The month of Ramadan, metaphorically speaking, is a flower whose petals evoke the Divine Beauty, His (Allah’s) wisdom as well as His mercy towards the believers.
This blessed month is a
sign, a reminder for the believer, whereby he needs to prepare his timetable,
schedule his time in such a way that he takes full advantage of all the
spiritual blessings and favours that Ramadan brings with it and the believer
must do his best to maximise all this, where he satisfies the thirst of his
soul, and even of his own body, whereby he rids himself of all negativity, and
concentrates more on acts of Ibaadat (worship) in order to succeed in achieving
Sakina (tranquillity) – be it in his daily life and his spiritual life
as well, and whereby this awakens his conscience towards Allah and strengthens
his Iman (faith), and he turns to Allah and gives the sign of an
accomplished (fulfilling) Islam (within him and in his everyday life).
What are those acts of Ibaadat?
These are the obligatory (Farz) and voluntary (Nafl) Salat,
reciting the Holy Quran, increasing the practice of Tasbihs and Zikr’ullah,
and that which is important also – for him (the believer) who wants to benefit
from Ramadan to the maximum, and to receive divine forgiveness for all past
sins – is that he needs to correct his behaviour in his daily life on this
earth. This is a golden opportunity for all the fasters who need to get up
early in the morning to take the Suhur (meal before the fast) – or we
can call it Sehri. So, we need to ponder: but why don’t we try to benefit
a little more, sacrifice a little more? Why don’t we get up fifteen minutes
earlier in order to perform Salat-ul-Tahajjud and Duahs? This
will be counted as an increase in the number of good deeds that Allah (twa)
greatly appreciates. And the Duahs - the kind of Duahs that are
acceptable in the Sight of Allah - that you make during Salat-ul-Tahajjud
and after Tahajjud are also answered by Allah (twa). Insha-Allah.
Ramadan also marks the
necessity of a return to the sources that revives the faith; such faith that
sometimes ends up becoming light, inconsistent, and losing footing. Ramadan
becomes a new chance, a new start so that a believer can shake himself back to
reality (to the reality of the truth and the opportunity being offered to him
for reform), and not let his faith and his Islam lose their worth. And it is very
important also to think that each Ramadan that comes and goes, it is also a
great preparation for a believer to prepare him for his great final return to
Allah, His Creator. So, Ramadan comes as a month of training for us, where we
need to live our lives in such a way that we can maintain the good habits that
we have cultivated in this sacred month, where we arrange our lives in such a
way that we successfully prepare ourselves, physically, mentally and
spiritually for our final departure from this world, where we make these days
become days of contentment, piety, and satisfaction of having been able to fulfill
our duty towards Allah during our temporary stay here on earth.
Ramadan is a month of
seeking the Divine Light through multiplying acts of Ibaadat (worship),
where our goal is to gain a better piety, and to come closer to Allah. For
this, we need to sacrifice many desires and passions of ours and to concentrate
ourselves in accessing the pleasure of Allah by obeying His commandments and
submitting to His will.
Most of the time, man
lets himself be guided by his passion. Here, Ramadan comes to help him overcome
these passions, to give him a measure of how to balance his spiritual life and
his worldly life. It is unfortunate today that the Ummah of Islam has allowed
itself to be trapped by worldly passions. The thirst for power and money has
blinded a good number of Muslims, and especially the leaders of Muslim
countries, whereby they no longer have any sympathy and empathy for their
Muslim brothers, sisters and children who are suffering from all over the
world, especially at this moment, and this also for several decades, the people
of Palestine. Ramadan must become the button that triggers an avalanche of
regrets in the hearts of all believers. It is easy to say that we are Muslims.
But are we really Muslim? Are we up to the expectations that Allah expects from
us as Muslims? Are we ready to defend Islam with our life, our wealth and our
honour? Today, Muslim women are being forced to remove their veils, and Muslims
(in general) are barred from fasting, and many other atrocities are being done
against them (those Muslims) – us (as one body of Islam) – just because of
their fear of the rise of Islam. But try as much as they can, Allah has decreed
that Islam must triumph. Insha-Allah.
