20170526-2nd Khutba - Shaykh Arsalan

Opening Praise and Testimony

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask His help, we ask His forgiveness and we ask His guidance. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, no one is misguided, and whom He misguides, no one is guided.

And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that our master, Muhammad, peace be upon him, was His servant and His messenger, and His purest and His finest. He conveyed the message, and fulfilled the trust, and advised the Ummah, and strived in the cause of Allah for the truth of his Jihad, until the certainty came to him.

Amma ba'd: Indeed the most truthful of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of our master Muhammad, peace be upon him. And the worst of matters are those that are newly invented, and every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Longing of the Salaf for Ramadan

Brothers and sisters, al-Hafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali rahimahu Allahu ta'ala mentions in his book, Lata'if al-Ma'arif, about the salaf of this ummah — the generation of the Sahaba and the Tabi'een and the Atba' al-Tabi'een.

(Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Lata'if al-Ma'arif)

That those early Muslims, they would pray to Allah for six months that Allah gives them life until the next Ramadan. And for six months after Ramadan, they would ask Allah to accept the worship of Ramadan from them. Praying for Ramadan six months before it.

These are people who had developed such an attachment to this month, that they would miss it and long for it for six months before it even came. And for those of us who have tasted anything like that of the month of Ramadan, we also long for it as it comes closer and closer. And insha'Allah ta'ala, if Allah gives us life until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will be in another month of Ramadan.

Ramadan: A Dear Friend Returning

The coming of Ramadan, my brothers and sisters, is like when you have been away from a dear friend of yours. And then that friend decides to come and visit you. And as you find out that the day of their arrival is coming closer and closer, you get more and more excited. And then, when the day of the flight comes, you track their flight, you get ready to go to the airport, you're excited, you get some gifts for them, and you wait for their arrival as they come out of that arrival hall. And when you see them, you hug them and you welcome them and you say salam to them. And the happiness that that brings to you, because it's a friend who's so dear to you. And who has been away from you for so long. And now they're back.

Brothers and sisters, Ramadan is also our friend. It is a friend who left us last year with tears in our eyes. It's a friend of those who believe in Allah, who love to worship their Lord, who love to leave their food and their drink and their desires for Him. It's a friend of those who know that they are human, who recognize their sins, who realize that they need the forgiveness of Allah. Ramadan is a friend of those who know that they need to change.

It's that friend of ours who shows us our true self — the good in us and the bad in us. It's that friend who trains us to worship Allah, who trains us to obey Allah, who trains us to engage with His book, who trains us to stand up for long prayers at night, who trains us to invoke Him with sincerity and with passion. Ramadan is that friend, my brothers and sisters, who brings with it promises of Allah's forgiveness, promises of Allah's pardon, His grace, His mercy and His Jannah. It is that friend, my brothers and sisters, who supports us against our greatest enemy, the Shaitan, and locks him up in chains. Ramadan is that friend, brothers and sisters, and he's coming back either tonight or tomorrow night. He's been gone for a year, and he is finally coming back.

The Virtues and Specialness of Ramadan

Ramadan is not like any other month. It is a very special month.

Ramadan is the month in which Allah chose to reveal His divine book. And according to some of the ulama, all the divine books were revealed in the month of Ramadan. This is not a coincidence. This is divinely decided and chosen. Ramadan is the month in which the heavens and the earth connected together through the revelation of divine scriptures. How can a month in which Allah revealed His divine book be like any other month?

Ramadan is the month in which there is لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ.

And what will make you realize what لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ is? لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ is one night, but it is better than one thousand — not nights — one thousand months. That's 83 years. Worship in this one night is better than worshiping Allah for 83 years consecutively. How can a month that contains لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ be just like any other month?

Ramadan is the month that has the gift of fasting, the gift of obligatory fasting. Yes, it is a gift — not merely a responsibility or a burden, but a gift from Allah which is beneficial for us in this life and in the hereafter, both spiritually and even physically and emotionally. This gift Allah chose to give it to us in this month.

This is the month about which Rasulullah ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 38; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 760)

That whoever fasts this month with faith and expecting reward from Allah, all of their past sins will be forgiven.

This is the month about which he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 37; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 759)

That whoever performs extra worship at night during this month with faith and expecting reward from Allah, all of his or her past sins will be forgiven.

This is the month about which he said, peace be upon him, that during this month, the gates of Jannah are opened, the gates of Jahannam are closed, and the devils are chained. This is the month about which he said, peace be upon him, that one Ramadan to another atones for the sins that are committed between them, as long as they do not contain major sins.

SubhanAllah, brothers and sisters, it is one month, but it helps us atone for our sins of the entire previous year. It is one month, and it is sufficient to atone for the sins of 11 months. One month sufficient for 11 months.

