Making the Most of Ramadan - Shaykh Wasim Kempson

Khutbah al-Jumu'ah — Making the Most of Ramadan

أَمَّا بَعْد، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ.

Indeed, all praise and thanks belongs to Allah tabaraka wa ta'ala. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And I bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is his final messenger. We praise and thank Allah jalla wa ala that we are on the blessed day of al-Jumu'ah, the first Jumu'ah in this blessed month of Ramadan. We thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that we are here worshipping Him, striving for Him and sacrificing for Him subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The virtues of this month are so many. We ask Allah jalla wa ala to accept from us all.

The Great Virtue of Fasting Ramadan with Iman

Let me start with one of the great virtues — and in fact all the virtues that we mention about Ramadan, or that the Prophet alayhi salam mentioned. Moreover, Allah jalla wa ala telling us about Laylatul Qadr which is خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ. One of the virtues that the Prophet alayhi salam mentioned is a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah radiyallahu anhu, in which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said:

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

That whoever fasts the month of Ramadan, إِيمَانًا — with iman — وَاحْتِسَابًا — and also seeking the reward of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — then all of their previous sins will be forgiven. There are other narrations which mention مَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ — whoever stands in prayer in Ramadan — with the same wording; and مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ — whoever stands in prayer on Laylatul Qadr — will also have that virtue of having their previous sins forgiven if they have iman, seeking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's reward.

But if you just ask yourself: what does it actually mean to have iman? What does it actually mean to seek Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's reward? What do you really understand by this? This one phrase, this one statement of the Prophet ﷺ — not the first time you've heard it, I'm sure. What does it actually mean for me to have that reward? Is it merely just abandoning food and drink and anything that breaks the fast during the month of Ramadan, and I can be written from a person who fasted and I simply just get that?

No, because it doesn't say مَنْ صَامَ. It says: who fasts with iman, seeking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's reward.

What Does Iman Mean in This Context?

Well, if you look at the word iman — with your faith in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the tawheed of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — that Allah jalla wa ala is unique and perfect from every single respect: from His actions, from the worship that He deserves and that belongs to Him, through His names and attributes; the information that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave to you concerning the angels, and the books, and belief in الْقَدَر and يَوْمِ الْآخِرِ — all of this is what you have iman in.

That when you fast, you fulfill the obligation that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given you, has commanded you with. And that if you fulfill that, then you are waiting — you desire — you have hope in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for that reward, because you submitted to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You would not and you do not submit or sacrifice to anything else in that way — nothing comes close. You are truly one who submits to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And that if you put yourself in this state in the month of Ramadan — fasting, your eyes fasting, your ears fasting, your mouth fasting — you are fully conscious of what you are doing every moment of the day, if that is at all possible; constantly remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, seeking istighfar, seeking Allah jalla wa ala's forgiveness, making tawbah, returning to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, recognizing your need of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala:

O mankind — every single one of them — you are all in need of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is your recognition and understanding. That when Ramadan comes around and you are fasting in this manner, this is what you are seeking — you are seeking this humbleness, you are seeking this feeling of submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Shortening Days of Ramadan

Even though maybe at times, at the end of the day, you might feel a little bit of مَشَقَّة — some difficulty — even though it is the case that from one year to the next this Ramadan is by and large going to be shorter than last year's, because Ramadan is moving through the seasons so the days are getting shorter. Just a few years ago we were breaking our fast at half past nine in the evening, and starting our fast maybe at 2:15 in the morning — subhanAllah — and now it is half the day, 12 hours. You are fasting and as soon as you reach dhuhr, maybe at home you start preparing for iftar because it is just a couple of hours away.

The Greatest Test and the Promise of Paradise

But even for those who felt some difficulty, we remember that the Prophet ﷺ informed us that on Yawm al-Qiyamah there will be a person who was أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ ابْتِلَاءً — from the most severely tested of people — and that they will be placed in Jannah for a moment, and then they will be questioned: "Did you ever face any difficulty in the dunya?" I want to be clear — when I am talking about difficulties, difficulties are not the same; tests are not the same. A person who maybe missed their suhoor or is feeling a little hungry or a little thirsty at the end of the day, on the grand scheme of things, isn't the biggest mashaqqa they will face. But nonetheless, a person who was tested like nobody else and is placed in the paradise for a moment, and then is questioned: "Did you ever taste any difficulty in your life?" — I swear by Allah that they never tasted any difficulty in their lives.

And this is the job and this is the responsibility of the Muslim. What is it? It is your job to worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You are making du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala constantly, and you do that with certainty, knowing that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will answer your needs. And that you have حُسْنُ الظَّنِّ بِاللهِ — you have good thoughts about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You put your trust in Him, you delegate your affairs to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, knowing that Allah jalla wa ala will deal with you — because you are trying your best — Allah jalla wa ala will deal with you with mercy and with wisdom. And whatever comes your way, that is the plan of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And you remember that Allah jalla wa ala — He is Al-Kareem, that He is Al-Mannan, Al-Razzaq, Al-Wahhab, Al-Lateef, Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem — these names, the most beautiful names; the attributes, the most perfect of attributes: the Most Merciful, the Most Generous, the Most Kind, the All-Giving, the All-Providing, Rabbul 'Alameen. This is the One we worship every day — and especially in Ramadan — that meaning, or those things we have been mentioning through the year, should really come home to us. We should really have a strong feeling and understanding of how merciful Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is.

