Written by: Ustadh Radi al-ʿAsif*
23/4/2020
Among the beautiful books I read some time ago (1430 AH) is the book The Month of Ramadan, the Month of Achievement by our dear friend Sayed Mahmoud Al-Mosawi (Bahrain). The book runs to 124 medium-sized pages, and it can be downloaded from the author's website.
The month of Ramadan, as a precise legislative system whose fasting Allah the Exalted has prescribed for the believers, is one from which we can draw inspiration for a set of important rules for realizing achievements in life, because the month of Ramadan came to realize a great goal through an integrated program that takes a whole month, and through a set of commitments that the human being carries out in order to reach that goal. Through reflection on the Qurʾanic verses that spoke of the month of Ramadan and of fasting, we can discover an important set of the secrets of achievement.
The author mentions 8 rules for us to be among the achievers, which are:
The first rule: Setting the goal.
The second rule: Striving and exerting effort.
The third rule: Faith in the goal.
The fourth rule: Motivation toward the goal (finding justifications)
The fifth rule: Timing ... proportion
The sixth rule: The alternative plan.
The seventh rule: Work, and completing the work.
The eighth rule: Results and effects.
- Programming the self for achievement
These rules flow into a single point, which is reshaping the self anew and programming it positively, so that it becomes a starting point for change, productivity and effectiveness.
Your self is the starting area in the project of change, and when we deal with the self from the standpoint of reform and constant purification, charging it with the principle of responsibility and with continuity in work, we will take the most important step in the process of change and achievement.
And remember that whoever has not changed positively in the month of Ramadan, let him know with certainty that change in any of the other days of the year is difficult and not easy, except for one for whom Allah the Exalted has made its means easy.
- The month of blessings
The Most Noble Messenger says: Indeed the gates of the Gardens are open in this month, so ask your Lord not to close them upon you”(1).
The month of Ramadan represents the month of blessings, achievements and successes, and we can win these blessings when we decide, plan and specify what we want to achieve in this month.
One of the rules of achievement that the author mentioned is the rule of work and completing the work
For goals have no value if they are not followed by continuous work until the end, and this is realized in fasting: for your fast to be accepted, you must complete it until the end and in accordance with the sharʿi regulations.
This rule bears its fruits when certain points are realized, among them:
1 ) Mastery of work
What is required is not that we reach the end in any manner whatsoever, and whatever the result may be; rather, we need mastery, and mastery of work consists in preserving quality and excellence in the work, as the Greatest Messenger says: (Allah loves that when one of you does a work, he does it with mastery) (2).
And you should know that people judge you through your performance, so focus on your outputs, and make quality and mastery the measure of your works, and do not look at quantity but at quality.
2 ) Knowledge of the work
If you want to undertake some work, you must have knowledge of your work. You must know how to begin it, how to continue and how to accomplish it. Imam ʿAli says: (There is no movement in which you are not in need of knowledge)(3). And he (a) says: (Do not embark upon a matter until you have tested it)(4).
Likewise it has been reported from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a), who said: The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Whoever works without knowledge, what he corrupts is more than what he sets right (5).
For this reason we need to gather information about any work we wish to undertake, and to shape this knowledge and information so as to accomplish the work in the most complete manner.
3 ) Patience is the fuel of perseverance
To the extent of the patience a human being possesses, he is able to realize achievements. Imam ʿAli says: (Through patience the loftiest of matters are attained), and from him (a): Whoever is patient with Allah reaches Him (6).
For a human being to be adorned with patience, and for this quality to be inseparable from him, he should not rush the results at the beginning of the road or in its middle, because the result comes at the ends.
Remember this rule: complete the period set for your work, for complete results come only upon the completion of works.
And remember also that we are called upon to achieve in the various fields of life.
So do not let thirty days end while you are still standing with your arms folded; rather, you must decide from this moment to be an achiever.
Finally: I advise you to read this book.
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* An author, and a clinical nutrition specialist. From Qatif.
