"Tighten Your Belt" : Preparing for the last 10 nights of Ramadan

Opening

I seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. Whomsoever He misguides, none can guide him.

And I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. He is alone and has no partner. And I bear witness that our Master and Beloved Muhammad is the Servant of Allah and His Messenger and the Chosen of His creation and His Companion.

He conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust and the advice of the Ummah. And Allah removed the darkness from it. And He left it on its white surface, its night as its day. Nothing escapes it except destruction.

O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our Master, our Prophet and our Beloved Muhammad.

My brothers in Allah, we thank Him, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness and His mercy. Whoever Allah guides, none can lead astray. And whoever is led astray due to their own intentions, none can guide but Allah. I testify that there is none worthy of my worship, my devotion, my obedience, my love but Allah. And that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is Allah's last and His final Messenger.

Allah reminds us in the reminder we hear on a weekly basis:

Believers, be conscious of Allah as He deserves. And make sure you maintain that until your very last breath. So you die a death of submission to Him.

The Final Moments Are What Matter

We are now just crossing the midpoint mark of Ramadan. And whenever you witness any sporting event — a football match, a cricket match, the Olympic Games — it's always in the very last minutes of the event that people are on the edge of their seats. The very last moments, the last over, extra time, penalties, the last ball, the last lap. People are on the edge of their seats because those are the exciting moments. Those are the moments which make or break the event. The moments which clinch the victory or cause defeat. It always ends up happening at the crux moment, at the very end of the event.

Similarly, this month of Ramadan, two weeks have gone by. For many of us, we started out — as with every match, as with every competition, with every event — racing past the gates in excitement. You welcomed the month of Ramadan. You were eager in the first few days. But as the days went by and the fast grew on you and you got desensitized and I got desensitized. We slowly but surely lost that motivation. We lost the energy that we had in the first few days.

And we reach a point at this very point in the middle of the month where we are depleted in energy and depleted in motivation. And some of us have even lost sight of the goal. What are we trying to do in this month? Some of us are just trying to survive the last few days. Every day is just a day of survival. The other day, I was speaking to somebody, it was about 6pm. I said, how's the fast going? He said, it's alright, I'm just killing time because I'm fasting. How many of us think of the fast as a number of hours to kill and to pass by, until the moment in which we can eat our food and drink again?

Race Towards the Afterlife

As the last 10 days draw near, and the night in which we search for Laylatul Qadr draws near, we have to completely switch this mindset over. We have to rejuvenate. We have to revive our energies and be ready. Because what's about to come is the night of a lifetime.

Many of us find ourselves at the middle of the month sleepwalking into the last 10 nights. Whereas some of us are racing, running, competing at their full game. Because they know these are the nights that matter.

When Allah speaks of doing good deeds in the Qur'an, Allah says:

Race, He says. He doesn't say walk. He doesn't say relax. He says compete. Race, so that you can achieve the mercy, the forgiveness and the reward of Allah.

However, when Allah talks about this world, this worldly life that we live, He says:

He says: We created you on this earth, so walk on this earth. Amongst its plains, amongst its valleys. And seek your blessings, seek your rizq, your sustenance on this earth. When He talks about the afterlife, Allah tells us to race, to compete, to be competitive. When He talks about this life, He says relax, walk. Whatever is coming to you, is coming to you anyway.

But we flip the script. When it comes to our gains from this world, you see us racing, competing. Seeing what other people are doing and trying to match them. Competing for the next promotion, the next jump post, the next dollar, the next pound, the next get-rich-quick scheme. But when it comes to the afterlife, we are relaxed. We are not bothered.

"Tighten Your Belt" — How the Prophet ﷺ Prepared

As you come into the last ten nights, remember how our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would prepare for the last ten nights. His wife Aisha informs us:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2024; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1174)

إِذَا أَقْبَلَ الْعَشْرُ — When the last ten nights would draw near, شَدَّ مِئْزَرَهُ — He would tighten his belt. Before someone is going to get involved in a very strenuous activity — they're going to run a race, they're going to get involved in combat, they're going to do some exercise — they tighten their belt. They pull up their sleeves. This is what the Prophet ﷺ would do as he approached the last ten nights. He would exert himself more than he would in any night of the year.

