- Sermons
- /
- Friday Sermons
Bidding farewell to Ramadan; the month of the Quran, patience and forgiveness
Dear brother, as the month of Ramadan passed, we sadly say: farewell O month of Ramadan, O month of self-control, O month of the Noble Qur'an, O month of patience and forgiveness, O month of fasting and night prayers, O month of Allah's Mercy and performing acts of worship which bring us closer to Allah, O month of generosity and beneficence, O month of repentance and being set free from the Hellfire, O month of I'tikaaf (staying in the Masjid for a specific purpose, which to worship Allah), O month of victories and decisive conquests.Dear brother, the month of Ramadan elapsed, and its days and nights passed. The big winners are those who seized this opportunity to perform righteous deeds while the bid losers are those who missed it. Congratulations to those who observed fasting during the days of Ramadan and spent the nights of Ramadan in prayer believing and expecting its recompense from Allah, and what a disappointment to those who got nothing from their fasting except hunger and thirst and who got nothing from the night prayers except staying up at night and getting tired (because of doing worldly things). Congratulations to those whom Allah the Almighty accepted their fasting, while may Allah alleviate the misery of those who were deprived of Allah's Reward and who missed it. Our master Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"If only I know whom Allah has accepted their righteous deeds so I congratulate them, and whom were deprived of Allah's Reward so I console them!"
On the day of Eid Al-Fitr (the feast of breaking the fast), our master Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz, may Allah be pleased with him, delivered a sermon in which he said, "O people, you have observed fasting for the Sake of Allah for 30 days, and you have performed night prayers for 30 nights as well. Today, you should ask Allah the Almighty to accept your fasting and your night prayers."
The wisdom behind fasting
Fasting is prescribed for people in order to strengthen man's will to obey Allah the One and the Judge, to promote sincerity in his heart, to strengthen his spiritual relationship with his Creator and to deepen the concept of submission to Him. When the believer performs the acts of worship as they should be performed, his mind and heart will be enlightened, his sight and insight will be sharp and his thoughts will be as great as his affection; you will not be able to determine which one is greater: his high morals or his deep knowledge, and his overwhelming emotions or his brilliant sharp mind. Thus, when the acts of worship are performed as Allah the Almighty ordered us, the believer will become open-minded, and he will have a sharp sight and logical reasoning. Also, he will experience such a great feeling of happiness that no worldly sensual pleasure can distract him from it, and he will have such a perfect manners that will never be corrupted neither by the strong temptation of the gleaming of gold bars, nor by the terrible fear of tyrants.
After the month of Ramadan passed, the true believer's faith should be as deep-rooted as mountains, as strong as a rock, as bright as the sun, as overflowing as the volcano, as deep as the sea, as clear as the sky, as blooming as spring, as fresh as water, as modest as the virgin and as innocent as the child.
Hence, fasting is prescribed for man in order to defeat his own desires, and so he will lead his ownself to the eternal happiness in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.
The real success is to keep morally disciplined during Ramadan and after it
Dear brother, I wish from the bottom of my heart that the following words will be quite clear to you: The real success is not overcoming your ownself during Ramadan then let it defeat you the rest of the year. This is not the intended target of fasting; it is not about keeping morally disciplined during the month of Ramadan, then slackening off the rest of the year. Thus, the real success is maintaining the victory you achieved during Ramadan over your ownself (the inner control) throughout the whole year.. Also, the real success is not controlling your tongue in Ramadan from backbiting, gossip, and forged statements, then losing control over it when the month of Ramadan is over. Besides, the real success is not purifying your heart, lowering your gaze, refraining from looking at forbidden things and controlling your illegal desires during the month of Ramadan, then getting back to the sinful life you used to live before it. The one who does that is like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong. Thus, the real success is making our limbs fast too (to make our limbs abstain from sinful acts) during the month of Ramadan and after it until we meet Allah the One and the Judge.
The real triumph is not getting fairly concerned about the lawfulness of our actions and behavior during the month of Ramadan lest our fast will not be accepted, then paying no attention to our sinful acts after Ramadan claiming that we are accustomed to do them or that they are habitual activities, but rather it is considering piety as an unchangeable principle and persistent behavior which you show during Ramadan and after it. Also, the real success is not avoiding some meetings which do not please Allah the Almighty out of showing respect to the month of Ramadan, then attending those meetings after the end of Ramadan, as if Allah the Almighty does not watch us in the months of the year! The real triumph is not having the feel that Allah the Almighty watches our duties and actions in Ramadan, then forgetting about this feeling after the end of Ramadan and preferring the fulfillment of our interests to performing our actions and duties faithfully.
