AbdurRahman.Org

Welcoming Ramadhān – Shaykh ‘Abdurrazzāq al Badr [Video|Ar-En subtitles]
https://youtu.be/vwa5NHcesZQ [14 min]

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists. And I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone without any partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger ﷺ and upon his family and all his companions.

اللَّهُمَّ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا، اللَّهُمَّ عَلِّمْنَا مَا يَنْفَعُنَا، وَانْفَعْنَا بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنَا، وَزِدْنَا عِلْماً، وَأَصْلِحْ لَنَا شَأْنَنَا كُلَّهُ، وَلَا تَكِلْنَا إِلَى أَنْفُسِنَا طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ

Allāhumma lā ‘ilma lanā illā mā ‘allamtanā. Allāhumma ‘allimnā mā yanfa’unā, wanfa’nā bimā ‘allamtanā, wa zidnā ‘ilman, wa aṣliḥ lanā sha’nana kullah, wa lā takilnā ilā anfusinā ṭarfata ‘ayn.

O Allah, we have no knowledge except what you have taught us. O Allah, teach us that which will benefit us, and increase us in knowledge, and rectify all of our affairs, and don’t leave us to our own for even a blink of an eye.

Noble brothers, we are on the threshold of a blessed month, and a tremendous season. Its days are getting close and its approach is near, in what this month brings from tremendous virtues and abundant blessings, and what it includes from forgiveness of sins, and expiation of evil deeds, and being freed from the Fire. So it’s befitting for every Muslim to be well prepared for this month and to be ready with a righteous intention, a good plan, lofty ambitions, high determination, seriousness, effort and diligence on taking advantage of the time of this blessed month, its nights and its days. And SubhānAllāh! The Muslims aren’t rejoicing with each other in its arrival except for that it’s for a few moments and then their bidding farewell to this tremendous season. It leaves as quickly as it comes.

We performed the previous Ramadhān with elders, youth, men, and women, however death came between them and this month and it stopped them from reaching it. Due to this, it’s considered a tremendous achievement that the slave reaches this month of goodness and this tremendous season.

Our Prophet ﷺ used to bring the good news to his companions with its arrival due to its tremendous significance and lofty status and its elevated station. “This is Ramadhān. It has come to you.” This is what the Prophet ﷺ would say. “This is Ramadhān. It has come to you. The doors of Paradise are open. The gates of the Fire are locked. And the Shayāṭīn are chained.”

“And a caller announces every night, ‘O seeker of good come forward, and O seeker of evil withhold, and there are many whom Allah frees from the Fire – and that is every night.”

(يَا بَاغِيَ الْخَيْرِ أَقْبِلْ، وَيَا بَاغِيَ الشَّرِّ أَقْصِرْ، وَلِلَّهِ عُتَقَاءُ مِنَ النَّارِ، وَذَلكَ كُلُّ لَيْلَةٍ)
(Yā bāghiya al-khayri aqbil, wa yā bāghiya ash-sharri aqṣir, wa lillāhi ‘utaqā’u min an-nār, wa dhālika kullu laylah).

These tremendous virtues that this blessed month is distinguished by excites the hearts with desire to reach it, and to be from its people, and to be successful in attaining its goodness and its blessings. And the preparation for this month is, what was mentioned, with a righteous intention and certain determination to perform righteous deeds and righteous acts of worship and gaining closeness to Allāh ﷻ and the striving of the soul upon that.

So it’s a must to know that the enemies of this religion realize the virtue of this month and its tremendous station, and due to this before its arrival they plot and plan on how to deprive the Muslim youth and their children from the virtues of this month. Due to this, the amount of entertainment, films, amusement increases in a way that you don’t find in other than Ramadhān, to the extent that it is thought that in some places the people have entered a season of entertainment and games. And so the attention of many of the youth have been diverted to these means of entertainment and games and the watching of films that have been prepared several months before Ramadhān so that the youth will miss out on attaining the goodness of this tremendous month.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever stands in the night prayer during Ramadan out of faith and seeking his reward, then all of his previous sins will be forgiven.”

(مَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ)
(Man qāma Ramaḍāna īmānan wa-ḥtisāban ghufira lahu mā taqaddama min dhanbihi).

And the enemies of the religion don’t want the Muslims to attain this forgiveness. They even want them to miss Laylat al-Qadr. And it is a night Allāh emphatically proclaimed its affair and its greatness.

﴾وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ * لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ﴿
(Wa mā adrāka mā laylatul-qadr. Laylatul-qadri khayrun min alfi shahr).
﴾And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is? The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months)﴿ al-Qadr:2,3. A thousand months, in other words, more than eighty years not including Laylat al-Qadr. Laylat al-Qadr is better than more than eighty years, not including Laylat al-Qadr.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “The lifespan of my Ummah is between sixty to seventy.”

