Continue Doing Good Post-Ramadan - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Khutbah: Continue Doing Good Post-Ramadan

By Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

أَحِبَّتِي فِي اللَّهِ وَفِي الْإِسْلَامِ، أُوصِيكُمْ وَنَفْسِي بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مُحْسِنُونَ.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I start by praising Allah and thanking Him and sending blessings and salutations upon our beloved messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Gratitude to Allah for the Blessing of Ramadan

There is so much to be thankful for. There is so much to be grateful for. Allah has truly blessed us. Allah has blessed us with wealth, health, family, and many opportunities. But the greatest opportunity that Allah has blessed us with is the month of Ramadan — the ability to worship Him, to get closer to Him, to know Him. This is something we ought to be thankful for.

You should feel thankful, you should feel grateful for every single act of worship that you've done. There is a beautiful statement by Imam al-Shafi'i where he was talking about the concept of being thankful to Allah, feeling grateful to Allah. He said we should be grateful to Allah for every single good thing that we do, because if you do something good, it is because Allah allowed you to do it — it is because Allah gave you the tawfiq and the guidance to do it. And then he said something very profound: he said, "Even my thankfulness — even when I do shukr and I say alhamdulillah — even that is something Allah gave me." So you have to thank Allah for giving you the guidance to thank Him — which means that we are in a state of perpetual gratitude to Allah.

We know people — family, perhaps — who say they are Muslim, may Allah guide them, that don't come to Jumu'ah, that don't fast Ramadan, that don't pray Taraweeh, that don't pray Qiyam, that don't give sadaqah. We probably know someone, or several of those type of people. But Allah did not make you among those. Rather, Allah has guided you to come to the masjid, to pray, to do more ibadah. Feel a sense of gratitude to Allah.

O Allah — Wallah, if it wasn't for You, we would not have worshipped You. Every good that we do is because of You, and we are thankful to You. This is the month of shukr — the month where we should thank Allah. And it is when you are thankful that Allah will increase you:

May Allah make us among those that increase in ibadah and good.

Ramadan is Ending — What is Your Plan?

My brothers and sisters, the month is about to end — another Ramadan that went by so quickly. And of course there are many emotions that you feel as Ramadan is about to end — a sense of sadness and sorrow because of how much good and how much reward that we had the potential to accumulate in this month.

But we all know, or we all should know, that fasting does not end in the month of Ramadan, that Qiyam does not end in the month of Ramadan. We shouldn't be among those that only fast in Ramadan, that only pray Qiyam and Tahajjud in Ramadan, that only are charitable in Ramadan. Yes, we increase the good in Ramadan. Yes, we increase the salah in Ramadan. Yes, we are more charitable in Ramadan. But we worship Allah throughout the year. We are not Ramadaniyyun — the people that only exert themselves in ibadah in the month of Ramadan.

Rather, what you should do, my brothers and sisters, is take the good habits that you've built up. You have proven to yourself that yes, you can stay up at night and pray. Yes, you can fast on multiple days, one after the other. Yes, you can give a lot of sadaqah. Now, that Ramadan is about to end — what is your plan for the rest of the year? What is your plan for the rest of the year, my brothers and sisters?

Are you going to let Ramadan go by and it will not have an impact on you? Are you going to let Ramadan go by and not change one thing in your life?

I want each one of us here to make a commitment: "I am going to change something about my life. My connection to Allah, my worship after Ramadan is finished — I'm going to use this blessed month to propel me into becoming a better believer and a better worshipper."

The Six Days of Shawwal and Continuing Good Deeds

And if that happens — and inshallah it will happen to all of us — if we become of those that fast on Mondays and Thursdays, or fast three days of each month as the Prophet, peace be upon him, encourages us to do, or at the very least — something that we all should be doing — is fasting the six days of Shawwal. As Ramadan finishes, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 204 — Sahih Muslim 1164)

"Whoever finishes fasting the month of Ramadan and then adds six days of Shawwal, he will have the reward of someone that fasted the whole year." And this of course is a ni'mah from Allah — an encouragement to go from strength to strength.

Take some of these habits. Some of us are doing i'tikaf in the masajid. If you're able to come to the masjid every single night in Ramadan, how does it make sense that you do not come one day outside of Ramadan? How does it make sense that if you can fast 30 days straight, you cannot fast one day a week, two days a week, or three days in a month? How is that possible, my brothers and sisters?

