“HOW DO I KNOW IF MY RAMADHAN WAS ACCEPTED” ?
A lot of people ask the question: How do I know if Allah accepted my Ramadhan & it’s written in my scale of good deeds? And you too must ask this question, since Ali radiallahu anhu said: “Do not be so concerned about the number of deeds as the acceptance of it.
We should be more concerned with having our deeds accepted than simply doing the deed for the sake of doing it. Allah says: ‘Verily Allah, only accepts from those who fear Him. (i.e. possess taqwaa).’ [Q5:27].
‘Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, asked the Messenger of Allah (salalahu alehim wasalam), about the people of this verse, “Are they those who commit adultery, drink wine and steal?” He answered, “No, O daughter of As-Siddîq! But they are those who fast, perform prayer, give charity, and fear that this is not accepted from them.” [At-Tirmidhi]. The righteous predecessors would struggle to complete and perfect their deeds, hoping afterwards, that it would be accepted and fearing that it would be rejected.
There isn’t a 100% guaranteed way to tell exactly how much of our worship was accepted, but there are pretty good indicators that can help us find out.
One of it is steadfastness. In other words, if we’re able to continue the good actions we picked up in Ramadan well after this month – that would be a major sign that our deeds were accepted.
For instance, the most obvious deed we performed this month was fasting. So a key indicator that our fasting was accepted will be to see how well we are able to continue our fasting throughout the year, even if it’s only a couple of days a month.
The Prophet Muhammad in fact encouraged us to fast 6 days in Shawwal, the month directly after Ramadan, so that we will gain the reward of fasting an entire year.
Prayer is another example. If in the month of Ramadan, we were praying Taraweeh every night and visiting the mosque every day, a key indicator that our prayers were accepted would be to continue it after Ramadan, even it’s only two extra Rakaat a night. Ramadan being the month of the Quran, a key indicator of our Quran being accepted, is our ability to maintain a close relationship with the Quran well after the month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is definitely not the finish line, and the Lord of the month of Ramadan, is the same Lord for the entirety of time. The deeds we picked up today should not end tomorrow.
In an amazing hadith, the Prophet Muhammad taught us that if the hour was to come, meaning the final day, and in our hands was a plant, and we had the ability to plant it, we should plant it. This Hadith is a clear sign that the work of a Muslim should never end until the very end of time.
Our deeds should not come to a close with the closing of Ramadan. We must continue and through this steadfastness is our true success. Hold well onto your actions after this month and let not the end of Ramadan signal the end of your worship, but rather a new beginning. Sufyaan ibn `Abdillaah radhiallahu `anhu said: “O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam, which I cannot ask anyone else besides you.” He said: “Say: ‘I believe in Allah’ and then be steadfast (upon that).” [Muslim]. The hadith is proof that the servant is obligated, after having emaan in Allah, to persevere and be steadfast upon obeying Him by performing the obligatory acts and avoiding the prohibited ones.
The true Muslim is the one who has the fear of Allah as his motto during his lifetime. The true believer is the one who practices good deeds and avoids committing sins and faults. He holds this like a habit and a way of life until he dies. Therefore, the seasons of the good increase his diligence in worship, his keenness on obedience and accustoming himself to the good. If these times are passed, their effects will be represented in his life as lively pictures, a tangible reality, and a perceivable concrete deed. That our relationship with Allah after Ramadan is better than our relationship with Him before Ramadan. That we feel and act closer to Allah in Shawwal than we did in Shabaan. This strengthening of your relationship with Allah, is a feeling of the heart as well as from the action of the limbs.
The feeling of the heart, is that we see Allah’s signs in creation, and feel His authority and mercy and blessings in our life and thus draw nearer to Him by constant remembrance of Him. Ibnul Qayyim rahimahullah said: “The more that you witness the magnificence of His Lordship and the meagerness of our servitude to Him, and the more you learn about Allah and His greatness and about your soul and its meagerness, it will become manifestly clear to you that that which you have put forward from your offerings is not the least bit suitable for the Lord of Truth, even if you were to offer the deeds of all of Mankind and Jinn together. As a result, you would be full of fear how your measly offerings would ever be acceptable to Him. However, it is out of His honour and nobleness and graciousness that He accepts it. On top of that, He even rewards you for it, by His grace, nobleness and honour!” [Madarij As-Salikeen (2/439)] Glory be to Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful!
And that you draw closer to Him through your actions that we used to do in Ramadhan. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam : “The most beloved of deeds to Allah are the most consistent of them, even if they are few.” [Muttafaqun ‘alaihi].
Another foremost sign of acceptance is to do good deeds one after the other, whereas the sign of rejection is to do misdeeds after the good deeds. If one returns to his previous state of doing sins, misdeeds, indulgence and negligence, this indicates the rejection of his deeds; and if he, on the other hand, comes to do righteous deeds one after the other, this indicates the acceptance of his deeds. This is because the reward of the righteous deed and the sign of its acceptance is that one is helped to do another righteous deed after it.
True repentance of one’s sins is a matter between a person and his Lord and is achieved by the determination to give up sins. It is impossible for one to expect such a precious prize as forgiveness from his Lord while he persists in sins, misdeeds, indulgence and negligence. e.g. For a smoker, cessation of tobacco smoking might be a real indicator of acceptance of his/her Ramadhan as this is a major sin by being suicidal & homicidal at the same time. https://imadawah.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/smoking-is-good-for-you-1-of-2/
Allah says: {O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow – and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is acquainted with what you do.} [Q 59:18]
If we want to get that special Ramadan feeling in our heart always & continuously, then we need to take a path to gaining knowledge. “Whoever Allah wants good for, then He gives him the fiqh of this religion.” [Bukhari]
This is the surest sign that Allah accepted your Ramadan, that after it, you are more knowledgeable about Islam than you were before it. Islamic knowledge is now more accessible to you than ever before. So, make every effort to attend free, verified, authentic courses online e.g. www.islamiconlineuniversity.com read books, ask questions, request daily dawah snippets, listen to/watch lectures so that you draw closer to Allah every day www.imadawah.com .Once you have gained that knowledge, then act upon it by working for or supporting all those dawah projects that are working on spreading the pristine Islam in your community or around the globe. MAY ALLAH ACCEPT OUR ACTS OF WORSHIP.
To remain or become a full time Muslim, Request “Da’wah” or ask Questions(s) via whatsapp:+27623805003. DON’T FORGET TO SHARE. http://www.imadawah.com. (Dawah Without Borders).
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