The Power of Dua in Last Ashra of Ramadan
The last Ashara of Ramadan is considered the most important for Muslims. All the prayers are answered by Allah during this time. The Holy Prophet said: “الدعاء مخ العبادة” which means dua is the most important form of Ibadat. A person should pray to Allah with utmost certainty that Allah will listen to his prayers. Allah says:”
قُلْ یٰعِبَادِیَ الَّذِیْنَ اَسْرَفُوْا عَلٰۤى اَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوْا مِنْ رَّحْمَةِ اللّٰهِؕ-اِنَّ اللّٰهَ یَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ جَمِیْعًاؕ-اِنَّهٗ هُوَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِیْمُ”
It means that Muslims should not be disappointed if they have committed wrong, Allah is most merciful, and he can forgive them if they repent. Even if Allah has not given you anything despite asking, still Muslims should always ask Allah for his blessings. Dua is itself considered Ibadat for Allah. Muslims should also refrain from saying that Allah does not answer their prayers, indeed he does. The Holy Prophet said that Muslims waste their prayers in hastiness. When you are praying to Allah and complaining while your prayers don’t get answered, you end up wasting them.
There are four forms in which our prayers can be answered. The first one is Allah gives you the same thing you want. The second one Allah gives you a better alternative to your prayer. Most of the young generation goes into depression when this happens. They complain about not getting admission into their desired university, but they forget that Allah has given them an alternative. In these circumstances, we should listen to this Ayat of Surah Baqarah:”
It means that there is a possibility that the thing which you dislike is the best for you and the thing which you like is not favorable for you, Allah is aware of that, and we humans are not. Trust Allah and his plans, indeed he is the greatest planner. After some time, you realize that Allah’s plan was indeed the best for you. For example, a person wanted to buy a plot but could not get the one he wanted. He ended up buying another plot. After a while, he realized that the plot he earlier wanted was based on fraudulent activities and thanked Allah for guiding him. This encourages us to have faith in Allah and his plans. A person should try his best to achieve something and leave the rest to Allah. Indeed, Allah will never disappoint him.
The third form in which our prayer can be answered is Allah does not give you the thing you wanted and does not give you its alternative, rather he forgives your sins. For example, a person asked Allah all his life to give him children, but Allah did not. In return, Allah forgave his sins. The fourth form is Allah does not give what a person wants but forgives all his sins and additionally gives him Nekiyan. The Hadith of the Holy Prophet says that on the day of Judgment, when this person sees a pile of neikiyan, he will say that these are not his neikiyan. At that time, he will be told that they are in return for all the prayers which were not answered by Allah. Holy Prophet said on that day that person would say I wish none of my prayers were answered in my life. This tells the importance of our prayers.
These last days of Ramadan are most useful for Muslims. Ask as much as you can these days and you will be rewarded by Allah. The Holy Prophet told the importance of Sadaqah Fitr. All the mistakes of Muslims are forgiven by giving this Sadaqah. Sadaqah Fitr is wajib on Muslims when he completes his fasts, and it is paid by those people who are eligible to pay zakat. For those who own 200 dirhams of money or Rs 135,000, It is wajib to pay it on behalf of your kids and even on behalf of your servants. If children are mature and earn their own money and have Rs 135,000 of their own, they are wajib to pay Sadaqah Fitr. We can give it in the form of around 1.75kg of Wheat or its equivalent amount per person. Sadaqah Fitr is supposed to be paid before offering Eid ul Fitr namaz which is a sunnah. If you are unable to do it before the Eid prayer, then it is wajib to pay after the prayer. You can also give it during Ramazan. If someone has not fasted during the month of Ramzan because of old age or any medical condition, they are still obliged to pay Sadaqah Fitr. You can give this Sadaqah to any Muslim who does not have Rs 135,000 and is poor. It is not necessary to give it by calling it Sadaqah Fitr, you can just give it by calling it Hadiya/gift/eidi. The Holy Prophet said if you give Sadaqah Fitr to your relatives, you earn a double reward. But you cannot give Sadaqah Fitr to your father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and children even if they are needy. Apart from these, you can give Sadaqah to any other relative. May Allah accept our Sadaqah and reward us.
Eid ul Fitr should be celebrated according to the sunnah of the Holy Prophet.
There are 11 sunnah.
The first one to wake up early. The night before Eid is considered Layaltul Jaizah which means a night of reward. The second sunnah is to perform Ghusal or Bath on the day of Eid. The third sunnah is to wear nice clothes on Eid. The fourth sunnah is to clean teeth using Miswak. The fifth sunnah is to wear perfume on Eid. The sixth sunnah is to eat any sweet dish in the morning before going to perform the Eid prayer. Seventh sunnah is to go to the mosque by walking. The eighth sunnah is to recite Takbirat slowly on the way to the mosque. The ninth sunnah is to perform Eid prayer in an open land. The tenth sunnah is to pray the Eid prayer 1 to 2 hours after sunrise. The eleventh sunnah is to change the route of a mosque when returning from offering Eid prayer. Allah forgives all our sins when we return after performing the Eid prayer. This is the greatest reward for Muslims.
