All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon His Messenger, his family and companions.


Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah, for the fear of Allaah is the source of all
good, the means of attaining blessings and removing sorrow.


Brothers in Islaam! A great month has come to you carrying with it great
blessings. It is a month in which good deeds are multiplied and bad deeds are
overlooked.

 

Witnessing this month is a great blessing for which we should be grateful to
Allaah. It is an opportunity to do good deeds that can win one Paradise and
safety from Hell. Allaah says, “O you who believe! Observing fasting is
prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may be
pious.� (Al Baqarah: 183).


The Messenger of Allaah said, ‘Fasting and reciting Qur’aan intercede for
the slave on the Day of Resurrection. The fasting will say: O Lord, I
prevented him from eating and satiating his lawful lust, so let me intercede
on his behalf; and the Qur’aan will say: I prevented him from sleeping during
the night, so let me intercede for him.’ (Ahmad & Tabaraani)

Fellow Muslims! Ramadaan is a month of forgiveness and mercy. The Messenger
of Allaah said, ‘When Ramadaan comes, the doors of Paradise will be opened
and the doors of Hell will be closed, and the devils will be chained.’
(Bukhaarie & Muslim).


He also said, ‘Whoever observes the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) with faith and
for the sake of Allaah, his past sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts the
month of Ramadaan faithfully and for the sake of Allaah, his past sins will
be forgiven.’ (Bukhaarie & Muslim).

Therefore let the month of Ramadaan be an opportunity for self-examination in
order to amend what is damaged. Let this month be a good starting point
towards a bright future and a turning point toward better conditions, sayings
and deeds.


Brothers in faith! There are lessons in the changing of the times as there
are reminders in the pages of history. Whenever a month of Ramadaan passes by
us, the memories of the great Battle of Badr and its victory is rekindled in
us. Yes, Ramadaan reminds us of the victories of Muslims like those battles
of Yarmook and Al-Qaadisiyyah. We should then bear in mind that those
distinguished Muslims who fought in those battles and won did not attain
glory and victory nor achieve happiness and power except through their strict
adherence to Islaam in all spheres of their lives. They dedicated all their
acts of worship to Allaah alone and earned as a result glory and exaltation
for this religion.


Let the present Muslim nation – who live in different kinds of affliction be
aware that there is no way out of the present predicaments except by making a
sincere return to Allaah and make a real adherence to the path of His
Messenger. Those are the basics for reform, glory, success and victory for
the last of this (Muslim) nation can never be in order except by what put the
earlier Muslim nation in order.


Brothers in faith! The month of Ramadaan is a month of generosity and
kindness. Ibn Abbaas said, ‘The Messenger of Allaah was the most generous
person and he used to be even more generous in the month of Ramadaan when
Jibreel would meet him. And he used to meet him every night in Ramadaan until
the end of the month while the Prophet would recite the Qur’aan for him and
when Jibreel met him he was more generous than a rain-bearing wind.’


Dear brothers, there are various ways of being generous. Let everyone, then,
be generous in whatever way he can. Whoever is generous to the slaves of
Allaah with favour and gifts, Allaah will also be generous to him. Among the
most prominent types of generosity is to feed the hungry and attend to the
needs of others. The Messenger of Allaah said, ‘Whoever provides food for a
fasting Muslim to break his fast, he will have the same reward as that of the
fasting Muslim without reducing anything of his own reward.’ (At Tirmithie)


Let me give you an example for selflessness: a righteous man was craving for
food while he was fasting. As the food was being presented to him – when it
was time to break his fast – he heard someone saying, ‘Who will loan to the
rich, the reliable and the Self-Sufficient One?’ The righteous man answered,
‘His servant who is deprived of all good. He then rose up, took the plate of
food and gave it to the beggar and passed his night in hunger.’


Allaah says, “And they give (others) preference over themselves, even though
they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness,
such are they who will be successful.� (Al-Hashr: 9).


Dear Muslim! There are in the world of Muslims today poor people who have
been exiled from their lands. They presently have a difficult life. They are
killed, expelled and have their homes demolished. Do remember them and spend
what whatever you can to feed clothe and obtain drugs for them. Allaah says,
“And whatever you spend of anything (in Allaah’s cause), He will replace
it. And He is the Best of providers.� (Saba’: 39).


Remember your oppressed brothers all over the world and pray for them. The
Prophet said, ‘There are three persons whose prayer will not be rejected
…’ and he mentioned among them ‘…a fasting Muslim when he breaks his fast.’


Brothers in faith! The land of the two sacred mosques is in great blessing by
the virtues of its implementation of the law of Islaam and its principles.
Among the signs of the mutual love and cooperation that people of this
country enjoy is the spreading of many charitable organisations. These
organisations therefore need your continuous support and assistance
especially in this month of generosity and kindness. The Messenger of Allaah
said, ‘Charity reduces nothing from one’s wealth.’ He also said,
‘Protect yourselves against Hell even if it be with a slice of a date.’


Fellow Muslims! Let your fasting be a shield with which you protect
yourselves against sins in all times. The Messenger of Allaah said, ‘Fasting
is a shield. Let no one of you – during his fasting day – behave in an
obscene manner, or become angry. If anybody abuses or fights with him, let
him say: I am fasting.’ (Bukhaarie & Muslim).


The purpose of fasting is to control the soul and refine it and to protect
the limbs. The Messenger of Allaah said, ‘Whoever does not refrain from
falsehood in sayings and deeds and acts of ignorance, Allaah has no need of
his abstention from food and drink.’ (Bukhaarie).


Dear Muslims! Recitation of the Qur’aan increases one in inward and outward
beauty and in estimation and honour in this world and the next. It is the
profitable commerce that does not fall in all times. Az Zuhree said, ‘When
Ramadaan comes it is time for reciting the Qur’aan and feeding people…Some
of the righteous predecessors used to finish reciting the whole Qur’aan in
seven days.

Among the purposes of reciting the Qur’aan is to reflect over its verses and
understand its meanings and the end result of all that is to put those
meanings into practice, for there is no glory nor power, strength, peace of
mind or safety from punishment except by adhering to the teachings of the
Qur’aan and Sunnah. Allaah says, “Verily, this Qur’aan guides to that
which is most just and right.� (Al-Israa’: 9).


Brothers in faith! .... The month of Ramadaan is a great period for the attainment of blessings. Of its blessings is the fact that it is a month of
supplication, night prayers and moving close to Allaah. Endeavour then, dear
brothers, to observe Salaatul Taraaweeh in congregation as a token of
emulating the Prophet and whoever observes it with the Imaam till he finishes
it will be written down for him that he has performed the night prayer.

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