Your Most Important Ramadan Dua

Your Most Important Ramadan Du'a

And make this a blessed gathering, Ya Rabbil Alameen. We ask Allah to grant us the full reward for Ramadan, Ya Allah. And grant us amongst those who witness Laylatul Qadr, Ya Rabbil Alameen.

The Blessed Hour of Jumu'ah

Brothers and sisters, as we come to the last Jumu'ah, we know that there is an hour — the Prophet ﷺ mentioned — there is an hour on Yawm al-Jumu'ah. There is a time window; it's not necessarily 60 minutes, but there is a time window on a Friday. The Prophet ﷺ says: nobody is standing or spending that time in making du'a, but Allah will accept from them.

So that's now double the importance for us. It's the last Friday, the last probably hour in the month of Ramadan, and the last ten nights of Ramadan right now, subhanAllah. I want to make sure that I catch that window. But if I'm going to be catching that window, what du'a should I be making?

I'm not going to only make du'a: Ya Rabb, accept Ramadan from me, accept Laylatul Qadr, Ya Allah, make me among those who are forgiven. There are so many du'as that are there on the list, and you can make them all — but there is one single du'a that you probably need to focus on right now, as the most important Ramadan du'a for you.

The Du'a of the Prophet ﷺ: Al-Hawr Ba'd al-Kawr

What would that be? SubhanAllah, I was reflecting on this last night — just thinking, what topic should it be for the khutbah? What kind of du'a should we talk about? Because usually we talk about istighfar, seeking forgiveness, sealing your good deeds with the best of your good deeds. We all know that message.

But if there is one single du'a that I need the most at the end of the month of Ramadan, what would it be? SubhanAllah. I remembered a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ in Sunan Ibn Majah — the hadith of Abdullah ibn Sarjis, رضي الله تعالى عنه — in which the Prophet ﷺ used to say:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3854)

A very simple du'a: أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْحَوْرِ بَعْدَ الْكَوْرِ. For many people — even Arab speakers — the words hawr and kawr are not immediately clear in their meaning.

But in translation, it means: Ya Allah, I seek refuge in You from unraveling after being tightly wound. Which means: Ya Allah, I seek refuge in You from decline after progress. I seek refuge with You from misguidance after guidance, from corruption after righteousness.

The Meaning of Al-Hawr and Al-Kawr

In the literal definition of the du'a itself: al-hawr in the Arabic language means unraveling the turban. And al-kawr is when you tie the turban tight. Those who wear turbans know how difficult that could be and how important it is to keep the turban tight. Sisters probably would know that better — keeping the hijab tight. So imagine you put all this effort into making your turban, putting your hijab tight, and then suddenly it starts unraveling and starts falling to the side. It's very disheartening, very disappointing.

And that's exactly what we need to reflect on at the end of this month of Ramadan. I have seen a lot of beautiful faces, mashaAllah, crying. I've seen it in Ramadan. I've heard many people making beautiful du'as on the side of the masjid, mashaAllah. I've seen people make an effort that they probably surprised themselves with — that they could not imagine they could be up all night, or come to Fajr every single day, or be in the first row in the masjid when, mashaAllah, it's very crowded with a thousand people. So many good deeds.

They have truly spun their good deeds tight in this month of Ramadan. Don't let it go unraveled. Don't let it start becoming unwound after you have put all that effort into making these good deeds strong for you in this time.

So the du'a that I need to keep reminding myself to say at the end of Ramadan — for today and tomorrow until the end of Ramadan:

Ya Allah, I seek refuge in You from unraveling all the good deeds I have spun tightly in this month of Ramadan. Imagine after it was all completely tight, alhamdulillah, in the right place — in your heart, making you feel so good about yourself and your accomplishment — imagine allowing yourself a moment of weakness, a moment of distraction, a moment when you drop your guard, and suddenly everything becomes unwound, slowly and gradually.

