Striving In The Blessed Last Ten Nights Of Ramadan

Opening — Quranic Verse & Hadith

Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen, wassalatu wassalamu ala sayyidil anbiya wal mursaleen, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'een. Amma ba'ad. Allah tabarak wa ta'ala says in His glorious Book, after أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ، بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ:

And Aisha radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha narrated:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2024; Sahih Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 1174 — Muttafaqun 'alayhi)

The Ramadan Days Walk, Run, Then Fly

Alhamdulillah, by Allah's pure grace and mercy, we are now in the middle of the month of Ramadan. And I remember one of my relatives — perhaps my grandfather — he used to say to us when we were younger, that the first 10 days of Ramadan, they go by walking. The second 10 days of Ramadan, they go by running. And the last 10 days of Ramadan, they fly away. And we see it every year. It's a constant occurrence, and we witness it. And even this year too.

Already we're done with more than half of the month of Ramadan. And the upcoming days now are the very mubarak nights of Ramadan.

The Prophet's Striving in the Last Ten Nights

Regarding these blessed nights, Aisha radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha used to say that Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 1175)

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would work very hard in the month of Ramadan, more than in other months. And he would work even harder in the last 10 nights than in any other nights.

She mentions that when the last 10 nights would come, then Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — أَحْيَا اللَّيْلَ — he would stay the night up in prayer and in ibadah. وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ — he would wake his family up. وَجَدَّ — he would work hard, he would strive. And شَدَّ الْمِئْزَرَ — shadda al-mi'zar linguistically means to tie your lower garment tight. And that's the expression meaning he would completely devote himself, dedicate himself in the ibadah of Allah ta'ala.

Just like in English, we say, "it's time to pull up your sleeves," meaning it's time to get to work — so likewise in Arabic, this expression, شَدَّ الْمِئْزَرَ, he would tie his lower garment, meaning that now he would work very hard and do ibadah of Allah ta'ala.

The Reminder Is Always Valuable

We witness these days every year. And I mentioned once before too — sometimes the perception that I feel from people is that, subhanAllah, every year when the month of Ramadan comes, or when the last 10 days come, the speeches that you hear, the talks that you hear from the pulpit are always geared towards this. The reason is because this is supposed to be a reminder, it's supposed to be an encouragement — that maybe we hear something, and due to what we hear, we start doing a little bit of extra, we do a little bit more.

There may be some individuals who may have this feeling that all the time, every single year, whenever these days come, whenever these nights come, whenever this month comes, we're just hearing about it again and again. These narrations that I mentioned to you — perhaps they may not be the first time that you've ever heard them. Generally a Muslim growing up in a Muslim home, surrounded by the environment of the masjid, has already heard about the value of the month of Ramadan, the value of fasting — regarding which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that all other actions, the reward could be multiplied from 10 to 700:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1904; Sahih Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 1151)

Except for fasting — Allah says: "I will give the reward of it." The sa'im, the person who fasts, leaves his food and leaves his desires for My sake — so I will reward him. لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ — the one who fasts, there are two occasions of joy for him. فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ الْفِطْرِ — one at the time when he breaks his fast. A hard day of fasting, a difficult day, and now when the iftar time comes, you're just waiting — a couple of seconds left, a minute left, and subhanAllah, you take the bite from that date and you drink that sherbet, that milk. SubhanAllah, you feel this joy from inside. وَفَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ — and the other is when he will meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So don't consider this fasting as something trivial — "okay, I'm not eating, I'm not drinking." Be active, be actively engaged in what you're doing. The fasting is one where you're not just leaving food and drink and desires, but it's also a state where the person stays away from sin. He keeps in his mind that Allah is watching me. I'm fasting, I'm staying away from food and drink — I should not engage in anything that's going to bring about the displeasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is a true fast.

For that person whose fast is of this nature — when he meets Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he will feel that farha. In other narrations it comes that for the sa'imun, the people who fast, there is a special door of Jannah, known as Baab al-Rayyan, that they will enter through.

The Believer Recognizes the Value — Just as We Recognize a Deal

So likewise, we hear these narrations — none of what I'm saying, perhaps for most of us, isn't anything new; we've heard it before. And perhaps some in their mind may feel — subhanAllah, all the time, every year we're just hearing the same thing.

But the thing is, for the believer, the reminder of Allah and the worship of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brings excitement, even if he hears it a hundred times. Does anyone get tired of hearing about Black Friday? When you hear the sales that come, do you say, "Again I'm getting a deal? Again there are deals this year? Again I'm going to get a discount?" You hear anyone complaining? No one complains. Every year, when any of these occasions come, the person is so happy. There are people who will look through all the newspaper advertisements and see where they're getting deals. Every year they'll do it. Never will you ever hear them say, "Man, again this year Black Friday is coming, again I'm going to get a good deal." No, you never hear it. Cyber Monday — "I'm going to get deals on laptops? Oh, come on." Never hear this. Why? Because you know the value of it.

You know the value of the dollar that you worked hard for, that you sweated for. So now, when you're purchasing something and you're getting a 50% discount, a 25% discount, you value that. And you show it off to people — "Look, look, look, I bought this television for 50% off! It was going for 500, I got it for 250 dollars."

