Finishing Ramadan Strong: Preserve Your Deeds And Seek Forgiveness

Finishing Ramadan Strong

The reward of Laylatul Qadr is greater than 1000 months — the ibadah of it, or the ibadah in it. So we are all aware, and we have been constantly hearing the virtues and the blessings of the month of Ramadan. But my dear respected brothers and sisters, the month of Ramadan is not over.

Yes, this is the last Jumu'ah of the month of Ramadan. However, there are still a few days left of the month of Ramadan. And we should not become complacent.

We have to finish strong. We have to maximize on the few days and the few hours that remain from the month of Ramadan. And one of the blessings of this month of Ramadan is that the final few days happen to fall on a weekend. And because of that, we have absolutely no excuse. Most of us don't have work on the weekend. So we can definitely dedicate Friday night and Saturday night in the worship of Allah, in taking and maximizing the full potential of these two days.

How Do We Finish Strong?

How do we finish strong? How can we ensure that this month of Ramadan we have spent properly and we will finish spending properly? First and foremost, we have to ensure that our ibadah, our deeds are accepted. We have to preserve them. We see over and over again that as the month of Ramadan comes to an end, the people's attention, people's energy — it shifts focus. From the masajid, from the places of worship, from ibadah to marketplaces. Everyone wants to go shopping. Everyone wants to go to these different festivals. They want to go Eid shopping, whatever it is.

And yes, I'm not saying that we shouldn't whatsoever. But my dear respected brothers and sisters, it is still the month of Ramadan. Why are we shifting our attention and our focus in the month of Ramadan itself? Imagine if this is our attitude now — if this is our attitude now, then what will be our position after the month of Ramadan? Especially on the night of Eid. As soon as Ramadan finishes, the night of Eid is a very virtuous night. It is a night that we should focus on worshiping Allah, on seeking forgiveness from Allah. But as soon as the month of Ramadan finishes, most of us don't even make it for Salatul Fajr the very next day.

So we have to ensure that we are not returning back to our old selves. Especially after we have sacrificed so much, after we have spent so much time in ibadah, in standing in Salatul Taraweeh, and especially for those who are performing i'tikaf. You have given up your cellphones, you have turned off your social media, and you haven't been checking any of your WhatsApp or your group chat messages. And you have been confined to this masjid for 10 days.

So now, after spending so much time in the house of Allah, it absolutely does not make sense that on your way out, you turn on your phone and you go back to every single bad habit that you have left behind. And whatever good that you have achieved, whatever ibadah that you did, you burn all of it out on the way out — before you even get home.

The Prophet ﷺ mentions:

Indeed, all actions are judged by their endings. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6607)

And that is why this is where Shaitan focuses the most at times. Because he knows that, okay, Allah gave this person the tawfiq to do these good deeds, but I have to ensure that he does not pass away with any of the reward for it — that he is not rewarded for any of the good deeds that he has done.

Seeking Forgiveness — Istighfar

Another method by which we ensure that we finish Ramadan strong is by seeking forgiveness, by doing istighfar. Because whenever the Prophet ﷺ and the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم would do any good deed, they would follow it up by repenting to Allah. Why? Because whatever good deeds we may have done, they are deficient. We did not do them in the manner that Allah wants us to do these good deeds.

We performed Salatul Taraweeh, we fasted — but we know the amount of sins we committed while we were fasting. We know where our attention was while we were praying behind the imam. We know the situation of our hearts, even after Allah made it so easy for us. We know the amount of time we spent in the masajid, in the house of Allah, after the opportunity that Allah has given us. So there is no doubt that we must repent and seek forgiveness from Allah.

Showing Gratitude to Allah

And then we have to ensure that we are thankful. We have to show our gratitude to Allah for whatever worship we did. We can never think that this is from our own efforts. It's not because we took out time to come to the house of Allah. This is truly from the fadl of Allah that He has allowed us to fast in the month of Ramadan, to give sadaqah, to discharge our zakat, to pray Salatul Taraweeh, and all the du'a that we made. We should not become arrogant of our deeds — that we did so much and so much. Because all of this, whatever we have spent, whatever we did, whatever evil that we refrained from, this was all from the fadl of Allah.

Allah mentioned in the Qur'an:

"If you are grateful to Me, then certainly I will increase you." So if we are grateful to Allah and we express our gratitude to Him, then it is hoped that even after the month of Ramadan, Allah gives us the tawfiq and we are consistent in whatever actions we have been doing in the month of Ramadan.

Continuity After Ramadan

And most importantly, there must be continuity. We need to continue to do the good deeds that we have been doing. And we need to refrain from whatever bad habits that we refrained from in the month of Ramadan.

