The Legacy of Al-Imam Al-A’zam Abu Hanifa (Rahimahullah) – A sign from among the Signs of Allah (Subhanhu wata’ala)

A symposium by erudite scholars on the Greatest of the Imams, Nu’man bin Thabit Abu Hanifa (May Allah have Mercy on him).

Speakers include:

Shaykh Ahmad Ali (Al Mahad Al Islam)

Shaykh Riyadhul Haq (Al Kawthar Academy)

Shaykh Zahir Mahmood (As-Suffa Insititute)

Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera (Zam Zam Academy)

Mufti Ibn Adam Al Kawthari (Darul Iftaa)

DATE: 30th January 2010

TIME: 5.00pm Onwards

VENUE: THE REX CENTRE
430 Coventry Road,
Small Heath,
Birmingham,
B10 0UG

FREE PARKING
FREE ENTRANCE

Brothers entrance: Coventry Road
Sisters entrance: Watts Road

Sponsored By

As-Suffa Institute

Jami Masjid Small Heath

Jamiat Ulama e Britain

Masjid Uthman (Smethwick)

Masjid Hamza (Moseley)

http://www.as-suffa.org/

Price Crash offer - amazing 30% off all books only at Darul Ishaat UK

A selection of Surahs and Duas – Qari Ziyad Patel – Download

Qari Ziyaad patel – Children of Africa – Download

Qari Ziyaad Patel – Recitals from the Holy Quran – download

THE GIFT OF DUROOD – Qari Ziyaad Patel – download

“For the love of the last messenger PBUH” – download

Darul Ishaat UK – Price Promise

In the unlikely event you find a Book cheaper elsewhere, please contact us where we will be more than happy to match the price and give you another 10% off.

Fundamentals of Tasawwuf, Part 1 by Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar

Fundamentals of Tasawwuf, Part 1: by Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar

Sahih Al Bukhari (9 Vol)

It has been unanimously agreed that Imam Bukhari’s work is the most authentic of all the other works in Hadith literature put together. The authenticity of Al-Bukhari’s work is such that the religious learned scholars of Islam said concerning it: ‘The most authentic book after the Book of Allah (i.e. Al-Qur’an) is Sahih-Al-Bukhari.’

It Covers almost all aspects of life in providing proper guidance from the messenger of Allah. This 9-Volume Bukhari is the work of over 16 years by Imam Bukhari who before writing any Hadith in this book performed two Rakat prayer of guidance from Allah and when he was sure of the Hadith’s authenticity, he wrote it in the book.

About Imam Bukhari
Imam al-Bukhari is one of the most eminent of those pious Scholars who gave endless bliss upon the Muslim Ummah. This is made manifest in this book of Ahadith an-Nabawi that Imam Al Bukhari compiled,

Imam al-muhaddithin Hadrat Imam Abu `Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari was born in Shawwal, 194AH, in the famous city of Bukhara, of the land “beyond the canal” – present day Uzbekistan -. The father of Imam Bukhari, Isma`il ibn Ibrahim ibn Mughirah al-Ja`fi, was a great muhaddith and ascetic from whom he inherited his characteristics of literary zeal and excellence. During his childhood his father died and his mother took on the entire responsibility of bringing him up

English Translation by Dr Muhammad Matraji

Corrected and revised by F. Amira Zrein Matraji

Contains the English translation with the Arabic text.

Actual cover may differ from picture

http://www.darul-ishaat.co.uk/store/Sahih-Al-Bukhari-9-Vol.html

Tafsir al-Jalalayn

Explanation of the whole Qur’an in English in one Book

The publication of this book is a landmark in the history of Islamic literature in English. With this work, for the first time, a complete translation of one of the great classical commentaries on the Holy Qur’an becomes available to English-speaking readers.

Tafsir al-Jalalayn, meaning ‘The Commentary of the Two Jalals’ is named after its two authors: Jalalu’d-Din al-Mahalli (1389-1459), who wrote half of it, and his student, Jalalu’d-Din as-Suyuti (1445-1505), one of the greatest Muslim scholars of all, who completed it after al-Mahalli’s death.

