#taraweehtidbit

In the taraweeh covering Juz 24, we finish Surah Zumar, Surah Ghafir, and start Surah Fussilat. There is a part in Surah Zumar that really struck out to me where Allah is basically listing all the things that a person will say on the Day of Judgment after they realize that they are about to face their punishment.  -"Lest a soul should say, "Oh [how great is] my regret over what I neglected in regard to Allah and that I was among the mockers."  -"Or [lest] it say, "If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among the righteous." -"Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, "If only I had another turn so I could be among the doers of good." [39:56-58]  It is from the mercy of Allah that Allah has placed this in the Qur'an as a reminder for us, letting us know that hey, if you don't turn back, you might find yourself saying this, you might find yourself in this distraught state, this immense regret where nothing could save you anymore, and might find yourself saying these things.  In Surah Ghafir, Allah also tells us that on the day of Judgment, the people that are about to face their punishment, will be calling out to Allah saying, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins. So is there to an exit any way?" [40:11] They will be begging Allah, finally acknowledging that they have been raised up, finally acknowledging that Allah is their master, and begging Allah for another chance, just one more chance. And they will want to give all they had just for another chance. Regret is such a powerful, overwhelming emotion and if you've experienced a little bit of it, you can realize its nature and how it can sometimes just be mentally/emotionally crippling especially when your action became the cause of pain for yourself or someone else. For example, you'll hear stories of a daughter or a son who left home really angry, might've yelled at their parents and really upset them, and that moment ended up being the last time they saw their parent again. When you hear stories like that, one thing that you'll hear the person say with such a pained tone of voice, is that I wish I had not done that, I wish I had not said that, I wish I could go back and give them a hug and tell them I love them. That regret sometimes is mentally paralyzing.  Now imagine the regret of the person that is about to enter the hell-fire, they have lost, nothing to save them, they are about to go in, their wealth, status, nothing is helping them right now. And they are remembering all the things that they could have done, all those times that they didn't get up to go pray, all those times that they mocked Allah, and all those opportunities to do good that they passed up without caring. It's absolutely scary, we do not want to be in that position of total loss and utter regret. Ya Allah, this moment, in these last nights left of your blessed month, please make us amongst those that are protected from the hell fire, please make us amongst those that don't even come close to the hell-fire, please keep us away from any action that would lead us to the hell fire. Ameen. 

In the taraweeh covering Juz 23, we cover Surah Yasin, Surah Saffat, Surah Sad, and start Surah Zumar. There was a passage in Surah Saffat that really stood out to me and is a very vivid scene that will be taking place in the hereafter. There will be a person in Jannah who will be looking for someone that he had known in the dunya but he won't see him there in Jannah with him.  "A speaker among them will say, "Indeed, I had a companion [on earth] Who would say, 'Are you indeed of those who believe That when we have died and become dust and bones, we will indeed be recompensed?'" He will say, "Would you [care to] look?" And he will look and see him in the midst of the Hellfire. He will say, "By Allah , you almost ruined me. If not for the favor of my Lord, I would have been of those brought in [to Hell]." [37:51-57] This "friend" that he had in the dunya didn't really care to believe, mocked the religion, wasn't the best companion deen wise and so when he is asking about him cause he doesn't see him in jannah, he is shown the state of his friend as he is in the hell fire. SubhanAllah, and what does he say? You almost dragged me with you, you almost ruined me. The company we surround ourselves with is not a light matter. Allah shows us this vivid scene so that we can take a lesson, so we can take heed. Look at the people that you are surrounded by and ask yourself, would I want to be raised up with them? Do I feel like my deen is safe, my deen is encouraged around them? And if we are surrounded by people and company that takes Allah's commands lightly like praying**, fasting, gossiping, slandering, gender interactions etc- then we need to realize that it's not worth it to lose your akhirah for some "good times" with them here. It's just not worth it to put your fate in the hereafter on the line.  In these last few moments of Ramadan, one thing to constantly make du'a for is for Allah to make us good company to others and surround us with good company that Allah is pleased with. And then put an action item on the table- if you do have people that you know you probably should step away from, then make the firm resolve to step back in a respectful and kind manner. Maybe next time that group is hanging out, stay home or go to the masjid and attend a halaqah or something. Ask Allah for help and make the resolve to surround yourself with better company, and inshAllah Allah will open the doors and make it much easier to place people that will be beneficial for you in the hereafter in your life here, inshaAllah. 

