RAMZAN UL MUBARAK
Majid ul Hassan
Baihaqi reported on the authority of Salman Al-Farsi (Radhi Allah ‘Anh) that
Prophet (‘Alaihi Salat was-Salam) delivered a sermon on the last day of the
month of Sha’ban. In it he (‘Alaihi Salat was-Salam) said,
“O People! The month of Allah (Ramadan) has come with its mercies, blessings and
forgivenesses. Allah has decreed this month the best of all months. The days of
this month are the best among the days and the nights are the best among the
nights and the hours during Ramadan are the best among the hours. This is a
month in which you have been invited by Him (to fast and pray). Allah has
honoured you in it. In every breath you take is a reward of Allah, your sleep is
worship, your good deeds are accepted and your invocations are answered.
Therefore, you must invoke your Lord in all earnestness with hearts free from
sin and evil, and pray that Allah may help you to keep fast, and to recite the
Holy Qur’an. Indeed!, miserable is the one who is deprived of Allah’s
forgiveness in this great month. While fasting remember the hunger and thirst
on the Day of Judgement. Give alms to the poor and needy. Pay respect to your
elders, have sympathy for your youngsters and be kind towards your relatives and
kinsmen. Guard your tongue against unworthy words, and your eyes from scenes
that are not worth seeing (forbidden) and your ears from sounds that should not
be heard.
Be kind to orphans so that if your children may become orphans they will also be
treated with kindness. Do repent to Allah for your sins and supplicate with
raised hands at the times of prayer as these are the best times, during which
Allah Almighty looks at His servants with mercy. Allah Answers if they
supplicate, Responds if they call, Grants if He is asked, and Accepts if they
entreat. O people! you have made your conscience the slave of your desires.
Make it free by invoking Allah for forgiveness. Your back may break from the
heavy load of your sins, so prostrate yourself before Allah for long intervals,
and make this load lighter. Understand fully that Allah has promised in His
Honour and Majesty that, people who perform salat and sajda (prostration) will
be guarded from Hell-fire on the Day of Judgement.
O people!, if anyone amongst you arranges for iftar (meal at sunset) for any
believer, Allah will reward him as if he had freed a slave, and Allah will
forgive him his sins. A companion asked: “but not all of us have the means to do
so” The Prophet (SAAWS) replied: Keep yourself away from Hell-fire though it may
consist of half a date or even some water if you have nothing else.
O people!, anyone who during this month cultivates good manners, will walk over
the Sirat (bridge to Paradise) on the day when feet will tend to slip. For
anyone who during this month eases the workload of his servants, Allah will make
easy his accounting, and for anyone who doesn’t hurt others during this month,
Allah will safeguard him from His Wrath on the Day of Judgement. Anyone who
respects and treats an orphan with kindness during this month, Allah shall look
at him with kindness on that Day. Anyone who treats his kinsmen well during
this month, Allah will bestow His Mercy on him on that Day, while anyone who
mistreats his kinsmen during this month, Allah will keep away from His Mercy.
Whomever offers the recommended prayers during this month, Allah will save him
from Hell, and whomever observes his obligations during this month, his reward
will be seventy times the reward during other months. Whomever repeatedly
invokes Allah’s blessings on me, Allah will keep his scale of good deeds heavy,
while the scales of others will be tending to lightness. Whomever recites during
this month an ayat (verse) of the Holy Qur’an, will get the reward of reciting
the whole Qur’an in other months.
O people!, the gates of Paradise remain open during this month. Pray to your
Lord that they may not be closed for you. While the gates of Hell are closed,
pray to your Lord that they never open for you. Satan has been chained, invoke
your Lord not to let him dominate you.”
Ali ibn Talib (RAA) said: “I asked, ‘O messenger of Allah, what are the best
deeds during this month’?” ‘He replied: ‘O Abu-Hassan, the best of deeds during
this month is to be far from what Allah has forbidden’.”