Sh Haitham Barazanji: Ramadan Transformations

One of the smart ideas that I propose is to write down a list of what has been going well and what has been going badly in our lives up to this point. No matter how private the things are that you and I have done or committed, it is vital that we put them on paper and envision them in order to change, for Ramadan is mainly about achieving change in our lives. It is to break the routine of either not improving on the good or the repetition of the bad.

We need to be able to quantify all this so that we can come up with a working plan for the next year of our lives. We need to carefully plan it so that when it is once again the time for our deeds to be raised to Allah, the following Ramadan, that we are in a better position than we are now. However, in this process we need to be careful not to fall into liking what we have accomplished, for no matter what we do and no matter how good are our deeds, we should always feel that we are still behind. This is called the rank of “Ishfaq”. Allah described the faithful in Quran: “And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord, indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not that from which one is safe” (Surah Nuh, 70:27-28)

The fruits of this process and the prizes of Ramadan are countless. In addition to the rewards in the hereafter as Allah has promised, the positive impact on our lives is boundless. The joy of the hearts, the peace and tranquility in our lives, the prosperity and success in our families, relationships and goals, are just few of the gifts that we would accomplish from this great month. In addition, the blessing that we would receive, if we do what it takes to deserve it, will impact our surroundings, and all the sudden, Ramadan becomes a blessing to all mankind and to all creatures and things.

Let’s take advantage of this great month, for we are the main beneficiaries of it and Allah is all generous, all free of all needs. Finally, if you are a student of Mishkah University, you are already doing a good favor for yourself and this universe, so let Ramadan be an inspiration for you to keep doing what you are doing and to pursue the highest levels of knowledge in Islam.