For half a millennium Tafsir al-Jalalayn has been considered the essential first step in the study of the meanings of the Qur’an by teachers and students throughout the Islamic world Although it is among the shortest and simplest .of the ‘complete commentaries, it is at the same time both wide-ranging and profound

This translation gives non-Arabic speakers access to one of the seminal works of classical tafsir literature. It is hoped that it will prove a valuable aid to the correct understanding of the Qur’anic Revelation throughout the English-speaking world.

Explained by:

Jalalu’d-din muhammad ibn ahmad al-mahalli (791-864/1389-1459) of Cairo was a versatile, scholar who excelled in jurisprudence, theology, grammar, rhetoric, and Qur’anic commentary. He was known for his scrupulousness, fear of Allah, and fearlessness in upholding the truth. Al-Mahalli was offered the highest judicial positions but refused them. He taugh jurisprudence in the Mu’ayyadiyya and Barquqiyya madrasas.

Abstinent and ascetic, he lived on what he earned by trade. His most famous work is his Qur’anic commentary, Tafsir al-Jalalayn, which he began halfway through the text with Surat al-Kahf, ending with an-Nas and al-Fatiha.. Although he died before he could start the other half, the work was completed by his student, Jalalu’d-Din as-Suyuti.

Al-Mahalli’s other books include commentaries on Jam’ al-Jawami’, al-Burda, al-Manahij fi’l-fiqh, al-Waraqat fi’l-usul, Kitab al Jihad.

Abd al-Rahman ibn Kamal al-Din Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Sabiq al-Din, Jalal al-Din al-Misri al-Suyuti al-Shafi`i al-Ash`ari, also known as Ibn al-Suyuti (849-911AH /1445-1505),

the mujtahid imam and renewer of the tenth Islamic century, foremost hadith master, encyclopedist, historian, and biographer and probably one of the most prolific of all Islamic writers. There are an enormous number of his essays and treatises preserved today. A number of his writings concerned scientific topics or issues related to natural science and food and regimen, amongst other things. From Asyut in Egypt, he was among the most renowned and prolific Muslim scholars of all time. He wrote more than 300 books, covering every aspect of the Islamic sciences. He memorized the Qur’an at the age of ‘eight, and then went on to study with more than 150 scholars. He travelled extensively in his quest for knowledge — to Damascus, Hijaz, Yemen, India, Morocco, and the lands south of Morocco, as well as in Egypt.

Al-Suyuti devoted his life to learning, teaching and writing. He was noble, abstinent and self-sufficient, distancing himself from people of rank and power and living on what he earned by teaching. Major writings of al-Suyuti that remain widely used today include al-Itqan, on the Qur’anic sciences; and Tafsir al-Jalalayn, which he completed when only 22.

Translated by Aisha Bewley

# Cover: Hardback
# Publisher: Dar al Taqwa
# Pages: 1378

http://www.darul-ishaat.co.uk/store/Tafsir-al-Jalalayn.html

Dear Bevolved Son - 2 MP3 CD Set

Coming Soon – Pre – order Now

2 MP3 CD Set (More than 16 Hours of Audio Recording)

Speakers Include:
Sheikh Ahmed Sa’ad ,

Dr. Kamal El-Helbawy,
Sidi Abu Aaliya

Shaykh Ahmed Ba’biker

Al Buruj Press presents an amazing collection of a series of commentaries on the famous masterpiece of Imam Ghazali, Dear Beloved Son.

These heart touching lectures by all four lecturers deeply evaluate and analyze the real meanings of the messages which were delivered from Imam al- Ghazali to his student, who at a time of difficulty, requested solace and guidance from the great Imam. This extensive 2 Set CD, of more than 16 hours of recording, provides an excellent insight into this noble book. Anyone who truly intends to understand this book, will truly find these recordings as an excellent aid and guide to achieve this goal.

The book by Hujjatul Islam Imam al-Ghazali offers twenty four pieces of valuable advice to seekers of knowledge. It touches on all aspects of life, from material wealth and the love of this life, to Islamic etiquette and acquiring knowledge. Imam al-Ghazali illustrates his ideas throughout with relevant quotations from the Quran and Hadith, as well as poetry and logical examples and clear analogies which demonstrates the need to cleanse ourselves of bad manners so that we can develop good characteristics. This is certainly a powerful reminder of the importance of constantly identifying ourselves with the next life

Speakers:

Sheikh Ahmed Sa’ad

Sheikh Ahmed Mohammed Sa’ad, born into a family of scholars and Huffaz from Egypt. His late father and grandfather graduated from Al-Azhar and were scholars in north Egypt. He finished the memorization of the whole Qur’an at the age of ten and studied traditional Islamic sciences at the hands of his father and then started the studies at Al-Azhar until he graduated from Al-Azhar University with BA in Islamic studies. Currently he is the Imam of the North London Mosque.