Do Not Nullify Your Deeds

Brothers and sisters, this is probably one of the most difficult du'as that you're going to have to work on. Because all the good deeds you've enjoyed, alhamdulillah, in the month of Ramadan — those beautiful last ten nights, staying up all night, coming to programs, activities, tahajjud, the Qur'an, finishing the Qur'an, two khatms or three khatms, attending multiple khatms in the community — all these beautiful good deeds, my dear brothers and sisters, this is not the time to drop your guard. This is the time to make sure that I seal my good deeds with the best, insha'Allah.

Allah says in the Qur'an, in Surah Muhammad:

O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger — وَلَا تُبْطِلُوا أَعْمَالَكُمْ — and do not nullify your deeds.

Now in the general meaning of the ayah — don't nullify your good deeds. Don't start something good and then ruin it. Don't let that happen to you at the end of this month of Ramadan, my dear brothers and sisters.

The Prophet ﷺ used to say:

O Allah, You are the Turner of hearts and sights — make my heart firm upon Your religion, upon Islam.

Why does this du'a matter the most for us today, on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan? Brothers and sisters, this du'a reminds you and reminds me: nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is guaranteed. Even after years and years of worship, people come and nullify their deeds in the last few years, in the last few months of their lives.

The Prophet ﷺ says:

A person would work so hard throughout their lifetime — the deeds of the people of Al-Jannah — until people say, "This is it; he or she is saved, they're going to Jannah." Until the last part of their lives, فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ — they have that moment of weakness, or vulnerability, or heedlessness — and then they drop their guard, and suddenly they start doing the deeds of the people of the Fire, nullifying everything they had done in their past years.

Brothers and sisters — اللهم إني أعوذ بك من الحور بعد الكور — seek refuge with Allah from undoing everything good you've done in this month of Ramadan.

What This Du'a Teaches Us: Humility Before Allah

Why should this du'a matter to us today? This du'a should teach you and I humility and humbleness before Allah. Never ever depend on your personal effort as your safety net. Like, "Oh, alhamdulillah, I've done so many good deeds in Ramadan, I don't think I'm going to go back to my old habits after Ramadan. I'm good, I'm safe." No you're not. No you're not.

You still need Allah's help and assistance. So humble yourself to Him. Say: My Lord, I still need You on my side. I need You to help me through this, Ya Rabbi. As I transition from Ramadan to after Ramadan, I need Your assistance to keep me firm on this path.

Ya Rabbi, I enjoyed coming to the masjid frequently — Ya Allah, don't make me stop doing that. Ya Rabbi, I enjoyed reading the Qur'an every single day — don't make me stop doing that. Ya Rabbi, I've enjoyed fasting Ramadan — don't make me stop fasting Mondays and Thursdays after the month of Ramadan. Ya Rabbi, I enjoy being generous and giving and sharing, alhamdulillah, with others — don't make me stop doing that.

We need Allah's assistance. Don't fool yourself. Don't think that being in the gathering of the good people in the masjid, and the gatherings of these halaqat and late night programs, is going to make you safe on its own, or make you permanently super spiritual, mashaAllah. You might have that moment, but to maintain it, you need Allah's assistance. So remind yourself, humble yourself to the fact that I might slip — so I need Allah to protect me. So I need to make that du'a:

The Story of the Woman Who Unraveled Her Thread

My dear brothers and sisters, this du'a is a shield against the silent danger of spiritual decay and decline. Alhamdulillah, we finish the month of Ramadan strong, insha'Allah, but then we all think: "Okay, let me take a break. I'm so fatigued. I'm sleep-deprived. I'm tired, I'm exhausted." Rightly so — there is no doubt about it. But then you take that break and somehow you never recover from it, because you get used to the comfort.

Brothers and sisters, Allah did not design us to live a comfortable life in the dunya. He didn't design us for this. It's actually dangerous for human beings, because Allah says in the Qur'an, when He sent Adam down to earth: you are going to toil, you are going to go through difficulties and hardships. These hardships we go through sharpen our skill and keep us always bright. A life of comfort has no challenge — there is nothing to live for.

