Finishing Ramadan Strongly - Shaykh Aqeel Mahmood

Finishing Ramadan Strongly

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds.

Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whomsoever He misguides, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you who have believed, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate, and spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah, with whom you ask for mercy, for Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the right words. He will set right your deeds and forgive you your sins.

Reflecting on the Month

It only seems like a few days ago where we were speaking about preparing for the month of Ramadan and the virtues of Ramadan and the virtues of Laylatul Qadr and the importance of ibadah, reciting Quran and praying in the blessed month of Ramadan and how one can prepare for this blessed month.

And we find ourselves now at this point in time in the blessed month of Ramadan with only two days remaining, tonight being the 29th. Brothers and sisters, we need to reflect first of all on how our month has been. Every single one of us is accountable for our actions in the blessed month of Ramadan and we and only we ourselves can reflect on how much we have done in this blessed month, what we could have done, how we could have improved, how we could have changed things if we were able to change things, what extra good deeds could I have done if I had had the opportunity.

And we have glad tidings that we still have some days of the month of Ramadan left. Although they are few, it's still an opportunity for us to take advantage of. All is not lost if we didn't do as much as we could have done, because we can now make up for those missed opportunities in terms of doing the good deeds that we could have done.

Many of us, especially at this point in time towards the end of Ramadan with only a couple of days remaining, especially after the 27th night has finished, we end up looking ahead and instead of focusing on the 28th, 29th, potentially the 30th of Ramadan, we start thinking about the first of Shawwal. We start thinking about Eid and what we're going to be buying, gifts and presents that we still have to buy, what we're going to be wearing, where we're going to be going, where we're going to be praying. We make preparations for the day of Eid before we make preparations and prepare ourselves for the end of Ramadan by doing as many good deeds as we can.

And it's important for us to remember, brothers and sisters, that although we may have started the month of Ramadan in a difficult way, maybe we didn't do what we could have done — what's important isn't how we begin the month of Ramadan. What's important is how we end the month of Ramadan.

Actions Are Judged by Their Conclusions

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"Actions are judged by their conclusions."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6607)

How those actions and how those acts of worship were concluded. It may be the case that a person prays and at the beginning of the prayer he's distracted. He wasn't completely focused. He was thinking about other things. But by the end of the prayer, when he's in tashahhud, before he gives salam, he's completely focused. Completely attentive. He's more focused than he was at the beginning of the prayer. This individual will be rewarded because of how he ended the prayer, not necessarily how he began the prayer — because actions are based on their conclusions, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said.

And the scholars would speak about the end of Ramadan and having the right mindset at the end of Ramadan. Ibn Taymiyyah, rahimahullah, he would say:

He would say, "The lesson lies in the perfection of the conclusion of something, not the shortcomings of the beginning of it." The lesson lies in the perfection of the conclusion of those acts of worship, not the imperfections and the mistakes that we may have made at the beginning of those acts of worship. So one needs to focus and stay focused, especially at this stage, at the end of the month of Ramadan, not neglecting these last couple of days.

Laylatul Qadr May Still Be Tonight

In fact, Laylatul Qadr could potentially be tonight. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us in a hadith that Laylatul Qadr is on the 27th or the 29th night of the month of Ramadan.

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 21787)

Verily the angels on that night are greater in number than the pebbles when they descend from the heavens, showing us the status and the importance of this night.

So instead of neglecting what's remaining of the month of Ramadan, understanding that Laylatul Qadr could potentially be tonight, understanding we still have these couple of days to take advantage of, is a very important lesson for us — not to be slack, not to become lazy, not to think ahead without taking advantage of the blessed nights that are remaining in the month of Ramadan.

Excellence at the End — The Racehorse Analogy

Other scholars would also speak about the importance of ending Ramadan in the best way possible. One of the scholars said:

"Excellence at the end is better than the zeal and the excitement at the beginning." When there's excitement and there's this zeal of wanting to do lots of good deeds, but then by the end he runs out of energy, he runs out of gas, he isn't able to do as much when it matters. And we all know that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, as we have heard, he would fasten his belt, he would tighten his belt in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. He would increase even more in his ibadah.

Ibn al-Jawzi, rahimahullah, he would compare the believer at the end of Ramadan with a racehorse. He said when the racehorse knows that it's finishing the race and it's towards the end of the track, it exerts all of its efforts to win the race. It tries even harder because it's seeing the finish line. He said, rahimahullah, "Don't allow the racehorse to be smarter than you."

That when the racehorse sees the finish line, it tries even harder, runs even faster, exerts more energy. But when we see the end of Ramadan, instead of trying harder, we tend to relax. We tend to take a step back. We're thinking about Eid instead of the last couple of days which are remaining.

So we need to be wiser, smarter than the racehorse by trying even harder in these last few nights of the blessed month of Ramadan, doing whatever we were hoping that we could do in the early days of Ramadan that we never did. We shouldn't feel this regret and this sadness. Naturally, we will feel some type of sadness because we know the month of Ramadan is ending. But it shouldn't paralyze us to the extent where we're not able to do those good deeds. In fact, that ending of Ramadan should be a means of motivating us to increase in good deeds, to doing more, to exerting all of that energy.

Imam Al-Hasan al-Basri would say, "Improve your performance in what is left of the time that you have and you will be forgiven for that which has already passed." Maybe we committed sins. We had bad habits that we couldn't let go of in the month that has passed us by and we were committing these sins. But if a person remains persistent and he decides to do more good deeds in these last couple of nights, it may be the case that Allah removes your sins. It may be the case that Allah, because of your efforts, your extra effort, you exerting energy at the end of Ramadan — this could be a means by which Allah will remove your sins from the beginning of Ramadan and from whatever has passed in the month of Ramadan.