Dr. Kamal El-Helbawy

Translator of ‘Dear Beloved Son’, Dr. Kamal Helbawy was born in Egypt in 1939 and joined the Muslim Brotherhood at the age of twelve, largely receiving his education in Islam from them. After working in Nigeria, he traveled to Saudi Arabia where he was among the founders of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)and became their first executive director. After six years at the Institute of Policy Studies in Pakistan, Dr. Kamal El-Helbawymoved to London and helped create the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB).

Sidi Abu Aaliya

Sidi Abu Aaliya is the director of Jawziyyah Institute in London. He has been engaged in delivering dawah and community work for over 20years holding talks, circles and seminars in universities, Mosques and Islamic centres across the UK and abroad. He has studied with various scholars in particular Sheikh Abdullah Al Farsi and Sheikh ‘Abd Al-Rahman Al-Luwayhiq. He is well versed in the Arabic language and has been a prolific writer for many years.

Shaykh Ahmed Ba’biker

Shaykh Babikir Ahmed Babikir arrived in the UK in 1977 and since then he has been at the forefront of Daw’a in this country. He is currently the Imam of Yusuf Islam’s Islamia School. He studied the Islamic Sciences in Sudan under Shaykh Fatih Qaribullah (rahimah-ullah) son of Sayyidi Shaykh Qaribullah (rahimah-ullah) son of the Great Shaykh Ahmed At-Tayyib (rahimah-ullah). He has certified Ijaza’at in various Islamic disciplines including Maliki Fiqh, Hadith, Aqeeda, Dawa, Tajweed, Tassawuff .

About Al Buruj Press

Al Buruj Press aims to be a centre of excellence in the study of Islam and to be a place of knowledge and understanding, to transform individuals into future students of knowledge and Scholars in order to educate and better society of the role Islam has to play.

Al Buruj Press produces CD sets and translations of Classical books from Arabic into the English language for the benefit of the English speaking crowd. Al Buruj Press also offers intensive and long term courses ranging from Hadith, Aqeeda, Tafsir, Arabic and many other disciplines which are found within the Islamic Sciences. These subjects are taught by qualified teachers who have gone through a lengthy process of Islamic Scholarship training.

About Imam Ghazali

Abu Hamid Muhammad, famous in the world of learning as al-Ghazzal was born in 450 AH (1058 A.D). in Persia . He graduated from the Nizamia Madressa at Nishapur, with distinction.a very famous educational institution in Nishapur. Later he was appointed as a teacher at the Nizamia College in Baghdad, where he proved very successful in imparting knowledge to the scholars under his care. This valuable gift of sustaining interest of his pupils and passing on his knowledge to them made him so famous that students from all parts of the country flocked to study under him.

Imam al-Ghazzali was fondly referred to as the “Hujjat-ul-lslam”, Proof of Islam, He is honoured as a scholar and a saint by learned men all over the world.

Al-Ghazali is generally acclaimed as the most influential thinker of the Classical period of Islam, in his autobiography The Deliverance from Error, the Imam describes his education and his intellectual crisis, which left him so paralysed by doubt that he he gave up his academic pursuits and worldly interests and became a wandering ascetic. This was a process (period) of mystical transformation. Later, he resumed his teaching duties, but again left these. An era of solitary life, devoted to contemplation and writing then ensued, which led to the authorship of a number of everlasting books (Many of which have been translated in English)

http://www.darul-ishaat.co.uk/store/Dear-Bevolved-Son-2-MP3-CD-Set.html

Coming Soon – Pre-order Now

An amazing collection of melodious Qur’anic tunes recited by the miracle reciter of the Islamic world, Shaykh Sa’ad Nu’mani. The 2 MP3 CDs, consisting of various tracks, bring into reality diverse tunes from across the Globe which inspire tranquillity, calmness and ease in the heart. These 99 tracks aim to foster love of the Qur’an and fervently encourage one to recite the book of Allah in the most beautiful and sweetest of melodies.

