Monday 30 June 2014

Ramadan & that Time of the Month



"Hmmm. What shall I do? Watch some TV? I can’t really do much so how do I pass my time?"
"Oh no! What am I going to do? Why does this have to happen right now? I was doing so well with my ibadah, It’s just going to mess everything up! Argh!"

What are the above statements referring to? Women on their menses during Ramadan. Alhamdulillah for a lot of women ‘that time of the month’ does not affect their Ibadah. But for some of us, the above thoughts are all too familiar.

The messenger of Allah (swt) said to Aisha (r.a) "Your menstruation is not in your hands."(Sahih Muslim)
It is the will of Allah (swt) and He has commanded us to avoid fasting and praying. If this command is fulfilled with the intention of submitting to Allah (swt) than this is in fact an act of worship. Therefore, by not praying or fasting, we are actually worshipping the Almighty. We need to remember that there is nothing unpleasant about menstruation apart from our attitude towards it.

Mensturation is NOT a punishment. Allah (swt) is not punishing us. However, by complaining about it we are in fact questioning His wisdom. Who are we to complain about something Allah (swt) has ordained for us? Who are we to question him? He is the Lord of the Worlds, the King of all Kings, the Master of the Universe! SubhanaAllah..who are we to complain?

A common misconception is that many of us believe we are prohibited from so many acts of worship during this time and therefore, ask the question what can we do? However, the real question should be what are we forbidden to do?

The few things we are prohibited to do are:
1.       Fasting and Praying
2.       Making Tawaf

N:B There are differences of opinion whether menstruating women can touch the Quran, read the Quran or sit in the masjid. Due to the difference of opinion I do not wish to make any comments regarding these particular acts. Allah (swt) knows best.

Alhamdulillah we have so much more time on our hands to perform many acts of worship a few of which are mentioned below.

1.       The best of deeds:
-          A deed that is most pure in the sight of Allah(swt)
-          A deed that raises our status
-          A deed better than giving gold and silver in charity
DHIKR – Remembering Allah (swt). We must remember this is not a small act but one that can bring us closer to our Lord. SubhanaAllah.

Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah narrated by Muslim says:“ ‘The mufridoon have gone ahead.’They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, who are the mufridoon?’He said, ‘Those men and women who remember Allaah much.’”
Dhikr can be done all day everyday. So let’s keep our tongues moist with dhikr: SubhanaAllah. Alhamdulillah. Allahu Akbar. Subhan Allahi wa bi-Hamdihi


Ummul- Mu’mineen Juwairiyah (r.a)narrates that Allah’s Messenger (sws) went out in the morning whilst she was praying Fajr and returned before the afternoon and found her still seated in the same place. He (sws) asked whether she had been sat there since the time he left her. After she said ‘yes’ the Prophet (sws) said He had recited four words three times. If those words were weighed against all of what you recited this morning, mine would be heavier.

What are these words?

Subhana Allahi wa bi-Hamdihi
Adada Khalqihi
Wa rida-a-nafsihi
Wa zinatah arshihi
Wa midada kalimatihi

Allah is free from imperfection
And I praise Him as many times as the number of His creatures
As much as it pleases Him
As much as the weight of His throne
As much as the ink that may be used in recording the words(for His praise)


2.  Listen to the recitation of the Quran. Read the translation and ponder upon the meanings. There are plenty of Youtube videos we can watch and lectures given by those such as Nouman Ali Khan are so easy to understand. Alhamdulillah. (video inserted below)

3.  Give generously to charity. The Prophet (sws) said:The believer's shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity. (Al-Tirmidhi)

4.  Feed the fasting people. "Whoever feeds a fasting person will have a reward like that of the fasting person, without any reduction in his reward.[At-Tirmidhi, authenticated by Al-Albani (rahimahullaah).]   


5.  Send blessings upon the Prophet (sws). Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you that believe! Send your blessings on him, and salute him with all respect. (33:56)  

SubhanaAllah look at some of the rewards of sending blessings on our beloved prophet Muhammad (sws).

-          We are obeying the command of Allah (swt)
-          Our salaam reaches him. The Messenger of Allah (swt) said: “Allah has angels who go around on earth, conveying to me the salaam of my ummah.[Sunan Nasaa'i, Saheeh Al-Albani]
-          The Prophet (sws) returns our greeting
-          Allah (swt) raises our rank ten levels
-          Removal of ten bad deeds and adding of ten good deeds to our record Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (swt) saying: “Whoever supplicates Allah to exalt my mention (i.e., send salah), Allah will exalt his mention (i.e., send salah)ten times and remove from him ten sins and raise him ten degrees.” [Muslim]
-          Draws us closer to the Messenger of Allah (swt) on the day of judgement
-          Our duas are suspended between the heavens and the Earth until we send salawat on the prophet (sws). Umar radi Allahu anhu said, Dua is suspended between heaven and earth and none of it is taken up until you send blessings upon your Prophet (sws). [At-Tirmidhi, Hasan Al-Albani] 
-          The love for our beloved prophet (sws) will increase. When we love someone we constantly remember them. By sending salwat on the Prophet (sws) we are in constant remembrance of him and we will make dua for him more and more as our love increases In Sha Allah.


There are so many acts of worship we can perform whilst menstruating a few more of which can be found in the previous post. 

Let’s try and get this idea that we are prohibited from worshipping Allah (swt) during this time. Let us not feel angered but view it positively as we have more time on our hands to do so much more. Let us not feel that we are being deprived of the blessings of this month and lastly, let us not allow our spiritual levels to decrease but rather increase tremendously In Sha Allah. 

So next time we reach 'that time of the month' lets do everything we can to make up for not fasting and praying. Increase your Ibadah. Don't be disheartened. 



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