What If This Was My Last Ramadan

What If This Was My Last Ramadan?

اعْلَمُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ أَنَّ أَحْسَنَ الْكَلَامِ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ، عِبَادَ اللَّهِ.

What if this is my last Ramadan? What if this Ramadan would be my last Ramadan? What would you do in this situation? Brothers and sisters, when it comes to approaching an ibadah with the mindset that this could be my last, it's something we learned from the Prophet ﷺ in many ways. In general, Rasulullah ﷺ says: keep reminding yourself with the destroyer of all pleasures. He's talking about death.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2307; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4258)

Always remind yourself of that destroyer of all pleasures. Because sometimes, as human beings, we gravitate towards what's easy for us — what's appealing to the nafs. And what's appealing to the nafs is the immediate and constant moments of pleasure. Instant gratification. But delayed reward — that's not programmed in our nafs unless you put your nafs on that path. So he is telling us to remind ourselves with that delayed reward.

As for Salah, the Prophet ﷺ used to say:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4171)

Pray as if this is your last salah — like you are praying and leaving this world. How would that salah look like?

When it comes to Hajj, the same thing. Allah says:

Take your provision, but make sure the most important provision to take with you is your righteousness. Because you might not need that physical provision on that journey — you might perish. But the other zaad that you take with you, the other provision that you carry to the journey of the akhira — that will be the most important thing.

So therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, as Ramadan is coming up — insha'Allah this evening, by the permission of Allah — what if this Ramadan was my last Ramadan? What would you do? What would you plan? How would you make this Ramadan very special and very unique?

Five Things People Think About on Their Deathbed

Brothers and sisters, when it comes to people on their deathbed, if you ask them — what are the top five things that they would regret? What are the things they would wish they had done better before they came to that moment? I want this to be our reminder for this coming Ramadan.

If this would be your last chance — you've been told: look, you're going to live one month, and that's it. After that, you're going to Allah. What are the five top things you need to worry about? So that this Ramadan, insha'Allah, we can fix them. So we have no regrets at the end of Ramadan. No regrets at the end of our lives.

May Allah make this Ramadan the best for us. We ask Allah to make us among the winners of Laylatul Qadr. And we ask Allah to grant us forgiveness, amnesty, and rahmah in Ramadan.

1. Did I Fulfill My Purpose?

The first thing people say on their deathbed is: did I fulfill my purpose? For a believer, if you understand that your purpose in this life is to please Allah, your Maker, your Creator, then pause on this moment. Did I fulfill my purpose? The purpose was clear. As Allah mentions in the Quran:

I have created jinn and mankind for no reason but to worship Me. He made it very clear about the purpose of this creation. So — did I fulfill my purpose? Ask yourself right now about the eleven months that passed. Did you fulfill the purpose of this creation in the past eleven months? And if you haven't, then have no regrets at the end of Ramadan by focusing first and foremost on this relationship.

Think about your Salah — the thing you are going to be questioned about first before anything else on the Day of Judgment. As the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 466; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 413)

The first thing you are going to be questioned about on the Day of Judgment is your Salah. How did it go? How was it? So maybe, if I need to focus on anything, maybe this Ramadan insha'Allah I am going to improve on my Salah. How do I do that? Maybe I need to improve on the way I pray. Maybe I need to focus on my khushu' in Salah. Maybe I need to focus on my adhkar — what do I say in my Salah? Maybe I need to focus on my recitation of the Quran. Find a way where you can improve on that insha'Allah, so that at the end of the month of Ramadan, when you look back at how you fulfilled that purpose insha'Allah, you will be proud of yourself.

Brothers and sisters, make this a priority in the entire month of Ramadan. Are you going to be fulfilling the purpose — that is, the relationship between you and Allah? Make this your main focus.

2. Did I Spend Enough Time with My Loved Ones?

The second thing people say on their deathbed is: did I spend enough time with my loved ones? When someone is on their deathbed — may Allah protect you all from that moment, ya Rabbal Alameen — what do they wish to have around them? Their money? Their cars? Their belongings? Their positions? No. They wish to have the people, the family, the loved ones. They want to be around them. Even the ones they had issues with — they wish in that moment for reconciliation.

So brothers and sisters, in the past eleven months, maybe we were busy making a living so that we could provide for our families. How about in Ramadan we focus on making a life out of it? Making a living is going to continue — we will continue with it non-stop until we meet our Lord. But making a life — that is optional. Being busy is not an excuse, jama'ah. Being busy is not an excuse. Make sure that you spend more time with your family insha'Allah in this month of Ramadan.

I know, as adults, we are very busy focusing on ourselves. "I want to pray taraweeh, so my kids are in the way — forget them — and I'll go to the masjid." You have the iftar, the food is late, so you break your fast on your own and just go make your Salah right away and forget about the family. You just want to do your adhkar because you have a khatm to finish — from cover to cover. Not paying attention to your kids who are trying to attract your attention for something.

Brothers and sisters, Ramadan is a month of rahmah and mercy. Let's show this mercy to the loved ones around us. And if you have any issues with your brothers, your sisters, your siblings, or anybody from your circle — how about trying to reconcile? Because wallahi, at the end of life, it is too late to try to reconcile with them, and you will have a lot of moments of regret. So maybe this month of Ramadan, let us also make sure our loved ones insha'Allah are being appreciated and taken care of in this beautiful month.

