Harvesting the fruits of Taqwah planted in Ramadan

“O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims ( in submission to Him)” Qur’an 3V102.

TODAY is the second Friday of Shawwal 10th after the glorious month of Ramadan. We thank Allaah for making us see the beginning and end of Ramadan. We ask Allaah to grant us all the successes of the month as He accepts all our acts of Ibaadah and sacrifices.

We have entitled today’s Khutbah ( sermon) appropriately as Harvesting The Fruits Of Taqwah Planted In Ramadan 1: Taqwah In Pleasure and Pressure because of the need to understand the great task we just embarked on and the benefits derivable from it.

Ramadan is like a planting season for the fruits of TAQWAH planted to be harvested and enjoyed for the rest of the year and or for life. Welcome to the month of harvest of the fruits of TAQWAH planted in Ramadan. The tree of TAQWAH was planted in RAMADAN in order to connect the month with the QUR’AN and HIDAYAH that the Qur’an is essentially meant to provide for mankind and FASTING that will produce the TAQWAH which will qualify the believing FASTING Muslims for the HIDAYAH of the Qur’an.

We have chosen for today’s Khutbah ( sermon) the fruits of Taqwah in pleasure and anger. We wish to take the following tips home for keep: • Allaah knows what He creates in us and how we, naturally, live in denial of our nature. That is why He openly allows us to enjoy intimacy in the night of Ramadan after making us deceive ourselves in thinking that we can’t combine the spirit with the flesh:

“It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives ( for sexual relations). They are a clothing for you and you are a clothing for them. All h knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which All h has decreed for you ( i. e., offspring). And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread ( of night). Then complete the fast until the night ( i. e., sunset). And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits ( set by) All h, so do not approach them. Thus does All h make clear His verses ( i. e., ordinances) to the people that they may become righteous ( Al- Baqarah 2: 187).

• Allaah, similarly, factors TAQWAH into intimacy on ordinary days so as to create hamonious relationship in our married life and know that every pleasure is an act of Ibaadah as the contrast is a sin:

“Your wives are a place of cultivation ( i. e., sowing of seed) for you, so come to your place of cultivation however you wish and put forth ( righteousness) for yourselves. And fear All h and know that you will meet Him. And give good tidings to the believers ( Al- Baqarah 2: 223).

This will increase the pleasure especially if we combine it with the prophetic teachings on ROMANCE in marriage relationship ( Hadith).

• Allaah, also, factors TAQWAH into the necessary anger that may be fuelled by SHAYTAN who will make the pleasure previously enjoyed into pressure and push for DIVORCE. While Allaah is not saying don’t divorce, He is saying do it with TAQWAH and you will reap the fruits of TAQWAH:

“O Prophet, when you ( Muslims) divorce women, divorce them for ( the commencement of) their waiting period and keep count of the waiting period and fear All h, your Lord. Do not turn them out of their ( husbands’) houses, nor should they ( themselves) leave ( during that period) unless they are committing a clear immorality. And those are the limits ( set by) All h. And whoever transgresses the limits of All h has certainly wronged himself. You know not; perhaps All h will bring about after that a ( different) matter.” ( At- Talaq 65: 1).

“And when they have ( nearly) fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or part with them according to acceptable terms. And bring to witness two just men from among you and establish the testimony for ( the acceptance of) All h. That is instructed to whoever should believe in All h and the Last Day. And whoever fears All h – He will make for him MAKHARAJ a way out, will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon All h – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, All h will accomplish His purpose. All h has already set for everything a ( decreed) extent.” ( At- Talaq 65V2 & 3).

The take home are, therefore, that TAQWAH increases the pleasures of life just as it relieves the Mutaqi of the pressures of life. When we have TAQWAH, we live a wholesome life of PLEASURE from everything we do, and gain from everything we lose ( money etc from sadaqah, spouses and other members of the family and loved ones etc) like Musa’s mother who got paid for breastfeeding her lost son unknown to the enemy of Allaah and Musa ( Firaun).

TAQWAH, ultimately, means knowing and abiding by the WILL of Allaah by being conscious of His presence in private and public as we kept away from food, drink and intimacy in private while fasting.

We should, therefore, be Rabbaniyyun who are, forever, conscious of the presence of Allaah in whatever they do in every place and at every time.

We should avoid being Ramadaniyyun who are only pious in Ramadan and righteous dogooders in Ramadan only.

Do not let off a sigh of relief that the month of surveillance of your actions by Allaah is gone. Allaah is not gone. He is with you wherever you are and He is All Aware All Powerful. I ask Allaah to make us achieve the purpose of our one- month spiritual training and make us harvest and enjoy the fruits of its Taqwah. • Professor Azeez is the Chief Imam, University of Abuja Muslim Community.

“We should, therefore, be Rabbaniyyun who are, forever, conscious of the presence of Allaah in whatever they do in every place and at every time. We should avoid being Ramadaniyyun who are only pious in Ramadan and righteous do- gooders in Ramadan only. Do not let off a sigh of relief that the month of surveillance of your actions by Allaah is gone. Allaah is not gone. He is with you wherever you are and He is All Aware All Powerful.