Ramadan – A Time to Purify Our Hearts
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! Today’s reflection is a discussion on how Ramadan is a time to purify our hearts and how we should engage ourselves in it in ways that Allah (SWT) and His Prophet (SAW) have taught us. In a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA), Allah’s Messenger said, “Allah neither looks at your figures, nor at your outward appearance; He looks at your hearts and your deeds.”
Ramadan offers an excellent opportunity to cure ailments of the spiritual heart. As heat purifies metals of its impurities, so does Ramadan purifies us of the diseases of our spiritual hearts. Let us discuss some of these diseases and see how Ramadan goes about to cure them. Some of the major diseases of the heart are arrogance (takabbur), ostentation or showing off (riya’), and stinginess (bukhl).
The Prophet (SAW) warned against arrogance and said: “No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart.” Bragging or boasting is also a disgusting practice that universally sickens people. The repulsive behavior of arrogance and boasting cannot survive a sincere engagement with Ramadan. How can it survive, while in Ramadan we admit our complete need of Allah and His generous provision?
Ostentation (riya’) is a desire to show off and seek praises from others. It is difficult to show off in Ramadan for a couple of good reasons. Salah or ritual prayer is an open act; so is the zakah or the obligatory charity; so is the hajj or pilgrimage. Fasting, however, because it involves abstinence, is invisible. One can stare a person in the face and not know whether or not he or she is fasting.
Stinginess or miserliness (bukhl) is to hoard money and not to spend it on one’s family and the needy and in other good causes as it should be spent. It is a terrible disease. The Prophet (SAW) taught us to seek Allah’s refuge from stinginess. It leads to an attitude of not caring for others. It holds people from fulfilling their duties and recognizing the rights of others. And what better time can there be than Ramadan to get rid of this disease.
It is to be understood that despite all our fasting and praying, earning rewards is not automatic and requires that we appropriately engage ourselves in ways that Allah and His prophet have taught us. We should first purify our intentions. One shouldn’t fast, for example, because it is healthy to do so, or to go with the flow. While fasting has numerous virtues and benefits, the primary motivation of fasting should be solely to seek Allah’s pleasure. So, if your intention is tainted with other ulterior motives or you aren’t clear on your intentions, you risk losing the rewards of your worship.
In a well known hadith the prophet had highlighted the conditions for fasting to be accepted by saying,
مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
“Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” “Out of faith” in this context refers to ensuring that your worship is solely for Allah (SWT). The Prophet (SAW) said,
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَقْبَلُ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ إِلاَّ مَا كَانَ لَهُ خَالِصًا وَابْتُغِيَ بِهِ وَجْهُهُ
“Allah does not accept any deed except that which is done only for Him and to seek His pleasure.” Let’s therefore remind ourselves that for our fasting to be accepted, it should be solely for the sake of Allah (SWT). Otherwise there is a risk of non-acceptance.
It is also important to have the “hope of reward.” It is difficult to hope and wish for something without recognizing its value. So, if we indeed recognized the value of Ramadan and fasting and the associated rewards, then we should feel the eagerness in our hearts for our fasts and worships to be accepted.
If the month-long worship (’ibadah) failed to overwhelm us spiritually, then it’s time to correct our intentions and recognize the value of fasting before we lose that opportunity. Besides busying ourselves with various modes of worship, we also need to engage our hearts to make our ’ibadah more meaningful. The Prophet (SAW) said, “There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are those who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night.”
Let’s therefore ensure that all our acts of worship during Ramadan are purposeful, absorbing, and given due time. Let us engage our hearts to the fullest. It would indeed be a big loss if we only earned hunger, thirst, and sleeplessness from our actions at the end of the month. May Allah accept our fasting, and all our acts of worship; ameen.
Brothers and sisters!We should realize that good deeds and evil deeds are the basic currencies that will decide our fate in this life and the hereafter. Many of us hear about rewards (hasanat) associated with good deeds without realizing their value.
The prophet (SAW) said, “Do not look down on any act of goodness, even if it is just emptying your bucket into the vessel of one who wants to drink, or speaking to your brother with a cheerful expression.” Similarly, we hear about the ill effects of sins without truly comprehending how they chip away at our spiritual and worldly fortunes. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Beware of sins that are seen as insignificant, for they will keep accumulating until they destroy a man.”
The spirit of the month of Ramadan is not alien to most Muslims. However, many of us engage in practices that tend to dilute the spirit of the blessed month thus preventing us from capitalizing on the month’s blessings.
May Allah guide us, help us and bless each one of us, ameen.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
وصل الله عَلَى خيرِ خَلقه مُحمَّدٍ وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
