السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
I wish I had more time to write regularly. Now that most of my classes are on recess for Ramadhan, I am left with a generous amount of time to continue writing on this Blog, insyaAllah. Please make doa’ for me.
Last week, I posted an entry on Instagram, which states: “They say you can never love someone whom you have never seen. I just smiled and said: I haven’t seen my Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. but I love him dearly.”
It reminded me of a hadith on the flip side of this perspective, which I included under the “comments” section. Narrated by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet s.a.w. said: “I wish I could see my brothers.” The Companions asked: “Aren’t we your brothers, O Messenger Of Allah?” He replied: “No. You are my Companions. My brothers are those who come after me and believe in me, without even seeing me.”
I cannot help but feel so touched by the Prophet’s words. To be considered as his brother, and hence a family-member, is truly the biggest honour for any believer. While our deeds are surely undeserving, he nonetheless embraced us with such tender and loving kindness – having faith that we will eventually measure up.
This serves as a reminder for us to enhance our resolve to heighten our efforts in emulating his examples, as best as we can, so that we can realize the love that we should have for our Beloved Prophet s.a.w. In fact, the perfection of our faith depends on it. He explained in a hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim: "None of you will truly believe until I am more beloved to him than his father, his son and all of mankind." And what better way to improve ourselves with the training that the month of Ramadhan provides?
But the key to achieving this success is in planning and preparation. While I noticed that the Geylang bazaar stalls are already constructed and ready in advance before Ramadhan, it really begs the question: how ready and prepared are we for fasting next week? Similarly, while preparations for the current SEA Games were made since early last year, how early have Muslims prepared for this deed of fasting, that if we are victorious, will render us as men and women of Taqwa – surely a wining provision for the Hereafter?
Our enthusiasm for watching the SEA Games or planning for business ventures at the Ramadhan bazaars must prick our conscience to also show the same level of enthusiasm (if not more) and rigorously prepare for this important month of Ramadhan, instead of it being looked upon as being disruptive or a burden. Prepare ourselves well physically and spiritually. Plan to be able to achieve something tangible that we can measure in this Ramadhan, so that we can upgrade our achievements in the next Ramadhan. If we can prepare meticulously for this temporal world, surely we must have an effective action plan for the permanent abode.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” [Benjamin Franklin]
Its good to be back! InsyaAllah, tomorrow I will try and share with you some tips that you can implement. Watch this space!
Love,
The Alchemist.
I wish I had more time to write regularly. Now that most of my classes are on recess for Ramadhan, I am left with a generous amount of time to continue writing on this Blog, insyaAllah. Please make doa’ for me.
Last week, I posted an entry on Instagram, which states: “They say you can never love someone whom you have never seen. I just smiled and said: I haven’t seen my Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. but I love him dearly.”
It reminded me of a hadith on the flip side of this perspective, which I included under the “comments” section. Narrated by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet s.a.w. said: “I wish I could see my brothers.” The Companions asked: “Aren’t we your brothers, O Messenger Of Allah?” He replied: “No. You are my Companions. My brothers are those who come after me and believe in me, without even seeing me.”
I cannot help but feel so touched by the Prophet’s words. To be considered as his brother, and hence a family-member, is truly the biggest honour for any believer. While our deeds are surely undeserving, he nonetheless embraced us with such tender and loving kindness – having faith that we will eventually measure up.
This serves as a reminder for us to enhance our resolve to heighten our efforts in emulating his examples, as best as we can, so that we can realize the love that we should have for our Beloved Prophet s.a.w. In fact, the perfection of our faith depends on it. He explained in a hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim: "None of you will truly believe until I am more beloved to him than his father, his son and all of mankind." And what better way to improve ourselves with the training that the month of Ramadhan provides?
But the key to achieving this success is in planning and preparation. While I noticed that the Geylang bazaar stalls are already constructed and ready in advance before Ramadhan, it really begs the question: how ready and prepared are we for fasting next week? Similarly, while preparations for the current SEA Games were made since early last year, how early have Muslims prepared for this deed of fasting, that if we are victorious, will render us as men and women of Taqwa – surely a wining provision for the Hereafter?
Our enthusiasm for watching the SEA Games or planning for business ventures at the Ramadhan bazaars must prick our conscience to also show the same level of enthusiasm (if not more) and rigorously prepare for this important month of Ramadhan, instead of it being looked upon as being disruptive or a burden. Prepare ourselves well physically and spiritually. Plan to be able to achieve something tangible that we can measure in this Ramadhan, so that we can upgrade our achievements in the next Ramadhan. If we can prepare meticulously for this temporal world, surely we must have an effective action plan for the permanent abode.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” [Benjamin Franklin]
Its good to be back! InsyaAllah, tomorrow I will try and share with you some tips that you can implement. Watch this space!
Love,
The Alchemist.
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