The month of good deeds has come

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

The month of good deeds has come

Hosam Ibn `Abdul-`Aziz Al Jibrin



Translated by: Alamgeer Usmani.




Praise be to Allah, the Mighty, the Forgiving, the Most High, the Thankful who legislated fasting to magnify piety in the hearts, and make greater reward to those who fast, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner, and I bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him and upon his family and upon companions.


After that, I advise you and myself to adopt piety, because it is the provision for the abode of hereafter, and to be thankful for the abundant blessings of Allah the Almighty.


Dear fasting people, whenever the crescent of Ramadan appears, it brings back the blessed days and blessings to the Muslim.


It is a month in which fasting people get purified and troubles of life are removed from their foreheads. Muslims and pious people receive it happily having great enthusiasms in their hearts.

أَتَى رَمَضَانُ مَزْرَعَةُ الْعِبَادِ
لتَطْهِيرِ الْقُلُوبِ مِنَ الْفَسَادِ

فَأَدِّ حُقُوقَهُ قَوْلاً وَفِعْلاً
وَزَادَكَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ لِلْمَعَادِ

وَمَنْ زَرَعَ الْحُبُوبَ وَمَا سَقَاهَا
تَأَوَّهَ نَادِمًا يَوْمَ الْحَصَادِ

(Ramadan came which is the farm for the servants to purify the hearts from impurity.


So, fulfill the rights of Ramadan both in word and in deed and, make it provision for hereafter.


And he who sowed grains and did not water them, he will sigh on the day of harvest.)


Fasting is a secret between the Creator and the creature in which the slave achieves the lesson of sincerity. So that servant can do all other acts of worship with sincerity and by being away from showing off. The patience over the sludge of thirst and the bitterness of hunger is found in fasting. The reward of fasting people is one of the gates of Paradise, from which no one else will enter. The fasting contains a reminder of the state of hungry and poor people. The poor and the affluent are equal in it, they observe fast for their Lord, they ask forgiveness for their sin, they discontinue taking food at the same time, and break their fast at the same time, and they are equal throughout the day as regard to hunger and thirst; so that the words of Allah can be true regarding them:

إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ [الأنبياء: 92]

“Surely, this is the fraternity of your Faith, a single Faith, and I am your Lord; so, worship Me”.


The nights of this month are the diadem for the nights of the year, in which servant finds blessed times to talk his lord secretly. The Prophet - may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him - says: “The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer”. Narrated by Muslim and the companions of the Sunnahs in a chain of transmission traceable to the Prophet, and authenticated by Al-Albani.


And prophet PBUH said: 'If a man prays with the Imam until he leaves, that will be continued for him as if he spent the whole night in prayer.”.


So, be keen - may Allah protect you - on performing night prayers so that you can get the reward for it.


And he who does not show patient in obeying his Lord, and his soul does not settle in love of Allah, he has to undergo disobedience and humiliation.


Dear friends, Ramadan is an opportunity to revive the heart, to awaken it from its sluggishness and slumber, and to nourish faith with “love of Allah, hope for Him and fear of Him.” Ramadan is a station to replenish the qualities of piety. In Ramadan, there are valuable opportunities to strengthen the relationship with Allah and to get closeness to Him.


Fasting corrects souls, leads to the acquisition of praise, and distances from evil, by which, sins are forgiven, evil acts are expiated, and good deeds are increased: “Allah's Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, "Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven." Agreed upon.


According to the Bukhari: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) 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.)"


Ramadan is the month of obedience, righteousness, charity, forgiveness, mercy and contentment. Allah's Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) 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." Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.


And according to Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and which is authenticated by Al-Albani: that the Messenger of Allah said: "On the first night of the month of Ramadan, the Shayatin are shackled, the jinns are restrained, the gates of the Fires are shut such that no gate among them would be opened. The gates of Paradise are opened such that no gate among them would be closed, and a caller calls: 'O seeker of the good; come near!' and 'O seeker of evil; stop! For there are those whom Allah frees from the Fire.' And that is every night."