Ramadan is Like Yusuf (عليه السلام)

And this is why, brothers and sisters, some of our ulema have said that the month of Ramadan is like Yusuf (عليه السلام). Because Yusuf (عليه السلام) had 11 brothers. And those brothers — at least 10 of them — they wronged him. They tried to kill him. They did so much injustice to him. But at the end, what did Yusuf (عليه السلام) do with his brothers? He forgave all of them. He forgave all of his brothers. Ramadan is like Yusuf (عليه السلام), brothers and sisters. How can a month that is like Yusuf (عليه السلام) be just like any other month? It cannot be, brothers and sisters.

Ramadan is not just another month. It is very special. And the question is: are we going to be just like we are throughout the year? Or are we going to be different in this month? Are we going to be special in the way that we behave? In the way that we worship? In the way that we conduct ourselves? Are we going to be different in the way that we make dua? In the way that we approach the book of Allah? Are we going to be different in this month? Or are we going to be just like we are the rest of the year?

The Hadith of the Two Men from Bali

There is a hadith mentioned by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, with a fair chain of narration (isnad al-hasan), on the authority of Abu Hurairah. For the sake of time, I'll just mention the translation.

He says that there were two men from a tribe of Bali, which is a sub-tribe of the larger tribe, Qada'a. Two men from this tribe who accepted Islam with Rasulullah peace be upon him. And then one of them died as a shaheed, as a martyr. The other man lived for another year, and then died a natural death.

So Talha ibn Ubaidullah, the famous companion of Rasulullah peace be upon him, says that he saw the two men in his dream. And what he saw is that the man who had died later entered Jannah before the one that had died as a shaheed. So when he woke up from his dream, he found that very strange. How could a man who dies a natural death get to enter Jannah before the one who dies as a shaheed? So he came and mentioned that to the Prophet peace be upon him. And at that, the Prophet peace be upon him said:

(Musnad Imam Ahmad, with a hasan chain of narration, on the authority of Abu Hurairah)

He said, peace be upon him: "What is strange about that? The man who died later — didn't he live to witness another month of Ramadan? Didn't he live to witness another month of Ramadan?" He lived for one more Ramadan than the one who died a year before. And because of that, he entered Jannah before the shaheed.

This is the virtue of Ramadan, brothers and sisters. It is a tremendous blessing to witness another month of Ramadan. That's how special this month is. And this is not a legend. This is not a hadith that is mawdu' or da'if jiddan. It's not from a book that nobody has heard of. It's from the Musnad of Imam Ahmad with a hasan chain of narration. It's an authentic hadith, very well known among the ulama. This happened. Rasulullah peace be upon him said these words. He is the one who said them, not someone from later generations. This is the reality of the month of Ramadan, brothers and sisters.

May Allah help us all witness this upcoming month of Ramadan. May Allah help us be prepared for it. Ameen.

The Breezes of Allah

Brothers and sisters, Rasulullah peace be upon him said in another well-known hadith:

(al-Tabarani, al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; also reported by Ibn Abi al-Dunya)

Which means roughly: your Lord sends out نَفَحَاتٌ throughout the year. نَفَحَاتٌ is the plural of نَفْحَةٌ. نَفْحَةٌ is a breeze of air. نَفْحَةٌ is also a breeze of beautiful scent, sweet scent, fragrance — it means both things. So your Lord sends out نَفَحَاتٌ throughout the year. فَتَعَرَّضُوا لَهَا — so expose yourselves to those breezes. Perhaps one of those breezes will touch you, after which you will never be unhappy again.

Ramadan, brothers and sisters, is a breeze that is meant to rejuvenate our spirit and to revive our hearts. Can you imagine: in the middle of a desert, it's very hot, and you're sitting there in the heat of the desert, and then suddenly a cloud comes over, and then a breeze starts to flow. Imagine the energy that you get from that breeze of cool, refreshing air. We in this life, brothers and sisters, through the daily rat race of our lives, we are in a desert. And we need these breezes of air to rejuvenate our hearts, to revive our souls. And Ramadan is that breeze.

So what is Rasulullah peace be upon him saying? When that happens, what do you do? فَتَعَرَّضُوا لَهَا — expose yourselves to them, to these breezes. If there's a breeze blowing outside but I am in my cubicle in front of my computer, the weather is so nice outside — I need to step out of my cubicle, step out of the campus, go outside and enjoy that fresh breeze. If I don't get out of my daily working space, if I don't step away and expose myself to that breeze, if I don't take a break from that and go out, I will miss the breeze. I will miss it.

We have to take a break in this month. We have to go out and feel the breeze. If we don't take the time out, then the breeze will come and it will go. And we will not be replenished. And we will not have what we need to get through the rest of the next year.