Shaykh Sa’ad Nu’mani

Sheikh Muhammad Sa’ad Nu’mani Al-Madani (known as Sa’ad Nu’mani) is a reciter of the Holy Qur’an. His unique quality is his ability from Allah to be able to emulate the recitation of the Holy Qur’an in the manner of world famous Qurra’ (reciters) including the Imams of the Haramain in Makkah and Madinah. To date he can simulate the recitation of 85 different Qurra’.

Sheikh Sa’ad Nu’mani has studied under the greatest tutors in Saudia Arabia, from Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Majed Zakir (Senior Qari from Riyadh) to many world renowned Qurra’, including Sheikh Abdur Rahman Al Sudais, Sheikh Ali Jaber and Sheikh Salih bin Humaid (Imams of Makkah).

Among his other teachers is Sheikh Khaleel Abdur Rahman Al Qari’ (Senior Qari from Madinah) who is the tutor of world renowned Quraa’ including Sheikh Subaiyyel, Sheikh Muhammad Ayub (ex-guest Imam of Al-Masjid al-Nabawi) and Sheikh Ali Al Hudhaifi (Imam of Al-Masjid al-Nabawi), all of whom also taught Sheikh Sa’ad Nu’mani.

Sheikh Sa’ad Nu’mani is the 26th descendent of Imam Abu Hanifah, one of four Imams of the Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah. Imam Abu Hanifah’s real name was Nu’man bin Thabit, hence the surname Nu’mani.

Shiekh Sa’ad Nu’mani was raised in the city of Madinah and currently resides in the blessed city with his family.

http://www.darul-ishaat.co.uk/store/99-Breathtaking-Quranic-Recitation-Saad-Numani.html

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Al-Ghazali - The Path Of The Worshipful Servants

Al-Ghazali’s ‘The Path Of The Worshipful Servants To The Garden of the Lord of all the Worlds.’ (Minhaj al-’Abidin ila Jannati Rabbi ‘l-’Alamin)

Widely considered to be Abu Hamid al-Ghazali’s last book, this summary of his Sufi philosophy charts the pitfalls and obstacles to be overcome in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Dictating his words to a group of elect students, Ghazali acknowledges his own nearness to death and instructs seekers of eternal life to resist hindrances such as fear and impairments such as conceit in order to find salvation in the essentials of Allah.

Al-Ghazali (d.1111) is commonly regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of medieval Islam. A theologian, logician and jurist., he is known for revealing the compatibility of the outward forms or religion with the innder experiences of the Sufi and mystical traditions.

Translated by Muhtar Holland.

# Cover: Paperback
# Author: Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
# Publisher: Amal Press
# Pages: 146

http://www.darul-ishaat.co.uk/store/Al-Ghazali-The-Path-Of-The-Worshipful-Servants.html

We observe Ramadan every year. Do we also listen to it?

Ramadan is the most important month of our calendar. It is a tremendous gift from Allah in so many ways. In our current state of being down and out, it can uplift us, empower us, and turn around our situation individually and collectively. It is the spring season for the garden of Islam when dry grass can come back to life and flowers bloom. But these benefits are not promised for lifeless and thoughtless rituals alone. They will be ours if our actions are informed by the message of Ramadan.

Today the message of Ramadan tends to get drowned out by much louder voices of the pop culture that have an opposite message. We have become so accustomed to them that many of us remain enslaved to them even during Ramadan.

The most important message of Ramadan is that we are not just body. We are body and soul. And that what makes us human beings and that determines our value as human beings is the soul and not the body. During Ramadan we deprive the body to uplift the soul. This is all simple and familiar. But we can understand its significance if we remember that the message of the materialistic hedonistic global pop culture that has engulfed every Muslim land today — just like the rest of the world— is exactly the opposite. It says that body is everything. That the materialistic world is all that counts. That the greatest happiness — if not virtue– is in filling the appetites of the body. This message produces endless appetites and consequently endless wars to fill those endless appetites through endless exploitation. It produces endless frustrations since the gap between desires and achievements can never be filled. It produces endless chaos and endless oppression. Yet this trash comes in such beautiful and enticing packages that we can hardly resist it. We equate this slavery with freedom. We consider this march to disaster as progress. And with every movement, we get further and deeper into the mire.

