Ramadan: A Time for Forgiveness, Charity, and Transformation

Ramadan: A Time for Forgiveness, Charity, and Transformation

All praise is due to Allah and His praise and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger Muhammad and his family and companions. All praise is due to Allah and His praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his companions and his followers until the Day of Judgment. I bear witness that Allah is the only one worthy of worship and Muhammad is his last and final Messenger.

Celebrating Allah's Mercy: The Gift of Ramadan

Allah reminds us in this verse in Surah Yunus that you should celebrate, you should enjoy, you should be so happy and rejoice because of Allah's mercy. To celebrate Allah's mercy — and what can be a greater manifestation of Allah's mercy than what He ordained for us from the things that will purify us from our sins and elevate our status in Paradise? What can be more deserving of celebrating than celebrating the month of Ramadan, celebrating the Qur'an, celebrating As-Siyam, celebrating Al-Qiyam, celebrating Laylatul Qadr, celebrating the Sadaqah of Ramadan, celebrating Khatmul Qur'an in the month of Ramadan.

The month of Ramadan is one of the months that Muslims should celebrate and should be so happy about when it arrives. One of the signs of Iman is that the Mu'min feels when Ramadan comes so happy, so excited. And one of the signs of the weakness of Iman and the weakness of the level of Ibadiyyah to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is when Ramadan comes and the person says, "Oh, you know, this is kind of hard."

Again, we're going to be fasting and all this discouragement — that is actually a sign of the weakness of Iman. And if you have this, Astaghfirullah, ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for His forgiveness. Because there are certain sins you have committed, or you are committing, or you have not fully repented from — and they have impacted your heart and blocked you from seeing the great opportunity of the month of Ramadan.

Every Muslim and every Mu'min should always be waiting for it. From one Ramadan to another is an expiation for your sins. It is the month where you will increase your good deeds, increase your connection with the Qur'an, increase your connection with Allah through Du'a, increase your connection with people, with family members, with the Muslim world through all the khair and donation that, alhamdulillah, every year we gather in this masjid.

The Blessing of Sadaqah: No One Regrets It

I'm proud to say that this community alone, last year, just only last year, with your donations, we have given more than $200,000 in donations to various places around the world and locally in the United States — to help people, individuals and organizations as well. And that's from the grace of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

I can bet you anything — I have not yet, in more than 20 years as imam in this masjid, and before that for a decade — I have never, ever experienced someone coming to me and saying, "Sheikh, the $10,000 that I donated last year broke me," or "I regret it," or "I don't know what to do." Even in the most difficult times — I remember during the pandemic, when the economy was bad — I still remember people telling me, "Sheikh, I don't have an income like last year, but I still gave a gift from my savings." I will never forget that. And things turned out.

Nobody regrets the sadaqah. You might regret spending money on something else — an investment, or if you bought some cryptocurrency that went down. Now you're regretting it. That's your prerogative, that's your choice. But for sadaqah, I have not yet seen anyone regret donating for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Don't Let Ramadan Pass Like Any Other Month

Those who disobeyed Allah in Rajab and followed it with Sha'ban — Ramadan has come. Do not make Ramadan like the previous two months: months of sinning and laziness.

It is a month of Qur'an, a month of recitation of the Qur'an, a month of commitment to goodness, a month of tasbih. So make sure that you commit yourself and do your best so you can save your own body from a fire —

A fire whose fuel is the bodies of humans and stones.

We know many people who did not make it to Ramadan — who died before witnessing this month. People that we know who died 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 years ago. I'm sure they would wish to have the opportunity to be here today to witness the month of Ramadan. Not one of us can guarantee that we will complete this month of Ramadan. So be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and have the intention to do your very best during this month. Death has taken them away, and one day will take you away as well.

How the Salaf Honored Ramadan

Umar used to light up the masjid in Ramadan, fill it with lights — a living celebration of Ramadan's arrival. And that continued after him.

Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, when he saw the mosques of Kufa decorated with lights, said: "May Allah fill your grave with light, O Umar, the same way you have filled our masajid with light during the nights of Ramadan."

Yes, the Salaf, rahimahumullah, they treated Ramadan in a very special way. Umar ibn Qays al-Mala'i — from the month of Sha'ban — would start dedicating more time than business to the Qur'an, to reading the Qur'an and doing good deeds.

