Blessings

Shawwal

Epilogue: Shawwal

Quote of the Day: "Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days from Shawwal, it is as if they fasted the entire year." —Sahih Muslim

In the Name of Allah (SWT), Most Merciful, Most Kind

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu

The Prophet (SAW) said: "When Ramadan comes the gates of Paradise will be open, and the gates of Hell will be closed, and the devils will be chained." (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

Subhan'Allah. Allhumdulilah. Allahu Akbar. By the grace of Allah (SWT), Ramadan has passed and thus, the gates of Paradise are now closed and the gates of Hell are open. Accordingly, all the devils have been set free and have rushed back to us with a single question raging in their minds: will it be the same as I left it? They will worry, has so and so actually changed this Ramadan?

And so I ask, what condition will your Shaytan find you? Are they going to be relieved when they see the Qur'an placed back on the top shelf to collect dust for eleven months? And will they sigh in content when they see you back to wasting time through means of music and television? Or, will they groan in frustration when they see that you are putting aside these materialistic ideals and instead, preforming acts of ibadah by praying salah on time and reading hadiths?

I say this because we are each assigned a shaytan, who will whisper in our hearts and influence us to do bad deeds. Only the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)'s shaytan converted in Islam, subhan'Allah. But the rest of us must always deal with this constant turmoil, trying to stay true to our beliefs. Ramadan provides us with the opportunity to get the better of our Shaytans and that is why it is so important that we give our all in Ramadan and attain good deeds. We aren't promised tomorrow, let alone another Ramadan.

Ramadan's passing gives no excuse for us to revert back to our old habits - rather, we should work to follow the good habits we established during the thirty day period of Ramadan. If you really want to see if you achieved your goals during Ramadan, Allah gives you this chance through the 6 days of Shawwal.

What is Shawwal? Shawwal is the month after Ramadan in the Islamic Calender. The rest of the months are listed as follows:

1. Muharram: "Forbidden" 

2. Safar: "Void"

3. Rabi al-Awwal: "First Spring"

4. Rabi al-Akhir: "Last Spring"

5. Jummada al-Ula: "First Month of Parched Land"

6. Jummada al-Akhira: "Second Month of Parched Land"

7. Rajab: "Respect"

8. Sha'ban: "Scattered"

9. Ramadan: "Scorched"

10. Shawwal: "Raised"

11. Dhu al-Qa'da: "One of Truce"

12. Dhu al-Hijja: "One of Pilgrimage"

As stated by the hadith serving as the Quote of the Day: 

30 Days (of Ramadan) + 6 Days (of Shawwal) = 1 Year (of Fasting)

Think of that! Fasting a mere 6 days is the amounts to the equivalent of a year's worth of fasting - an opportunity not to be missed. And things don't stop there, no, the gates of Heaven, Jannah, are open on Mondays and Thursdays; try to fast on these blessed days. Download a Qur'an app on your device and listen to that instead of music. Read a book of Hadiths. Memorize a surah - memorize the whole Qur'an! Nothing and I repeat, nothing, is impossible if you keep your intentions in check and have Allah's guidance.

Insha'Allah, the possibilities are endless!

Ramadan may be over, but this is just the beginning; a new chapter for you to start off on a fresh page. May Allah guide you all.

As we come to the end of our little journey, I want to say first and foremost: Jazak'Allah. Thank you. Whether you are Muslim or non-Muslim, I am greatly honored and grateful that you decided to click on Blessings. I am incredibly thankful for all your wonderful contributions as well:

Rima Nahar

Tofura Fardous

Ummaya Habiba

Shadia Berrypeels

Dhalia Cabrera

Shariar Islam

@LoveUnconditionally

@ellycakeface

@HeyItsAnnie

@aladdin_jazzy

@xxtypicalscorpionxx

@ChocolateQueen101

@FootstepsOnTheMoon

And anyone else who I've missed (please comment below if I've forgotten you). You are all pioneers in the writing of this book and I cannot even begin to word or express how wonderful it was for me to receive your contributions and add them in the chapters of this novel. We've done it guys, we've completed Blessings! Allhamdulilah. When I first posted that first chapter of Blessings, it only had a single vote and a single comment - both from me. But now, Blessings has reached a whopping 12K + reads with over 300 votes and almost 100 comments. 

12,000 people have read at least some part of this novel and that, to me, is accomplishment.

But wait, if you wanted to contribute but couldn't, don't worry - you still can! 

Just Private Message (PM) me and we'll work something out. If you aren't comfortable with the limited characters on this site, then never fear - feel free to contact me through my tumblr:

http://originalmuslimah.tumblr.com/ 

Insha'Allah you're additions will be posted as well.

Jazak'Allah once again for reading - please be sure to spread the word. May Allah guide us all in this world and the hereafter. Ameen

Yours Truly, 

D. Cinderella aka Yeana