O young man, the word Ramadhan consists of five letters:
- ra'
- meem
- dhad
- alif
- noon.
The ra' is derived from Rahma (mercy), the meem from mujazat (recompense), mahabba (love) & minna (favour), the dhad from dhaman lilthawab (assurance of reward), the alif from ulfa (affinity) & qurb (nearness) & the noon from nur (light) & nawal [the receiving (of grace)]
If you give this month its due and act properly during it, these things will come to you from the True One (‘Azza wa Jall).
They will come to you in this world as strengthening and enlightening
for your hearts, & as favour & receiving of grace, outwardly
and inwardly.
In the hereafter there will come to you what no eye has ever seen, no
ear has ever heard & has never occurred to any human heart.
Most of you are out of touch with Ramadhan. Respect for a command comes
in proportion to the respect shown to the commander. As for anyone out
of touch with Allah (‘Azza wa Jall), His Holy Last Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa aalihi wa sallam), His Prophets &
the righteous among servants (Peace & Blessings Upon Them All), then
how can he be in touch with this month?
Most of you have seen their fathers, mothers & neighbours fast, so
they joined them in fasting as a matter of habit not worship. They
think that fasting is merely abstaining from food & drink, so they
do not fulfil its conditions & requirements.
O People give up habitual practice and keep to worship. Fast for the
sake of Allah (‘Azza wa Jall). Do not get bored of fasting &
worshipping in this month. Do righteous deeds, during it, & make
sure that you act with sincerity. Make a regular practice of the
prayers of taraweeh. Illuminate the mosques, for this will be a light
for you on the Day of Resurrection. If you obey and respect Allah
(‘Azza wa Jall) in this month, it will be an intercessor on your behalf
in the presence of your Lord (‘Azza wa Jall) on the Day of
Resurrection. It will beg Him to grant you a share of His favour, His
Generosity, His Blessings, His Grace, His Graciousness, His Subtle
Kindness & His Safekeeping.
Woe unto you! What Benefit would you derive from fasting if you break
it on unlawful food & Sleep during these noble nights having
committed acts of disobedience? You fast out of dissimulation &
hypocrisy as long as you are among creatures, & once you are on you
own you break your fast! Then you come out & say: “I am keeping the
fast”, while throughout the day you are involved in verbal abuse,
levelling defamatory accusations, swearing false oaths & taking
people’s money by way of defrauding, trickery & exaction. This sort
of behaviour makes you no good at all and does not count as a fast.
The Holy Nabi (Salla Allah ta’ala ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “There are so many people who fast yet get nothing out of their fasting
other than hunger & thirst & there are so many people who spend
the night in worshipful acts yet earn nothing out of their worship
other than fatigue & vigil”
There are among you those who are Muslims outwardly but like
idol-worshippers inwardly. Woe unto you! Renew your Islam, your
repentance, your apology & your sincerity in order that your Master
(‘Azza wa Jall) will accept you & pardon your past sins. O You, who
are fasting, thank your Lord (‘Azza wa Jall) for preparing you for
fasting & enabling you to keep it! When one of you fasts, let his
ears, his sights, his hands, his legs, his limbs & organs & his
heart all fast.
When you fast, give up lying, giving false witness, backbiting,
defaming people & embezzling their properties. In principle, you
fast in order to purify yourselves of your sins & keep away from
them, so what benefit could you derive from your fasting if you commit,
these sins yet again?
Have you not heard the Holy Nabi (Salla Allah ta’ala ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying:
“Fasting is a suit of armour [junna]”, for it protects & covers the
person who wears it. This is why the shield is called mijanna, as it
protects its owner & prevents the arrows from striking him, &
the person who is out of his mind is called majnun, as his mind has
been covered up. The fast is a suite of armour for anyone who fasts
with pious restraint, fear Allah & sincerity, for in this cause it
will prevent the tribulations of this world & the hereafter from
striking him.
O you, who are fasting, comfort the poor & the needy with a share
of your food at the time of breaking fast for it increases your reward
& it is a sign of acceptance of your fast.
At the time of breaking your fast, all this will disappear &
nothing will remain other than that which you do in preparation for
yourselves in the hereafter. Therefore, do such preparations as long as
you are able to prepare.
On the Day of Resurrection, you will be gathered hungry, thirsty,
naked, afraid, ashamed & terrified. The person who feeds the poor
and the needy in this world will be fed on that Day. The person who
provides clothing for the poor & the needy in this world will be
supplied with clothes on that Day. The person who is afraid & feels
ashamed before the True One (‘Azza wa Jall) in this world will be made
to feel safe on that Day. As for the person who is merciful to others
in this world, Allah (‘Azza wa Jall) will be merciful to him on that
Day.
In this month, there is a night that is the greatest night of the year,
which is Laylat al-Qadr. This night has signs that the righteous can
recognize. Among the servants of Allah (‘Azza wa Jall) there are those
who have the veil removed from their eyes so they see the lights of
divinity that is held in the hands of the angels, the light of their
faces, the light of the doors of heaven & the light of the
countenance of the True One (‘Azza wa Jall) because on that Night He
manifests Himself to the people of the earth.
O People do not make obtaining your food your concern because it is a
low concern. You have been put to test through eating & drinking,
but you have been saved the trouble of securing sustenance, so do not
have any concern about it. Glory be to the Self – Sustained One who
never eats, drinks or sleeps. Your greedy keenness has increased, while
your pious restraint and faith have decreased. Woe unto you! This world
lasts only one hour, so spend it in obedience.
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