So yes, alhamdulillah — the comfort that Allah blesses you with is a ni'mah, there is no doubt about it. But don't be too comfortable with it. You need to always prepare for the next step in life, which is the trial, the test, the difficulty, the hardship. And comfort comes, alhamdulillah, as a break for you to enjoy that ni'mah — so you could imagine the ni'mah of comfort in the Akhirah.

So my dear brothers and sisters, beware of that silent danger of spiritual decline as we drop our guards and become too comfortable, taking breaks from the ibadah we began in the month of Ramadan.

Allah has warned us against this in many different ways. In the Qur'an, Allah spoke about a story of a woman from Makkah whose name was Rayta bint Sa'd. She was mentally challenged, but she had mastered the skill of spinning yarn and threads. She would work on it and spin it so beautifully, making it so tight — but then once she was done, she would unspin everything and unravel everything completely. And the people around her would watch her in astonishment — after all that hard work, she would unravel everything completely.

And do not be like her who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong, turning it into fluff.

So all this good work, alhamdulillah — don't turn it into fluff. Don't make that spiritual experience of Ramadan just a fluff that has no base to it. You need to have a solid foundation to build upon. Make it a solid foundation. Don't make what you experienced in Ramadan just a moment of emotional high — a spiritual high — like, "I felt so great alhamdulillah, until next Ramadan insha'Allah." It doesn't work like this. When you try to build on fluff, everything collapses.

Follow after Ramadan the good deeds with more good deeds, my dear brothers and sisters. This is extremely important.

The Example of Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

The Prophet ﷺ said to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: "Abdullah, don't be like this young man. He used to wake up and do tahajjud, but he stopped." The Prophet ﷺ was aware of the people around him — he knew who was doing what. And he was telling Abdullah: "Look, you're such a good man. You're doing great deeds. Don't do this. Don't start something and then stop it."

Why was he saying this to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As? Because Abdullah was so hard on himself — he was fasting almost every day, and doing tahajjud almost every night, and finishing the Qur'an extremely rapidly. So the Prophet ﷺ told him: "You cannot keep this up." He said: "Do it in one month." Abdullah said: "I can do better than that." He said: "One week." He said: "I can do better than that." He said: "Three days." He said: "I can do better than that." The Prophet ﷺ said: "No, nothing is better than this."

So the Prophet ﷺ was encouraging this young man who was doing so much — he was saying: "Look, don't do too much, otherwise you're going to stop." Don't be like the person who did so much tahajjud and then stopped completely because it was too overwhelming. So when we say continue after the month of Ramadan — do so with moderation as well. But better than what it was before you started the month of Ramadan, because this Ramadan is supposed to be an upgrade for you.

If you haven't done tahajjud before, then this year insha'Allah after Ramadan, continue with tahajjud — maybe once a month, twice a month. If you don't fast regularly, maybe this year insha'Allah you're going to start doing Mondays and Thursdays. But if you already, alhamdulillah, established that good deed before the month of Ramadan, then now I need to add something extra. What is it that you saw in this month of Ramadan that you will continue with after Ramadan? Talk to yourself about this. Have this sense of muraqabah and muhasabah — watch what you do and hold yourself to account — because I need to grow, insha'Allah, in my iman, in my faith.

Three Things to Help You Continue After Ramadan

1. Al-Isti'anah Billah — Seeking Help from Allah

The first thing — which we already touched on — is al-isti'anah billah: you seek help from Allah. In the hadith, the Prophet ﷺ used to make the du'a: "Ya Allah, do not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye." Not even the blink of an eye. Like, don't let me take control of anything — I want You to take control of everything for me. You are just the agent fulfilling Allah's commandments on this earth and the qadr of Allah. So Ya Allah, don't let me become too dependent on myself because I want to depend on You.

So in everything, in all our affairs, you need to have this first. Make a lot of du'a for Allah to help you continue with your fasting, your ibadah, and your obedience. Seek Allah's help.

2. Al-Mujahidah — Self-Discipline

The second thing, my dear brothers and sisters, is al-mujahidah — self-discipline. Nothing comes easy in this dunya. Al-mujahidah: self-discipline. You're going to have to learn to discipline yourself. And the big difference between successful people in the dunya — even in worldly matters — and non-successful people is what? Discipline. Self-discipline. They control their time. They don't let the internet control them, or social media, or their phone. No — they control themselves, because they know how valuable their time is and how valuable their efforts are.

