Amr Khaled
Ramadan is the time of the year when the soul is revamped from the previous year and reconstructed for the coming one. The human being is like a machine that needs regular fixing and continuous upgrading for better performance.
Ramadan is how God proves His love for His subjects and His keenness to grant them happiness both in this life as well as the next. It is the best opportunity for them to cleanse their souls of any evil from the previous year.
In Ramadan, people go back to their original good selves. It's a return to God and the constitution He blessed humanity with -- the Quran, a restoration of the true spirit of Islam that calls for love and compassion between people.
After getting rid of impurities, the soul is rejuvenated in preparation for the coming year. It becomes ready for a strong affinity with God, for the determination to resist sins and conquer the devil.
Thus, people start becoming true Muslims who obeys God everywhere they go—at work, in the street, at school, in the mosque, etc.
The Prophet (PBUH) said that in Ramadan "all the gates of heaven are open. The gates of hell are closed, and the devils are shackled." The devil has no access to the human soul in this month. |
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How to reform the past 1- Self evaluation: Be accountable to yourself. Whether privately or publicly, think of everything you've done and ask yourself where you went wrong. This is the best way to begin to cleanse your soul.
2- Atonement: This erases your sins and allows you to start anew. Even infidels will be forgiven if they repent, so imagine what it would be like for the believer who just went astray for a while.
3- Supplication: It is like atonement, only more effective. The prophet always reiterated that God listens to all supplicants and forgives their sins. Pleading to God directly makes you closer to Him and eliminates all the wrongdoing you may have done.
4- Invocation: Uttering God's name protects you from disobeying Him. It revives the soul and alerts the conscience. It is like waking up from the dead, as the prophet said.
5- Contemplation: Ponder God's creation and the blessings He bestowed upon you and the world. This strengthens your faith and revives the good inherent in you.
6- Praying: Surrendering yourself to God in this act of reverence and humility absolves you of all sins.
7- Good deeds: The more good you do, the more sins you are absolved of. |
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How to prepare for the future 1- Real fasting: Fasting makes your will stronger and enhances your determination to resist sins. Fasting is not only about abstaining from food drink; it is avoiding words that hurt and deeds that harm. The power to resist is the core of fasting.
2- The Quran: It is the law that guides you to the right path and grants you the ultimate bliss on earth and in the afterlife.
3- Honesty: In fasting, you are only answerable to God; nobody else knows if you're really fasting. It trains you to be sincere in everything you do, and this sincerity will stay with you all year long and will be applied to everything you do.
4- Ethics: Stay away from foul words and immoral deeds. Honesty, justice, hard work, and cooperation are the most important virtues.
If every Ramadan you work on atoning for past sins and preparing for future chastity, you will find that this process gets easier every year. There will come a time when you will be totally free sin, and in the Ramadans that follow, you will focus on attaining higher and higher levels of spirituality.
* Published on Amr Khaled's official Web site in Arabic. Amr Khaled is a Muslim activist and preacher from Egypt, who was ranked among the world's most influential people by Time Magazine.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid). |