First: Tighten Your Belt

That's the first thing. شَدَّ مِئْزَرَهُ — He would tighten his belt.

Second: Wake Up Your Family

The second thing he would do: وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ — He would wake up his family.

Many of us here — many children, youngsters — are on their Easter breaks. And they will continue to be on their Easter break as we enter into the last ten nights of Ramadan. So many times, us as parents, we say: it's okay, they're young, let them sleep, let them snore, let them snooze. But if there was any night in the year to wake them up, to let them experience the sweetness of an all-nighter in servitude of the Almighty, these are the nights to wake them up.

As the last ten nights would draw near, the Prophet ﷺ would not let anybody sleep in his house. The children, his wives, his family, his extended family. He would go knocking their doors, saying to them:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1920; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1174)

"Why don't you get up and pray?" Nobody would be left — no room, no door would be unknocked — except that he would pass by and involve everyone. And this is really especially a duty for the leaders of the household, the fathers, and for the mothers. Because Allah is not going to ask our children — why didn't you wake up, 8 year old, 9 year old, 11 year old, to pray at night? He's going to ask us, those who are responsible for them. Why did we not push them? For many of us, there is an embarrassing answer to this. We ourselves don't get up. Where is the question of waking up our children?

Never Lose Hope in Allah's Mercy

As we come towards these last ten nights, many of us feel despair. We feel embarrassed. We think: what's the point? I've wasted two weeks. Forget two weeks, I might have wasted my entire life. How am I going to save myself? What is the point of exerting myself just in the last few nights of Ramadan?

For those people, Allah has a special message for you. Allah says in the Qur'an:

Muhammad ﷺ, tell my slaves who have gone too far in wronging themselves — those who have lost hope, those who have despaired, those who are beyond repair, those whose spiritual MOTs have failed — لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ — tell them to never lose hope in the mercy of Allah. إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا — Allah forgives all sins. إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ — He is the most forgiving and the most merciful.

Many of us, as we enter these last 10 nights, devoid of energy, devoid of hope, we need to remember that message. Whatever our criminal record says in the sight of Allah, it is only a moment of sincere repentance and it can all be wiped clean. We can start with a clean slate. This is the spirit of the last 10 nights.

The Du'a of Laylatul Qadr

When the Prophet ﷺ is asked by his wife Aisha, if I am to find Laylatul Qadr — we don't know which night, most likely one of the odd nights, but we don't know which — what should I say? It's like if I end up one day standing in front of the king or the queen or the prime minister, I'm going to find myself speechless. Give me a script, what should I say? And in that moment, the Prophet ﷺ tells her: if you find yourself in that night, Laylatul Qadr, then you should say:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3513; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3850 — graded Sahih)

"Oh Allah, You are the only one able to wipe away all of my sins. And You love to do so. Please erase, wipe clean all of my sins."

Be Ambitious in Your Du'a

Be ambitious. As we come to the last 10 nights, we are not asking somebody with limited capital, with a small bank account, with limited reserves. We're not asking someone who is facing the cost of living crisis. We are asking the Almighty who owns the heavens and the earth. Why be modest in our request?

The Prophet ﷺ says to his companions:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2790)

If you get a chance to ask Allah for something, don't ask Him for the basement of paradise. Don't ask Him for the ensuite studio accommodation of paradise. Ask Him for the penthouse. Ask Him for Al-Firdaws. Ask Him for the greatest part of paradise. Don't be modest. Don't be shy. Because you are asking the One who owns the heavens and the earth.

This is the attitude with which we should go into the last 10 nights. We are going to a sale, an offer, a one-time offer, in which 83 years' worth of deeds can be gained. And a lifetime's worth of sins can be forgiven. How merciful of Allah to even grant us that opportunity.

