Alhamdulillah,
every time I read the Prophet's (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) sermon on Ramadan
I find something new and moving in it.
It never fails to inspire me, remind me how blessed Ramadan really is
for us and take me back to why we fast and what we should be doing during this
special month:
Baihaqi
reported on the authority of Salman Al-Farsi (Radhi Allah ‘Anh) that Prophet (sallallahu
alayhi wasallam) delivered a sermon on the last day of the month of Sha’ban. In
it he (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) 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 (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) 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 Quran, will get the reward of reciting the
whole Quran 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.”
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