✨Striving in Ramadan

Be conscious of Allah Almighty, for Allah safeguards and guides those conscious of Him to goodness in their religious and worldly affairs. And consciousness of Allah is to perform deeds in obedience to Him seeking His reward and abandoning disobeying Him fearing His punishment.

We are now living in virtuous and noble days. Indeed, it is a great, honorable season full of bounties, with multiple gifts and bestowals. A season that Allah – Blessed and Exalted be He – has distinguished over the rest of the days and months. He preferred it with many virtues and characteristics.

In this blessed season, the month of Ramadan, the gates of Heaven are opened and the doors of hell are closed. In this blessed and honorable season, Allah Almighty liberates people from the fire each of the nights of this month. The Prophet ﷺ said:
And there are those whom Allah frees from the Fire. And that is every night. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 682]

In this blessed noble month, the devils and the rebellious jinns are restrained. So they cannot attend to those dedicated to them before and after Ramadan. In this blessed noble month a caller calls out each night:
O seeker of good, proceed, O seeker of evil, recede. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 682]

And this is an indication of the abundance of goodness in this month and the great eagerness of people. And confirmation that every Muslim should turn away from evil, its causes and precursors. And even though this matter is necessary at all times and in every moment, it is even more confirmed and necessary in Ramadan.

It is incumbent upon the one honored by Allah Almighty, by realizing and reaching this month, to capture its bounties, attain its blessings, to thoroughly strive to obtain pardoning, forgiveness, and salvation from the fire, and to be among the Allah-conscious whom Allah liberates from the fire in this honorable blessed month.

This is the month of forgiving sins. The Prophet ﷺ said:
Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of faith and anticipation (of the reward from Allah), his previous sins will be forgiven. [Abu Dawood 1372]

What a great bounty and bestowal! Fasting Ramadan results in forgiveness of previous sins and misdeeds.

And contemplate this great virtue. It is not attained except by two conditions that the Prophet ﷺ clarified in this great hadith. The first condition is that one who fasts Ramadan does so with faith in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and believes in the obligation of fasting and the great reward that Allah Almighty has prepared for those who fast and the many bestowals in in this world and the next. And the second condition is that one fasts Ramadan out of anticipation of the reward from Allah Almighty. One fasts it seeking the pleasure of Allah, aspiring for the bounty from Allah and seeking to obtain the reward that Allah – Blessed and Exalted be He – has prepared for those who fast.

And the great rewards and generous gifts that Allah the Exalted has prepared for those fasting are beyond imagination as indicated in the Qudsi Hadeeth in which Allah Almighty said:
Fasting, it is for Me and I shall reward for it. [Bukhari 1894, Muslim 1151b]

Indeed, Allah Almighty has saved for those fasting great rewards and generous gifts without measure or account. Allah Almighty said:
Az Zumar (39) 10: Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account [i.e., limit]

The fasting person should remember the words of the Prophet ﷺ:
The five (daily prescribed) prayers and the Friday Prayer to the Friday Prayer and Ramadan to Ramadan, expiate whatever (minor sins) may be committed in between, so long as major sins are avoided. [Muslim 233b]

So one must be conscious of Allah – the Exalted and Majestic – and avoid the major sins, and repent for all of the sins, big and small.

And the expiation of Ramadan for the sins is for the minor sins. Likewise, for the five daily prayers, Friday prayer and other factors mentioned in the hadeeths, they are specific to minor sins. As for major sins and misdeeds there must be sincere and genuine repentance.

So we must live this month repentant to Allah, turning to Him, seeking His forgiveness from the sins and misdeeds. Such that we become among those granted salvation by Allah from the fire. So that we become among those whose burdens have been lifted and ranks elevated and sins expiated.

The truly deprived is the one who reaches the seasons of goodness, meritorious stations and virtuous places, but does not attain their goodness or blessings. The Prophet ﷺ said regarding Ramadan:
In it, Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months. He who is deprived its goodness is indeed deprived. [Sunnan Nisai 2106]

This is the true deprivation. That one reaches the seasons of goodness and he has health, wellness, safety, security and a wealth and a blissful life but does not attain forgiveness for his sins. Nor does he attain salvation from the fire.

Reflect upon the words of the Prophet ﷺ related by Imam Ahmad and others that Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ascended the minbar (pulpit) and said ameen, ameen, ameen. Then he delivered his khutbah. Then the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: we have heard you say something, oh Messenger of Allah, that you have not said before. He responded: Jibreel came to me earlier and said, Oh Mohammad, whoever from your ummah (nation) reaches Ramadan and exits from it without being forgiven, then Allah expels him and commits him to the Fire, say: ameen! So I said ameen, and he said: oh Mohammad, whoever, when you are mentioned, does not send prayers of blessings and peace upon you then Allah expels him and commits him to the Fire, say: ameen! So I said ameen, Oh Mohammad, whoever’s parents reach an old age and they do not lead to his admission into paradise, then Allah expels him and commits him to the Fire, say: ameen! So I said ameen. [Sahih Al Mawared Albani 2024]

What a great and enormous calamity! Jibreel supplicated that whoever reaches Ramadan and exits from it without being forgiven, then Allah expels him and commits him to the Fire and the Messenger of Allah said Ameen. Such a person attends the season of goodness, liberation from the Fire, forgiveness of sins, but continues and persists in his transgression, foolishness and deviation.

Oh Muslims: Ramadan is Allah’s blessed month in which the Prophet ﷺ would congratulate the companions upon its arrival.

He ﷺ would say:
This is Ramadan it has come upon you. [Sunan an-Nasa’i 2103]

And he ﷺ said:
There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. In it the gates of heaven are opened and the doors of Hell are closed, and every rebellious devil is chained. In it Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months, whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived. [Sunan an-Nasa’i 2106]

And the Prophet’s ﷺ words “There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month” is an indication of the glad tidings that the Prophet ﷺ gave his companions of the arrival of this great month.

And this is the season of forgiveness. So let us seek forgiveness plentifully. For seeking forgiveness is a great matter. And especially in this noble season. And the Prophet ﷺ sought repentance the most. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
I have not seen anyone say, I seek the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him, more than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. [Sahih Ibn Haban 928]

And Abu Hurairah saw the honorable companions, and the blessed generation who met the Prophet ﷺ and did not see anyone who sought forgiveness more than the Prophet ﷺ. Even though his former and latter sins were forgiven.

Seeking forgiveness has great benefits and many dividends. Allah Almighty said in what he mentioned of Noah (peace be upon him):
Noah 10-12: (10) And said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. (11) He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers (12) And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.

These are some of the benefits and blessings of seeking forgiveness in this world. As for the Hereafter, its bounties and blessings are limitless.

The Prophet ﷺ said:
Glad tidings to those who find a lot of seeking forgiveness in the record of their deeds.[ Sunan Ibn Majah 3818]

So turn to Allah Almighty in repentance to Him, seeking forgiveness from every sin and misdeed. Such that Allah Almighty may cover us all with His mercy and increase upon us His favors, grace and giving.

We ask Allah Almighty for wellbeing and forgiveness. And that He grants us all a genuine repentance. And that He liberates us all from the fire. And that He gives us success in taking advantage of the seasons of goodness. And that he guides us all to the straight path. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Responding.

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