Question:
Salaam Aleikum:
My question is as follows:
My deen is weak, I rarely pray or go to jummah and its been months since I went to dhikr. I feel – if I fast during Ramadan, then I am a hypocrite. I feel – I should practice my deen first, doing my 5 prayers and attending jummah and next year observe Ramadan and not feel as a hypocrite.
Thank You
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam,
For Muslims the 5 times prayer is an obligation that cannot be missed, and so is the fast in Ramadan. If you missed any prayer, you must make it up. If you do not fast in Ramadan – due to other than medical or travel – you must fast 60 days for each day not fasted. If you don’t attend dhikr you lose out on all the blessings as well as all the Prophets and Awliya who are looking at us.
Islam is easy, especially if you follow correctly. There is nothing in Islam that makes things difficult for anyone. The trouble with us is that we are too lazy to do anything; and that brings difficulties later on. If anyone feels he wants to shoulder the difficult task of spending his lifetime making up missed prayers and fasts, and miss out on all the blessings of dhikr – due to their fickle-mindedness – then no one can stop them from doing the difficult thing. Otherwise, opt for the easy thing – just do it – and you move on without worrying about a thing.
Abdul Shakur
