Brother and sister Muslims,may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah
be upon you.
I send you this message filled with love and greetings. I send it to
you from a heart that loves you for the sake of Allah and I ask Him to
bring us together in the abode of His Benedictions and Mercy.
On the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan, I extend to you this
advise as a humble gift which I hope you will accept with an open mind
and that in turn, you advise me. May Allah protect you and take care
of you.
How do we receive the blessed month of Ramadan? Allah the Almighty says,
"You who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was
prescribed for those before you that you may attain piety" [Qur'an
2:183].
My esteemed brothers andsisters:
Allah has distinguished Ramadan from other months with many merits and
virtues which include:
*. The bad breath from the mouth of a fasting person is sweeter to
Allah than the fragrance of musk.
*. The angels ask forgiveness for those fasting until they break their fast.
*. Allah beautifies His Paradise each day and says, "My righteous
servants are about to be spared suffering and harm, then they will be
sent to you."
*. The devils are chained during the month.
*. The doors of Paradise areopened while those of Hell are locked.
*. The night, Laylat al-Qadr,which is better than a thousand months
occurs in this month. Whoever is deprived of the good of this night
has indeed been deprived of goodness altogether.
*. Those fasting receive forgiveness on the last night of Ramadan.
*. Allah saves people from Hellfire during each nightof Ramadan.
My esteemed brother and sister:
How then do we receive the month containing these merits and virtues?
Is it by occupying ourselves with playfulness and spending our nights
with non-beneficial things? Or do we feel burdened and panic at its
arrival? We seek refuge with Allah from such attitudes. The righteous
servants of Allah welcome it with repentance and true determination to
reapits benefits and fully utilizeits precious time. They ask Allah to
help them perform their acts of worship in the best manner. I
therefore present to you my dear brothers and sisters, the righteous
deeds that are stressed during Ramadan.
1. Fasting (Sawm):
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said, "Every good deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied. He will
receive ten-fold to seven-hundred-fold reward for a good deed. Allah
the Glorious and Majestic has said 'but fasting is exceptional, for it
is done for Me and I will give reward for it, since one abandons his
passion and food for My sake. There aretwo occasions of joy for one
who fasts, joy when he breaks it and joy when he meets his Lord; and
the breath (of an observer of fast) is sweeter to Allah than the
fragrance of musk." [Related by AI-Bukhari and Muslim].
Undoubtedly, this great reward will not be for those who only abstain
from food and drink, but as the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Whoever does not
abandon obscene speech and evil action, Allah does not need his
refraining from eating and drinking." [Related by Al-Bukharij. The
Prophet (pbuh) also said, "Fasting is a shield. When anyone of you is
fasting on a day, he shouldneither indulge in obscene language, nor
raise his voice; rather if anyone reviles him or quarrels with him, he
should say, 'I am fasting."' [Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Therefore when you fast, servant of Allah, let your hearing, sight,
tongue and all your limbs fast, so that your fasting and non-fasting
days are not the same.
2. Praying Qiyam Al-Layl:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh.) said, "He who observes the fast of the
month of Ramadan with sincere faith and hope for the reward of Allah
will have his past sins forgiven." [Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Also, Allah says,
"And the servants of Allah most gracious are those who walk on the
earth with humility, and when the ignorant address them,they say
(Peace); Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord
prostrating and standing" [Qur'an 63-64].
Thus, waking up in the night to pray qiyam al-layli.e. performing
prayer in the middle of the night, was a regular act of the Prophet
(pbuh) and his Companions. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said,
"Do not abandon qiyam al-layl, for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never
left it. If he was not well or he felt heavy, he prayed sitting."
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, used to pray at night what he wished, until it
was in the middle of the night, when he would wake up his family to
pray;
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