The Ones who miss the Opportunity of Ramadan
Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:
One day, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was on the minbar (a raised pulpit in the mosque where the Imam stands to deliver sermons). At some time, he said “Amin” (Amen) three times.
After he climbed down the minbar, the Companions asked:
“At that time, what were you engaged in, O Messenger of Allah?”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) explained:
“At that time, Gabriel came and said:
- If a servant (of Allah) reaches Ramadan and passes it without being forgiven, let his nose sweep the ground (let him suffer for that).
I said “Amin.”
He then said:
- If your name is mentioned in the presence of a servant (of Allah), and s/he does not say salawat (saying 'peace and blessings be upon him'), let his nose sweep the ground.
And I said 'Amin'.
He then said:
- If the parents or one of the parents of a servant stays with him/her and s/he does not earn their pleasure and thus cannot enter Paradise, let his nose sweep the ground, too.
I said 'Amin'.” (Bayhaqi, 4:304; at-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib, 2:426.)
Ramadan is a chain of opportunities before us with its fasting, daily prayers, alms-giving, dhikr (remembering Allah), Qur'an and with all its potential good deeds. It is a market of the Hereafter opened for spiritual shopping. It is a body of means which make the Believer closer to his/her Lord. It is a set of hundreds of opportunities chained one after another carrying the servant to Paradise.
It is a way, for all who suffer as servants and humans at the hands of the devil and the self and drift into swirls of sins and rebellion in different ways, to cleanse and purify themselves.
Reason and will require benefiting from those blessings. They call for benefiting from the opportunity to the best. Otherwise, one cannot turn one's back on them blindly. This is because one cannot always stay the same. One cannot find the same atmosphere and circumstances. Sometimes one cannot find the time, sometimes his health does not allow, and at times his psychology does not give the opportunity.
In this respect, one should make good use of the fruitfulness of Ramadan. If passed with carelessness and negligence, it leads to loss in the world and to deprivation of mercy and forgiveness in the Hereafter; it is as if one digs one's own grave and tumbles down in it.
Thus, one not only loses Allah's mercy, but also deprives oneself of the closeness to and shafaat (intercession) of the Prophet, and stays far from angel's prayers.
Therefore, we need to try our best and make ourselves loved by Allah, His Messenger and the angels.
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