Ramadan - رمضان

اعوذ باللہ من الشیطٰن الرجیمبسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیمالحمد لله رب العالمين ، أرسل رسوله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله و كفي بالله شهيدا ، و أشهد ألا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ؛ له الملك و له الحمد ، يحيى و يميت و هو على كل شئ قدير

In the name of Allah, the most beneficient, the most merciful, Master of the day of Judgement. Peace and blessings be upon the noble Prophet Mohammad SAW, his family and his companions who conveyed the message of Islam through their words, deeds and actions.

My dear respected brothers, sisters and elders in Islam…
Assalam o allaikum Wr. Wb.

Ramadan has approached us, once again. We have been given a chance once again to correct ourselves and make ourselves obedient to the commandments of Allah SWT. We have been given a chance once again to tame our nafs according to the teachings of Islam. It is a golden opportunity for us to mould our way of life to the life of Rasulallah SAW.

It is a time for struggle and not to sit back and relax. Just like we spend all nights preparing for exams because we care about the result our test is going to bring, similarly, we should prepare ourselves by spending most of the nights making ibadah to Allah SWT so that our results are in our favour on the day of Qayamah.

Allah SWT has declared this month to be a blessed month for us. It is a month in which Al-Quran, the word of Allah was revealed to mankind. It is a month where rahmah of Allah SWT is showered, the gates of paradise are opened for those who are fasting, the shayateen are chained so that we can be even more closer to Allah SWT.


Allah SWT says in Quran:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَo
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ (2:186



185. The month of Ramadân in which was revealed the Qur'ân, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadân i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Saum (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allâh intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr (Allâhu-Akbar; Allâh is the Most Great) on seeing the crescent of the months of Ramadân and Shawwâl] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him.[]
186. And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad SAW) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.[]
Allah SWT has blessed us with all the conveniences but at the same time He has made it clear that fasting in the month of Ramadan is a duty that is obligatory upon each one of us.

Rasulallah SAW said in a hadeeth:
The Prophet –peace be upon him- said, "When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and rebellious jinns are put in chains and the door of hell are closed, none of them remains open. The door of heaven are open and none of them remains closed. And a caller calls, 'O seeker of goodness, come forward, and O seeker of evil, desist. And Allah has many (in this month) who will be freed from Hell.' This announcement is made every night. (Tirmidhi).

Pray to Allah SWT that we are from among those who will be freed from Hell in this month. Pray to Allah SWT for the taufeeq that we may do righteous deeds in this month. Pray to Allah SWT that we do not just let this month pass by like other days of the year.

As individuals, as families, we must understand the importance of this month for ourselves and our children. We must try to bring the complete conviction in ourselves that the only being that can alleviate ourselves from our pains is Allah SWT. We must teach our children that if they ask Allah SWT, their needs will be fulfilled. We should make special preparation at our homes to break our fasts and to keep the fasts so that this new generation of ours can see the importance of keeping fasts in Ramadan. Let them learn and let them compete with eachother in performing good deeds. Make this Ramadan a milestone the life of your children. Pray that Allah give us the taufeeq to achieve this.

My dear Brothers and Sisters,

The month of Ramadan has many rituals for us that can keep us busy. Starting our day with Suhoor and keeping the fast whole day and then breaking the fast at sunset, reciting quran and adhkar during the day, praying salaat taraweeh at night and qiyamul layl requires not only physical struggle but also a mental resolve.

Besides all the physical ibadaah, Ramadan is also meant for our moral and spiritual training and for the purification of our bodies, minds and souls. This is an annual training program for all believers. It is a special time to get closer to Allah and to seek His blessings and bounties. It is a time to learn Taqwa, piety, self-discipline and patience. It is a time to give more charity and become more generous. It is a time to seek Allah's forgiveness and to forgive each other. It is a time to be thankful to Allah for His gifts and bounties and especially His gift of Iman.

Rasulallah SAW is reported to have been said:Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained."