Not to mention the immense reward attached to praying at night, the immense reward attached to fasting for Allah. This is what we want to take into Shawwal and the many months to come — that we become people that are aware, that exert themselves in worship, and that understand their purpose. We've done it in Ramadan — let's also do it outside of Ramadan.

The Sign That Your Good Deeds Were Accepted

And remember, my brothers and sisters — among the signs that Allah has accepted your good deeds is that you continue doing good deeds after. Let me say that again: from the signs that Allah has accepted your good deeds — your sadaqah, your Qiyam, your Ramadan, your fasting — is that you continue doing good deeds after.

So please — continue doing good deeds. Continue coming to the masajid. Continue being among those that have a relationship with the masjid. Continue being among those that spend time at night praying. Continue being among those that never miss their five daily prayers. Continue being among those that fast for the sake of Allah. This is what we need to take into the rest of the year. Asking Allah to accept all our deeds from us, ameen.

Finish Strong — Actions Are Judged by Their Endings

The other thing, my brothers and sisters, is that the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught us something very profound — which is that actions are judged by how they end. As Ramadan is about to end, and we know how blessed these nights are, and among the most blessed nights are the odd nights of Ramadan — there are still some remaining, some very important ones remaining. So do not, as you are approaching the finish line, slow down.

We know how our race works — it's about how you finish. And in our deen it's also about how you end your life, how you end your Ramadan. So if you feel — and for many of us that may be the case — that we have not done enough, that we have not made enough du'a, that we have not prayed enough, that we have not read enough Quran — there are still days left. There are still days left. Use the opportunity. Do not be deprived from this great opportunity, my brothers and sisters.

And do not be discouraged if you had some shortcomings before. Allah is Ghafoorun Raheem — Allah wants good for you. So utilize the days that are coming and benefit from those — in prayer, in Qiyam, in all manners of good.

Remember, my brothers and sisters — it is these days that count. It is these days that will aid you when you are standing in front of Allah. This is the opportunity you are in. Imagine the day we are in right now, my brothers and sisters — we are in a Jumu'ah in Ramadan. There is so much good and so many blessings that we have as an opportunity. Can you imagine the one that is not benefiting from it? Or even worse — can you imagine the one that is sinning in it? The one that has been deprived from the mercy of Allah and from the guidance of Allah — that rather than benefit from this very special occasion, Ramadan, a Jumu'ah, the last ten nights — is involved in sin? Cannot control their tongue, cannot control their eyes, cannot control their hands?

Is this who we want to be? Is this who we are? Let's fear Allah. Ask Allah to guide us and stay strong, my brothers and sisters. Benefit from the days that you are in, understand the opportunity Allah has given you, and go from strength to strength.

I ask Allah to accept all of our good deeds, to give us the ability, the strength, the guidance, and the hidayah to be thankful for every single act of worship that we do, to be consistent, and to finish strong in Ramadan. I say this and ask Allah to forgive me and you and the rest of the Muslims from every sin — for indeed He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah — The Sunnahs of Eid

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

I already mentioned that we need to keep in mind that it's not just about Ramadan — it's about your life and what you do after Ramadan, and that we take the good habits that we've built in this month and inshallah continue. Meaning that each one of us here makes a plan for themselves: "I am going to be more charitable than I was before. I am going to pray more than I was before. I'm going to be attending the masjid more than I was before. I'm going to change my life. I'm not going to allow this Ramadan to go by and go back to the way I was — or even worse." Inshallah ta'ala, we utilize this opportunity to become better believers.

May Allah make us among the pious — for indeed Allah only accepts the good deeds of the pious.

The Celebrations of Eid

As Ramadan ends, of course, we have the Eid celebrations. And this shows you that the believers — what they celebrate are occasions of worship. We should be joyous, having had the opportunity, being healthy and able to fast these blessed months. We should be thankful, we should glorify Allah, we should praise Him, and we should make the takbir.

That is among the benefits and the purpose of Ramadan and fasting — which is why among the sunnahs of Eid is of course that we do the takbirat. And this is something that is often neglected. You see the people and the brothers and sisters when they come to the musalla and they pray — and the sunnah of course is to pray outside, so if you have an opportunity to pray outside you should do so. People often are reciting the takbir only in the musalla, but you should be reciting the takbirat from your home, in your car, as you're approaching — glorifying Allah and having gratitude in your heart as you recite the takbir. And involve your children.