Repentance is not limited to the month of Ramadan
By Allah, the One and the Only God, if fasting were about controlling one's desires during the month of Ramadan, and getting back to satisfy them after it, Allah the Almighty would not prescribed fasting in the first place. Actually, fasting is prescribed so that each Ramadan will be a qualitative leap which should have lasting effects on the believer's life. The next Ramadan will be another great leap which should have permanent effects on his life and so on. However, when this leap has short-term effects on the believer's life, and he goes back after Ramadan to commit the sins he used to commit before Ramadan, then this month of fasting will be meaningless.
Consider the following precise words: The one who goes back after Ramadan to the sinful acts he used to commit before Ramadan has grasped neither the reality of fasting nor the essence of Islam. He is exactly like a camel whose owner tied it then released it; it knew neither why it was tied nor why it was released. Likewise, such a man realizes neither why he observes fasting during Ramadan nor why he breaks his fasting after it.
Dear brother, I would like to address the one who missed the opportunity of attaining Allah's Forgiveness in Ramadan: Although Ramadan is the month of repentance and forgiveness, and although the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "May a man upon whom Ramadan enters and then passes, before he is forgiven, be humiliated", repentance is not limited to Ramadan the gates of repentance are wide open throughout the whole year. The proof of that is mentioned in the Noble Ayah below in which Allah the Almighty says:
"Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins."
It means Allah forgives all sins in Ramadan and after Ramadan, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. If Allah the Almighty called those who wronged themselves by committing sins to repent, then those who followed a middle course (with regards to performing righteous deeds) are also called to repent, with greater reason. Actually, Allah's saying is not bound to a particular period of time nor is it limited to a certain place, because Allah is the Creator of time and place, He says:
"O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance! "
Allah the Almighty calls us to repent in every month; in Ramadan, in Shawwal and in all the months of the year. Let me tell those who were not pleased with their fasting or were frustrated during fasting (who did not perform fasting as it should be performed, who did not avoid sins during Ramadan and so on) that all the months of the year are like Ramadan; Allah the One and the Judge is always with you, and He always listens to you. Some scholars said, "The sincere repentance is having your heart filled with remorse, making Istighfar (seeking the Forgiveness of Allah) with your tongue and giving up sins". It was narrated in a Hadith Qudsi that Allah the Almighty says:
"O Son of Adam, as long as you invoke Me and ask Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and you then asked forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the Earth, and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it too"
Repentance is the only way to survive
Dear brother, repentance is the only way to survive when man is surrounded by his sins, it is the safety valve when man is overburdened by his sins, it corrects his path when he is misguided by his whims and illicit desires and it is the Firm Rope of Allah when man is engulfed by his sins. Thus, it is out of the Great Mercy of Allah the Almighty that He opens the gates of repentance for us. Furthermore He says:
"Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves (by taking a bath and cleaning and washing thoroughly their private parts, bodies, for their prayers, etc.)."
Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance in Ramadan, after Ramadan and in every month of the year.
Richness and poverty are only evaluated after being presented before Allah
Dear brother, so far we've discussed the subject of repentance in the month of Ramadan. As for the righteous deeds which bring the believer closer to Allah the Almighty, they are not restricted to the month of Ramadan, absolutely not. The chance to perform righteous deeds is available in all the months of the year, and the ways to perform good deeds which draw you near to the Creator are as many as the number of the creatures; everyday you can give Sadaqah, be generous to the poor, sponsor an orphan, spend money for the Sake of Allah and perform whatever act of worship you wish. Thus Ramadan seems to be an exceptional intensive course, during which the believer achieves a qualitative leap that should last after Ramadan.
Dear brother, the righteous deed is the believer's lifeblood just as food and drinks which are essential for his body. Accordingly, poverty is the lack of righteous deeds; if someone has 100 billion of any hard currency, he is considered impoverished in the Sight of Allah the Almighty as richness and poverty are only estimated after being presented before Him. Thus, richness is doing so many good deeds, while poverty is having no good deeds.
Richness and poverty have to do with the righteous deeds
Dear brother, When Prophet Musa (Moses), peace be upon him, watered the flocks for the two daughters of Prophet Shu'aib, peace be upon him, he said:"and said: "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!"
