this chance. But honestly, I believe that 1500 reward per month is not enough to cover my sins!. I need more! more! so, what else do I need to do besides trying my best to gain the rewards to the fullest?! Come on, gang, let's rock this Ramadhan insyaAllah!. 

Ramadhan is the month when the Quran was revealed. Therefore, one of my important target is to make sure I establish a very great relationship with it! I want to start and finish the Quran through out this holy month, BUT NOT WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING ITS MESSAGE. Despite what everyone says about trying to read the Arabic as much as possible, I want to focus more on understanding it. I am learning a little bit of Arabic from a YouTube channel as my effort to understand directly from the original text but obviously I am still the beginner. To cover that, I want to read the Quran translation from cover to cover. What a shame if I can read other book and explain it to people about its content, its concept an even its synopsis with its flow but I can't to do same to the Quran? This is the month. I want to know what is there in the Quran. Reading not just its Arabic but also its meaning, from cover to cover.

May Allah help me and grant me strength and may He please. Allahumma Amin.

This month of training with all the shayateen chained, I want to take this chance to change some of my bad attitudes and behaviors. It had been almost a year that I said to myself " I want to change" but because of how weak I was and I am, I kept on falling to the devil's trap and tricks. Ramadhan will be my turning point, InsyaAllah. If I don't make it in this month, truly I have no hope! Seriously, I don't want to lose because this month, I don't have to fight with the shaytan, I just need to fight with my own desire. If I truly cant do this, really I am a loser ( audzhoobillah ) 

What I really want to give up starting this Ramadhan is the feeling of anger. If you knew me, you know how bad tempered I was and still am. I tried to manage my anger in the very best way. Alhamdulillah, I actually see the improvements. From getting angry and smash everyone right away, I learned to hold my temper and try to talk less words when I am burning. Latter, I tried to stay silent with no words when nerve starts standing. Seriously this really helped me from hurting people with my tongue to say something I had never wanted to say. But still, it is not enough. People can see my face expression. Indeed, something I intentionally show my anger on my face as the sign that I am not comfortable with what was going on instead on using my tongue. Unfortunately, my silent often misinterpreted. I am still struggling. 

Obviously people will not understand my struggle but Allah do. I often get upset when people don't understand my hardship dealing with my anger to not hurting them. So, that is what I want to change. 

I don't want the upset feelings. If possible, I just don't want the anger coming at the first place.  It is hard. But I really need that. I want to be someone who don't need anybody else to understand be because I know Allah is sufficient for me. My reward is with Allah. The harder the struggle, the greater the reward, Right? :) All I need is faith in my self to change or at least faith in Allah to help me changing myself into a better person, for Him. Amin. I want to be a patient person. Stop getting upset with those small matters because I have greater things to look beyond. When people mess up with me, it is their problem and let them deal with it, in the day of judgment. I don't want to make their problems, mine.

Not to forget, I want to be able to change myself into a person with no negative thoughts and revenge. The happiest person on earth is the one who can keep his heart free from envy, negative feeling about others and revenge. I want to be one. I remember the quote saying, ' hating some one is like drinking the poison and hoping the other person to die'. How foolish is that. Life is short. I don't want to compare my self with other/s blessings. Everyone has his own sustenance written for them. Why should I compare with someone 'above' me. All I need to do is to see the people below me and praise Allah for All the blessings. And also, use the blessing to help them, for Allah. That way is obviously much much more better for me. No hatred, no jealousy, no envy, not ungrateful, and be happy! Amiin. 

That is not all. I want to stop talking useless things. Alhamdulillah I did improve on that from time to time but for some reasons, I am on my way to start it again. No. no it can't be. I need to not let it happen. I am a muslim. I don't back bite and I don't listen to backbites but I will stop it. I don't complain stupid things and I don;t tolerate people complaining stupid things to me for mo reason. I have my problems, serious problems, that I need to focus on and locating my time to those useless talks won't help. I am a Muslim and I don't waste my time!