The one who are shackled, are the devils of jinn, as for the devils of mankind, they are not shackled, they remain on their conditions. so, beware of them.


O fasting people, frivolous and fallen satellite channels are active during Ramadan, as it is surprisingly observed. They ask a man: What is the relationship of Ramadan, which is the month of worship and has a special status in the Islamic faith, with artistic, dramatic and entertainment productions?


And the matter becomes worst when these programs spread nudity, obscenity and what leads to it.


So, my blessed brother, be careful to preserve your reward, and keep occupying your time in goodness and obedience, and at least do not spend it on what goes against you.


Brothers in faith,
Ramadan is an educational school in which the believing Muslim is trained to strengthen the will to maximize the sacred things, and he is trained to submit to the order of the Lord of the earth and the heavens. A Muslim achieves, with that, the piety which Allah wanted from fasting this month:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ [البقرة: 183]

“O you who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as they were enjoined upon those before you, so that you may be God-fearing”.


The month of Ramadan is a great opportunity to stand against the soul and hold it accountable to correct what has passed, and to make up for what is to come, especially since in this month the demons of the jinn have been chained up. So let us avoid the sins and abominations from what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and let us - may Allah take care of you - increase abidance by the duties and obligations, and let us do acts of Sunnah and recommended actions abundantly. Because the good deeds eliminate bad deeds.


May Allah benefited me and you with the Book and the Sunnah, and with the verses and wisdom which He has expressed in them, and ask Allah’s forgiveness. Because, He is Forgiving.

Second Sermon

Praise be to Allah, the One who guides and assists, we worship Him alone and we seek help from Him alone. Prayers and peace be upon the one who is honest and trustworthy, and upon his family, companions and upon those who follow them in goodness.


Afterwards,
So here are- my blessed brother - some quick and nice lessons of this divine hadith, which is brought out by Bukhari and Muslim that Allah, the Majestic and the Exalted, said: Every act of the son of Adam is for him except fasting. It is done for My sake, and I will give a reward for it".


In a Muslim's wording: "Every (good) deed of the son of Adam would be multiplied, a good deed receiving a tenfold to seven hundredfold rewards. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has said: With the exception of fasting, for it is done for Me and I will give a reward for it”.


The first lesson: that this exception: (except for fasting) indicates the honor of this honorable worship (fasting).


The second lesson: that Allah - the Almighty and Majestic - attached “giving reward” to His generous Self, and the gift is given in proportion to the giver of it, Allah the Almighty is Rich, Generous. So, he will perform this duty very well. Because the fasting is not just abstaining from eating and drinking as the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: "Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e., telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink." as stated by Al-Bukhari.


The third lesson: The question is: Why is the “fast” more special among other acts of worship? (Except for fasting, it is for me and I will reward for it), although all the acts of worship draw closer to Allah? In response to that, it is said: There are many opinions of the people of knowledge, and among the strongest of what has been said about that is:
Fasting is an act of worship that does not draw close to the people unlike others. Because some people are found who prays, gives money in charity, slaughters and supplicates for someone other than Allah the Almighty. As for fasting, it does not involve shirk unlike other deeds, and it is not mentioned that the polytheists used to fast for their idols and their gods, so fasting is only for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.


And it is said: Because the Qisas (retaliation) applies in the deeds of the children of Adam, and the opponents will take revenge on the Day of Resurrection from those who wronged with them in this world. Except for fasting. Because, Allah preserves it and opponents will not prevail over it, and it would be safe for its owner with Allah- the Almighty - and this is evidenced by a hadith: “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”. Narrated by Al-Bukhari.


And it was said: Fasting is an inward act that only Allah- Glory be to Him – knows it. It is a hearty intention unlike other actions. Because they appear and people see them. As for fasting, it is an act between the servant and his Lord the Almighty and Majestic.


Oh Allah, help us to fast Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's reward, and help us to perform night prayers out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, Oh Allah, make the Holy Quran the spring of our hearts.