(أَعْمَارُ أُمَّتِي مَا بَيْنَ السِّتِّينَ إِلَى السَّبْعِينَ)
(A’māru ummatī mā bayna as-sittīna ilá as-sab’īn).

Meaning; one night is better than an average lifespan of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ.

And despite that you find some of the Muslims pass by the nights of Ramadhān, rather they pass by the nights that are assumed to be Laylat al-Qadr, and they don’t realize it’s importance and they don’t understand it has a high station and they don’t feel anything from its significance. And so they spend it like any other night. And this, by Allāh, is a tremendous calamity; rather it’s a great deprivation.

Our noble Prophet ﷺ said,

“Deprived is the individual who the month of Ramadhān enters upon him, then leaves before he is forgiven.”

(رَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُلٍ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَمَضَانُ ثُمَّ انْسَلَخَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُغْفَرَ لَهُ)
(Raghima anfu rajulin dakhala ‘alayhi Ramaḍānu thumma insalakha qabla an yughfara lah).

In other words, an individual reaches Ramadhān, he reaches this virtuous and tremendous month that excites the soul to repentance and returning (to Allāh) and turning to the obedience of Allāh ﷻ. It energizes the soul towards goodness and competition in worship and hastening to the acts of obedience. All the while the individual goes on upon his heedlessness and his entertainment, turning away and his rejection. So verily this month comes and goes while he is in his state of heedlessness and loss.

So it is obligatory upon the Muslim to firstly be conscious of the significance of this month and its tremendous station and that he has entered a tremendous season for profit and gain. Look at it through the perspective of the traders of the Dunyā; exerting their efforts in acquiring wealth how they attach importance to the profitable trading seasons. If the affair requires from them to travel to distant lands, they travel in order to acquire a large profit and a greater gain. And this is the blessed season of the tremendous month of Ramadhān. It is from the greatest of seasons for trading for the Hereafter, from the greatest seasons to make a profitable trade is the trade of the Hereafter.

So it’s obligatory upon the Muslim to prepare himself for this month, so that he takes advantage of it and places for himself a good, beneficial plan, so if he puts for himself a plan he’ll commit himself to it. Look at an example of a plan of one of the Salaf when Ramadhān came. He said, “It is only for feeding the people food and reading the Qur’ān.” This is a plan he placed for himself in the month of Ramadhān. So when Ramadhān enters, what will you do? Specify your goals and your deeds. Organize your time. Don’t miss the Tarāwīh prayer and the Qiyām al-Layl. Don’t miss out on remembering Allāh abundantly during the time of fasting. The greatest of those fasting in regards to rewards with Allāh, most of them during their fasting are in the remembrance of Allāh.

Whoever fasts during the day from food and drink and the rest of the things that nullify the fast, however, for example, he sleeps from Fajr to Dhuhr, is he the same as the one who spends his fast reading the Qur’ān? Is their fasting the same? Is both of their fasting equal? No, by Allāh! Yes, this fasting person is fulfilling the obligation and the other is as well, however the both are not equal.

A principle with the people of knowledge is that the people with the greatest rewards in regards to every act of obedience, are those that remember Allah the most (while doing the act of obedience). The greatest rewards of those fasting are the ones who remember Allah the most when they are fasting. The greatest rewards of those performing ‘Umrah are the ones who remember Allah the most when they are performing ‘Umrah. The greatest rewards of those performing Hajj are the ones who remember Allah the most when they are performing Hajj. And likewise is the case for every act of obedience, because the remembrance of Allāh is the essence of obedience and the core of the acts of worship. Fasting, Hajj, Ṣalāt and the other acts of worship have only been legislated to establish the remembrance of Allāh ﷻ.

So if an individual prepares a plan for himself for this tremendous month and blessed season and places for himself a plan, then he will be diligent upon committing himself in what he has organized for himself in regards to planning for this month.

And the soul alongside striving in it’s cause and seeking assistance with the Lord ﷻ will attain a lot of good as the Prophet ﷺ said,

“Be diligent upon what benefits you and seek the assistance of Allah and don’t tire.”

(احْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ، وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللهِ وَلَا تَعْجِزْ)
(Iḥriṣ ‘alā mā yanfa‘uka, wasta‘in billāhi wa lā ta‘jiz).

A treatise of mine was printed under the title “The Month of Ramadhān Has Come” I elaborated some things in it related to the preparation of this blessed month. Perhaps reading it and looking over it would be an assistance by the permission of Allāh ﷻ to be well prepared for this tremendous and blessed season.

I ask Allāh the Magnificent, Lord of the magnificent Throne, by His beautiful Names and Loft Attributes to make us reach Ramadhān, and to give us success in attaining the bounties of its days and its nights, and to aid us in it upon His remembrance, and being grateful to Him, and perfecting our worship to Him and to rectify all of our affairs, and to not leave us to our own for even a blink of an eye.

