Preparing for Ramadan (with British Sign Language) - Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem

Preparing for Ramadan

May Allah Dhul Jalal wal Ikram allow us to witness the blessed month of Ramadan. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq and ability that when we enter into the month of Ramadan, we try our best to make the most of this blessed month. But now it is the time for us all to prepare ourselves for that blessed month.

So in today's khutbah, I would like to share with you some practical pieces of advice that we need to adopt in order to prepare ourselves for the month of Ramadan.

1. Making Up Missed Fasts — Qadā' Siyām Ramaḍān

So first and foremost, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, qadā' siyāmi Ramaḍān — the very first thing that we need to concentrate on is that if you have missed any fast last Ramadan due to your travel, due to illness, sickness, or any legitimate reason, and after the month of Ramadan last year you did not get the chance to make up those missed fasts, now it is the time to make them up before we enter into the month of Ramadan. Don't delay it until the month of Ramadan starts and then you start panicking and asking questions about what to do.

Our mother Aisha radiyallahu ta'ala anha says that during the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, we would end up delaying the missed fasts of the previous Ramadan until this month — the month of Sha'ban — and we would make up those missed fasts within the month of Sha'ban before we entered into the month of Ramadan.

So those brothers and sisters who missed any fast last Ramadan, make sure you make them up within this month before we enter into the month of Ramadan.

2. Voluntary Fasting in Sha'ban

In addition to those missed fasts, it is also the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam to get into the habit of observing voluntary fasts within this month, the month of Sha'ban. Aisha radiyallahu ta'ala anha says that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam never observed fasting more frequently than he did in the month of Sha'ban, and then she says the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would fast almost the whole month of Sha'ban — he would miss only a few days — and sometimes he would fast the entire month of Sha'ban in order to get ready for the month of Ramadan.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam had the Sunnah of observing fast every Monday and Thursday and the three white days of every lunar month. But in the month of Sha'ban, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would increase his fasting within this month. So this is what we need to do.

But at the same time we need to bear in mind two things. The first one is that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has advised us as an ummah, as his followers, that those who do not have the habit and the practice of observing the voluntary fast throughout the year — the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has encouraged us to stop fasting from the mid of Sha'ban until Ramadan, so that we don't feel any kind of weakness within our body and then end up losing the reward of the obligatory fasts within the month of Ramadan.

But if you regularly fast every Monday and Thursday, then there is no harm for you to continue all the way up to the beginning and the start of the month of Ramadan.

The 15th Night of Sha'ban

Another thing that we need to bear in mind with regards to fasting within this month is the fasting of the 15th of Sha'ban — the 15th day of the month of Sha'ban. The 15th night of Sha'ban is a night that the vast majority of Muslims believe to be a blessed night, known as Shab-e-Barā'at, or the night of freedom, when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala frees His slaves from the Fire of Hell.

The fact is that the majority of the ahadith that talk about the virtues of the 15th night of the month of Sha'ban are weak, except for a few. One of them is the hadith in which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that on the 15th night of the month of Sha'ban, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgives all of His slaves — all the believers — except two types of people:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1390; graded by scholars as having some basis)

The first is the one who commits shirk with Allah Dhul Jalal wal Ikram — those who associate partners with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala; Allah does not forgive them that night. Likewise, those who have any kind of hatred and malice in their hearts against other Muslims — their relatives or non-relatives — then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not forgive them that night.

So that is the virtue of that night. But does it mean that we need to stay awake the whole night and spend it in worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then observe the fast the next day, visit the graveyard, and do all these things? No — we do not find any evidence for that from the Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

What we learn from this hadith is that we need to stay away from committing shirk and associating partners with Allah Dhul Jalal wal Ikram. And the second thing — which is very, very important — is that we need to cleanse our hearts. We need to purify our hearts from any kind of malice. If you have a problem with your siblings, your parents, your relatives, your friends, your colleagues, and you have fallen apart, then this is the time to make up — within the month of Sha'ban, before the 15th night of the month of Sha'ban — so that you don't fall under the category of those people who are not forgiven by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that night.

But singling out the 15th day of Sha'ban for fasting — that is not from the Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

3. Ramadan is the Month of Worship

Likewise, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, in order for us to prepare ourselves for the month of Ramadan, we need to bear in mind that the month of Ramadan is the month of worship. It is not the month of fun. It is not the month of wasting time. It is not the month when you go out on the streets and end up wasting your time shopping during the day or even after Taraweeh at night. No — rather, this is the month of worshipping Allah Dhul Jalal wal Ikram.

Rectifying the Salah

For that, first and foremost, we need to learn — it is our core responsibility as Muslims that we are fully aware of how to worship Allah Dhul Jalal wal Ikram, starting from the salah. We need to make sure that we offer the salah according to the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. It is again a time for us to get our prayers rectified — all of us, without exception. We may have some kind of deficiencies, some issues, and some common mistakes that we don't even realize in our salah. It is a time to get them rectified.

