Asalam-U-Alikum Dear Sisters & Brothers in Islam,
I hope all of you are doing well and fine by the grace of the great Allah JJ.
It has been long time that I havent post to our site, due to my studies and load of work but I kept visiting though. I really like all the times and I read them when I find time.
********************************************************
hereby i would like to share with you (A Time for Revival)
A Time for Revival
As in years past, the beloved yet unexpected guest of millions, "Holy Ramadan" once again is about to enter our lives. Muslims are filled with great joy in anticipation of welcoming him. Yet to one unaccustomed, it would almost seem as if Muslims had never met him before!
All of a sudden, our new-found love for this guest causes us to radically change our daily schedules and habits to entertain him. Our Mosques mysteriously overflow with worshippers, chapters of the Quran are heard chanted till the wee hours of the morning accompanied by a hail of cries, and our social gatherings and feasts become livelier than ever before - all these sacrifices made to honour this special and 'holy' guest from Allah.
Isn't it interesting and ironic that while he is among us, for a full 30 days, we starve, read numerous articles on do's and don'ts of treating this guest, avoid watching TV in his presence, and sing songs or Nasheeds of joy, yet we fail to understand him and the mission of his visit? For some odd reason, this same "Holy Ramadan" becomes a stranger to us on the 1st of Shawwal!
Let the Scrubbing Begin!
What many of us forget is that this guest accompanies a deep purpose and responsibility. It is as Muhammad al-Shareef notes:
"Whenever a guest comes to our home, we prepare in advance for his arrival by vacuuming the carpet, dusting the shelves, and scrubbing the sinks. We should do this for our guest of Ramadan as well. But the scrubbing should not just be of our physical surroundings, it should include the scrubbing of our sins!"
Ever Wonder Why The 'Change' And 'Blessings' Don't Last?
Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi explains in Let Us Be Muslims:
"The greatest mistake we commit is to regard the outward shape of acts of prayer and fasting as the real 'Ibadah (worship) and we suffer from the delusion that whoever just fulfills these requirements performs the 'Ibadah of Allah. Just as physical strength cannot be obtained from the bread until it is fully digested, the spiritual power cannot be obtained from fasting until the person allows Ramadan’s purpose to permeate one’s heart and mind and dominate one’s thought, intention and deed.”
Ramadan - A Tool Of Transformation And Month Of Sharing
In addition to the indispensable personal benefits of fasting, Ramadan is a time for social awareness. As Hammudah 'Abd al-Ati describes in Islam in Focus:
"No sociologist or historian can say that there has been at any period of history anything comparable to this powerful institution of Islam: Fasting in the month of Ramadan. People have been crying throughout the ages for acceptable belonging, for unity, for brotherhood, for equality, but how echoless their voices have been, and how very little success they have met."
Source:
"Ramadan: A Time for Revival or Survival?" - Young Muslims Publications
Waslam
Ur Sister
Madeena
Subject: A Time Revival 
