The Gift of Ramadan


To celebrate the Holy Month of Ramadan and the first posting of the year I’d like to recite the most precious surah in the Qur’an, Al Fatihah:



بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ



1.    In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

2.    All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the Alamin (the mankind, jinn and all that exists)

3.    The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

4.    The only Owner (and the only Ruling Judge) of the day of Recompense

5.    You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)

6.    Guide us to the straight way

7.    The way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray


Al Fatihah as the first surah in the Qur’an is quite different from other surahs. Other verses in Qur’an are about instructions, commands or admonishments from Allah to His servants. Except for Al Fatihah. With Al Fatihah Allah teaches His servants how to talk to Him directly, how to beg His Grace and Guidance in person. He teaches His servants that although He is their Lord they don’t need a mediator to talk to Him or to mediate for them.

Through Al Fatihah He reveals how He actually feels towards His lowly servants. His feelings for them are full of grace, mercy and love. What He wants the most is for all of His servants to be able to successfully passing the trials He has given them.

Abu Hurairah said that Prophet Muhammad explained that when we say:

‘All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the Alamin’, Allah says ‘My servant has praised Me’. When we say ‘The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful’, Allah says ‘My servant has extolled Me’. When we say ‘The only Owner (and the only Ruling Judge) of the day of Recompense’, Allah says ‘My servant has glorified Me’ and on another occasion the Prophet said, ‘My servant has submitted to My power.’ When we say ‘You (alone) we worship and You (alone) we ask for help (for each and everything), Allah says ‘This is between Me and My servant and My servant shall have what he has asked for’. When we say ‘Guide us to the straight way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray’, Allah says ‘This is for My servant and My servant shall have what he has asked for’.

In Al Baqarah 186 Allah says:

‘And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them) I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright’.

Narrated by Abu Hurairah Allah’s Messenger said, ‘Allah said, ‘I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him. And My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him. Then I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks. And if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My Protection (Refuge), I will protect him and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death and I hate to disappoint him.’

Narrated by Abu Hurairah, Allah’s Messenger said, “When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book which is with Him on His Throne: ‘Verily, My Mercy has overcome My Anger’.’’

That is how much Allah loves the insignificant us. The problem is most of us don’t seem to want to be loved by Allah. Most of us prefer to love other things or be loved by people that could not do a thing for us. We tirelessly spend all of our energy and love on useless things. We spend our life time chasing and accumulating things, things that we could not even bring to our grave.  Things that will harm us or lead us astray.

Since we all shall die, why don’t we try to be a little bit smarter. Live our lives like we’re going to live forever but prepare for the possibility that we might die tomorrow. If we want to be on top while we are alive we should even be more determined that we shall not be a loser once we are dead.

Narrated Abu Hurairah:

Allah's Messenger said, "Allah said, 'All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hands my soul is' The unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting."

Ramadan is the best month to accumulate rewards that could determine whether we will become one of those successful people or one of those losers who have nothing to show in the hereafter. The fact that we have been given a chance to meet another Ramadan is a blessing in itself. I’m extremely grateful to Allah for it and pray that He’ll give me many more rewarding Ramadan.

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