Alhamdulillah, for this purpose we held a prayer workshop last weekend, and we have arranged another course for all the brothers and sisters at the first weekend of the month of March insha'Allah — known as Bow Down — for both brothers and sisters. For sisters there will be female teachers, and for brothers a male teacher insha'Allah, and it will take place here in the masjid, spending the whole day Saturday and Sunday to learn about the salah. I will encourage every one of you to please register for that course and attend and benefit, so that you are fully mentally ready to enter into the month of Ramadan and can make the most of that blessed month.

Learning the Rulings of Fasting

Likewise, the month of Ramadan is a month of fasting. It is our core duty and obligation to learn the rulings of fasting before we enter into the month of Ramadan. We need to know what breaks the fast, what does not break the fast, what is permissible and what is not permissible while fasting, what we can do and what we cannot do. We need to learn all of that — it is our core duty in order to worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Again for that, we have arranged another online course that is going to take place next week insha'Allah. So alhamdulillah, the masjid has arranged a number of courses for you to prepare yourself so that you can have the best experience of the month of Ramadan.

4. Giving in the Way of Allah — Charity and Zakah

Another thing that we need to do in order to prepare ourselves for the month of Ramadan is to get into the habit of giving in the way of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — giving in charity. We know the month of Ramadan is the month of charity, but don't wait until you enter into the month of Ramadan and then start planning. And particularly for those who want to pay their Zakah — the ruling with regards to Zakah is: if your Zakah is due before the month of Ramadan, you cannot delay it until the month of Ramadan; you have to pay it immediately. But if your Zakah is due after the month of Ramadan, then it is permissible for you to give it in advance in the month of Ramadan.

So if you decide to give within the month of Ramadan, you need to know the rulings — the ruling of Zakah, how much Zakah you need to pay, what is the nisab, what are the conditions of Zakah, and who are the people entitled to receive Zakah. You need to know all of that. For that again, we have arranged another course for you insha'Allah. I encourage every one of you to please take part in that course and benefit.

5. The Month of Du'a

The month of Ramadan is the month of du'a as well. In order for us to make du'a to Allah Dhul Jalal wal Ikram and to ensure that our du'as are answered by Allah Dhul Jalal wal Ikram, we need first and foremost to know and understand the etiquettes of du'a, and to learn the du'as that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has taught us — the du'as that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has encouraged us to recite.

For this purpose again, we have arranged another course — a du'a memorization course — that is going to start for the brothers tomorrow insha'Allah, for the duration of six weeks, and another separate course that will take place during the week for sisters insha'Allah. Take benefit from this course. The purpose is that we all get ready for the month of Ramadan.

6. The Month of Quran

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the month of Ramadan is the month of Quran. If you have distanced yourself from the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and you do not have a daily routine of reciting the Quran, now is the time to get into the habit of reciting Quran on a daily basis, so that when the month of Ramadan comes, you already have the Quran as part of your daily routine, and you can expand on it and increase your portion of daily recitation. Do not delay it.

7. The Night Prayer — Qiyām al-Layl

Lastly, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the month of Ramadan is the month of the night prayer. Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, most of us — or probably all of us — try our best to offer Salat al-Taraweeh in congregation in the masajid. But it would be good if we can get into the habit of offering some night prayer now, within the month of Sha'ban, so that we can taste the sweetness of Qiyam al-Layl.

For that, alhamdulillah, nowadays the nights are a bit longer, so you can make some efforts to wake up a bit early before Salat al-Fajr and offer even just two rak'at. And if you think that is going to be difficult for you, then there is no harm in offering two extra nawafil as part of the night prayer after you have completed your Salat al-Isha before going to sleep. But at least have some portion of the night prayer and get into the habit of offering it.

Make a Solid Plan — Starting Now

Finally and most importantly, we need to plan everything according to our routine and make a solid plan and start working on it now — rather than delaying it until the first of Ramadan. Then what happens — what we all know and have experienced in the past — is that the month of Ramadan starts, for the first few days you are so ambitious and you want to do this, this, and this, and then within the first few days, probably within the first week of the month of Ramadan, you start dropping the recitation of the Quran, your worship, your du'a, because you did not get into the habit of having that solid routine. So change your daily routine now, and then ultimately ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He gives you tawfiq and ability to make the most of the blessed month of Ramadan.

The Aslaf — our Salaf Saliheen — they used to look forward to the month of Ramadan and they used to make du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala:

"O Allah, allow us to reach the month of Ramadan."

We all ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He forgives us our shortcomings and our mistakes, and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us tawfiq and ability to rectify our errors and our mistakes, and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to make the most of the month of Ramadan.

Al-Fatihah.