The billions of supplications that are made in Ramadan for Muslims all around the world — knowing that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is Al-Samee', Al-Baseer, Mujeeb al-Da'awat — He is the Hearing and the Seeing and the One who answers all of these supplications. There is nothing that is hidden from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We make du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in times of ease and also in times of difficulty. And this is our life — our lives are with trials and they are with tests — but we still push ourselves through whatever situation we are facing. We are thankful and we are patient: the loss of a beloved one, the loss of a job, the loss of wealth, desiring something that doesn't come your way.

The Example of 'Amr ibn al-'As on His Deathbed

As you get older, you go through the years that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives you upon this earth — what do you accumulate? What is it you are accumulating? You know, the example of 'Amr ibn al-'As radiyallahu anhu is a very powerful example. On his deathbed, he said that his life went through three different stages. One stage where he was a disbeliever, and he said: "If I died in that state, for sure I would have been from the people of hellfire." The day that he accepted Islam, he was so happy, his iman was so strong — "If I died at that moment, I would have had good hope that I would have been from the people of paradise." And then: "My third stage of my life is from that day I became Muslim to the rest of my days, until I am here now — an old man dying. What have I accumulated?"

This is one of the great companions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Like us — what have we accumulated through our lives? Yet still Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us opportunity after opportunity to turn back, to make amends, to ask Him, to plead and to beg Allah's forgiveness and guidance. And the month of Ramadan is the very best time for us to turn a new leaf, to turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So I ask Allah to make us from those successful servants in this month. Ameen.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Second Khutbah — Make Every Day Count

بِسْمِ اللهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

All praise belongs to Allah jalla wa ala, and may the peace and blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala be upon his final messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

So today is the third day — yes, the third day of Ramadan. Ten percent of Ramadan, if you like, done already. Just as you think you have started, the days are running away from us, and before you know it, in just a few weeks' time people will be preparing for Eid. But before that, my dear brothers and sisters, make the most of every day that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows you to worship Him in this blessed month.

Those Freed from the Hellfire

Knowing that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will decree, and that there are servants who are freed from the hellfire every single night. When Ramadan began, at the time of the Messenger ﷺ, he would give them the glad tidings of this blessed month and would also inform them that Allah jalla wa ala has people who are freed from the hellfire. Think about it — what are they doing? What have they done to be freed from the hellfire, to be from Ahl al-Jannah, to be from the people of paradise? What did they do? They fasted, they gave charity, they read Quran. What is it that they did? They have something — they are doing something over and above what everybody else is doing. There is something that they have. And this is what we seek to do.

The Foundation: Purity of Intention

And the foundation, the source of everything, is what? It is purity of intention — purity of niyyah. Not seeking any form of reward or status or anything from the creation. Everything you do is for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Story of the Elder in Taraweeh

You stand in prayer and your feet ache — push yourself. There is one incident that was mentioned: one of the ulama said, "I was in Salat al-Taraweeh and I was maybe 19, 20 years old — I was in the prime of my youth and strength — and next to me was an elderly gentleman, an old sheikh, much much older than me. And we prayed taraweeh, and when we prayed taraweeh — we prayed long, mashAllah — however, when we finished the two raka'ah, he was the first one up. He was the first one up to pray the next two. So I questioned: after me praying two raka'ah, and mashAllah the imam was reading maybe 3, 4, 5 pages in one or two raka'ah, I was tired — but this old man who is weaker than I, I am stronger than him, what does he have that he gets up before me?"

And this is when he said: "I thought — whoever stands in prayer with iman, seeking Allah's reward, that Allah will forgive that person of all of their previous sins. The strength of his iman — his iman is what pushed him up. And that is what I didn't have."

So seek something in Ramadan. Find something in Ramadan that allows you — and that you have a hope — that you can be from those freed servants. Educate your family. See and sense that there is a collective — we have an ummah. We can come together, we can do things, we can be proactive. We can do so much more when we do things together, as we are doing now. Remember the benefits of coming together upon what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commanded.

This Month Is Like No Other

These are just small reminders — things for us to remember in this blessed month of Ramadan, which is a month like no other month. Rewards that exist in this month you will not find in any other month. The days that you are fasting — do not make them like the days that you are not fasting. The recitation of your Quran is like no other time. The iman of the du'a that you make is like no other time. Every opportunity that you have to ask Allah — you are there, raising your hands with your heart humbled, sincerely asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to save you, to save your children, to save your families from the hellfire, to give victory to Islam and that you are part of that victory. That is what you are making du'a for, amongst all the other things which are personal to you — that there are no limits — that you ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, knowing that Allah jalla wa ala will answer all of your du'as.

And your Lord has declared: "Call upon Me and I will answer you." Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commands us in the Quran to send salutations upon His Nabi ﷺ: