The great virtue of Ramadhan
The following khutbah was given at the Prophet's Mosque on the 5th of Ramadhan 1421H.
The following khutbah was given at the Prophet's Mosque on the 5th of Ramadhan 1421H.
All praise is due to Allah, Who has made the succession of day and night a lesson for those who reflect. I thank him for his bountiful blessings and I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. I equally testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his household and companions who are the people of righteousness and piety.
Dear brothers, fear Allah as He should be feared. Whoever fears Him earns his protection and he who follows his desires is doomed. It should be known that physical and spiritual felicity can only be attained by subjecting one's heart and body to the worship of Allah, and that it is through worshipping Allah with complete sincerity that this mundane world becomes of no importance.
Dear brothers, it is a manifestation of Allah's mercy towards His slaves that He ordained fasting for them in order to purify them from excessive tastes and to cleanse their hearts from lustful things. These days, Muslims all over the world are receiving the month of Ramadhan; leader of all months; the month of forgiveness, merits and gifts; the month that gladdens the hearts of righteous people. No wonder that a pious man said on his death bed, giving a reason for his weeping, “I am only weeping for the fact that people will continue to be fasting and performing prayers after my death while I will no longer be in a position to do likewise.”
Ramadhan is the month that contains the leader of all nights; a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever spends the night in prayer with faith and hoping for Allah's reward will have all his past sins forgiven. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “When the month of Ramadhan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.” [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim]
Dear brothers, whoever wants eternal prosperity should endeavour to worship Allah and do good deeds sincerely. For good deeds done without a sincere intention are of no use. Also, it is a glory for a believer to wake up in the night and perform prayers, for the best prayer after the obligatory ones are the prayers performed in the night. In fact, righteous people compete with one other to make use of its darkness for doing acts of ibadah that bring them closer to Allah, and they loved this world only because of its nights. Abu Sulayman Ad-Daranee said, “By Allah! If not because of waking up in the night and performing prayers, I would not have loved this world; for, the night is precious because of its darkness and performing the prayers during the night is one of the characteristics of righteous people.” Al-Hasan Al-Basree said, “Nobody abandons night prayers except that it is regarded as a punishment for a sin he has committed.”
You should also endeavour to supplicate to Allah during the nights of this noble month because supplication is the link between man and his Lord; it is an effortlessly clear profit and easy booty; it prevents calamities and brings forth Allah's treasures and bounties. By supplicating to Allah during the night, He answers by granting the request asked for. His Hands never get tired of giving.
Dear Muslims,
the Qur'an is Allah's message to His servants and a light for mankind. There is no way to Allah's pleasure except through it. It is revealed in the best of all months. The best way you can spend your time during this month is to recite the Qur'an as frequently as possible. Read it, reflect on its meaning and work by its injunctions. This is because the Qur'an contains admonitions and lessons that increase one's humility and humbleness.
As regards charity, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the most generous of all people and his generosity manifested itself most during the month of Ramadhan. Whenever he gave, he gave in plenty, as if he had no fear of poverty. He would never be asked of anything except that he gave it, unless he did not have it.
Charity, dear brothers, has its positive effects on the giver. It brings blessings to his wealth and children, prevents calamities and brings forth bliss. Ramadhan is a month of charity. Spend out of your wealth on the poor and needy and be aware that avarice and stinginess does not keep wealth eternal, just as charity does not decrease it. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Nothing brings Allah's blessings and prevents His punishment than obeying Him, moving closer to Him through acts of ibadah and being kind to His creatures.”
Therefore, spend in charity, for charity elevates one's rank in front of Allah; and know that man is going to be under the shade of his charity on the Day of Resurrection.
Dear brothers, make good preparation for this honourable month because it is a transient visitor. Receive it with a sincere repentance and spend your time during the month is acts of obedience to your Lord.
Further, try to perform umrah during Ramadhan for an umrah performed during Ramadhan is equivalent in reward to a hajj performed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Also, provide food for fasting Muslims, for whoever does that gets a reward equivalent to their reward without causing any reduction in the reward of the fasting Muslims.
Itikaf (seclusion in a mosque for the purpose of worshipping Allah alone) is also a Sunnah that should be kept during the last ten days of Ramadhan. Ibn Shihab said, “It is a strange thing that Muslims should abandon itikaf while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never skipped it right from the time he entered Madina until his death.”
Use this noble month to join the cord of kinship (by keeping good relations with your kith and kin). Also repent sincerely to Allah as long as the door of repentance is still open. Be cautious of an undesirable end because leaving this world is painful.
As regards charity, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the most generous of all people and his generosity manifested itself most during the month of Ramadhan. Whenever he gave, he gave in plenty, as if he had no fear of poverty. He would never be asked of anything except that he gave it, unless he did not have it.
Charity, dear brothers, has its positive effects on the giver. It brings blessings to his wealth and children, prevents calamities and brings forth bliss. Ramadhan is a month of charity. Spend out of your wealth on the poor and needy and be aware that avarice and stinginess does not keep wealth eternal, just as charity does not decrease it. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Nothing brings Allah's blessings and prevents His punishment than obeying Him, moving closer to Him through acts of ibadah and being kind to His creatures.”
Therefore, spend in charity, for charity elevates one's rank in front of Allah; and know that man is going to be under the shade of his charity on the Day of Resurrection.
Dear brothers, make good preparation for this honourable month because it is a transient visitor. Receive it with a sincere repentance and spend your time during the month is acts of obedience to your Lord.
Further, try to perform umrah during Ramadhan for an umrah performed during Ramadhan is equivalent in reward to a hajj performed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Also, provide food for fasting Muslims, for whoever does that gets a reward equivalent to their reward without causing any reduction in the reward of the fasting Muslims.
Itikaf (seclusion in a mosque for the purpose of worshipping Allah alone) is also a Sunnah that should be kept during the last ten days of Ramadhan. Ibn Shihab said, “It is a strange thing that Muslims should abandon itikaf while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never skipped it right from the time he entered Madina until his death.”
Use this noble month to join the cord of kinship (by keeping good relations with your kith and kin). Also repent sincerely to Allah as long as the door of repentance is still open. Be cautious of an undesirable end because leaving this world is painful.
Abdul Muhsin ibn Muhammad al-Qasim
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