The purpose of the month of Ramadan is not that we do a certain amount of actions in the month of Ramadan, we stay away from all of these various sins, and then as soon as Ramadan ends, we lose focus and we lose sight of all of this — we go back to all the sins that we were involved in, and we no longer continue in the ibadah that we were doing in the month of Ramadan. Rather, the purpose is that whatever good habits we develop, we take this with us. And whatever evil that we refrained from, whatever bad habits we broke, we leave those behind — we leave those behind with the month of Ramadan.

For example, fasting. Fasting is not something specific to the month of Ramadan. Yes, it is obligatory — we have to fast in the month of Ramadan. However, this is something that we can also do outside of the month of Ramadan. The Prophet ﷺ would fast on Mondays and Thursdays. He would fast on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every single month. So for many of us, fasting is something which is very specific to the month of Ramadan. However, this should not be the case. We fasted 30 straight days — so that shows us that we have the strength. Now what we have to do is that we have to make azm. We have to make intention. Because for most of us, we never even sat down and decided that we are going to fast outside of the month. And that is why we are not able to do it. But there is no doubt, and there is great reward in this. So we should all make intention that, to the best of our ability, we are going to fast even outside of the month of Ramadan.

When it comes to salah, for many of us, perhaps we were not praying outside of the month of Ramadan, or maybe we were not consistent like we should have been, and we weren't taking it very seriously. But then we were focused in the month of Ramadan. Now we should continue this. Even after the month, the salah is the most important obligation from Allah. So we should all make intention and strive that no matter what, we are not going to miss our salah, and that we are not going to miss our salah with jama'ah. Perhaps many of us were consistent, but we didn't come to the masjid. Maybe Fajr salah we offered at home, or Isha salah, or Dhuhr salah we offered at work, even though we had the ability to go to the house of Allah. And for these past few weeks, we have been consistently praying salah with jama'ah. Now we should continue this.

When it comes to giving sadaqah, many of us become very generous in giving sadaqah. However, people are not only in need in the month of Ramadan. There are people that are even in need outside of the month of Ramadan. The masajid, the madaris — we have to give to them. Not because they need it, but because we need it. We need the reward from Allah.

And from the many other habits that we develop in the month of Ramadan is connecting with our neighbors. Many of us share food, iftar, with our neighbors, with our family members, with people that live around our homes. But this concept is only specific to Ramadan. Outside of Ramadan, we won't even go say salam or even meet our neighbors, let alone give food to them. So establishing this connection and then maintaining this connection is very crucial.

And of course, performing umrah. Yes, there is no doubt that there is much reward in it if someone performs it in the month of Ramadan. However, if someone has the ability to perform it outside of the month of Ramadan, then they should strive for that as well, because there is great reward in it even outside of the month of Ramadan.

And of course, khidmah. There is this concept of "Ramadan volunteers" — they volunteer in the masjid only in the month of Ramadan, and then outside of it, they are nowhere to be seen. Yes, it is very great and very rewarding that you volunteered in the house of Allah in the month of Ramadan. However, we shouldn't keep it restricted to that. Masajid need volunteers on a weekly basis. If possible, even on a daily basis, we have to go and present ourselves. Because this is the house of Allah. We are not volunteering to help the masajid — again, this is for ourselves. We need to do khidmah and serve the house of Allah.

And i'tikaf. Yes, spending — whether you did nafl i'tikaf or you are in sunnah i'tikaf — the fact that you took out time and you secluded yourself, you left the dunya, so you can focus on the akhira. We have to continue to do this even afterwards. Whether it's once a week or once a month, we have to take time out for ourselves. Sometimes we get lost in the world. Our entire focus becomes the dunya. We forget about Allah. We forget about reciting Quran. We forget about remembering Allah. So that is why we have to make sure that we are taking some time out for Allah.

Sadaqatul Fitr

And of course, in this month, if we have not discharged our Sadaqatul Fitr, then we have to ensure that we do that. Ibn Umar رضي الله عنه narrates that the Prophet ﷺ commanded to discharge the Zakatul Fitr before the people would go for Salatul Eid.

So this is necessary. We have to give it out. And it is mentioned that this Sadaqatul Fitr is an expiation. Why? Because there are many minor sins that we may have committed. The scholars have mentioned that it is as if it is the sajdatus sahw for the fast of the month of Ramadan. Why do we do sajdatus sahw? Because if there was any naqs, if there was any deficiency — to compensate for that. In the same manner, we give Sadaqatul Fitr for that purpose.

And of course, maybe we have food at home and we have new clothing for Eid. But there are many people in the world, and there are many people even in our own locality, that are not as fortunate. Maybe they don't have the means to afford nice clothing for Eid. So we have to ensure that if we have not given our fitr yet, then on the way out, make sure that you give it out. There are specifically boxes for this purpose.