The scholars deduced from this Noble Ayah that the thing which you desperately need is the righteous deed. Some people spend their life eating, drinking, staying up late at night, having evenings of entertainment and doing many activities and business for their own benefits, but when the angel of death comes, they realize that they have no good deed (by which they can meet with Allah on the Day of Resurrection), so they are considered the poorest. Hence, richness is having plenty of righteous deeds, and poverty is having none. Keep in mind that not all righteous deeds need money to be preformed (both the poor and the rich can do a righteous deed). The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"You (people) cannot satisfy people with your wealth, but satisfy them with your cheerful faces and good morals."
"Saying a good word is Sadaqah"
Some of those righteous deeds are keeping good relation with kinship, calling people to Allah, being fair, etc. There is a large number of righteous deeds which can be performed even by the poor. Therefore, the one who is poor in the worldly life may be rich in the Sight of Allah, while the one who is wealthy in the worldly life may be extremely poor in the Sight of Allah.Repentance removes obstacles and righteous deeds bring man closer to Allah
Dear brother, in this lecture I've focused on two things which should be attained during Ramadan and should last after it: They are repentance and performing righteous deeds. In short, every sin is an obstacle which stands in your way of getting closer to Allah. The one who repents to Allah removes these obstacles one by one, but the one who never repents to Allah will be prevented from getting closer to Him because of the obstacles (sins) that which blocks his way. Thus, there are two essential steps: Repentance which removes all the obstacles in your way to Allah, and performing righteous deeds which is important since repentance alone is not sufficient. After removing obstacles, you should perform righteous deeds in order to draw you near to Allah. Allah the Almighty says:"And the righteous deeds exalt it (the goodly words i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allah unless and until they are followed by good deeds),"
Repentance is to refrain from committing sins and accepting ill-gotten gains. Besides, repentance removes the obstacles in your way to Allah, and the righteous deeds bring you closer to Allah and to Paradise. Allah the Almighty says:"So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord."
The righteous deed is a manifestation of having faith
Dear brother, performing righteous deeds is a manifestation of having faith. Furthermore, when faith becomes quite firm in the believer's heart, it expresses itself in actions. There is nothing called inactive faith or faith that is based on passive admiration. Having faith is not about passive admiration of Islam, lack of religious commitment, lack of giving advice, lack of giving Sadaqah or lack of Da'wah to Allah. On the contrary, having faith means being active, and when the believer's faith becomes deep-rooted in his heart, it is manifested in the good deeds he does to sh3er. It was narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him said:
"All creatures are Allah's dependants, and the most loved ones by Him are the most helpful to His dependants."
Allah the Almighty says:
"For all there will be degrees (or ranks) according to what they did."
The main conditions for the accepted righteous deed
Dear brother, when is the righteous deed accepted by Allah the Almighty? It is accepted when it meets two conditions: Sincerity and correctness. Sincerity is achieved when the righteous deed is performed for the Sake of Allah the Almighty Alone, and correctness means the righteous deed is performed according to the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Thus, make sure that your righteous deed meets these two conditions, lest it will not be accepted. In fact not every righteous deed is accepted by Allah the Almighty; people have innovated means through which they perform their good deeds. However, these deeds are not accepted by Allah. For example, they donate the proceeds of a concert to the orphans.
Let me repeat again: The righteous deed is not accepted unless it is correct, i.e. it is according to the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and unless it is performed for the Sake of Allah the Almighty Alone. Actually, spending only one dirham with sincerity is better that spending a thousand dirhams with the intention of showing off. The Prophet, peace be upon him, narrated in a Hadith Qudsi that Allah the Almighty says:
"I Am so Self-Sufficient that I Am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else's sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me."
Violating Allah's Limits when man is alone makes deeds worthless
Furthermore, the righteous deed is not accepted unless it is not mixed with a bad one. It was narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"Two Rak'at performed by a pious man are better than a thousand Rak'ah performed by someone who mixes good deeds with bad ones"
Unfortunately, most Muslims nowadays mix righteous deeds with bad ones."Two Rak'at performed by a pious man are better than a thousand Rak'ah performed by someone who mixes good deeds with bad ones"
Moreover, whose little sense of piety does not stop committing sins when he is alone, makes Allah the Almighty pay no attention to any of his righteous deeds. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"I certainly know people of my nation who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of Tihamah, but Allah will make them like scattered dust." Thawban said: "O Messenger of Allah, describe them to us and tell us more, so that we will not become of them unknowingly." He said: "They are your brother and from your race, worshipping at night as you do, but they will be people who, when they are alone, transgress the sacred limits of Allah."
