Preparation for Ramadan

Bismillah: Assalamo Alikum.

Ramadan is approaching, and so I would like to remind my brothers and sisters in Islam of the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad pbuh where he says: "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of Jannah (Paradise) are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained." So let us seize the chance where no Satan is around, and be mindful of committing sins before Ramadan, because this is what Satan is trying to do right now, to let you enter Ramadan with bad deeds so that you don’t have the energy of worshipping Allah as she should be worshipped.

So what is the reward of Ramadan?

The prophet Muhammad pbuh said: "… 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."

Please read the Hadith one more time… there are two conditions that would make your sins to be forgiven, no matter what they are. First, to fast out of sincere faith, which means that you are fasting not out of a habit, but rather out of your love for Allah, AND to fast out of hope for the reward of Allah.

However, if someone thought that it is difficult for him to be sincere during the whole month of Ramadan (30 days), please don’t worry, because Muhammad pbuh said: "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

I agree that some may not be able to pray at night for 30 whole days, how about those people?? The prophet pbuh 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.".

Can you imagine how Allah wants us to be forgiven? Doesn’t He deserve to be worshipped with all our souls during this blessed month? (and all the way as well)

The Prophet Muhammad pbuh used to recite the following Du’a whenever the month of Rajab and Sha’ban enters:

ALLAHUMA BARIK LANA FE RAJAB WA SHA’BAN, WA BALEGHNA RAMADAN.

It means: O Allah, make the month of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan.

For the first time we see the prophet pbuh asking Allah (in plural form) to make his and our lives longer until we observe Ramadan, to get the benefits and reward of this great month. CAN WE NOW SENSE THE IMPORTANCE OF RAMADA?

Let us see what the Prophet Muhammad pbuh said addressing his companions (AND US AS WELL) regarding Ramadan:

"Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all." [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]

Points of the Hadith:-

-Ramadan has got a night better than a thousand month (1000month = 83.3years).
It means that if you worshipped Allah on that night as He is supposed to be worshipped, its going to be as though you have worshipped Him for 83+ years.

- If you performed any act of Sunnah, Allah will reward you as though you have performed an obligatory act.- If you performed any obligatory act, Allah will reward you as though you have performed 70 obligatory acts.

- It is the month of patience (SABR) and SABR reward is JANNAH/Paradise, so let us be learn patience during this blessed month.

- If you break the fast of a person during Ramadan, all your sins will be forgiven, and Salvation from Hellfire will be yours.Are you now getting the beauty and benefits of Ramadan?

Are we getting charged with full energy hoping to attain the reward of fasting in Ramadan? Insha Allah.

As for the reward of fasting itself, nobody knows what it is but Allah. Prophet Muhammad pbuh 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." so, you will know the reward of your fasting only on the Day of Judgment insh a Allah.

Allah says: "And when My bondmen ask you concerning Me, then, surely I am near; I answer the invocation of the invoker when he invokes Me; so let them respond (to) Me, and let them believe in Me, so that possibly they would respond right-mindedly. (Qur’an 2:186). Please note that this verse demonstrate the relation between fasting and answering supplication.

And so, let us keep on supplicating to Allah, especially during Ramadan, let us choose 4 or 5 Du’a in which we keep and insist on reciting them repeatedly in Ramadan. The companions of the Prophet pbuh used to do so. They said," We used to supplicate to Allah in Ramadan, and we never reached the next Ramadan without our supplications being answered."

Let us all supplicate repeatedly to Allah in this Ramadan that we would bring about the revival of our Ummah (the Muslim nation). Ameen.

Let us also remember, that the rewards of Ramadan are not available for those who fast only with their stomach, please be aware of the fasting of food and drink alone, let us perform organs fasting this year, it means that every limb of our body will be fasting this year, my hands are fasting, it cannot touch anything prohibited, or touch a boy that is not my husband, my legs are fasting too, cannot walk towards any HARAM place, my hair is fasting, it should be covered properly, my face is fasting, we will avoid wearing make up when outside, my tounge is fasting, we will stay away from backbiting and slandering each other, let us fast for real this year.

Prophet Muhammad said, "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)

”Six things to be observed during this Ramadan insh a Allah, let us not miss any of them.

1- Praying all the five daily prayer on time: for men they should perform them in the mosque, if they can’t, then let them at least perform them on time in congregation.

2- Daily act of charity: let us prepare a specific amount of money to be given away every day during Ramadan, our prophet was so generous, and he was more generous during Ramadan, if no one can give money in charity during Ramadan, then let us smile to each other everyday, YES, the prophet Muhammad pbuh said: “smiling in the face of your brother, is an act of charity”

3- Reading the entire Qur’an: you may finish it once, twice or even more, the more you read it, the more you get the rewards and benefits of reading it.

4- Taraweeh: it is one of the acts that the prophet never leave during the Ramadan, remember his Hadith? "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

5- Daily Du’a: don’t you know that when you break your fast, there is a Du’a in which Allah will never reject? So let us focus this year on 2 main supplications, we will ask Allah for the revival of the Muslim Ummah on our hands insha Allah, and we will ask Him to save from hellfire. Ameen.

6- Contacting our families: if we are far away from them, and its difficult for us to call them, then let us send them text messages, telling them “we love you for Allah’s sake”. We ask Allah badly for the blessing and the reward of Ramadan, Allahuma Baleghna Ramadan, Ameen Ameen Ameen.

Assalamo Alikum.

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The topic was based on the work of Brother Amr Khaeld, may Allah reward him much. Ameen.