Fast and make sure you don't go bankrupt!

It is a whole month of spiritual exercises with genuine acts of worship done to seek the face of Allah. It is the time we spend money, time and energy in the course of Allah.

Depending on what we spend and how we spend it. It is possible to spend and get richer in wealth and spirituality and it is also very possible to spend more than others and become rich in bankruptcy.

Allah has granted us Ramadan to make it possible for us to endear ourselves to him and at least be like our pious predecessors. But, as we make efforts to endear ourselves to Allah, an aspect of our life could drag us back, destroying the relationship we are building with him and consequently jeopardize our efforts to be true servant of Allah.

Fasting for the sake of Allah and pretentiously dealing in haram activities are spiritually incompatible but man naturally loves to simultaneously serve God and the god of his desires through transgressions.

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Doing this could render the good deeds in Ramadan useless. So useless that the whole efforts expended during fasting would amount to a big zero. Nauzubillah mi zhalik! (We seek refuge from Allah from that)

Hence, a Muslim struggling to become pious becomes Al-muflis- ( The bankrupt)

The prophet once asked his companions if they knew who the bankrupt is,They said: ‘The muflis among us is the one without a dirham (or money) He said: ‘The muflis in my Ummah is the one who comes on the Day of Judgement with prayer, fasting and zakat. He comes but has insulted so and so, falsely accused so and so, eaten someone’s wealth, spilt some one’s blood and struck someone. His good deeds are given to them. If his good deeds finish before that which is upon him, is not paid off, the sins of those whom he hurt are transferred into his account. Then he is thrown into the Fire.”

All the human actions mentioned in the hadith are not permissible in Islam. Haram is haram, it has no halal side.

According to the prophet what is permissible in Islam is obvious and what is not is obvious. So we can't feign ignorance of what haram is, not in the cases cited in the hadith.

So patronizing those acts could make us forfeit the good deeds and get our prayers to Allah unanswered.

Although Allah asked us to call on him and he would answer us. That is a genuine promise and Allah doesn't renege on his promise. But leading a way of life that is covered in haram could deny us the Istijabah (acceptance) of our prayers.

So it is possible to try ones best to do everything to please Allah especially in a period like this and still end up bankrupt. Another example of getting spiritually bankrupt is in the tradition of the prophet Muhammad in which he told us about some Muslims with mountainous good deeds that would not benefit them.

He said:

“I certainly know people of my ummah who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of Tihaamah, but Allah will make them like scattered dust.” Thawbaan said: O Messenger of Allah, describe them to us and tell us more, so that we will not become one of them unknowingly. He said: “They are your brothers and from your race, worshiping at night as you do, but they will be people who, when they are alone, transgress the sacred limits of Allah.”

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What a loss it would be to pray five times daily, fast in every Ramadan, give charity and even go to Hajj and then found out that all efforts amount to nothing in the Akhirah. That is greatest loss anyone could suffer. May Allah safe us from this.

So, bankruptcy in this life is nothing compared to bankruptcy in the last day. One can overcome financial bankruptcy if Allah grants him long life, but on Judgement Day, there will be no bank or financial institution to bail the bankrupts out of their good deeds deficit.

Therefore, pray, give zakat, fast and let no transgression slow you down lest you go bankrupt. Meanwhile, today is Friday, do not forget to leave for Jumu'ah as early as possible. May Allah bless us here and the hereafter. Assalaamu Allaykum.