Ramadan is here to liberate us from all this. Here is a powerful message that it is soul over body. Take a break from the pop culture. Turn off the music and TV. Say goodbye to the endless and futile pursuit of happiness in sensory pleasures. Rediscover your inner self that has been buried deep under it. Reorient yourself. Devote your time to the reading of the Qur’an, to voluntary worship, to prayers and conversations with Allah. Reflect on the direction of your life and your priorities. Reflect on and strengthen your relationship with your Creator.

On the last day of one Sha’ban, Prophet MuhammadSall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, gave a Khutbah about the upcoming month of Ramadan. It is a very important Khutbah that we should carefully read before every Ramadan to prepare ourselves mentally for the sacred month. It begins: “Oh people! A great month is coming to you. A blessed month. A month in which there is one night that is better than a thousand months. A month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer to Allah by performing any of the voluntary good deeds in this month shall receive the same reward as is there for performing an obligatory deed at any other time. And whoever discharges an obligatory deed in this month shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of Sabr (patience), and the reward for sabr is Heaven. It is the month of kindness and charity. It is a month in which a believer’s sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without the latter’s reward being diminished at all.”

The hadith continues and contains many other very important messages. However let us take the time to highlight two of the statements contained above. First, that Ramadan is the month of sabr. The English translation is patience but that word has a very narrow meaning compared to sabr. Sabr means not only patience and perseverance in the face of difficulties, it also means being steadfast in avoiding sin in the face of temptations and being persistent in performing virtues when that is not easy. Overcoming hunger and thirst during fasting is part of it. But protecting our eyes, ears, minds, tongues, and hands, etc. from all sins is also part of it. So is being persistent in doing good deeds as much as possible despite external or internal obstacles. Ramadan requires sabr in its fullest sense and provides a training ground for that very important quality to be developed and nurtured. Here is a recipe for the complete overhaul of our life, not just a small adjustment in meal times.

The highest point of Ramadan is itikaf, an act of worship in which a person secludes himself in a masjid to devote his time entirely to worshipping and remembering Allah. Some in every Muslim community must take a break and go to the masjid for the entire last ten days of Ramadan. Others should imbibe the spirit and do whatever they can.

But we must differentiate between worldly pleasures and worldly responsibilities. We take a break from the former and not the latter. Syedna Abdullah ibn Abbas, Radi-Allahu unhu, was performing itikaf, when a person came and sat down silently. Sensing his distressed condition Ibn Abbas enquired about his situation, learnt that he needed help, and proceeded to leave the masjid to go out and help him. Now this action does nullify the itikaf, making a makeup obligatory. So the person, though grateful, was curious. Explaining his action, Ibn Abbas related a hadith that when a person makes efforts to help his brother, he earns the reward for performing itikaf for ten years.

This brings us to the second statement to consider: that Ramadan is the month of kindness and charity. With those in distress in the millions in the world today, the need for remembering this message of Ramadan cannot be overstated.

Unfortunately, today another scene seems to be dominant in some parts of the Muslim world. Here Ramadan is the month of celebrations, shopping, fancy iftars at posh restaurants, entertainment and gossip. People stay up at night but not for worship; they while away that time watching TV or wandering in the bazaar. Ramadan here is more a month of feasting than fasting.

No one can take away our Ramadan from us; we just give it away ourselves. And if we realize the utter blunder we have made, we can take it back.

Fasting during Ramadan was ordained during the second year of Hijrah. Why not earlier? In Makkah the economic conditions of the Muslims were bad. They were being persecuted. Often days would go by before they had anything to eat. It is easy to skip meals if you don’t have any. Obviously fasting would have been easier under the circumstances. So why not then?

The answer may be that Ramadan is not only about skipping meals. While fasting is an integral and paramount part of it, Ramadan offers a comprehensive program for our spiritual overhaul. The entire program required the peace and security that was offered by Madinah.

Yes, Ramadan is the most important month of the year. It is the month that the believers await with eagerness. At the beginning of Rajab — two full months before Ramadan — the Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to supplicate thus: “O Allah! Bless us during Rajab and Sha’ban, and let us reach Ramadan (in good health).”