Allah says:

Those who strive and struggle in Our path — meaning those who discipline themselves — We shall guide them to the straight path. You start, and Allah will take your hand, insha'Allah, to success, bi idhnillahi ta'ala.

3. Al-Suhbah — Good Companionship

The third thing you need to maintain in order to succeed, insha'Allah, after the month of Ramadan is having good companionship. It is extremely, extremely important.

That journey you are taking to the Akhirah, to Allah, is so valuable. When the Prophet ﷺ was preparing himself for the most valuable journey in the history of Islam — al-Hijrah — Abu Bakr as-Siddiq kept telling the Prophet: "Ya Rasulallah, give me permission, let me leave. Let me go." Abu Bakr as-Siddiq didn't think that the Prophet ﷺ would need any companion on that road — because he knew Allah would protect him. He wanted to go ahead to prepare the place. The Prophet ﷺ said: "No, wait. Maybe Allah will give you a companion to go with." And he kept waiting until the Prophet ﷺ came to him on that day and said: "Let's get ready."

So Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said: "Is that the companionship you've been promising me?" He said: "Yes it is." And he started crying — he started crying because Allah chose him to be that sahib of the Prophet ﷺ on this historic journey that we all mark our calendars with — al-Hijrah.

So my dear brothers and sisters, you are on a dangerous journey. Wallahi, you are on a dangerous journey. We are all salikeen — travelers — to Allah. It's dangerous. You have temptations. You have hardships. You have trials. Sometimes they come from those closest to you and most beloved to you. We are all on a dangerous terrain going to the Akhirah. I can't do it on my own. I need companionship with me.

Now — who are these people that you would like to carry with you along the way to the Akhirah? Your companions that you associate yourself with — are they really worth it? Do you trust them on that dangerous journey to Allah, or do they take you away from Allah? So my dear brothers and sisters, before Ramadan ends, filter your social circles. You are on a dangerous journey and you need trustworthy companionship. Make sure to have them with you, insha'Allah wa tabaraka wa ta'ala.

The Inspiration of Righteous Company

My dear brothers and sisters, part of the suhbah that you need on your journey to Allah — let me remind you with a statement by Ja'far ibn Muhammad, rahimahullah wa ta'ala. He says: "You know, when I used to work so hard and then I would start feeling a decline — I didn't feel myself anymore, I felt tired and fatigued — I would go to Muhammad ibn Wasi'." Muhammad ibn Wasi' was one of the Salaf, rahimahullah wa ta'ala, known to be a deeply righteous man. He says: "I would just look at him — and that would inspire me to work for another week." Just looking at good people around you inspires you to do better.

They used to say about Muhammad ibn Sirin, rahimahullah wa ta'ala: when he walked into the marketplace, people would start making dhikr of Allah. Just sighting a good man reminded them of Allah, making them remember Allah. Imagine if you are surrounded by those good people — people who always remind you of the Akhirah. They will leave you no room for decline or fatigue, because alhamdulillah, you inspire each other.

Closing: Make This Du'a Daily

Brothers and sisters — as-suhbah, as-suhbah. Make sure to have good companionship at the end of the month of Ramadan, to take you on that journey to Allah. And remember to make your du'a — make this daily du'a for yourself, insha'Allah, even after the month of Ramadan:

Ya Allah, don't let me fall after You have lifted me. Don't let me fall after You have lifted me. You ask Allah for that. Keep me firm after You have guided me — because I don't want to get lost after this. You seek refuge with Allah from decline after progress, from misguidance after guidance, and from corruption after, alhamdulillah, a level of righteousness.

These du'as are extremely important, my dear brothers and sisters — to make for yourself today, tomorrow, and on insha'Allah.

Brothers, move forward as much as possible. Move towards your right. Fill in any gaps that you see in front of you and fill in any rows before making new ones. Keep moving in as much as possible. We have lots of du'as. Lots of people outside.