A Ten-Point Plan for Ramadan

So, insha'Allah ta'ala, I would like to share a plan for myself and for you of things to do in the month of Ramadan. I hope that we can try to do some of these things or all of these things, as much as possible, as much as our schedule will allow. But we have to adjust our schedules — it's not going to adjust by itself. We have to make an effort to do that.

1. Wake Up for Suhoor Every Day

Wake up for suhoor every day and eat something light a few minutes before Fajr. The word suhoor comes from the word sahar. And sahar is not at 11 p.m., not at 12 a.m., not at 1 a.m. Sahar is just before Fajr — that's the meaning of sahar. Just before Fajr. So if you eat something at 11 p.m. or 12 a.m., that's not suhoor. Get up a little bit before Fajr and eat something light. Rasulullah peace be upon him said that the suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, is blessed, has barakah in it. And it was his sunnah to eat suhoor as close to Fajr time as possible.

2. Repent to Allah

Make sincere tawbah for your sins. Find moments of solitude every day. Sit before your Lord, raise your hands, and beg Him for His forgiveness.

3. Make Du'a

The dua of a fasting person is accepted while he or she is fasting, especially right before they break their fast. Ask Allah for all of your needs.

4. Engage the Qur'an

Read as much as you can — one juz' every day, or more or less. This is the month of the Qur'an. Read it, study it, and ask Allah to grant you love and understanding of His book.

5. Pray Taraweeh in the Masjid

And if you have time, study the passage of the Qur'an that's going to be read in Taraweeh beforehand. This will help you concentrate in your prayer.

6. Seek Laylatul Qadr

Pray extra hard in the last ten nights, especially the odd ones among them. And remember that if your worship coincides with Laylatul Qadr, that's better than a thousand months.

7. Do I'tikaf in the Masjid

The Prophet peace be upon him used to seclude himself in the masjid for ten days in Ramadan every year, and he did it for twenty days in the final year of his life. Do it even if it is for one day. And when you do it, spend your i'tikaf in complete seclusion, only with your Lord, away from distractions of cell phones and social activities. Disengage from everything other than Allah. And try — try — to taste the sweetness of the nearness of your Lord.

8. Give Charity

The Prophet peace be upon him was more generous in this month than the breeze of the wind. Ramadan is the month of disciplining the nafs. Fasting is one way to do this. Giving charity is another way to do that. So give as much as you can, and pray that Allah accepts it from you.

9. Be on Your Best Behavior

Remember the lesson of fasting as you fast. Fasting is a seminar on patience, restraint, and self-control. So guard your tongue, guard your eyes, guard your ears, and above all brothers and sisters, guard your heart.

10. Be in Dhikr of Allah

Keep your tongue busy with the dhikr of Allah. When you're walking, when you're sitting down, when you're driving, when you're waiting for someone or something — be in dhikr as much as possible.

The Du'a of the Sahaba Upon the Approach of Ramadan

Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, one of the Tabi'een, says that when Ramadan would approach, the Sahaba would make this dua:

Which means: Ya Allah, please protect me until Ramadan. And Ya Allah, protect Ramadan for me. And Ya Allah, accept Ramadan from me.

So we all ask Allah:

Closing Du'a

I pray to Allah that He blesses us all to witness the coming month of Ramadan. Ya Allah, give us tawfiq to fast the entire month. Ya Allah, give us the tawfiq to benefit from this month. Make it a month of mercy for us. A month of forgiveness for us. A month of reward for us. Ya Allah, make this month to our past year like Yusuf was to his brothers. Ya Allah, make it a means of our forgiveness. Make it a means of our purification.

Ya Allah, help us taste the sweetness of this month. Help us taste the sweetness of Your nearness in this month. Help us taste the sweetness of worship in this month. Help us taste the sweetness of reading Your book in this month. Ya Allah, make this month a month of atonement of our sins.

Ya Allah, we acknowledge and we admit that there is no strength nor power except with You. Give us the strength to worship You. We are weak and incapable of doing anything without You. Help us, Ya Allah. Help us to organize our time in this month so that we can worship You more and remember You more.

Ya Allah, please bless us with the worship of Laylatul Qadr. Bless us with the dua that is accepted. Bless us with the repentance which is sincere. Bless us with knowledge that is beneficial. Bless us with actions that are sincere. Bless us with sustenance that is halal. Bless us with hearts that are sound. Bless us with eyes that weep out of Your fear. Bless us with Your love and the love of those whom You love. And Ya Allah, bless us with the intercession of Your Prophet peace be upon him on the Day of Judgment. Bless us with a drink from the fountain of Al-Kawthar from the noble hands of Your Nabi peace be upon him, and bless us with his company in the hereafter. Ameen, Ameen, Ameen.

Qumu ila salatikum, yarhamukum Allah.