Back to the Quranic verse on the top, I need to make lots and lots of dua to be able to accomplish my mission this Ramadhan. These are just some of it ( because I am tired of typing :P). But these are the important ones. My previous post about Ramadhan also include things that I want to do in Ramadhan. InsyaAllah. All I need is to purify my intention from  time to time and ask Allah fro help. Because it is only He who has the power to make this happen. I seek forgiveness from Him from all my sin and wrongdoing and I seek help only from Him to be a better servant for Him. 

May He forgive us all for indeed, He is the most forgiving and the most merciful.

May He Accept our good deeds and give us rahma that make us to be one of the chose one to enter Jannah and May He put us away from the Hellfire. Allahuma sami' ud du'a . Allahumma Amiin.

Ramadan! what to do?

InsyaAllah, we'll meet Ramadhan again. Amiin. But what is so interesting about it? Be sure with your question. Ramadan is a very blessed month. There are some verses from the Quran about it, as well as hadith about it as well. 

Did you know that Ramadhan is the only name of month that are are mentioned in the Quran? How blessed is that? Ramadhan is the month of fasting and the month of quran. So what? 

Note that on the month of Ramadhan, the gate of hell fire is closed and the gate of the heaven is open and the Syaitan is locked up.Therefore, let's do less sin because Syaitan is tied. Prove that we are better with out Shaytan! Prove it that it was Shaytan that caused you to go astray.. 

Things to do in Ramadhan.
1. List the doa(s) you want to make!
2. List the ibadah you want to fulfill
3. List the good deeds you want to start or make.
4. List og things you want to stop
5. Gain knowledge about Ramadhan!
6. Make doa that we will get it into Ramadhan. Amiin

Things to do in Ramadhan
1. Fast and pray
        Not pray= kafir
        How do you know your ummah?
        = the place of the wudu

2. Pray jamaah in the masjid

3. Ramadhan is the turning point!
         -Intend not to go back to the old days
         -Do good deeds
         - Stop doing things you know its bad.
         - By Allah, do it! This is the chance!

4. Qiam tarawikh

5. keep in touch to your maker, you need Him more than anyone else.

6. Make sure to break your fast after the sunset! As soon as possible but not before.

7. Be patient! Stop asking about the time, like every hour ~_~

8. Read the quran, dhikir, zakah, DOA

9. Don't eat excessively!
 - we fast to understand how the hunger feels.
- But shockingly, most people gain weight during the month of fasting!
   Definately something wrong with that.
- Fasting should increase our awareness to help the poor as we atleast understand a bit, 
  how do they need to go through lives with so much suffering.

10. CHARITY!

11. Contemplate and reflect on the quran. Use your intellect.
        Ramadhan- month of the Quran. 
                        - it is good to start on ramadhan but why not start today?
                        - recite and know the meaning

12. Don't back bite!! Don't slander, Stop doing stupid useless things.
          Some people, don't get nothing out of fasting but hunger, naudzhubillah

13. Stop being extravagant
        - things are on sale. Do not buy things because it is cheap, but it because you need it  

 14.  lailatul qadar.. all out
        - we don't know when, so, do it continuously! :)

15. For the sake of Allah!

ASK FOR FORGVENESS, ASK FOR FORGIVENESS, ASK FOR FORGIVENESS!

Things to do after Ramadhan,

1. Eid ( obviously )
A blessed month: 
- upon completing the fast, the reward and blessings
-the day of happiness. (Eid)

2. Istiqamah- consistency
only worship Allah during Ramadan?  come on, Ramadhan is the starting point not till the end of the Ramadhan but till the end of our lives. Amiin.


Spend your time during this Ramadhan, very wisely! We take this opportunity , not because we are a pious. Don't think only a good Muslim will strive for this. Conversely, because we are not good enough, that is why we need to make use of this precious chance! Every good deed is multiplied by ten. Such a big reward. We know how bad we were, and that is why we need this blessed month to catch everything up again. Do good deeds in ramadhan, not because people around us force us to or because of everyone else is doing it, but because we know we need to be a better person to please Allah. Because what we had done through back days aren't enough to convince Allah to choose us in His heaven. 

