PREPARING FOR RAMADHAN BY AUDITING HOW YOU EARN YOUR EVENING MEAL “FUTARI.”

The Holy month of Ramadhan is very close. Muslims all over the world are welcoming holy month with personal acts of worship plans aiming to re-new, re-affirm and re-energize their faith (imaan). The month provides opportunity for Muslims to reflect and improve his relationship with Allah and keep a short distance on: food, drinks and fulfilling sexual desires during the day. But that is not all of it! MONTH OF RAMADHAN- A MONTH FOR POSITIVE CHANGE. The month of Ramadhan together with its blessings takes us to a full month of spiritual rejuvenation and long-lasting lessons to be applied for the remaining of the year but to others is a month of thirst, hunger and lack of desires. Frankly, the month of Ramadhan comes with outstanding message to all of us which in three words, change your ways! It tells us to change our behaviors and habits, it tells us to change our daily routines, it tells us to change our understanding, it tells us to change our relationships, it tells us to change our attitudes, it tells us to change towards being a better person, free from the shackle and slavery of desires and attachment to vanishing world towards opening our hearts to live as a full time slave of Almighty in all spheres of life. Change is crucial and multidimensional in human life. One dimension of change and very challenging one is on our behaviors. The forces to leave the bad ones and adopt or sustain the good one are war-like moments. Albeit challenging, Ibadah of fasting is straight and clear in which direction our behaviors should head on. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink." [Sahih Bukhari, Hadith Sahih]. Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “When you fast, then let your hearing, your sight and your tongue fast from lying and sin, stop abusing servants and be tranquil and dignified on the day when you fast. Do not let the day when you do not fast and the day when you fast be the same.” While some of us make plans on what to do, what to eat and improve on our relationship with Salah, Qur'an, Umrah and Hajj, we need to improve another dimension of change which is also challenging is how we earn what we eat (futari). YOUR MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD, SOCIAL FINANCE, BANK AND INSURANCE. Abu Hurayrah (radhiallahu anhu) reports that the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “A time will come upon the people wherein a man will not bother what he intakes; whether from a halal source or haram.” (Bukhari). The fasting of the stomach implies its avoidance of unlawful things. Apart from the abstinence from food, drink and all that invalidates the fast during the days of Ramadan, it also requires avoidance of the prohibited things during and after breaking of the fast – Haram (prohibited) earnings. Thus, he does not eat from the proceeds of bribe, theft, gambling, cheating and interest, for if he does so he will earn the anger of his Lord Most High. Allah says: “O you who attained faith! Do not gorge yourselves on usury, doubling and redoubling it” (3:130). “And devour not one another’s possessions wrongfully, and neither employ legal artifices with a view to devouring sinfully, and knowingly, anything that by right belongs to others” (2:188). “Behold, those who sinfully devour the possessions of orphans but fill their bellies with fire: for [in the life to come] they will have to endure a blazing flame.”(4:10). How can the stomach be considered to have fasted when in evening it stores delicious food (futari) gained from the wealth of orphans, interest, bribery, cheating and force? It was reported that Abu Bakr al Siddiq was eating one day when he questioned his servant about the origin of the food. The servant said from soothsaying, a practice he (the servant) used to engage in prior to Islam. Abu Bakr became angry and vomited all that was in his stomach. On the whole, food stays in the stomach of the one who consumed it. Its traces remain with the flesh and blood and eventually if we don’t repent any part of the body that is nourished by unlawful food will find its destiny in the fire of hell ( May Allah serve us from the fire). A Muslim must audit and be mindful on his ways to earn livelihood, his ways of banking, his ways of investing, his ways of insuring himself or his properties and whole cycle of financial and economic activities. All of these must be in line with the teaching of Islam and stay away from prohibited dealings. What good your fast can do while your account earns interest, your money on saving and current account used by conventional banks to generate interest on loans, you are having interest-based loans or fast while your house or car or business insurance are conventionally insured, you have conventional life insurance, you are consuming Zakat money rather than giving it to those who deserve it? WOE UNTO HE/SHE WHO DOESN’T CHANGE. Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ascended the pulpit and he said, “Amin, amin, amin.” It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, you ascended the pulpit and said amin, amin, amin.” The Prophet said, “Verily, Gabriel came to me and he said: Whoever reaches the month of Ramadan and he is not forgiven, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin. Whoever sees his parents in their old age, one or both of them, and he does not honor them and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin. Whoever has your name mentioned in his presence and he does not send blessings upon you and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin.” [Ibn Khuzaimah, Ibn Hibban, Ahmad and al-Baihaqi: Hadith Sahih]. Therefore, as we prepare to welcome Ramadhan with routine noble actions, we should devise economic plan that makes us closer to Allah. Finally, we should remember Allah words : Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Not equal are Al-Khabith (all that is evil and bad as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, loans with interest, interest income , bribery, orphans wealth, using Zakat money etc.) and At-Taiyib (all that is good as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, halal income etc.), even though the abundance of Al-Khabith (evil) may please you. So fear Allah much [(abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)], O men of understanding in order that you may be successful. (5:100). May Allah keep us to fulfill fasting, make it easy to change positively, free us from hellfire and bestow on us His goodness. Ameen.