Ramadan Message 2008 - Day 4

“Then do you remember Me; I will remember you.
Be grateful to Me and reject not faith.” (Qur'an 2 Verse 152)




Ramadan Message from MuslimMessage:

DON’T DESPAIR OF ALLAH’S MERCY

One of the characteristic of the believer is that he fears and hopes in Allah. In his fear of Allah, he is conscious of His Presence and His Commandment. He fears that he could miss out on His Reward and he fears that he could earn His Wrath. He fears that he might be ungrateful to Him. The believer’s fear is love for Allah, for His Nearness and for His Pleasure. He fears for the implication of being devoid of these. He also fears his inability to account to Him on the Day of Judgement.

Then he has hopes too. He hopes for Allah’s continued mercies, for His Rewards when he acts well and His Pardon when he errs. He neither loses hope, nor despairs of his condition whatever it is. Despair, giving up hope, undermines the Belief and Trust in Allah and leads one to act unreasonably. The one who despairs indeed loses hope that Allah can rectify his situation, protect his honour or alleviate him from his current condition.

Despair is to limit the mercy of Allah. Allah looks into your mind for iman (faith) and steadfastness. For iman is strength and hope. It is fortitude and confidence. Life is full of ups and downs, attractions and distractions, appointments and disappointments, progress and vicissitude. We need hope to cope with life. Allah says: “So lose not heart nor fall into despair: for you must gain mastery if you are true in faith.” (Qur'an 3 verse 139)

Therefore, true faith is in keeping up hope. The following story from the Hadith shows (amongst other things) how merciful Allah was to a man who was evil, but fears his reckoning with Allah. At the point of death, he feared Allah but despair that his massive evil deeds could find His forgiveness.