By Abdullahi Jamaa
And there is no second chance when Allah says it is time to go.
A day in Ramadan is a great day, full of memories. It combines mercy, forgiveness and redemption: full of opportunities for veneration and excellence. A good day in Ramadan is a gift of life.
The last standing soldier with the last ammo in a real combat scenario against an enemy will never aimlessly fire this single most important bullet. A good day in Ramadan is like your last ammo.
A good day in Ramadan is when heroes are made. Those who choose to make the most out of their time and those who know how to seize lifetime opportunities. Everybody can have a chance to pick up shells along the vast seashore yet only those who open them will have a rare chance to find the pearls inside.
Every Muslim will witness this day but only those who continuously observe the hour-hand of its 24 hour clock will reckon the pendulum of life. The rest will only watch sunrise glows and sunset shadows without meaningful inclinations.
Ramadan is a massive goldfield where fortune-seekers mine for eternal success. There is never a dull day, every day comes with a fantastic chance of exploring valuable treasures. A good day in Ramadan is a hidden chest where everybody is earnestly searching for.
Who will finally find this chest? Undoubtedly, only those who have a strong passion, a sense of understanding and dedication. For the rest, there is nothing to be found and their worthless search will for ever remain elusive with only hunger pangs and raging thirst.
A good day of fasting is that which you give your best shot. A highly productive one where every second counts. Your last bastion as a believer is today, tomorrow never comes while yesterday is all gone.
No second chance
There is no second chance when Allah says it’s time to go. You only have today to show your loyalty to the Lord. Treasure every precious moment Allah gives you in this life. Today is your day to learn from your past mistakes and chat a new road map.
Hasan al-Basri said:
“There is not a day that the sun rises upon except that it calls out, ‘O Son of Adam, I am today: a new creation and your actions I am witnessing. Use me wisely for I shall never return to you until the Day of Judgment”
One day we will get past all the prayers and fasting to earn the fruits of our hard work. The plain of resurrection will not be a place of improving one’s failures; it will be a place of recompense.
You now have the moment to fill your story pages with wonderful chapters of life, of serving Allah through devotion, worshiping and praising Him for the blessings of Ramadan and of a life that matters.
You must own and cherish a day in Ramadan; without owning it your purpose in life is weakened. You have so many other days to spare in eleven non-fasting months, each of the thirty days of Ramadan must be spent with a lot of care.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to call on believers to take the initiative to do good deeds before any obstacles arise.
He said: “Lose no time to do good deeds before you are caught up by one of seven calamities awaiting you: a starvation which may impair your wisdom; a prosperity which may mislead you; an ailment which may damage your health; an old age which may harm your senses; a sudden death; the Dajjal; or Doomsday, which is indeed the hardest and most bitter.” (Tirmithi)
In Ramadan there is a secret to achieving a strong relationship with the creator if you cultivate Taqwa (piety) and harvest its seeds. Awaken your five senses to achieve the goals of fasting: Getting closer to Allah is the dream of every Muslim.
We must concert all our spiritual acts of worship, doing every bit of righteous deed that is within our capacity. We must get out of the comfort zone and tame our souls if we really want Jannah. Anything short of struggle is a daylight dream.
Hard work pays; we cannot keep on twiddling our fingers expecting a spiritual magic to take us to heavens and make us stout champions. Start your own spiritual challenge this Ramadan. The sweetness of Islam relies largely on efforts and ibadah. It’s so sweet like the honey of paradise to obey the Lord through consistent actions of worship.
Abdullahi jamaa is a Muslim writer|blogger. The founder of www.smartmuslim.co.ke an online magazine for professional Muslims. Twitter: @abdullahijamaa