In the taraweeh covering Juz 21, we cover the rest of Surah Ankabut, Surah Rum, Surah Luqman, Surah Sajdah, and start Surah Ahzab. One thing that I loved in this portion is when Allah reminds us in Surah Luqman: "And whoever submits his face to Allah while he is a doer of good - then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold. And to Allah will be the outcome of [all] matters." [31:22] This verse is so so powerful. In talking about this ayah, Yasmin Mogahed says: "There is a crucial lesson in this verse: that there is only one handhold that never breaks. There is only one place where we can lay our dependencies. There is only one relationship that should define our self-worth and only one source from which to seek our ultimate happiness, fulfillment, and security. That place is God."  We cannot depend on anyone else but Allah and this is a reminder that Allah is giving us- He is the one that is that is in charge of all our affairs; He is the one that is the most trustworthy handhold; the one that will never let us down. Everyone but Allah will fade away, will maybe disappoint us, will maybe let us down. There are so many people that we could probably even on a personal level think of who have either placed all their hopes in money, in people, in their possessions, drugs, in their relationships etc but when something happens and those disappear...that person crumbles and sometimes to the point of no return. How many people when a relationship crumbles, completely just are unrepairable and may attempt suicide, their seems to be no point in their lives anymore. But we as Muslims, we as people who should submit to no one but Allah are reminded to put our full trust, and faith, and hope only in Allah. Who could help us besides Allah if we are in need? Who could we turn to that could change our situation besides Allah? Who is the one that answers the call of the one that desperately calls out to Him? Only Allah. And realizing that we are in Allah's hands is one of the best and most calming things in the world- no matter what, if we maintain our relationship with Allah, if we put our hopes and trust only in Allah..."then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks". 

In the taraweeh covering Juz 20, we finish Surah Naml, Surah Shuraa, and start Surah Ankabut.  One powerful lesson in this portion I thought was in Surah Shuraa, Allah is telling us the account of Musa (as) and how he accidentally struck a man during an argument and the man ended up dying. Right after that, Musa (as) makes tawbah, he repents to Allah but the way he does it is awesome and these ayahs really show tawbah done right. "He said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me," and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. He said, "My Lord, for the favor You bestowed upon me, I will never be an assistant to the criminals." [28:16-17]  Musa (as) first sincerely asks for Allah's forgiveness and in the second part he tells Allah and proclaims that he will never do that again. He actually doesn't say he won't strike anyone again, he says that he will never be an assistant to those who criminals, meaning he won't even go near it. SubhanAllah! Part of repenting and truly making a U turn back to Allah is first sincerely begging to Allah for forgiveness, feeling remorse and guilt for the sin committed and then the second part- promising yourself and Allah that you're gonna try your very best to never commit that sin again! And if after that you do commit the same sin again, repeat the process and may Allah make us amongst those that are constantly turning back to him.  Another awesome lesson that we learn through Musa (as) in this portion is when Musa (as) has fled from his home, and he is now in Madyan where he sees two women struggling to bring their flocks to the water and so Musa (as) helps them out does their job, and then says an amazing, powerful du'a. "So he watered [their flocks] for them; then he went back to the shade and said, "My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need." [28:24] Musa (as) in this du'a is thanking Allah for the opportunity of good that Allah has sent his way and he says that he is in need of any opportunity of good. He did something so small and yet after that, this is what he is saying subhanAllah. The lesson that we can take from this is that when we do some kind of act of good, it's not us that did it, we're not awesome cause we did x,y,z but rather it was a favor of Allah upon that Allah opened that door of goodness, that opportunity to attain those blessings and this can be something as small as being able to open the door for something, to being able to pick up trash off the road, to helping our mom set the table for dinner, to bringing food for a friend, or giving a smile, or serving in your local MSA's or communities or masajid. Allah is the one that opened that door of goodness for us, Allah granted us that honor and responsibility, and this is a du'a that we should employ into our daily lives- Ya Allah we are more and more in need of the good that you have sent our way.  Another ayah that always sticks out to me is the second ayah of Surah Ankabut: "Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?" [29:2] When it comes to tests, it's not a matter of IF we will be tested, we WILL be tested and our tests are customized and made just for us by Allah. For some the tests come in the form of sickness, loss of possessions, an internal quality that someone is really struggling to fix, and tests could also come in the form of people like for example our family members. Allah says that do we really think that if we proclaim to believed, that we're not gonna be tested? Tests are a way to see how strong our faith really is. Is our iman gonna crumble, are we gonna fall into despair when we are being tested and tried with some difficulty? Or will we rise up, push through it, become closer to Allah through the trial, and come our purified, better, and stronger people than we were before? 