During Ramadan the believers get busy seeking Allah’s mercy, forgiveness, and protection from Hellfire. This is the month for renewing our commitment and re-establishing our relationship with our Creator. It is the spring season for goodness and virtues when righteousness blossoms throughout the Muslim communities. “If we combine all the blessings of the other eleven months, they would not add up to the blessings of Ramadan,” said the great scholar and reformer Shaikh Ahmed Farooqi (Mujaddad Alif Thani). It offers every Muslim an opportunity to strengthen his Iman, purify his heart and soul, and to remove the evil effects of the sins committed by him.

“Anyone who fasts during this month with purity of belief and with expectation of a good reward (from his Creator), will have his previous sins forgiven,” said Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. “Anyone who stands in prayers during its nights with purity of belief and expectation of a reward, will have his previous sins forgiven.” As other ahadith tell us, the rewards for good deeds are multiplied manifold during Ramadan.

Along with the possibility of a great reward, there is the risk of a terrible loss. If we let any other month pass by carelessly, we just lost a month. If we do the same during Ramadan, we have lost everything. The person who misses just one day’s fast without a legitimate reason, cannot really make up for it even if he were to fast everyday for the rest of his life. And of the three persons that Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam cursed, one is the unfortunate Muslim who finds Ramadan in good health but does not use the opportunity to seek Allah’s mercy.

One who does not fast is obviously in this category, but so also is the person who fasts and prays but makes no effort to stay away from sins or attain purity of the heart through the numerous opportunities offered by Ramadan. The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, warned us: “There are those who get nothing from their fast but hunger and thirst. There are those who get nothing from their nightly prayers but loss of sleep.”

Those who understood this, for them Ramadan was indeed a very special month. In addition to fasting, mandatory Salat, and extra Travih Salat, they spent the whole month in acts of worship like voluntary Salat, Tilawa (recitation of Qur’an), Dhikr etc. After mentioning that this has been the tradition of the pious people of this Ummah throughout the centuries, Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi notes: ” I have seen with my own eyes such ulema and mashaikh who used to finish recitation of the entire Qur’an everyday during Ramadan. They spent almost the entire night in prayers. They used to eat so little that one wondered how they could endure all this. These greats valued every moment of Ramadan and would not waste any of it in any other pursuit…Watching them made one believe the astounding stories of Ibada and devotion of our elders recorded by history.”

This emphasis on these acts of worship may sound strange — even misplaced — to some. It requires some explanation. We know that the term Ibada (worship and obedience) in Islam applies not only to the formal acts of worship and devotion like Salat , Tilawa, and Dhikr, but it also applies to worldly acts when performed in obedience to Shariah and with the intention of pleasing Allah. Thus a believer going to work is performing Ibada when he seeks Halal income to discharge his responsibility as a bread-winner for the family. However a distinction must be made between the two. The first category consists of direct Ibada, acts that are required for their own sake. The second category consists of indirect Ibada — worldly acts that become Ibada through proper intention and observation of Shariah. While the second category is important for it extends the idea of Ibada to our entire life, there is also a danger because by their very nature these acts can camouflage other motives. (Is my going to work really Ibada or am I actually in the rat race?). Here the direct Ibada comes to the rescue. Through them we can purify our motives, and re-establish our relationship with Allah.

Islam does not approve of monasticism. It does not ask us to permanently isolate ourselves from this world, since our test is in living here according to the Commands of our Creator. But it does ask us to take periodic breaks from it. The mandatory Salat (five daily prayers) is one example. For a few minutes every so many hours throughout the day, we leave the affairs of this world and appear before Allah to remind ourselves that none but He is worthy of worship and of our unfaltering obedience. Ramadan takes this to the next higher plane, providing intense training for a whole month.

This spirit is captured in I’tikaf, a unique Ibada associated with Ramadan, in which a person gives up all his normal activities and enters a mosque for a specific period. There is great merit in it and every Muslim community is encouraged to provide at least one person who will perform I’tikaf for the last ten days of Ramadan. But even those who cannot spare ten days are encouraged to spend as much time in the mosque as possible.

Through direct Ibada we “charge our batteries”; the indirect ones allow us to use the power so accumulated in driving the vehicle of our life. Ramadan is the month for rebuilding our spiritual strength. How much we benefit from it is up to us.