I'm not asking you to stop going to work during the month of Ramadan. But what I am asking is — maybe you can take more days off. And when you take days off, make sure that you spend them in the masjid, make I'tikaf. Make sure that you plan from now for the last 10 days — maybe 2–3 nights to be with us here through the night. The masjid will be open all the last nights of Ramadan. And if you have a flexible schedule, give yourself a little buffer — come a little early to salah and leave a little after.

Do you know that an average person, reading at a middle pace without interruption, can read an entire juz' in 20 minutes? Try it — dedicate yourself to read. In 20 minutes, some people more, but if you dedicate an hour, that's 3 juz' a day. That's one khatm al-Qur'an every 10 days.

The Power of Dhikr: Don't Underestimate It

By the way, the Shaytan makes it sound so difficult. I remember reading:

— that whoever says سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ one hundred times, his sins will be forgiven even if they were like the foam of the sea.

Do me a favor — before you leave the masjid today, just say سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ 100 times after you finish salah. And please check how long it will take you. The slowest among you will finish in 3 minutes, or 2 and a half minutes. Most of you will finish it in 1 minute to 1 and a half minutes. SubhanAllah al-Azim wa bihamdihi 100 times — "ya sheikh, that's a lot!" That's a minute and a half. How many minutes go in traffic? How many minutes go into nonsense things in our lives? But the Shaytan makes it seem so difficult. Same thing with the reading of the Qur'an.

And Mu'ammar ibn Rashid, one of the early generation, said: I heard Mu'tamir say, "My father used to wake up every member of his household when Ramadan entered, and say: 'Get up — perhaps you will not witness it again after this.'"

Invest in Your Family This Ramadan

Make sure that you wake up your kids for Fajr prayer, for suhoor. Make sure that you take care of your family. That's one of the most important things of Ramadan. The ones who deserve your investment the most are your children, your wife, your family members. Make sure that you reach out to them, encourage them to do good deeds, follow up with them.

People get excited the first and second day, but I don't want our next Muslim generation to experience Ramadan as merely a cultural thing. It has to be an act of worship — ibadah. Not a cultural thing. It's not like a holiday where we have certain lights and that's about it. No — it is ibadah. It is coming closer to Allah. It is changing your attitude.

As many from the early generation, rahimahumullah, have said: la yakun yawmu sawmika wa yawmu fitrika sawa' — the day of your fasting and the day of your not fasting cannot be the same.

The Du'a of Yahya ibn Abi Kathir

Yahya ibn Abi Kathir used to make this du'a:

Ameen. "O Allah, save us until we witness Ramadan. And save Ramadan for us. And take it from us fully and completely accepted." Ya Rabb, ameen.

Ramadan: A Race — Winners and Losers

Allah made Ramadan like a race for His creation — they compete in it to earn His pleasure. Some will race ahead and succeed. Others will fall behind and lose. How strange is it to laugh and play on the day when the doers of good are rewarded and the heedless are at a loss? This is what al-Hasan al-Basri, rahimahullah, reflected upon.

And the Prophet said something even greater — Ameen — when Jibril said: "A loser is the person who witnesses Ramadan and his sins are not forgiven." Al-Hasan al-Basri said: In Ramadan it is like a race. Some will win, some will lose. The one who loses is the one who puts in no effort. The one who wins is the one who puts in the effort.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3545; also referenced in Sahih Ibn Hibban)

And care as much as you can about your fasting during Ramadan. Make sure you protect your siyam. Don't reduce the ajr of your siyam by backbiting, lying, doing what is haram, missing salawat. That is the most important asset you must protect during the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan: A Boost for Your Iman

I love what someone said — Ramadan is a boost for your entire Iman. Because Iman is a combination of two things: sabr and shukr — patience and gratitude to Allah. That is what completes your Iman. And Ramadan teaches you both. In the daytime — patience. And when you break your fast — you are grateful and thankful to Allah.

As-sabr wal-shukr. We need to learn that and manifest it in our lives — to see how it translates into actions, into the way we carry ourselves, in our behavior, in our relationship with Allah and with people.

Sincerity, Intention, and Dhikr

My brothers and sisters, make sure we are sincere. Make sure that we have the right intention. We commit to doing as much good as we can. And if we fall short, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will reward us, insha'Allah, for our intention.