The Six Fasts of Shawwal

And lastly, after the month of Ramadan, we have to follow the month of Ramadan up with the six fasts of Shawwal. The Prophet ﷺ mentions:

Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan, then follows it with the six fasts of Shawwal, it is as if he has fasted for the entire year. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1164)

That's the reward that we are getting — as if he has fasted for the entire year. And one of the wisdoms in this is that we are able to continue this ibadah of fasting even after the month of Ramadan has ended.

Conclusion

To conclude, my dear respected brothers and sisters, the month of Ramadan is not over. The month of Ramadan is not over. Let us maximize whatever time is left. We have absolutely no excuse, especially considering that it is the weekend. Let us all make intention that we are going to truly turn to Allah and seek forgiveness from Him.

Tonight is also the Khatmul Qur'an here at Masjid Darul Salam. And then after the Khatmul Qur'an, there will be du'a. So let us make intention to partake in this. And then afterwards, there will be insha'Allah a lecture by Mufti Azim. He has been continuously doing the candlelight conversations and guided ibadah. Let us come to the environment of the masjid and listen to what is being said by the scholars here. And then turn our attention to Allah and seek forgiveness from Him, and make du'a to Him, and engage in ibadah.

And of course, as the month ends, let us thank Allah for the opportunity that He has given us. And then let us repent to Allah, because we did not worship Him in the manner that He deserves to be worshipped. And lastly, we have to continue to remain connected. We have to remain connected to the masjid, to the houses of Allah. And we have to remain connected to scholars. And whatever good company that we may have been connected to in the month of Ramadan, let us continue to be connected with them. Whatever good habits we have developed in the month of Ramadan, let us continue to be consistent with those good habits. And whatever bad habits we gave up, let us never look back at those bad habits.

There is a hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ mentions that the five daily prayers, and Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan, makes atonement for what has happened since the previous one, when major sins are avoided.

So we have this understanding — there is this understanding of consistency, Ramadan to Ramadan, Friday to Friday, and the five daily prayers. So let us all make intention that there will be no day that passes by except that we have taken some time out to worship Allah. I ask Allah that He allows us to maximize whatever is left from the month of Ramadan. I ask Allah that He accepts all of our ibadah in this blessed month.

Announcements

Tonight, insha'Allah, is the night of the Khatmul Qur'an and a night of excessive du'a here at Darul Salam at 8:45 PM. Kindly spread the word and attend in person.

Secondly, insha'Allah, this Monday, April 1st, are our local elections. This is not based on any specific party. This is for our local villages — Lombard, Villa Park, and our local suburbs. There is an election, and alhamdulillah, there are a number of Muslim candidates, or those who support our needs, running. I request all of us to find out and spend 10 minutes to go cast your vote. These local elections are extremely important in our education — what's being taught in our local schools. They are extremely important when it comes to zoning of our masajid and the future projects of our community. They are extremely important in so many other different aspects of our daily life. So please, let us not undermine the importance of our local elections that are happening. And let us all take a few minutes out, insha'Allah, to go vote in the next few days. April 1st is the official date.

Last but not least, on this Jumu'atul Wida' — when, as Mufti Usman just mentioned, the rewards are multiplied like no other, and we want to end on a strong note — we know there are people who may not have been able to come last night, or may not be able to come tonight, and still want to discharge their zakah. Alhamdulillah, today we have an opportunity to sponsor students of knowledge studying at Darul Salam from different parts of the country. We have, alhamdulillah, 650 students, and increasing every year. Out of that, many of them are reverts, many of them are coming from single-family homes or single mothers raising them, and there are various different financial difficulties. Alhamdulillah, we have been able to continue to support them through all these years, and we ask all of you to also continue to do your part in discharging your zakah in a manner that we can offer a place for students from different states who want to come study here. $8,800 is the tuition, and then on top of that is the housing and the food. Those who are interested, alhamdulillah, can sponsor one of those students, insha'Allah.

I ask all of us, insha'Allah, to end this blessed month of Ramadan on a positive note and, alhamdulillah, walk out of the masjid having sponsored one student. And insha'Allah, you can make niyyah on behalf of your mother, your father, whether they are alive or have passed away. Those parents who have done so much for us — dedicate one student, insha'Allah, for them. You want to do it on behalf of your kids — insha'Allah, through the barakah of that, Allah will make it easy for them also to remain steadfast on the deen.

If you are not able to give all of it, you can give $100 a month. You can text message your pledge to 630-360-2373. Additionally, you can Zelle at zakat@masjiddeas.org or donate at masjiddeas.org. Please also swipe your card on your way out, insha'Allah.

Last but not least, Sadaqatul Fitr is mandatory for us to give on behalf of ourselves and every member of the family, even children. We need to discharge this before Eid. We will, insha'Allah, send it through a humanitarian organization overseas and some of it locally. We ask you to ensure you discharge your Zakatul Fitr, insha'Allah, before you leave today.

And we will see all of you tonight, insha'Allah, at 8:45 PM for Salatul Isha. Jazakumullahu khairan. Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.