Why I love Ramadan Muslims ❤️

I remember when I used to use ”Ramadan Muslims” as a pejorative. What a puerile understanding of the religion I had. Alhamdulillah we get wiser with age.

Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali rahimahullah has this passage, I believe it’s in Lata’if al-Ma’arif, where he compares Ramadan and the other months of the year to Yusuf alayhi s-salam and his brothers.

The year has 12 months and Ya’qub alayhi s-salam had 12 sons. Through the virtue of Yusuf, all his brothers were forgiven. Through the virtue of Ramadan, our shortcomings during the rest of the year are forgiven.

The fact that these “Ramadan Muslims” fix up during the month… Well, that’s the entire point. They keep coming back and He’ll keep forgiving them. It’s Allah’s Mercy and He’ll grant it to whomever He Wills.

Al-Tawwabeen are those people who keep sinning and keep repenting from sin, may we be among them. It’s not a one-time thing.

And anyway, who else are we going to turn to? Who else are we going to beg for mercy? This is one of those light-bulb moments and you level-up when you internalize it.

”I lost my father last year and it was heartbreaking that he never made it to Mecca. Your team made it possible and it was a beautiful experience for us all.”

The Best Advice My Teacher Gave Me

Many years ago, we were breaking the fast at my friend’s house and my teacher dropped this gem.

He said if you use every Ramadan to change just one thing about yourself, either adding something good or removing something bad, in 10 Ramadans you’ll be a completely different person.

This goes to the point I was making in A Tale of Two Converts and it doesn’t just apply to converts. People overestimate what they can do in the short term and underestimate what they can accomplish long-term.

Content Drop

Despite it being Ramadan there’s still a lot of drama online. I thought of commenting on recent shenanigans but that goes against our editorial policy here at MuslimMan™:

• Does it help Muslim men?

• Is it relevant?

• Is it positive?

If we answer is yes to all three questions, we'll publish it.

I also came across this interview of Ahmed Raidan of the Muslim Fathers Support Forum. All I can say is, about time. Good on Ahmed for doing the brothers a solid.

I’d love to interview Ahmed for our newsletter. If you know him and can make a warm introduction, I’d be grateful.

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