Another issue that I want to bring to your attention is that of the Taraweeh prayer (the night prayer prayed specifically during Ramadan). We all understand that it is an important Sunnah that should be followed whenever possible. There is more reward in its performance than we could possibly imagine. May Allah make us of those that are able to take full advantage of it as much as possible during this month… Allahuma ameen.
There is an aspect of this Sunnah that I want to talk about, that is rarely mentioned. This is the fact that there are other areas of extreme benefit that come from our going to the Masjid for this prayer during this blessed month. One of these is enabling ourselves and our loved ones the opportunity to make friends and companions that are also concerned with pleasing Allah. We are afforded the opportunity to associate ourselves with those that are busy with Allah’s worship and gaining a closeness to Him. For many of us and our families, we do not find this opportunity outside of Ramadan, even on Jumu’ah. This is because on Jumu’ah, most people come, listen to the khutbah (sermon), pray and leave right away.
But the issue during the nights of Ramadan is much different. The people are usually talking, enjoying one another company, getting to know one another and sometimes even eating at various times of the night. It gives us a chance to look around for those people that are going to be good companions for us and are more likely to work toward gaining Allah’s pleasure with us than some of our current companions. This is a major benefit that many of us rarely consider. Hopefully we will this year, not only benefit from the prayer itself, but also from the opportunity to obtain a better circle that is moving in the direction that we are trying to move, which is closer and closer to gaining Allah’s pleasure.
May Allah make it easy on all of us… Allahuma ameen.