To reach that victory
is not an easy feat. Allah calls believers to make sacrifices, and the best
month to start and continue these sacrifices is the month of Ramadan. The acts
of Ibaadat that are being done must also include the Ummah, not just
your own well-being. Remember that Ramadan comes (has come) to make Muslims
aware of their attachment to Islam, and indeed all the believers of Islam form
one body. When one suffers, all need to feel the suffering, and find a
solution, to find the remedy to cure that body, or that part of the body that
is suffering, that is, the body of Islam.
From the moment a
Muslim makes a good intention (Niyyah) to bring about this spiritual
revolution in the world, all this will be blessed by Allah, where he begins by
reforming himself, those who are found under his responsibility, his
environment (surroundings) and the Muslim community as a whole. A Muslim must
be a good human being. This does not mean that being a Muslim that he needs to
protect and guide only Muslims like him. He has also the duty to guide other
people, people from other faiths and guide and teach them to know the value and
truthfulness of Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah).
Ramadan is also the
month of the divine revelation of the Holy Quran (as I told you in more detail
last Friday). No one ignores that this sacred book will become an intercessor
for those who read it and put its commandments into practice. It must be borne in
mind that despite the fact that praying the Salat-ul-Tarawee in
congregation (Jamaat) was not the formal Sunnah of our beloved prophet Hazrat
Muhammad (saws), but it is not an evil practice at all. It is such a good
practice that the second Caliph of Islam (Hazrat Umar (ra)) suggested to do it,
so that Muslims acquire the blessings of Prayer in congregation in the Masjid
when they come to perform Voluntary Prayers therein, and where then, to avoid to
have several groups leading prayers in the same Masjid, or to assemble the
people who praying individually, then, he got the idea to bring them all
together and put an Imam who knew the Quran well and lead them in the Salat-ul-Tarawee
and where one (all Muslims) benefit from these Salat (Prayers) with the
blessings which prayer in congregation receives.
Therefore, the fact
that it is not a prophetic Sunnah, Salat-ul-Taraweeh is practiced only
during Ramadan where Mussallis (worshippers) come to perform voluntary Salat
(prayer) for the pleasure of Allah. There are some who take advantage of this
blessed month to start and finish the reading of the Quran. So, each of these
practices is to the benefit of the fasters, and even those who are not able to
keep the fasts of Ramadan (due to health issues or they are travelling long
distances, etc.), but where they take advantage of the rest of the blessings of
Ramadan and they try to ‘Catch-Up’ [as we say in English] with what they have
lost in the non-performance of fasting. But Allah has established other ways to
compensate it, like paying Fidya, where then they do not lose their
reward before the Sight of Allah.
It is also explained in
a Hadith that someone among the Ummah who cannot read verses of the Quran for
(valid) reasons should not panic. Allah never forgets him. For such a person,
even if he listens to the recitation of the Quran, it is also counted as a
participation of his in the recitation of the Holy Book of Allah. So, everything
is based on your intention. Allah knows your heart, and with what sincerity you
are doing it, as well as the other acts of Ibaadat.
Ramadan is also the
month of REWARD. But what exactly is
the reward? And where does this reward come from? Allah Himself tells us: The reward
of each fast proceeds entirely from ME [ALLAH].
Are we, each of us, Muslims, aware of this great reward? The fast itself is a
reward from Allah. Allah gives us the power to regulate our lives and our daily
habits in a better way. And in these fasting days of Ramadan, Allah has opened
the way for the fasting person to do the maximum of good deeds and Ibaadat
- as much as he can - so that he can get the greatest and most beautiful reward
and become closer to Allah. As Allah says, and this is mentioned in a
Hadith-e-Qudsi, when a believer takes “a step” (the literal wordings of the
Hadith: the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little
finger of a stretched hand) towards Allah, Allah takes two steps (i.e. the
length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger), etc. The
more a person makes an effort to approach Allah, with his pleasure, Allah will
approach with him. Allah will even run to him! This is a metaphorical
expression to make Muslims understand how much Allah is pleased with His
servants, and He is ready to forgive them all, from the moment they turn to Him
and ask for that forgiveness. Allah is pleased that His servants worship Him
and seek His help. He is here to help the people who are looking for Him.