The mu'min realizes the value of his iman. He realizes the value of his ibadah. That's why on the Day of Judgment, when the believer will be given his book of deeds in his right hand, what will he say?

"Look, look, look — read my book!" The hard work, the effort, the sweat, and the blood that he spent in the ibadah of Allah in this life — he will see it on that day. He will value it.

Strive for the Everlasting, Not the Finite

We strive and make an effort for everything — whether it's our school, whether it's work, whatever it may be. We strive, we struggle, we see the value. On graduation day, when a student who worked really hard walks, you'll notice that they'll be really emotional. And so will their families. Why? Because they put in a lot of work to see that day. That valedictorian — the smile that will be on his or her face will not be the same smile that's on any average graduate.

Some people go through high school and college and it's no big deal. They got average grades, C's and D's, no problem — they'll be happy, they'll get the diploma, and they'll put it in their closet somewhere. But that person who is a valedictorian, who worked hard, who strived — the happiness that he or she feels on that day will be unlike the happiness of any other graduate. Because of the hard work and sacrifice — they spent nights up studying. While their friends were partying, while their friends were having fun, this person was in the library studying all day long. So when they walk and get the diploma, the happiness they feel is unlike anyone else.

So likewise, we shouldn't be satisfied with just a little bit of action. Is that how our attitude is with our dunya? It's not like that. We want the best car. We want the best house. We want the best for our family. Why do we not have the same attitude when it comes to the Hereafter? I want to be in Jannat al-Firdaus. I want to have the highest palace in Jannah. I want to be able to drink from all the streams of Jannah. That should be our attitude.

We believe in Allah. We believe in the promises of Allah. We consider them to be true. If we're sitting here, we're here, we're listening — it means what? We believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So do we not believe in the promises of Allah? When Allah ta'ala says that this dunya, hadhihi al-dunya, is fani — it's going to go away — we see it, we know it. It's not a surprise to anyone. You and I are not going to be here forever. Don't delude yourself into thinking that. I'm here today, I'm standing in front of you today. Tomorrow — I don't know what the situation is going to be. Maybe I'm not going to be here tomorrow. Maybe you're not going to be here tomorrow. We don't know. There's no guarantee.

So why not strive for something that is endless?

Give preference to that which is everlasting, compared to what is finite, what is going to perish.

Ramadan — A Spiritual Boost Towards Istiqamah

These moments of Ramadan are supposed to be like spiritual boosts. They're supposed to encourage us so that the rest of the year, we are also keeping up and engaging in ibadah. Istiqamah — istiqamah is one of the most precious, priceless gifts of the believer, when he is steadfast on the ibadah of Allah, no matter what happens.

That's what it means to be an abd. A servant of Allah ta'ala does not look at, "Okay, I feel good right now, I feel like praying, so I'm going to pray. I feel like fasting, so I'm going to fast." What does the servant say? "I have to fast — khalas." It doesn't matter whether I want to or don't want to. It doesn't matter whether I feel like it or not. It doesn't matter whether I have the motivation today or not. Allah ta'ala commanded it, I have to do it. That's the type of mentality.

When we go to work, there are days when in the morning we wake up so tired. It's so difficult, but we still get up. We sacrifice our sleep. So why not for the commandments of Allah? When the Fajr time comes, no matter how early it is, I have to wake up. I don't care what happens. I'm going to put five alarms if I need to. I'm going to tell my family, "You put the alarm too." I'm going to call my friend, "Look, it's getting difficult for me to wake up for Fajr — give me a call in the morning." I'm going to do whatever it takes. Why? Because I consider this something important. This is related to my future — my future that is going to be everlasting, not finite.

These Precious Days Will Pass — Use Them Now

With these days now upon us — soon this month of Ramadan is going to go away, it's going to finish. But Allah ta'ala give us tawfiq. Allah ta'ala have mercy on us. If His bounty is on us, maybe we get to see the next year's Ramadan — or not — that Allah ta'ala knows. But I know that I have the opportunity right now. So I'm going to do whatever I can. I'm going to make dua to Allah ta'ala. I'm going to ask Allah ta'ala for forgiveness. I'm going to ask Allah ta'ala to take care of all my needs, whether they're dunyawi or ukhrawi. I'm going to turn my life around. I'm going to make sure that the rest of my life is dedicated to Allah — me and my family.

Waking Your Family — The Home as a Center of Spiritual Life

What does the hadith say? أَحْيَا اللَّيْلَ وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ — he, Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, himself would spend the night in ibadah, and he would wake up his family.

Protect yourself and protect your family from the Fire. Think about your children. We're so worried about our children's future — but which future are we worried about? This life's future or that life's future? Which future should we be worried about? Our spouses, our parents, our siblings — we love them. We have love for them. What should we be worried about for them? The trials of this life, or the trials over there?

