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Imagine the Banker credits your account each morning with P 86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you prefer? Keep the money in the bank and save it or invest it in the stock market so that your money will be compounded? You will earn multiple times what you put in. IS IT A DEAL OR NO DEAL?
NO DEAL of course! That is you have to draw out every penny of it and invest or run a business of your own, right?
Brethren in Faith! Each of us has such a bank if we only know. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with P86, 400 seconds (60 seconds x 60 minutes x 24 hours).
Every night it writes off as lost whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a news account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back.
Now imagine the Banker wishes to take a holiday and has offered you to run the business for one month. The arrangement is that for every second that you will personally man the business, you will get paid of twenty pesos (P 20) per second. If you have to leave the business for any necessity like sleeping, the Banker will get the money for the duration of time that you were out. The question is: IS IT A DEAL OR NO DEAL?
First, let the scenario settle in your mind. Now, imagine that the month of running the business has just commenced. A close friend of yours calls to invite you to a party. Your almost spontaneous reply would perhaps be: "I'm sorry but I am very busy and you will not be able to attend". The first weekend comes. Your children want to "go out for a "drive", "Not today!" "I am very busy" says their father. The children's mother also wholeheartedly agrees. After all, she is dreaming every night about what she will do with the twenty pesos that her husband is earning. Here she does not ask to be taken anywhere. How can she even think of it? Twenty pesos per second - and just for one month only! And you - well obviously, you are working beyond the limits of overtime. No time to eat in place. There is only the minimal amount of sleep. No shopping. No "drives". No time to sit around with friends over a coffee and entertainment? Whatever is that? The very word sounds unfamiliar. All this is due to the once in a lifetime opportunity or earning twenty pesos per second for one month only.
Yet, if the person who slogged to the entire month to earn twenty pesos per second . . . passes away on the thirtieth day, the wealth he earned will be of no use to him. He cannot take it along to his grave. If he does live to use it, the tax collector will be there to first take his share. He will have to worry about how to protect his wealth. Besides this, he will have to answer on the Day of Judgment about how he earned it and where he spent it. Generally, despite the above-mentioned problems will grab the opportunity of running the business for one month.
Brethren in Faith! Allah (swt) is also granting us a lifetime opportunity. The month of Ramadhan with its unlimited blessings is here. One month of earnings at the rate of twenty pesos per second cannot be called petty cash in comparison to the rewards of Allah (swt) grants and the blessings and mercy that He showers in the month of Ramadhan. Every Ramadahan must be treated as a once in a lifetime opportunity since we have no idea whether we will live till the nest Ramadhan.
What are the rewards of good deeds in the month of Ramadhan? The reward of every Fardh (compulsory) act is multiplied seventy times while ever Nafl (optional) act earns the reward of one Fardh out of Ramadhan. It is important to understand the latter aspect in proper perspective. Tahajjud (nafl), Salah in the last third of the night is extremely great ibaadah. Great virtues have been narrated for this salah. However, a lifetime of Tahajjud cannot equal to one Fardh of Fajr salah! Yet in the month of Ramadhan, Allah (swt) grants us the reward of a Fardh action for every Nafl performed.
Thus, can we afford to waste this time? Can we still have for "drives" Is it possible for a Muslim who values Ramadhan in a similar manner that he values twenty pesos a second to spend hours "eating out" after Taraweeh feats, or have time for other idle pursuits.
Think of the twenty pesos per seconds. We could break the record for over-time work. Thus, in Ramadhan, we should break the record for the amount of time spent in Tilawat, Zikr, Du'a, etc. Rather, it is a month to engage every moment possible in these acts.
Prophet Nabi (saw) has even stressed upon us to excessively engage in some practices. He reported to have said: "And in this month, you should endeavor to perform four things in great numbers, two of which shall be to please your Rabb, while the other two shall be those without which you cannot make do. Those which shall be to please your Rabb are that you should in great abundance recite the "Kalima Tayyiba" (Laa Illaaha Illa'llah} and make much Istighfar (beg Allah's forgiveness). And as for those who without which you cannot make do, you should beg Allah for entry into paradise and seek refuge with Him from the fire of Jahannam"
While one should engage to the maximum in the above good deeds, the purpose of Ramadhan must be kept foremost in mind which is to acquire Taqwa (piety). Thus together with the maximum amount of religious actions, one must totally refrain from all sins. One month of strictly conducting oneself in this manner will Inshaallah have the effect of enabling one to live the next eleven months in a similar manner - in the obedience of Allah (swt).
May Allah (swt) enable us to appreciate and value the moth of Ramadhan - more than we value twenty pesos per second.
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ABOUT THE SUBMITTER:
Written by AbdulGaphor M. Panimbang who can be reached at his online web jounal "The Lake Lanao Post" at http://gpanimbang.wordpress.com . This article may be published without the consent of the author so long as the publisher's box is included in the post.
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