Thus, the righteous deed is not accepted when it is mixed with a bad one. Besides, the righteous deed is given preference over the supererogatory act of worship. Ibn Umar, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, "I prefer helping one of my brother in faith fulfill his need to performing supererogatory fasting for a month or to performing I'tikaaf ". Regarding this point, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:"Do favor to those who deserve it as well as to those who do not. If your favor meets those who deserve it, they are worthy of it, but if your favor meets those who do not deserve it, it is you who are worthy of it"
Dear brother, since today is the day before the last one of Ramadan, you should pay attention to these points. You should keep on doing righteous deeds after Ramadan; you should keep on getting closer to Allah, turning to Him in repentance, performing righteous deeds and performing Al-Fajr (dawn) prayer and Al-Isha (the night prayer) in the Masjid. It was narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:"Whoever prays Al-Fajr prayer with congregation will be under the Protection of Allah until the evening, and whoever prays Isha' with congregation will be under the Protection of Allah until the morning."
The signs of the accepted fasting and the accepted night prayers
1-Bing in a better spiritual situation after Ramadan than that before it
Dear brother, consider the following critical point: Do not you wonder whether your fasting, righteous deeds, and night prayers were accepted or not? Should not you inquire about the signs of the accepted righteous deeds? One of the signs of the accepted fasting or the accepted night prayers is that the spiritual situation of the believer after Ramadan is better that his last situation before it; if you perform the acts of worship in a better way after Ramadan than before it, if you treat sh3er in a better way and if you adhere to Allah's Orders after Ramadan more firmly than before it, then know for sure that your fasting was accepted. Nevertheless, if you return to your previous situation before Ramadan, then know for sure that your fasting was not accepted.2-Turing to Allah with sincere repentance from all sins and wrongdoings
After Ramadan, we should turn to Allah with sincere repentance from all sins and wrongdoings, and we should determine that after Ramadan we will be in a better spiritual situation than our last one before it. Verily, he is the big loser whoever obeys Allah during Ramadan, then disobeys Him in the other months of the year.
3-Being deeply concerned about having his good deeds accepted
Another sign of having your deeds accepted is that you greatly fear that Allah the Almighty may not accept your righteous deeds. Our master Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to be more worried about the acceptance of their righteous deed than about performing the deed itself." The main thing is to have your good deed accepted by Allah the Almighty. When you have this major concern, you are one of those who succeeded in the month of Ramadan. Allah the Almighty says:
"Verily, Allah accepts only from those who are Al-Muttaqun."
4-Being grateful to Allah for helping us perform fasting and Qiyaam perfectly:
Dear brother, the last point is that we should thank Allah the Almighty for helping us observe fasting during the month of Ramadan and perform the night prayers, as many Muslims were deprived of this great righteous deed.
Dear brother, the tiredness of performing the act of obedience goes away with the passage of time, but its reward remains forever, while the pleasure of the sin fades away after a while, but its burden remains forever.
We ask Allah the Almighty to keep us alive to witness the month of Ramadan next year, and the other months of Ramadan which comes after it while our relationship with Allah the Almighty and our relationship with people are in a better situation.
Fasting Ramadan then following it with six days of Shawwal
Dear brother, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"Whoever fasts Ramadan, then follows it with six from Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime."
This Noble Hadith includes social, religious, healthy indications. The healthy indication is that the sudden shift from the state of fasting- which requires refraining from eating and drinking to the normal state causes health problems. Therefore, there should be a gradual shift from fasting thirty days to fasting six consecutive or non-consecutive days. The social indication is that perhaps your wife was not able to fast for some days of Ramadan because of a religious excuse (because of her menstrual period for example), so when you fast together the six days of Shawwal, you will not let her fast alone making compensating the missed days of fasting, and so she will be happy with this noble gesture of you. The religious indication is mentioned in the following Noble Hadith Qudsi in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, narrated that Allah the Almighty says:
"And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary prayers or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) until I love him…"
Fasting six days of Shawwal is one of these voluntary acts of worship.
"(so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection (refuge), I will surely protect him. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him."