Just like we try to protect them and guard them from whatever calamities, whatever shurur, whatever fitan could come in this life — we have to also be concerned and worried about the things that are going to come there. We have to be concerned about the calamities that we're going to be facing there. If I get the fadl of Allah ta'ala and I can be under the shade of Allah ta'ala's 'Arsh on the Day of Judgment, at the same time I would want that my family also be under the shade of Allah ta'ala's 'Arsh. I would want my parents, my siblings, my children to also be under the shade of Allah ta'ala's 'Arsh.

So in our homes — our homes should be small centers of spiritual upliftment. When we go home, just like we have long days of work and come home and feel relaxed — not only should our home be a place of physical relaxation, it should be a place of spiritual relaxation. I come home, I feel more ta'alluq with Allah ta'ala. I went through work, I went through school, I had to deal with all of these things, but I come home — alhamdulillah — I'm reminded of Allah. So you have to create that environment.

Do ta'lim at home. Read one hadith at home. Get the family together. And say, "Okay, you know what — 30 minutes before iftar, 20 minutes before iftar, let me help get iftar ready, and then let's sit, let's do some dhikr, let's make dua." We should be doing this.

The Danger of the Phone — Protecting Our Spiritual Energy

And for our youngsters, and for all of us — phone technology has to be put aside. I'm telling you, the more I look into this, I'm finding that this is probably one of the greatest difficulties and challenges that we are facing in our time today — this phone. People are, subhanAllah, lost in it. Hours and hours of the day. A person would not, in the past, wrap his head around the fact that how could you spend hours on a device like this doing what? You're not researching, you're not writing a paper, you're not getting some sort of education through it. Watching Allah knows what videos, watching random things, completely wasting time. This is sucking the ruhaniyya from us.

So here, by morning we're fasting, and by evening maybe we're coming and praying Tarawih salah — but in the pockets of time in between, hours and hours are being wasted on this phone. Perhaps looking at haram, perhaps just wasting time. We have to guard it. We have to make it a point. As parents, and even us who are young, we have to be conscious of this. This is really dangerous — I cannot stress this enough. The amount of youngsters who are now involved in watching things that are haram — it's scary, it's terrifying. Not just youngsters; those who are older as well. Watching Allah knows what. So we have to protect ourselves, we have to guard ourselves from this.

So try this for the next part of the month that's coming. Make it a point — I come home, I'm putting my phone to the side. I'll check it later on; if there are important messages, no problem. But otherwise, there's no need. If you're somebody who's really working, okay, I understand. But if you have no other need and you're just watching and scrolling random things — put it away, put it away. It's sucking your time, your precious valuable time. What will we say on the Day of Judgment before Allah?

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq, inshallah.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Master of Prophets and Messengers, and upon his family and companions. Dear brothers and sisters, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

Dear brothers and sisters, the last ten days of Ramadan are approaching. These are the blessed days and nights in which there is a night better than a thousand months.

I say this and ask Allah to forgive me and you and all Muslims, so ask Him for forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, we ask His help, we ask His forgiveness, we believe in Him and we put our trust in Him. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whom He misguides, none can guide him. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, there is no partner for Him. And we bear witness that our master Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

Remember Allah — He will remember you. And call upon Him — He will answer you. And the remembrance of Allah, the Most High, the Most Great, is indeed the greatest.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right. Donate generously. Sadaqah wards off calamity. We know that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was also very generous in the month of Ramadan — kariha al-mursala (like a rushing wind). There is no curbside parking allowed. Please do not park on the curbs behind the seminary building or on the Swift Highway. We have additional parking spaces in the used car lot.

Please join us for our daily Ramadan programs. We have a post-Fajr khatira with Mufti Minhaj. We have a program titled Reviving the Heart — a 25-minute spiritual discourse before Maghrib, which includes dhikr and dua. We have community iftar as well. And after Tarawih, we have a program titled Gems from the Quran, which is a short tafsir.

For those who are intending to do i'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan, please register on the website. Anyone who is under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. There is an I'tikaf Orientation Program that will take place on Sunday, April 9th, following the Dhuhr prayer at 1:30 pm.

We also have a weekly Brothers Youth Qiyam, as part of our continuous efforts to foster spiritual growth and enrichment for our youth. Please note that all sports-based activities will be postponed until after the blessed month of Ramadan. The youth program this week will take place on Saturday night, April 8th, instead of the usual Friday night. We have organized a special talk by guest speakers for our youth, followed by a Q&A session. The program will begin at 10:45 pm and conclude at 12:30 am. Kindly ensure that transportation for pickup is arranged, as the seminary masjid will be closed following the program. Registration is required. Please visit masjidds.org/rsvp.

We have a weekly Sisters Spiritual Gathering. Join us every Friday this Ramadan from 5:30 pm to Maghrib for programs highlighting an opportunity to focus on one's inner self and building a stronger connection with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala during the sacred month. Iftar and dinner are arranged. There will be parallel programs for adults, youth, and kids ages 5 to 8. This week, we have a special boba bar for youth after dinner on the sisters' side. Please visit masjidds.org/rsvp for more details. We also have dates for sale.

We have a special request for dua. One of our teachers here, brother Sultan, his sister is in the ICU in Toronto undergoing a high-risk surgery. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant her a complete and speedy recovery, and allow the surgery to go by successfully, inshallah. Jazakumullahu khayran.