In the taraweeh covering Juz 18, we cover Surah Muminun, Surah Nur, and Surah Furqan. One thing that I absolutely love about Surah Muminun is the first couple of ayahs where Allah is describing the believers that have attained success. Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan does an excellent job of of talking about these first couple ayahs and you can find the lecture at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANb13kFo4iI.  One thing that always sticks out to me is how in the first ayah when Allah says: "Certainly will the believers have succeeded:", the word used for success, "aflaha" doesn't just mean any kind of success, it means success that comes after lots and lots of hard work and you'll hear him talk about in his khutbah and it just always hits me that subhanAllah, it's not easy, it takes a lot of effort. Jannah isn't free, it's not hard to get there but the battle of the self is extremely difficult, living every single day again to fight the self, to enjoin good, to stay away from wrong is something as a Muslim we have to do every single day especially those that live in societies where wrong is everywhere around them. But Allah says that they have already succeeded, and their success is like a farmer who puts in so much work and gets his reward when the harvest comes once in a year. So just like that, we will have to toil, we will have to put effort in, and try and try even if we fall down, we have to keep getting up and pushing and these are the people who Allah says have already succeeded and goes on to give their characteristics. And you know if you think about it, the feeling of being just handed something and not really working for it too much is completely different than something that you worked day and night for, and prayed and prayed for, and finally when you get it, the feeling is just indescribable. And inshAllah that's how we will feel when we get into the gates of Jannah- after pushing and pushing through the dunya, and only by Allah's mercy, we're finally there! InshAllah may Allah make us amongst those that enter those gates inshAllah! Another couple of ayahs that I loved in this portion was when Allah says: "Indeed, there was a party of My servants who said, 'Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You are the best of the merciful.' But you took them in mockery to the point that they made you forget My remembrance, and you used to laugh at them. Indeed, I have rewarded them this Day for their patient endurance - that they are the attainers [of success]." [23:109-111]  Allah is talking about a group of people who are being rewarded for their endurance and patience as they were mocked and made fun of for their faith. And Allah is telling those that mock and laugh at people that look, on that day they will be the winners for everything they endured with patience. I think sometimes when we hear being mocked for your faith, we automatically think of like islamaphobia. But you know even Muslims are often the ones that mock others and laugh at others for their faith or their attempt to get closer to Allah. If there's a sister that is trying to wear the 'abaya, and of course you know its not mandatory but she feels like it'll personally bring her closer to Allah, but all of a sudden everyone around her makes her feel like the ugly duckling or pass little snide comments, "you're wearing THAT?" etc etc. Or the person who is a little bit more cautious and strict on gender relations and interactions and then everyone around them makes them feel like party pooper, whether that's through words or actions. Or the brother who wants to stop working at a gas station and sells his store to work at like a grocery store and may be "moving down the ladder" in the dunya sense and now he is just the joke of the family even though he did it for Allah's sake. And there are so many other countless examples where we as Muslims are the ones that may be mocking other Muslims for their practice or ways. And that's extremely scary and something that I myself and all of us have to watch out for. If someone is doing something good, doing something they feel like will get them closer to Allah, we should be a support for them, we should encourage them, and help them, not discourage them inshAllah.  And on the flip side, that sister who might be the only girl in her entire school who wears hijab and gets a bunch of rude remarks, or the brother who is trying to abandon methods of haram income and turn towards the halal, or that person who chooses to start staying home now while all their friends are out at the hookah bars mingling with the opposite gender and "having a great time" and then gets made fun of by their friends- Allah will congratulate you inshAllah if it's for his sake alone. And in this ayah Allah actually gives the solution for this- patience. And patience is not a magic pill but rather its a change in attitude, we have to LIVE patience, putting your put on your tongue when you feel like lashing out to those who mock us. And at the end of day, who knows our struggles the best? Allah does; Allah is the witness of everything and of what is in people's hearts and there is no better judge than Allah inshAllah.

