Do I love myself more?

bismillah..

So a drama begins with a couple celebrating their anniversary.. They have been waiting for that day since like forever and they both planned to do something special together hoping that this will grow more love between them.

2 weeks prior, the guy spent 4 hours queuing in hot weather to buy 2 football (soccer) tickets at front row which can see even the players sweat that cost him not less than $200 each. It is his favorite team Malaysia versus its rivalry Singapore. He wanted to spend this special night with his beloved wife.



On the other hand, she also planned something. She wanted them to go to the cinema and watch this romantic comedy film titled Sembilu. It is her favorite actor and actress couple Siti Nurhaliza and Tom Cruise joined together in a movie for the 1st time. After that she planned to go for a dinner at Danga Bay near the shore.


Now when the day comes, they were both surprised with their surprised plan. A day that they both were supposed to enjoy, became a reason for them arguing with each other. How come they both wanted to do something for each other but in the end things did not worked out as planned.

Being rational, the guy started listing up things he did for that night. All the difficulties he faced and the very expensive tickets. That did not stop him because he did those things because he loves her. She says no. she says “You did that entire thing for you. Because it is what you want to do. You want to watch your game. Not because of me. “

They guy pause and start thinking, “Do I love myself more?”

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That was an analogy I heard from Sheikh Omar Sulaimen last night in an online program called Ramadan Prep Challenge: 10 days to Ramadan. You can visit the web at ramadanprep.com

It was the 1st lecture from 10 listed which every day will be conducted live from 1845 to 2100 EST. This 1st lecture titled “Let the Hearts Submit.” Last night viewer was up to mo

Allah says in the quran that He granted us the fasting so that we become people of taqwa. (2: 183). And He said in a hadith from His messenger peace be upon him, "Every act of man is for him except fasting, it is done for My (Allah's) sake and I will give reward for it. The breath of a faster is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk."

Meaning that all the ibadah, the prayers, the zikrs are done for ourselves but fasting is for Allah. Hmm..what is the different? I thought that everything we did is for Him?

You see, for people to go and do good deeds it is not that hard. I mean, they did not go to pray not that they do not believe in it. Maybe it is because they are just lazy. They did not give charity because they did not have extra money to spend for others. If they have the spirit, the time, the money they will do all that good ibadah. That is why we can see people even though they are not muslims, they are not believer, even if they are an atheist they can do good deeds. Doing good deeds is also accounted as taqwa.

But fasting is a whole new level of ibadah. A higher level of taqwa. Why? Because in fasting, we have to control ourselves not only from eating and drinking but also from our desires. We have to not do what we desired to do, for the sake of Allah. We have to control our craving for food, drink, sex, shopping crazily, playing games entire day, watching movies etc. form of desire for the love of Him.

It is not that easy. That is one of the different being a muslim. We did not do what we wanted to do because He says not to. We love Him the way He wanted us to love him. Unlike that guy from the story where he do love his wife, but the way he wanted to.

Often we do islam if something that islam teach goes along with what we think suitable for us. We take some part of the religion, we alter some, and we throw the rest. If we truly love Allah, we do it all the way He tells us to.

Hopefully before Ramadan comes, we have set up a goal to improve ourselves in controlling our desire. If there is some part of compulsory things we have not do completely, 5 times prayer, or wearing hijab properly, or lowering our gaze, by the end of Ramadan we prove that we really really love Allah by succeeded to do things the way He show us in the quran and the sunnah. Let our hearts submit completely to Allah.

Ameen