✨Receiving Ramadan
The year speeds by us with its days and nights, with its triumphs and its tragedies, and its brightness and gloom and its pluses and its minuses. And people have incurred sins and losses, and became apathetic or slid backwards. One may become weighed down in their path to Allah, or the path to the promise of Allah may seem far away. Rather, the path may feel lonely and one may become bored, as the monotony of the days weigh them down, and they carry the burdens of pains and hopes upon their shoulders.
So people must have cover in this desert to shade them, and must have a port in this sea to which to anchor. So that they can relax and rejuvenate. For indeed the journey is long and the supplies are limited and there are many obstacles.
So Allah, the Most Generous, has bestowed upon His servants a noble month and great season, in which a Muslim replenishes and strengthens, and elevates in the levels of consciousness of Allah. A month that moistens the thirst of the souls and remedies their wounds, and saturates the souls with its blessings through which is their success. A month in which people triumph over their base desires and devils. A month overflowing with mercies and a season to clear away the sins.
And the months of the year, with their nights and days, have passed quickly. And the month of Shaban is departing. And the great month of Ramadan is approaching. And its glad tidings and signs are glowing. It will soon arrive, so receive it with what befits it of tribute and reverence and determination to perform acts of obedience and worship.
How much do people long for Ramadan and how much do those conscious of Allah crave it?! How much do they yearn waiting for it ?! For their souls were uplifted in its nights and its early morning hours. And what great benefit they found in its early morning hours. And in Ramadan, they felt close to the One, the Prevailing. And how much in Ramadan did they taste the sweetness of iman (faith), and live with the Noble Quran through listening and recitation.
And from among Allah’s blessings is that He bestows upon us seasons to purify our souls and cleanse them from the sins and misdeeds, and elevate them up the ladder of excellence and virtue. Allah Almighty said:
Al Baqarah (2) 183: O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous
And taqwa (consciousness of Allah) are feelings of fear of Allah that the fasting person finds within themselves. And it reflects upon them by illuminating and purifying their souls and rectifying their conduct.
Ramadan is energy for the hearts of the believers, a beacon for the righteous, the companion of the Allah-conscious, and glad tidings for the worshipers. This month excels in so many different ways and shines with the utmost beauty. Its days are fasting and its nights prayer and its symbol is the Quran. And its garment is righteousness, charity and benevolence. The supplicating in it is answered and accepted. And the righteous deeds are elevated. And in each of its nights, people are freed from the Fire. So where are those who repent ?!
As for the reward of those fasting, it is a matter referred to the All Generous. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting which is (exclusively) for Me, and I will reward him for it. And fasting is a shield. When anyone of you is observing fast, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor should he raise his voice; and if anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him, he should say: I am fasting. By Him in Whose Hand the soul of Mohammad is, the breath of one observing fasting is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk. The one who fasts, experiences two joys: he feels pleasure when he breaks the fast. He is joyful by virtue of his fast when he meets his Lord. [Bukhari 1904, Muslim 1151d]
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
And from Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations for the (sins) committed in between them, provided the major sins are not committed. [Muslim 233c]
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
May the one upon whom Ramadan enters but is not forgiven be humiliated.[Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 646, Grade: Sahih]
And that is because of what Ramadan contains of mercies and the only one denied is the one denying themselves. For the Prophet ﷺ said:
When Ramadan comes, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained. [Bukhari 3277, Muslim 1079]
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking the reward will have his past sins forgiven; and whoever prays during the night in Ramadan with faith and seeking the reward will have his past sins forgiven; and whoever spends Laylat al-qadr [Night of Decree] in prayer with faith and seeking the reward will have his past sins forgiven. [Bukhari 38, Muslim 760]
And Ramadan is the month of the Quran. Gabriel used to review the Quran with the Prophet ﷺ every night. Allah Almighty said:
Al Baqarah (2) 185: The month of Ramaḍān [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’ān, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.
And when Ramadan came, the righteous predecessors left socializing and freed themselves for reciting the Quran. There are accounts of some of them completing the recitation of the entire Quran every day or every three days or similar to that.
And giving and generosity are tied to Ramadan. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was the most generous of all the people, and he used to be most generous in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel used to meet him. Gabriel used to meet him every night in Ramadan to study the Qur’an carefully together. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ used to become more generous than the pleasant wind when he met Gabriel. [Bukhari 3220, Muslim 2308]
And that is because Ramadan is a month in which Allah bestows mercy on His servants, forgiveness, freedom from Hell, provision, and bounty. And Allah will bestow upon those who give to others. And indeed Allah is the One who gives and withholds, and raises and lowers. And He is the One Who gave you what He provided you to see what you will do.
And charity is a reason for lifting calamity and purifying the sins and extinguishing the wrath of the Lord. And charity pushes away afflictions and relaxes the chests and enters joy and happiness upon hearts. And charity remedies hearts and bodies. So cure your sick ones through charity.
It was related that a man went to the Messenger of Allah and complained of hardness of the heart. So the Prophet ﷺ said:
If you want to soften your heart, then feed the poor and pat the heads of the orphans. [Sahih Al Jami’ 1410, Grade: Hasan]
And the believer is in the shade of their charity on the Day of Resurrection. Allah Almighty said:
Saba (34) 39: But whatever thing you spend [in His cause] – He will compensate it; and He is the best of providers.
Oh Muslims: This is the last Friday in Shaban and it will only be a few days and Ramadan will be upon us. The month of prayer, fasting, tarawih (night prayer) and Quran. The month of giving, generosity, righteousness and doing good. A month in which the routines of the believers change. And their hearts also change in attachment to the obedience of Allah Almighty and adhering to the Quran. And so it is befitting for the people of faith to receive this noble month with sincere repentance. Allah Almighty said:
An Noor (24) 31: And turn to Allāh in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
And to know that the aim of their existence in this worldly life is to worship Allah the Almighty. And Ramadan is the season of worship. And life has no value if it is not filled with accomplishments and the best and most beneficial accomplishments is turning to Him the Exalted. For in that is the goodness of this world and the hereafter. Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, related that a man said:
O Messenger of Allah! Which of the people is the best?” He said: “He whose life is long and his deeds are good.” He said: “Then which of the people is the worst?” He said: “He whose life is long and his deeds are bad.” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2330, Grade: Hassan]
And whatever is in the obedience of Allah is good. And whatever is in the disobedience of Allah is bad.
And due to the importance of Ramadan in the life of the believer, the Prophet ﷺused to give his companions glad tidings of its approaching. As was related in the hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to give glad tidings of Ramadan to his companions saying:
Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month, in which Allah has enjoined you to fast, in which the gates of heaven are opened, and the gates of hell are closed. And the devils are chained. In it is a night better than a thousand months, whoever is denied its good has been denied. [Ahmad 8991, grade: Sahih]
Let us welcome this noble month in a good fashion with repentance from the sins and turning our hearts to Allah Almighty and protecting our hearing and sight from the forbidden. For the ears and sight are exposed abundantly to the forbidden in Ramadan. For the personal devices are always with people and do not leave them. And the screens are in front of them in their homes. So beware of losing the reward of fasting and prayer through the sinning of the eyes and ears. And tongues must be safeguarded from backbiting, gossip and rumors. And tongues should be occupied with the remembrance of Allah, seeking forgiveness and reciting Quran. And our Prophet ﷺ said:
Whoever does not give up evil and ignorant speech, and acting in accordance with that, Allah has no need of him giving up food and drink. [Bukhari 6057]
Oh Allah make us among those who reach and observe Ramadan and bless it for us and make us among the accepted. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.
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