Brothers and Sisters, lets keep some important things in our minds when we keep our fasts in Ramadan.

1. Niyyah (Intention): Remind yourself again and again that you are fasting in obedience to Allah. Be sincere in your intention. You want Allah to accept your fasting. The Prophet –peace be upon him- said:
"Whosoever fasts in Ramadan with faith and seeking Allah's reward, all his past sins are forgiven." (Al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 37)

2. Sunnah : Observe the Sunnah in fasting. Take the Sahur meal a little before dawn and end your fast at Sunset. Observe all the rules of fasting.

3. Wara' (Avoiding everything Haram or Makruh): Keep your body and mind very clean. Fasting is not just avoiding food and drink. Fasting is to learn how to avoid bad words and bad deeds. The Prophet –peace be upon him said:
"Whosoever does not leave bad words and bad actions, Allah does not care if he leaves his food and drink." (Al-Tirmidhi 641)

4. Qur'an : Spend more time with the Qur'an. Read Qur'an every day. Try to finish at least one time the whole Qur'an during this month in your own personal reading. Read some Ahadith and the books of Seerah also .

5. Salat, Du'a and Dhikr of Allah : Pray on time and observe all prayers. Do not ignore the Tarawih prayers. Make more Nawafil. Do as much 'Ibadah as you can. Do more Zikr and Du'a for yourself and for others. Make Tawbah and Istighfar as much as you can. This is the best time for devotion and seeking Allah's forgiveness. Seek the Night of Qadr by special devotion during the last ten nights of this month.
Rasulallah SAW said:Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Whoever established prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

6. Zakat, Sadaqah and Generosity : Be very charitable and generous. Give more to help the poor and needy. Contribute generously for useful social and community projects.

7. Family: Be very good to your family, immediate family and the extended family. Spend more time and quality time with your family members.

8. Husn al-Suluk : Try to be extra kind and courteous during this month. Forget your quarrels and disputes. Reconcile and forgive. Do not get involved in backbiting, lying, cheating and any thing that is wrong. Be very good to Muslims and to all human beings. Be good to your friends and neighbors. Let your non-Muslim neighbors and co-workers know that this is your blessed and sacred time. Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Allah said, 'All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.' Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, 'I am fasting.' By Him in Whose Hands my soul is' The unpleasant smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. There are two pleasures for the fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord; then he will be pleased because of his fasting."

9. Tafakkur : Think, reflect and plan to improve the moral and spiritual condition of your own self and your family. Think about any wrong things and sins you might be doing and decide to correct your self. Think about any deficiencies you have in your Islamic observances. Plan to change yourself. Think what you can do for the Ummah and for humanity to make this world a better place for every one. Think about the Akhirah and the Day of Judgment.

10. Be cheerful and happy: Ramadan is not a time of mourning or sadness. It is a time of thankfulness to Allah. Give the greetings of Ramadan to each other and enjoy this beautiful time.
It is reported in a Hadith that the Prophet –peace be upon him- gave a sermon about Ramadan to a gathering that met towards the end of Sha'ban. He said:
“O People, a great and a blessed month is approaching you. In this month there is a night that is better than one thousand months. Allah has made fasting obligatory and prayers at night commendable during this month. Whosoever will do a voluntary good deed during this month, it is as if he performed an obligatory good deed at another time and whosoever will perform an obligatory good deed, it is as if he performed seventy obligatory good deeds at another time. This is the month of patience and the reward of patience is Paradise. This is the month of kindness. In this month the believers provision is increased. Whosoever will give food to a fasting person in this month, it will bring forgiveness for his sins, will save him from the hellfire and he shall have his reward while the fasting person will not lose any of his reward.”
May Allah give us the taufeeq to spend this Ramadan as His obedient servants so we can enjoy benefits from Him in this word and hereafter.

Wa akhiruhu dawanaa anilhamdulillahi rabbil aalimeen.

Special thanks to Dr. Muzammil Siddiqui
Delivered at Fredericton Islamic Association, Masjid on September 14, 2007