Sometimes there are obstacles, trials that He puts on your path, but these
obstacles will quickly disappear when there is sincerity in your faith, in your
Islam. These trials are there to bring you closer to Allah, not to distance you
from Allah. Bear in mind that Allah is never unjust. There is a reason for everything
that happens to man on earth.
Ramadan is also the
month of gathering. This month fills the heart of every fasting person with
divine light. It is the month that protects us from the shadow of our sins
because Allah diminishes the influence of all the sources of temptations and
sins in our hearts and our minds. Allah by His generosity ensures that the
gates of hell are closed, and that the gates of paradise are opened wide, to
allow all believers to maximize their efforts to access that paradise, through
their good intentions and actions. Allah chains the Satans, and makes the
Angels come down in large numbers to accompany the fasters, and allow them to
take advantage of the divine generosity. So, why don’t we thank the Creator Who
does everything to give us His good reward and preserve us from hell? Allah is
giving us the opportunity to come closer to paradise and to Him as well. And
through the great gatherings in the Mosques, Allah sends His Rahmah
(grace) to those congregations which gather to evoke Him, and to praise Him.
When we talk about
Ramadan, we also talk about Salat and Zakat. Why do we find that
almost all Muslims come to perform Salat in the Mosques during Ramadan,
but after Ramadan the Mosques are empty? This also needs to touch the heart of
each one of the Muslims, and make us all think about the importance of Salat
in the Mosque. Do not forget that it is the House of Allah. Allah invites all
of us, every day to come to His House and collect more blessings there than
(prayer in) a Muslim’s own home. So, every Muslim is encouraged to strengthen
his step towards the Mosque, and not to let the Houses of Allah empty of
worshippers. During Ramadan, we also find some Mosques and other Islamic
Organizations that put a lot of emphasis on Zakat and financial
expenses. It's very good, but why isn't the same emphasis put after Ramadan
too? Muslims need to cultivate the habit of giving Zakat, so that it is
exactly as Islam has prescribed for them, for us, or even more. If you increase
your good deeds, there are many more rewards for each of you (of us) therein.
Zakat is obligatory for those who have a certain amount of
money and jewelry, among others. Zakat
means reward in the name of Allah. Whoever escapes this mandatory act will be
severely punished on the Day of Judgement. In addition to Zakat, Allah also puts emphasis on sharing during this blessed
month. Apart from Zakat, there are
also certain other forms of reward: Fitra which is obligatory for every member
of a family. For Mauritius, Fitra is Rs.100 per person and it should be
given to the people - the Muslims - who are in need before the end of Ramadan
in order to give them - the poor and those in need – enough time so that they
may also prepare themselves to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with dignity.
Ramadan implies another
big sacrifice on the part of some fasters. A pious retreat (Ittikaaf) in
the Mosque during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan - This implies
complete isolation in Mosques, whether it is for men or women as well. And what
is the reward to get from it? It's the rain of divine blessings during those
nights. Those who remain in Ittikaaf need to seek the maximum rewards
from Allah, and especially seek that night that is worth more than 1000 months
of blessings that calls us “LAYLATUL-QADR”.
These are the petals of the flower that Ramadan represents. I pray that this divine flower perfumes the heart and spirit of every believer who makes an effort to accomplish an honest and sincere reform during this sacred month. And I make duahs for all those who will stay in Ittikaaf with a sincere heart, that Allah will grant them the LAYLATUL-QADR; not only you, but to all the sincere Muslims who are unable to stay in Ittikaaf, but who have the intentions and perform the sincere actions to win the rewards of this great night, and the blessings of this sacred month in general. And we do not forget our Muslim brothers, sisters and children and the humanity that is suffering in the world, in Palestine, in Africa, in countries that are persecuting the Muslims, and in third-world countries where humans, like ourselves, are deprived of food and medical aid. May Allah have mercy on them, and on us too, and on the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (saws) and the entire humanity. Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 22 March 2024 ~11 Ramadan 1445 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba)of Mauritius.