Ramadhan is the month to discipline ourselves. 
- we can get up early to eat? How amazing is that
- we can hold ourselves from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset? Isn't that awesome?
So use this opportunity train ourselves to be a truly discipline person.

I believe we all have something in ourselves that we really want to get rid of it. This is the time!
Discipline ourselves to control our anger, control our desire, control what ever negative attribute that is sticking in ourselves! Have the intention and do it. Make doa, May Allah guide and help us all!.

Similar goes to the thing that we always wanted to start. Ramadhan is the time. (Supposely, you can actually do it now) But yeah, Ramadhan is one of the good time to start!. 

Let's, Just Let's rock this ramadhan as if we won't meet it again and probably we might not make it to the end. But the best advice is, come on, stop giving yourself those excuses! Now or never.

Stop fooling your own self! MAY WE ARE FORGIVEN AND BLESSED BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER RAMADHAN, TILL WE ENTER JANNAH, Allahumma Amiin :)

Wallahu'alam.

Muslim, non-Muslim, New Muslim.

 I violated some copyright issue, I admit, but I thought, this post is interesting.
It is from my classmate who is a non-Muslim (yet) sharing his feelings growing up in a Muslim Country.

"Growing up as a Christian in a Muslim populated country I have experienced the feeling of left out a lot. When I was in high school, before starting our school assembly, it would be open with a Muslim dua. Almost 90% of the people in my school are Muslim. I would just sit there and watch all of my Muslim friends perform dua. My friends who are Hindu, Buddhist and Christians would feel so left out. I was always wondering what it would be if the assembly starts with a Christian prayer. That would definitely come out in the news in my country. Even when starting our class, we would say “Assalammualaikum” to our teachers. Although the words are from Arab and not entirely related to Islam but I still felt that my country’s government tries to convert us into Muslims. We even have to study about Islam in our history class. We would have to memorize the life of Nabi Muhammad and the fellow Rashidun. They never teach us about Jesus and the Hindu gods. Some of my friend even go so far as converted into Muslim because he felt left out and just wanted to feel belong with our fellow Muslim friends. I just hope that someday secularization would be put into action not just in my high school but all the school in the world so that no one would be felt left out.  "

I never thought there some people feel like Muslims are converting them into Islam. I personally never thought of having that intention when I am doing something that is related to Islam. I respect his feeling but it is kind of shocking to know, personally.

I wonder if his friend is actually converted into Islam because of the feeling of left out or is it because he really believe in the faith. Allah knows best. But as far as I know, when people changing a faith, it is actually a big deal, especially when entering Islam. It is really a big decision. One need first to have the willingness face those rejection from his family and friends when embracing the new faith. As people know, Islam is has so many thing that one need to do when they make that decisio0n to really be a Muslim. they need to pray, perform Salah. that is one of it but it actually take a lots of courage and patience to do it. one need first to be committed! need to learn how to do it. not just the actions, but also the recitation need to be memorized. If the recitation is in ones mother tongue or in the language that he familiar with, that should not be a problem, however, it is in Arabic! Need first to learn the alphabet, like to learn a new language. It is a new language to people who don't speak Arabic.

until today, I really admire people who bravely take the decision to revert in to Islam. It is indeed not easy. even a as a born Muslim, I find it difficult to change in to a devoted Muslim. It is hard! A lot of challenges indeed..

But you know what is the sweetest thing is? Allah is there. Always. All we need to do is find Him and ask Him. Indeed, Allah's help is near.

* I did notice that I have changed my topic like dramatically, but, who cares, This is what I think. and what I need to always reflect upon.

- Be kind to people. no matter what their religious affiliation is, they need to be bless to have Muslims around them, not forced. Muslim or not, they are still human beings that need to be treated equally, as our prophet Salallahu'alaihiwassalam taught us.

- I love listening to the stories of converts, because that is really what sacrifice is about. They are willing to loss everything. They don't mind losing it as long as they are finding the God. simply, WOW! I really need that kind of faith too!

-We are obligated to try our best to show why are we, a Muslim. Show to the world, how beautiful it actually is that it is not a burden, it is a blessing. Share the love :)

May Allah guide us all.

Allahumma Amiin. :)