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The Noor Magazine (from the creator of Dhikrullah.com) Issue 27 – Ramadaan Special is available to download from the following link:

http://www.noorulislam.co.uk/Noor-Magazine-Issue-27-Web.pdf

inshaAllah Dhikrullah.com will be doing a 3 part series on the run up to Ramadaan. With only 3 weeks left its about time we seriously got ready for Ramadaan..

The 3 parts, once posted will appear here bi’ithnillah.

With Sha’ban upon us, that can only mean one thing..ramadaan is next up alhamdulilah. Ramadaan, the month of emaan, the month of Quraan, the month better than all months. But do we really take advantage of the event that only comes once a year like we should? How can we take full advantage for such a event if we havn’t prepared for it before hand? When a person gets ready to run in the marathon, you’ll find they will be preparing months before making sure they are on the correct diet, doing practice runs, jogging every morning and so on and so forth.

Likewise for us Muslims, the month of Ramadaan is like our marathon, except it lasts for a whole month and there is no running involved (well there can be if you want but most people choose not to) We have to be ready for it and with the month of Sha’baan, Allah [aza wajal] is giving us a chance to prepare. Although ideally we should have started well before that, for those who havn’t, there is not a better time then now.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘There has come to you Ramadaan, a blessed month. Allaah has made it obligatory on you to fast (this month). During it the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are chained up. In it there is a night that is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is deprived indeed.

Well not yet anyways. Disregarding the fact ramadaan is not for another 10 days or so inshaAllah ta3la [woo, can feel the excitement already] but also its just like a pet peeve, its not spelt ramadhan, its ramadaan. Lets look at the original arabic of the spelling: رمضان

Theres a ra ر, a meem م, a dwaad ض, an alif ا and a noon ن‎. So where on Allah’s earth is the dhal ذ which everyone puts on on? Some may argue you can never transliterate correctly and everyone has their own method but while this is true at least dont add letters that arent there. If anything you can put one “a” there or two due to the alif ا and that can be a difference of opinion. A dwaad or daad or however you want to spell it is hard to transliterate but it definetely doesnt transliterate as dhaad. The same dwaad is in surah fatiha, hope everyone doesnt say waladhaaleen.

Its like when you actually say it, you dont say ram-adhan [like call to pray]. It reminds me of the classical asians in their surah fatiha in the last ayah, they going all good and then suddenly out comes “walad zwaaaaaleen” and you’re like eh, where that come from.

Anyways its not even that important, just one of thoese thing. However you spell it, what matters is not how you spell it but what you do to become nearer to Allah [aza wajal] in it. *smiles*