One of the things that will help you greatly in the ibadah of Ramadan is to keep your tongue always moistened by the dhikr of Allah. Dhikr Allah helps you enormously to be able to do many good deeds — it makes it so easy. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't just ask us to mention Him occasionally. He said:

Mention Allah a lot and glorify Him in the morning and in the night. And:

Those who remember Allah a great deal — men and women — Allah has prepared for them great forgiveness and a great reward.

Ramadan as an Ambassador

Ibn al-Jawzi, rahimahullah, said: Ramadan is like an ambassador who comes to represent Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to you. Just as how you treat a guest reveals your character and who you are — so too, how you treat Ramadan speaks volumes. Whoever treats Ramadan with greatness — that message is carried back. And if you treat Ramadan with negligence, with no care, with fake excitement, with no real commitment, no real change — it will go back and testify to what kind of person you are. So make sure that you make Ramadan a good ambassador for you.

Ramadan: A Month of Da'wah

The month of Ramadan is also a month of da'wah. People's hearts are open to khair. Reach out to friends, to family, to neighbors. Many people even accept Islam in Ramadan — which is something very unique. Make sure that you reach out to your family. This is the time to bring them closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Take full advantage of it.

Second Part of the Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah alone, and prayers and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet.

Be careful, my brothers and sisters, from wasting your time or being around people who waste your time. Make sure you talk to your teenagers — boys and girls. In Ramadan and Taraweeh, don't hang out — especially in the parking lot. Allah knows what happens there. We cannot police everybody — we don't do that. But everybody should have self-awareness. Make sure you advise one another. If you see people not caring about praying, not caring about attending Taraweeh.

I read that we have something called a "Taraweeh Challenge" — Taraweeh Warriors. I think it's a nice idea for the youth. But if you're a warrior for only half a page a night or a very short salah — La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. I don't know what to say. But may Allah accept. The point is not just how long — it's about how focused you are and how much you benefit and enjoy. That's why it's not only about finishing the whole Qur'an in 30, 20, or 10 days. It's about enjoying the salah. So make sure we help one another in that.

Make sure you talk to your kids about not wasting their time with people who are not interested in ibadah. Those who chat, gossip, and came here with no intention to make dhikr and tasbih — don't let them steal your time and ruin your Ramadan.

Our Slogan for This Ramadan: As-Sakinah

Also, make sure that you care a lot about your family members. I cannot emphasize this enough. We have a slogan for this Ramadan — I want everybody to memorize this word. This is the shi'ar, the slogan, the goal of this month. Something I need your help to implement:

As-Sakinah — tranquility and peace.

Let's use this word a lot. Let's come to the masjid in tranquility. Let's drive in tranquility. Let's talk to one another in tranquility. Let's let the children be at peace. Let's have the masjid feel, after salah, that there is peace and tranquility. Let's care for that. And I cannot do that alone — volunteers cannot do that alone. It is our collective responsibility. Sisters and brothers, youth and elders — let's make sure there is as-sakinah in the masjid. Peace. Tranquility.

When you walk into the masjid, let's make this a goal to achieve this Ramadan. Even if someone upsets you in the parking lot — whatever it may be — just: peace, tranquility. Let this be our goal. The only thing I may not be fully peaceful about is the fundraising — I understand I might be a little more spirited there. But insha'Allah let's make this as smooth and peaceful as it can be.

Closing Du'a

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept from all of us our good deeds. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make this month — as it always has been — a blessed month for our community and a blessed month for Muslims around the world.

And this is something we should also reflect upon — alhamdulillah — that we have been blessed with a ni'mah. We see our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Palestine suffering. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has tested you differently — so make sure you remember them in your du'a. We have many activities related to their cause this Ramadan as well.

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make it easy for all Muslims around the world, to bring peace and tranquility to all people. May Allah make it easy for our brothers and sisters who are suffering — especially in Palestine — and bring peace to Sudan, Syria, and around the world. And make it easy for those who are hungry, those who are in need.

And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless us, bless our community, bless our masjid, and bless our families. And protect us from all fitnah — what is apparent of it and what is hidden. By the honor of the Beloved — bi hurmati l-Habib — with the recitation of Al-Fatihah.