In the taraweeh covering Juz 15, we finish Surah Al-Israa and start Surah Kahf.  There is an awesome du'a in surah Al-Isra that inshAllah we can all memorize and incorporate in our du'as during Ramadan. It is a du'a for our parents and we should make du'a for our parents on the regular inshAllah! Through the mercy of Allah, they were the ones that taught us how to speak, taught us how to walk, how to eat and sometimes we grow older and maybe we might become closer to the deen than our parents and start to develop a more aggressive attitude but we have to remember that our parents helped us become who we are and we are forever indebted to them for everything they have done for us. Allah reminds us in this surah to serve our parents (May Allah help us serve our parents) and Allah reminds us to pray for our parents and the du'a that is mentioned here is: "...My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small." [17:24]  Some overaching themes in the 17th surah is reminders regarding the Day of Judgment and the affirmation of the Qur’an. Over and over Allah reminds us of the Day of Judgment, of how we will we witnesses against ourselves, how we will face our record. Over and over again, Allah mentions the Qur’an, the effect that it has on the believers, how it humbles them, how it makes them weep. “And We send down of the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.” [17:82] There are over 11 ayahs just regarding the Qur’an, the truth of it, the purpose of it, the effect of this book. If you look at these two themes- the Qur’an and the Day of Judgment, its almost as if Allah is giving us a solution to the things we will face at the Day of Judgment: the Qur’an. As long as we stay close to this book, follow what is revealed through here, it provides our lifes structure, it guides us to that which is good, and inshAllah it can be the light for us on the Day of Judgment. Another ayah that stuck out to me in this juz is when Allah reminds us: "Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful." [17:27] Allah is reminding us to not be wasteful whether that be with our money, with our food, and this could apply to time as well. This is something very easy to say but difficult to put into practice but Allah here links wastefulness with ingratitude. When we waste the blessings that Allah has given us, we are being ungrateful to Allah. During Ramadan, a time when we should become more grateful, you see the masajid during iftar time scattered with wasted food in plates, wasted water bottles, and trash just everywhere. One action item we can do during the remainder of this blessed month is to take little portions and whatever is left over, take it home to finish to prevent any wasted food. Also, we should watch over our water bottles so they don't get just jumbled with everyone else's and then we end up throwing them away and of course as always picking up after our trash. This seems so childish to say but it seems like everyone forgets this basic rule when it comes to masjid iftars. May Allah help us become people that are more conscious of their blessings and become more grateful by minimizing waste inshAllah!

In the taraweeh covering Juz 14, we finish Surah Hijr and Surah Nahl. Both of these surahs are Makkan surahs and as you go through you'll notice, that throughout these surahs, Allah is comforting his Messenger (sws) reminding him to be patient with those that mock him, reminding him that Allah will take care of the disbelievers and consoling our beloved (sws) as the difficulties around him become greater and greater.  In Surah Hijar, there is such a beautiful description of Jannah that really stuck out to me: "Indeed, the righteous will be within gardens and springs. [Having been told], "Enter it in peace, safe [and secure]." And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of resentment, [so they will be] brothers, on thrones facing each other. No fatigue will touch them therein, nor from it will they [ever] be removed." [15:45-48] If you reflect on this world here, for the most part it is the complete opposite of the description of Jannah that Allah mentions- there is turmoil going on somewhere in the world, there is fear of safety somewhere in the world, there is resentment between people, groups, sometimes even within families that is always present, and a natural part of this dunya is exhaustion, pain, aches, and worry. But what is Allah offering? An eternal place where even the person you might have not gotten along with...you'll love that person in jannah. All the worries and pain and heartache of this world will never be felt again. The exhaustion and fatigue that we feel after a long day at school or work...never to be experienced again. And greetings of peace everywhere we go! SubhanAllah, who wouldn't want to enter Jannah? But it's not free. Just a little bit of sincere effort and struggle here, and inshAllah may Allah make us amongst the inheritors of Jannah in the hereafter!  Another ayah that stuck out to me was in Surah Hijr as well when Allah is reminding us: “Do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given enjoyment to [certain] categories of the disbelievers, and do not grieve over them. And lower your wing to the believers.” [15:88] Sometimes you know how non-Muslims appear to be having the time of their life. They’re going to parties, sometimes us sister think that man, they get to wear all these cute clothes, and their lives from the outside sometimes do look fun, everything looks like it goes great for them. But Allah reminds its just an enjoyment given to them and not to extend our eyes, not to long for that. We shouldn’t grieve over them, over why we can’t do some of the things they do. They are deluded by the enjoyments here. For the believers, we live in this world as strangers and we find true happiness when we enter Jannah.  Surah Nahl is a surah that contains so many signs over and over and over again. Allah mentions a teeny bit of blessings that he has bestowed upon us: from the fruits that we eat, to our means of transportation, to the rain, the natural things around us, and so much more. And what is the purpose of Allah mentioning all those things? For us to reflect, for us to come to the conclusion by looking around us that truly the Creator is not like the creation, Allah is the only diety, the only creator of all that their is. And once we start realizing how everything around us is from Allah and by Allah, we should become a more grateful people but at the same time realize that no matter how hard we tried, we could never count the favors and blessings of Allah.  "And if you should count the favors of Allah , you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [16:18]

"...Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die a Muslim and join me with the righteous." [12:101]