I ask Allāh ﷻ to make this season an advance for us to goodness and virtues and nearness and to grant us its good and its blessings and to make us all in this tremendous season from those who are freed from the fire and to rectify all of our affairs, verily He ﷻ is The All-Hearer and the Most Near.

O Allāh, set aright for us our religion that is the safeguard of our affairs and set aright for us the affairs of our world wherein is our living. And set aright for us Our Hereafter on which depends our after-life. And make the life for us a source of abundance for every good and make our death a source of comfort for us protecting us against every evil.

(اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِي، وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ، وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ)

(Allāhumma aṣliḥ lī dīnī alladhī huwa ‘iṣmatu amrī, wa aṣliḥ lī dunyāya allatī fīhā ma’āshī, wa aṣliḥ lī ākhiratī allatī fīhā ma’ādī, waj’alil-ḥayāta ziyādatan lī fī kulli khayr, waj’alil-mawta rāḥatan lī min kulli sharr).

O Allāh, grant our souls its uprightness, and purify it, You are the best of those who purify. You are its guardian and master. O Allah, accept our repentance, and wash our sins, and make our evidence firm, and guide our hearts, and make our tongues upright, and remove the rancor from our chests.

(اللَّهُمَّ آتِ نَفْسِي تَقْوَاهَا، وَزَكِّهَا أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا، أَنْتَ وَلِيُّهَا وَمَوْلَاهَا. اللَّهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْ تَوْبَتَنَا وَاغْسِلْ حَوْبَتَنَا وَثَبِّتْ حُجَّتَنَا وَاهْدِ قُلُوبَنَا وَسَدِّدْ أَلْسِنَتَنَا وَاسْلُلْ سَخِيمَةَ صُدُورِنَا)

(Allāhumma āti nafsī taqwāhā, wa zakkihā anta khayru man zakkāhā, anta waliyyuhā wa mawlāhā. Allāhumma taqabbal tawbatanā waghsil ḥawbatanā wa thabbit ḥujjatanā wahdi qulūbanā wa saddid alsinatanā waslul sakhīmata ṣudūrinā).

O Allah, apportion for us such fear that should serve as a barrier between us and acts of disobedience; and such obedience that will take us to Your Paradise; and such certainty that will make easy for us to bear in the calamities of this world.

(اللَّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ مَا تَحُولُ بِهِ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ مَعَاصِيكَ، وَمِنْ طَاعَتِكَ مَا تُبَلِّغُنَا بِهِ جَنَّتَكَ، وَمِنَ الْيَقِينِ مَا تُهَوِّنُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا مَصَائِبَ الدُّنْيَا)

(Allāhumma-qsim lanā min khashyatika mā taḥūlu bihī baynanā wa bayna ma’āṣīk, wa min ṭā’atika mā tuballighunā bihī jannatak, wa min al-yaqīni mā tuhawwinu bihī ‘alaynā maṣā’ib ad-dunyā).

O Allāh! let us enjoy our hearing, our sight and our power as long as You keep us alive and make our heirs from our own offspring, and make our revenge restricted to those who oppress us, and support us against those who are hostile to us let no tribulation afflict our Religion; and let not worldly affairs be our main concern, or the limit of our knowledge, and let not those rule over us who do not show mercy to us!

(اللَّهُمَّ مَتِّعْنَا بِأَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُوَّتِنَا مَا أَحْيَيْتَنَا، وَاجْعَلْهُ الْوَارِثَ مِنَّا، وَاجْعَلْ ثَأْرَنَا عَلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَنَا، وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى مَنْ عَادَانَا، وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مُصِيبَتَنَا فِي دِينِنَا، وَلَا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا، وَلَا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا، وَلَا تُسَلِّطْ عَلَيْنَا مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمُنَا)

(Allāhumma matti’nā bi-asmā’inā wa abṣārinā wa quwwatinā mā aḥyaytanā, waj’alhul-wāritha minnā, waj’al tha’ranā ‘alā man ẓalamanā, wanṣurnā ‘alā man ‘ādānā, wa lā taj’al muṣībatanā fī dīninā, wa lā taj’al ad-dunyā akbara hamminā, wa lā mablagha ‘ilminā, wa lā tusalliṭ ‘alaynā man lā yarḥamunā).

O Allāh, You are free from every imperfection and praise be to You. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.

(سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ)
(Subḥānaka Allāhumma wa biḥamdika, ash-hadu an lā ilāha illā anta, astaghfiruka wa atūbu ilayk).

O Allah send Salāt and Salam upon your slave and messenger, our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

—

Ramadhan (Main Page):
https://abdurrahman.org/ramadhan/