Sweetness of Ramadan

Ahmad bin Harb was asked, "Why I don't feel the sweetness  of Ibaadah?"
He replied,
“I worshipped Allaah for fifty years, but tasted the delight of worship only after I abandoned three things:
1. I discarded seeking people’s pleasure, and thus was able to speak the truth.
2. I abandoned associating with the wicked, and thus tasted the delight of accompanying the righteous.
3. I ignored the delights of this world, and thus tasted the delight of the Hereafter.”

May Allah grant us the mercies, blessings and forgiveness of this special month.  May Allah grant us sweetness in our siyaam and qiyaam. Alhamdulillah the Fiqh Council of America announced tomorrow to be the first day of Ramadan 1435.  Ramadan Mubarak Everyone :)

Every Ramadan is an opportunity to take life up a notch - to make up for our mistakes and sprint towards improvement. Ramadan is a second chance.

Ṭalḥa raḍyAllāhu 'anhu (may Allāh be pleased with him) said, “I saw a dream about myself, and my two friends who were companions of the Messenger of Allāh ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).” These two ṣaḥābah had become Muslim on the same day, and one of them passed away exactly a year before the other. The one who passed away first died a martyr and thus was more known for his goodness. Although both companions were great, but because the first died a martyr, everyone believed he was more pious than the second one.
I saw a dream that I was standing with these two ṣaḥābah (r.a), and a caller called the one who died second to enter Jannah first. He entered Jannah despite the fact that he died one year after the companion who was martyred. Then the caller called the martyr and he entered Jannah next. Then he called me, he told me to go back and that it was not time for me.

Ṭalḥa raḍyAllāhu 'anhu went the next day and shared his dream with the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam.

Everyone was shocked. The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said, “Why are you surprised?” They said, “O Messenger of Allāh, how can the guy who was called to Jannah second died a martyr and had more good deeds than the person who died after him?” The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam listened to responses and said, “Didn't the one who died second live an entire year after the martyr?” They said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allāh.” The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam ( said, “And he caught another Ramadan and fasted such and such and prayed such and such.” They said, “Yes.” The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said, “Then what is between them is greater than the distance of the heavens and the earth.”

This ḥadīth is ṣaḥīḥ. The Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam did not insult the martyr, and this does not decrease from the reward of the martyrs. This shows you that if you make the most out of your Ramadan with good īmān and iḥtiṣāb, then you could actually surpass a martyr. Think about that SubḥānAllāh!

I ask you, dear brothers and sisters, to make the most out of Ramadan. I ask Allāh subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) to allow both you and I to enjoy all the blessings of mercies of Ramadan. To become generous as the fast wind. To us achieve ahsaan in our ibaadah, to pray with īmān and absolute iḥtiṣāb. To attain taqwa as a result of fasting and be given forgiveness from all our sins. Allāhumma āmīn.