So brothers and sisters, let's not become distracted and let's not lose that energy and that passion and that zeal that we had at the beginning of Ramadan now that the month of Ramadan is almost over.

Second Part of the Khutbah

Brothers and sisters, we were speaking about taking advantage of the end of Ramadan and how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us:

"Actions are by their conclusions."

And the scholars would remind us over and over again of the importance of ending acts of worship, ending the month of Ramadan in a better manner than how it was begun — perfecting the end of our ibadah even if we were neglectful and we didn't do enough at the beginning of the month of Ramadan. Now is the opportunity which Allah has given us to take advantage of, to exert all of that energy, to do whatever we're able to do in these last blessed nights of the month of Ramadan.

We Are Slaves of Allah at All Times

And as I mentioned, many of us are thinking of the day of Eid and what we're going to be doing, where we're going to be going, what we need to buy — food, gifts, and so on. But it's also important for us to remember that as Muslims, we are slaves of Allah and we submit to Allah in the month of Ramadan as well as outside of the month of Ramadan. We are obedient to Allah in the month of Ramadan and we are obedient to Allah outside of the month of Ramadan.

And one of the scholars, Ka'b, he spoke about the person who has the mindset and the intention of doing sins, committing sins after Ramadan has been completed. He said whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and he's reminding himself — speaking to himself — that once Ramadan is over, he won't be sinning or he'll try his best not to commit sins, so he has this mindset: "Once Ramadan is over, I'm not going to commit sins." This person will enter Jannah without questioning and without any accounts.

And then he continued and said, and whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and he's thinking to himself that once Ramadan is over, then he's going to commit sins — he has sins on his mind, things he hasn't done in the month of Ramadan and he wants to go back to committing those sins — Ka'b said, then his fasts in the month of Ramadan will be rejected. It was of no benefit. He didn't understand the virtue and the importance of fasting.

The obedience that you're showing in the month of Ramadan needs to continue. If you're able to stay away from food and drink for the majority of the day, every single day for 30 days — something which you need to survive — then for sure, brothers and sisters, you can stay away from sins. You can stay away from committing sins which you don't even need. In fact, it's harmful to you. And having the mindset that you're going to commit sins after the month of Ramadan, on the day of Eid for example — which is a day of remembering Allah, thanking Allah — that's a sign, or it could be a sign, that your worship in the month of Ramadan was not accepted.

In fact, the scholars say one of the signs of an accepted Ramadan is that a person changes after the month of Ramadan finishes. That he's different. That he's changed his behavior. That he's increased somewhat in his ibadah — maybe not as much as in the month of Ramadan, but definitely more than what he was doing before the month of Ramadan began.

The True Meaning of Eid

Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, rahimahullah, his daughters came to him asking for clothes for the day of Eid. And Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, rahimahullah, he told them:

"Eid is not for the one who is wearing new clothes. Verily, Eid is for the one who is fearing the day which Allah has promised."

The day of Eid, brothers and sisters, is a day of reminder for us. It's not an opportunity to go out and commit sins — "Finally, Ramadan is over. I've been waiting so I can commit the sins I haven't done for the whole of Ramadan." This mindset may be a sign that your deeds in the month of Ramadan haven't been accepted, and that your sins will be persistent, especially those you committed before the month of Ramadan.

So it's important for us, brothers and sisters, to remind ourselves that we're slaves of Allah all the time, every single day. We don't get a day off from being Muslim. We don't get a day off from worshipping Allah and obeying Allah and following the commandments of Allah.

Continuing Good Deeds After Ramadan

Also, brothers and sisters, try to continue some of the good deeds that you have done in the month of Ramadan after the month of Ramadan. Don't stop doing good deeds after the month of Ramadan is over. We may not be able to do the same, but a person can do something. He can continue some of the remnants of his ibadah in the month of Ramadan after the month of Ramadan.

If you were able to fast every single day for the whole of the month of Ramadan, you can fast one or two days after Ramadan is finished. And one of the ways you can do this as a means of encouragement is the six days of Shawwal. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1164)

"Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he has fasted the whole year." This is a means of a person trying to be consistent in some way by doing some good deeds after the month of Ramadan.

Many of us were blessed with the opportunity to be able to pray in the masjid every single night in the month of Ramadan. If we're able to do that, then for sure we're able to pray our obligatory prayers every single day on time after Ramadan is over. If we're able to pray nawafil prayers, optional prayers — the taraweeh prayer in the month of Ramadan — then for sure, brothers and sisters, we can pray the rawatib prayers, the 12 sunnah prayers that a person has been told to pray, that he's rewarded for, that Allah blesses him and rewards him with a palace in Jannah every single time he prays and completes those 12 rakahs every single day.

One of the poets recited poetry about the state of some believers after the month of Ramadan, and he said:

"The person used to pray for things which he wanted. When the matter finished, he stopped praying and he stopped fasting."

Now that the matter is over and Ramadan is complete, we need to reflect and we need to ask ourselves: are we going to continue in some way, in some form or another, to do those good deeds which Allah blessed us and gave us the ability to do? Because one of the things we should realize is that we are capable — we're able to worship Allah to this extent. Yes, the month of Ramadan is a blessed month, but it's showing us that with the help of Allah, we're able to do more good deeds than maybe we even thought we were capable of doing. And this is something which every single one of us needs to take into account before the month of Ramadan finishes and especially after the month of Ramadan.

Du'a

We ask Allah that He gives us the ability to be able to remain consistent on these good deeds before the month of Ramadan is over. And that Allah accepts our good deeds in this blessed month and that He gives us the ability to be able to stand in the salah and to be able to fast and to do good deeds on the night of Qadr. And we ask Allah that He gives us the ability to remain consistent on doing some good deeds after the month of Ramadan.