The Story of Abu Hurairah — Making Every Moment Count

In the last few days, a video has been circling on social media — a video of an imam leading Taraweeh prayers and a cat jumps onto him. And he strokes the cat while he's in prayer and he continues reciting until his salah concludes. This video of this imam and this cat links very well with the topic we are discussing today.

A very long time ago, there was a similar companion of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who was very fond of cats and they were very fond of him as well. Such that one day the Prophet ﷺ finds him playing with a bunch of kittens and the Prophet calls him out of love: "Ya Aba Hirr — O father of kittens." And he began to be called out of honour, Abu Hurairah, the father of kittens.

Many of us know the name Abu Hurairah. But we don't know the story behind the name. And I want to end this khutbah sharing with you this story in hopes that it will give us food for thought.

This man, Abu Hurairah, he accepts Islam in the 7th year of the Hijri. That means after he accepts Islam, he only has 3 to 4 years in the company of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ before the Prophet ﷺ passes away. 3 to 4 years. For a moment, think about everything he has missed. He has missed the Battle of Badr, the Battle of Uhud, the Battle of the Trench — the great battles, the great wars, the great moments. How many years he missed the company of the Prophet ﷺ. 17 years he did not experience a moment with the Prophet ﷺ. And he's come now at the very end of the Prophet's life — the last 3 years — and he's accepted Islam.

One might think: in 3 years, what is this man going to do? What's he going to learn from the Prophet? What's he going to achieve? And then he turns around and he shocks us all. He becomes the greatest narrator of hadith that the world has ever seen. 3 to 4 years in the company of the Prophet ﷺ, and he narrates roughly 5,374 hadith recorded in the major collections.

It's like when you're watching a match, and you get that substitution in the last 5 minutes, and that substitute scores all the goals. That last over of the match, when all the runs are scored.

It takes a man who knows the value of time. He thinks to himself: I have 3 years. I've spent so many years of my life as a disbeliever. In these 3 years, this was his mandate, his mission. I am not going to part ways with Muhammad ﷺ for even a single minute. I am going to memorize everything he says. Every movement. To the extent that Abu Hurairah used to watch the Prophet's silences and ask him why he was silent for that one moment. One day he asked the Prophet:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 744; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 598)

"I saw you silent for one moment between saying Allahu Akbar and reading the Fatiha. What do you say?" Look at the curiosity. Look at the intelligence. Look at how intent he is to preserve every second he lives with the Prophet ﷺ.

We Still Have Half the Month

So many of us — our entire lives have been lived in sin, in waste. We have never really discovered our purpose, and why Allah created us. So many of us lived our Ramadan in waste — wasting time, watching serials, watching TV, lazing around, killing the time. But you know what? If Abu Hurairah in three or four years could narrate thousands of hadith, you and I — we still have half the month.

There will be people in this room who are not going to be alive next Ramadan. It may be you, and it may be me. This may be our last opportunity. And the question is: what are we going to do with that last opportunity?

There are so many of us in this room who are going to wake up on the Day of Judgment regretful. As Allah says in the Qur'an:

When death comes — and it comes with no appointment — we will exclaim: O Allah, send me back. رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ — O Allah, send me back to the world so that I can do all the good that I missed out on. What's Allah's response? كَلَّا ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا — You are speaking empty words, my friend. Now face the torment which is awaiting you.

How many of us would be saying those words of regret on the Day of Judgment? O Allah, send me back. Give me extra time. Extension, please. I didn't do enough. I didn't use my time well. I had that last Ramadan, but I slept through it. I played PlayStation. I wasted my time.

Death comes. It doesn't come with an appointment. This might be our last Ramadan. The last ten nights we stand in front of Allah. Let us stand in front of Allah in a way where we can stand in front of Him on the Day of Judgment and say: I did justice to every night in those last ten nights. I did justice to those days that were the weekend and the bank holiday. I had no excuse. I stood the night. I sweated. I cried. My feet were swollen. And I did it for You.

Will we be able to say that to Allah on the Day of Judgment? Or will we be of those begging to ask Him to send us back?

Closing Du'a

O Allah, make us of those who are mindful of You. Accept our fasting, our standing, and our last supplication. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.