A wise saying of Imam Ali, may Allah be pleased with him
Dear brother, consider the following wise saying of Imam Ali, may Allah be pleased with him:
"Certainly nothing is worse than evil except its punishment and nothing is better than good except its reward. In this worldly life, everything that is heard is better than what is seen (the pleasures of the worldly life are less enjoyable than what you heard about them), while as for the Hereafter, what is seen is better than what is heard (the bliss of Paradise is greater than what you heard about it). Thus, you should satisfy yourself by hearing rather than seeing and by the news of the unknown. You should know that what is little in this world but much in the Hereafter is better than what is much in this world but little in the Hereafter. In how many cases having little is profitable while having much causes loss. Certainly that which you have been commanded to do is wider than what you have been refrained from (for example the lawful ways to make money are more than the illegal ones), and what has been made lawful for you is more than what has been prohibited. Then give up what is less for what is much, and what is limited for what is wide. Allah has guaranteed your livelihood and has commanded you to act. Therefore, the pursuit of that which has been guaranteed to you should not get preference over that whose performance has been enjoined upon you. So, hasten towards good actions and dread the suddenness of death."
I say my words, and I ask the Forgiveness of Allah, the Most Great, for me and for you. Dear brother, ask His Forgiveness, so that you will be forgiven, as those who are forgiven will be the successful ones.
***
The second Khutbah:
Praise be to Allah, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Protector of righteous people; and I bear witness that Prophet Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, whose character is exalted. O Allah, our Lord, have peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad, upon his Folks the good and purified and upon his Companions.
The happiest people are those who recognize Allah's Favors upon them.
Dear brother, many people enjoy countless blessings but they do not recognize them. Pay attention to these words: So long as you have a house which you dwell in, no matter how many square meters it is, so long as you have food to eat and so long as you have clothes to wear, you are wealthier than 75% of the world population. Whoever owns or rents a house, whoever lives in the lower floor of the building or the upper one of it and whoever lives in a big or a small flat he is wealthier than 75% of people all over the world since you own the key of the place you live in. If you travel to some Asian countries, you will find that some people live on sidewalks, and they even marry and give birth to their children on the sidewalks or in boats. Thus, you should recognize Allah's Favor upon you.
If you have some money in your pocket, and if you can save some of them for hard times, you are among the richest 8% of the world population. In other words, if you have enough money to fulfill your basic needs, and you have an amount of money as surplus cash- no matter how small it is, you are among the richest 8% of the world population. If you wake up physically healthy, you enjoy one of the great Blessings of Allah the Almighty, because there are one million people in the world who will not live for more than a week due to their illness. If you have never suffered the destruction of war, the loneliness of being in prison and the unbearable brutal torture, your situation is better than 5 million people in the world. If you can perform your prayers in a Masjid without fearing to be tortured for being in this place, to be brutally treated, to be arrested or to be killed, you are enjoying a great blessing which 3 billion people in the world are deprived of.
You can go to a Masjid in order to listen to a Friday sermon or to listen to an Islamic lecture. No one really appreciates this blessing except those who miss it. By the Bounty of Allah the Almighty, we enjoy this blessing in our good country. If your parents are still alive, and they live together; they are not divorced, then your situation is rare. If you can smile and thank Allah the Almighty, this is a great blessing, because there are many people who cannot force a smile due to their serious worries. If you can read these words, your situation is better than 2 billion people who are illiterate.
Dear brother, you can be the happiest person in the world when you appreciate Allah's blessings upon you, but when man just look for what he misses, and he forgets about the blessings he has, this will definitely make him unhappy.
Dear brother, I will make Du'a so say Ameen after me:
Invocation
O Allah, we beseech You to show us the way of righteousness together with those to whom You showed it; and to give us good health together with those whom You have healed; and to be our Protector, as You are of those whom You protect; and to bless what You have bestowed on us; and to save us from the affliction that You have decreed –for You rule with justice and You are never judged; and he whom You protect shall never be humiliated, and he whom You make Your enemy shall never be elevated, blessed and dignified are You. We thank You for what You have decreed, we ask You for Forgiveness for our sins, and we repent to You.
O Allah, please lead us to the good deeds, for no one leads to them but You; please lead us to the good conduct, for no one leads to it but You; please make us do well in the Deen, which is our dignity, make us do well in our worldly life, in which we dwell and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment, for it is our Final Destination. O Allah, please supply our life with all good things and make our death a rest from every evil.
O our Master, Lord of the Worlds, please make us desire what You have made lawful and reject what You have made unlawful, make us by Your benevolence independent of all sh3er and make our obedience to You turn us away from our disobedience.
O Allah, by Your Mercy and Benevolence, raise high the word of truth and this Deen, grant triumph to Islam, dignify Muslims and grant triumph to Muslims all around the world. O Allah, show us Your Omnipotence against Your enemies, You are the Most Generous.