Zakat al-Fitr — An Obligation

From the sunnah of Eid is of course that we pay Zakat al-Fitr, and this is an obligation upon every Muslim household — and for every person in the Muslim household. So you have to pay zakat for each individual that you are responsible for.

But why do you pay Sadaqat al-Fitr? What is the point of it? There are several wisdoms behind it. Among those wisdoms: even after we finish our great ibadah of Ramadan, we are giving sadaqah in hope that Allah forgives us for our shortcomings. We are giving sadaqah to instill some level of happiness and joy in the Muslims who have less. There are so many wisdoms behind it. But you should give it before the Eid prayer — not after. So inshallah ta'ala, brothers and sisters, make sure that you do this. And if someone is distributing on your behalf — as most organizations and most masajid are doing — make sure you give it to them early enough so that the people can have the food on the day of Eid inshallah ta'ala. That is the point of the Sadaqah al-Fitr. It is an obligation — please do not ignore this great obligation. May Allah accept all of it from us.

Other Sunnahs of Eid

Among the sunnahs of course is that you wear your best clothing. The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to have a special cloak that he would wear on Eid. So dress nicely, come to the musalla, recite the takbirat.

Eid al-Fitr is different from Eid al-Adha — the sunnah is that you eat something before you arrive. If you can have some dates and eat them in an odd number, this is even better for you.

Among the sunnahs of Eid is of course that we greet each other. The sahabah would greet each other and they would make du'a for each other. They would say: "May Allah accept your good deeds and our good deeds." And again you see the pattern here — we are coming together to pray, we are glorifying Allah, we are greeting each other and making du'a for each other for Allah to accept our good deeds. We are still in the mindset of ibadah and worship even on Eid — as we are laughing, and as we are visiting, and as we are eating, and as we are enjoying our children and our families, we are still in the mindset of worship.

Now — how about the person that starts their Eid with muharramat, with sins? With consuming things that are haram, with doing things that are haram, dressing in ways that are not allowed? This is a fitnah that we should avoid. Especially my sisters — fear Allah in the way you dress. Allah has put a responsibility upon you regarding your modesty. Most of the men and all must be modest, but the hijab and the jilbab and dressing appropriately is a wajib. So fear Allah in this regard and do not start your Eid with a sin — rather, start it with ibadah and continue moving forward.

May Allah accept from all of us. These are some of the sunnahs that we should apply and abide by for the Eid prayer inshallah ta'ala.

Taking Different Paths to and from the Eid Prayer

Also, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would take one path and come back from a different path. The ulema mention different reasons for this. Some say so that he could see different people, as many people as possible, and make du'a for them, greet them, and share the joy. Others have said it is the ground that he walks on — that he hoped it would testify on his behalf.

Three Concluding Points

In any case, my brothers and sisters, I want to inshallah ta'ala conclude with three points:

First: There are great nights of Ramadan left that we ought to exert ourselves in as much ibadah as possible. The odd nights have not finished. The greatest odd night is upon us. Fear Allah, exert yourself in worship in these days — you don't know if you're ever going to see them again. May Allah give us many more Ramadans. Finish strong. Ask Allah to guide you. Make du'a. Follow the sunnah of the Prophet and what he used to do in these last ten nights.

Second: As Eid approaches, my brothers and sisters, remember to follow the sunnahs that we have mentioned.

Third: Ask Allah to accept from you. Ask Allah to accept from you. The Prophet, peace be upon him — when Allah mentioned in the Quran about the believers that when they do good deeds:

— while their hearts are trembling — Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said to the Prophet, peace be upon him: "O Prophet of Allah, why are they doing good deeds yet their hearts are trembling? Why are they so scared? If they are doing good deeds, should they not be joyous and happy?" Then she said: "Are they the sinners that do good deeds but also sin?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3175 — graded Hasan Sahih)

"No — rather they do not know whether Allah accepted from them or not." I do not know whether Allah accepted from me. You do not know whether Allah accepted from you. Which is why there should be a sense of fear — a sense of "I need to do more," a sense of "O Allah, O my Lord, please accept my ibadah from me." We are not perfect. We have many shortcomings. We ask Allah to make us among the pious — for indeed Allah only accepts from the pious.