3. Did I Do Enough Good in This World?

The third thing people think about on their deathbed is: did I do enough good in this world? Am I leaving a mark on this life, or am I just being an addition to it? Did I leave any legacy? If I am gone from this world, will I be remembered for anything?

Ask yourself: what kind of memory would you like to leave in this world? Is it positive or negative to begin with? And is it something small within the circle around you, or do you think of something grand — having people make du'a for you hundreds of years later?

Brothers and sisters, we are now reading the books of Imam al-Nawawi rahimahullah, Imam Ibn Rajab rahimahullah, and many great scholars. And we make du'a for them every time. Those people left a legacy behind — something to remember them with. What are you leaving behind?

Some people did not leave a book, but mashallah they were very charitable — they established foundations that carry their legacy and help the world after they are gone. Some people had a skill and taught others, and now mashallah hundreds are learning from them. What kind of good are you leaving behind?

Brothers and sisters, the least you could leave, wallahi, is just an act of kindness. When someone is gone, people remember: he was very kind, she was very kind, she always smiled, he was always helpful. So remember — leave something good. Think grand. Think big. What would you like to leave insha'Allah by the end of this month of Ramadan?

When Ramadan is gone, how will the people in your circle, in your masjid, in your community remember you this Ramadan? Are they going to remember you as the one who is always fighting for the parking spot? The one who is greedy and wants to be first in line for food? The one who always needs their own space in the musallah and does not want anyone around them? Or will they remember you as a welcoming person — someone who is always encouraging and kind? That's just on a micro level. Think grand. Think big. What would you like to leave, insha'Allah, by the end of this month of Ramadan?

4. Did I Live True to Myself?

The fourth thing people wonder about on their deathbed is: did I live true to the truth and to myself? Was I genuine, or was I hypocritical? Because as humans, most of us have two faces — the public face and the private face. The private face, only your family knows about it. But the public one, mashallah, that is the very fancy one.

SubhanAllah, the Sahaba radiyallahu anhum were also curious about the Prophet ﷺ — because they knew everybody has a public and private image. So they went around asking the wives of the Prophet ﷺ:

How were the manners of the Prophet ﷺ? So Aisha radiyallahu anha wanted to put their minds at ease. She said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 746)

His akhlaq, his manners, his etiquette — it was the Quran itself. Meaning he lived by the Quran ﷺ. Inside out, it was his life.

I am asking each and every one of us: are we going to be true to who we are? If you want to be that good person, that righteous person who will please Allah and be remembered in the best way possible — make sure to do it in your private life before your public life. So it is not just about the taraweeh you spend in the masjid, or the tahajjud you do at the end of the night, or coming to the late night khatirah, or spending most of your time in the masjid. When you are alone, when you go home — do you maintain the same spirit? Make sure that the spirit of Ramadan goes with you as well, insha'Allah.

5. Did I Take Life for Granted Instead of Being Grateful?

And finally, what people think about on their deathbed is: did I take life for granted instead of being grateful? Alhamdulillah. We live in a society that provides us with almost everything. As a matter of fact, it even provides us with things we do not even need. How many times do you go to buy something essential and end up buying ten other things you don't even need? Why? Because they are available. Because they are cheap. Because they are just there. And as a result, we do not appreciate the ni'mah that we have in our hands, and we start looking at what we lack instead of appreciating what we have.

Think about this, my dear brothers and sisters. Were you thankful for the roof you had over your head? Or was the house too small, too old, and you had all manner of complaints about it? Were you happy with the car that takes you to work and brings you back home and brings you to the masjid? Are you appreciative of that? Or do you always look at your neighbor's car because mashallah his is better? Are we grateful for the things we have in our hands, or do we just take this life for granted?

Brothers and sisters, this life that Allah has given us — it is borrowed time. We are going to give it back to Allah soon. So make good use of it, by the permission of Allah.

Make This Ramadan Count

These are the things people think about before they die — their relationship with Allah, their purpose, their loved ones, their legacy, their authenticity, and their gratitude. I want you to make sure that you leave a good legacy insha'Allah, be true to yourself, and be grateful to Allah and to the people around you as well.

So imagine this Ramadan is your last opportunity. You have been told: this is going to be it. After this month of Ramadan, you will be meeting your Lord. How would you use your time in this month? Think about this, my dear brothers and sisters.

May Allah make this the best Ramadan for us, ya Rabbal Alameen.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ.

Second Part of the Khutbah

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ وَسَلَّمَ وَبَارَكَ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا. أَمَّا بَعْدُ.

My dear brothers and sisters, as we have mentioned earlier, Allah has given us another opportunity to come to the month of Ramadan — and it begins tonight, insha'Allah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ says:

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

Those who fast Ramadan imanan wa ihtisaban — out of faith, believing in the month of Ramadan as an obligation from Allah, and out of ihtisab, hoping for the reward from Allah — Allah will forgive them their sins.

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

Anyone who stands in Ramadan in tahajjud and ibadah — Allah will forgive them their sins, out of faith and hoping for the reward. And he ﷺ says:

And if you stand up in tahajjud and ibadah on the night of Laylatul Qadr — may Allah make us among those who witness that night, ya Rabbal Alameen — out of faith and out of hope for the reward, Allah will forgive them their sins. There are so many opportunities. Make sure to utilize this month of Ramadan in the best way insha'Allah, starting this evening with the first taraweeh after Isha', insha'Allah.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ. وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ.