Ramadan Reflections - Juz 22-24
Ramadan 2022 - Juz 22
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤۡمِنࣲ وَلَا مُؤۡمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥۤ أَمۡرًا أَن یَكُونَ لَهُمُ ٱلۡخِیَرَةُ مِنۡ أَمۡرِهِمۡۗ وَمَن یَعۡصِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلࣰا مُّبِینࣰا
“It is not for a believing man or woman—when Allah and His Messenger decree a matter—to have any other choice in that matter. Indeed, whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has been clearly misguided.” — Qur’an 33:36 (Surah Al-Ahzab)
Whenever we experience some calamity in life, something that we don’t like or it isn’t going our way, we have to remember the one that wills it all for us.
When we look at things generally in life, they always work out. Perhaps not in the way we wanted but in hindsight we can see it’s always in the way we needed.
We can help ourselves by remembering this fact during the hard times, so that we don’t have to wait until more comfortable times to look back and realise the goodness.
It’s not easy to see the silver lining during a time of need and hardship. But we can help ourselves by at least knowing it’s there.
When something doesn’t go our way, we can ask ourselves “That was uncomfortable, what was the good in it?”. Changing our mindset to always look for the goodness in a situation. “What is the good in it?”
Over time we attune ourselves to looking for it immediately and whenever a calamity befalls us we simply say “Alhumdullillah” (praise is due to God) as we know that there is good somewhere within it and we thank Him for that.
وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّۭ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ٢١٦
“Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.” — Quran 2:216
As we see In Hadith jibreel:
Angel Jibreel comes to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and asks him: "Inform me about iman."
The Messenger of Allah answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadr), both in its good and in its evil aspects."
What is written for us will reach us, and is always for the best of us.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ
"Indeed, Allah is the possessor of favours for the people, but most of them are not grateful" — Qur’an 40:61
یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱذۡكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ذِكۡرࣰا كَثِیرࣰا﴿ ٤١ ﴾ وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكۡرَةࣰ وَأَصِیلًا﴿ ٤٢ ﴾ هُوَ ٱلَّذِی یُصَلِّی عَلَیۡكُمۡ وَمَلَـٰۤىِٕكَتُهُۥ لِیُخۡرِجَكُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِۚ وَكَانَ بِٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ رَحِیمࣰا﴿ ٤٣ ﴾
“O believers! Always remember Allah often,
and glorify Him morning and evening.
He is the One Who showers His blessings upon you—and His angels pray for you—so that He may bring you out of darkness and into light. For He is ever Merciful to the believers.” — Qur’an 33:41-43 (Surah Al-Ahzab)
Ramadan 2022 - Juz 23
وَءَايَةٌۭ لَّهُمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ ٱلْمَيْتَةُ أَحْيَيْنَـٰهَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهَا حَبًّۭا فَمِنْهُ يَأْكُلُونَ ٣٣
وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا جَنَّـٰتٍۢ مِّن نَّخِيلٍۢ وَأَعْنَـٰبٍۢ وَفَجَّرْنَا فِيهَا مِنَ ٱلْعُيُونِ ٣٤
لِيَأْكُلُوا۟ مِن ثَمَرِهِۦ وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أَيْدِيهِمْ ۖ أَفَلَا يَشْكُرُونَ ٣٥
"There is a sign for them in the dead earth: We give it life, producing grain from it for them to eat. We have placed in it gardens of palm trees and grapevines, and caused springs to gush forth in it, so that they may eat from its fruit, which they had no hand in making. Will they not then give thanks?" -- Qur'an 36:33-35
All of our fruit, vegetables, plants and meat are miraculous gifts. If we were asked to make meat or vegetables from scratch it would be an impossible task for us, even meat substitutes are reconstituted from other foods or taken from existing animal cells.
The immense supply chain that exists to bring us food on a daily basis is also miraculous and we should be forever grateful for each day we are able to eat food when others are less fortunate.
Ramadan has served as a reminder of that this year. When there are days feel long, we feel like we haven’t had enough to eat, or we miss being able to have a cup of coffee, it serves as a reminder of people who live through that regularly.
Being able to regularly enjoy coffee and a meal out is an extra luxury, while many families in the UK aren’t able to regularly afford a full meal. There’s so much to be thankful for, both in the choice of food many of us have and the abundance.
Even if we grow our own food and vegetables, it is out of our control. Sometimes we pour hours into growing seeds of either fruit or vegetables, only for them to be drowned by excess rainfall, or killed off in a heatwave. How much are we ever truly in control?
We thank Allah for all the food He gives us. Be that in the shops or what He allows us to grow ourselves. In the seasonal shifts of home-grown food we see plants blooming and wilting only to bloom again next year. Just as in life we will see ourselves blooming in youth and wilting in old age, only to be resurrected again to be with our Lord.
Ramadan 2022 - Juz 24 - Gratitude & Sufficiency
أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُۥ ۖ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍۢ
Is Allah not sufficient for His servant? — Quran 39:36
God is our creator and provider. The guiding force that sustains us and has always looked after us in our lives. Can we be arrogant enough to think we know better than Him?
Ultimately all help is from Him and He always helps us in the best of ways. In times of hardship we may not see the value, it may feel like we are not being helped and are just being tested. This is a test of faith, ultimately we should never lose hope and we should always have faith that we will pull through in times of hardship.
We may not always get what we want but we always get what we need, what God has provided for us. In hard situations we need to admit that ultimately it is only Allah that is in control, and he is the best disposer of affairs:
“ۚ قُلْ حَسْبِىَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ عَلَيْهِ يَتَوَكَّلُ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ ٣٨”
Say, “Allah is sufficient for me. In Him ˹alone˺ the faithful put their trust.”— Quran 39:38