the guidance and Al-Furqan. [EMQ Al- Baqarah: 185]

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1 Had We sent down this Qur an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and crumbling by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables that We put forward to mankind that they may reflect. [EMQ Al-Hashr:21] Dear LCIS student! The graceful month of Ramadhan is about to set in; the month during which the gates of Mercy are wide open, the gates of Hell are shut and the Shayateen are chained up. It is a month chosen by Allah (swt) as a month of fasting; an act of Ibaadah that Allah (swt) has made specific to Himself. He (swt) favoured this month over all other months by making it the month of mercy and reverence for all the believers. Indeed, this month is the most superior of months in which Allah (swt) revealed the Qur an. Allah (swt) says; The month of Ramadhan in which was revealed the Qur an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and Al-Furqan. [EMQ Al- Baqarah: 185] Also, in this month were revealed the scriptures of Ibrahim (as) and Musa (as), as well as the Zabur and the Injeel. It is a month that contains a night that is better than a thousand months. Allah (swt) said; Verily! We have sent it down in the night of Al-Qadr. And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr is. The night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months. [EMQ Al-Qadr: 1-3] A night upon which Allah (swt) made the reward of he who spends that night in prayer and total devotion to Allah (swt), forgiveness for all his past sins. Imam Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said He who spends the night of Al- Qadr praying in total devotion, his past sins will be forgiven.

2 A night in which the believers should sincerely repent to Allah (swt) by reciting the Prophetic du a, conveyed to us by the Mother of the Believers, Umm al- Mumineen Aisha (ra) Allahumma innaka afuwan karimun tuhibbul afuwa fa- fou anni. Oh Allah, you are the indeed the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful, and to forgive is most pleasing to You; so, forgive me my sins. [Musnad Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah] Ramadhan is the month in which the Umrah is equivalent to a single Hajj (in reward). The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to a woman from the Ansar, If it is Ramadhan, make Umrah for indeed it is equivalent to Hajj. *Nisa i+ The month of Ramadhan is a month of patience, struggling in the way of Allah for the sake of Allah and the month of receiving the support of Allah in all of life s affairs. The support was granted to the Muslims at Badr and upon the opening of Makkah. The Muslims were victorious and received the support of Allah throughout the sands of history. It is the month of reciting the Qur an, the month of giving Zakah (2.5% of your unused wealth), the month of building mosques, the month of repenting to Allah (swt), the month of perfecting the qualities and manners of the Muslims, the month of strengthening the relations between the relatives (Silah al-rahm), the month of generosity and goodness to the needy, the month of being conscious and careful of all our speech and actions, and the month of reinvigorating our Iman and purifying our hearts. Yes, certainly the month of Ramadhan is one of distinguished superiority. And all praise is to Allah (swt) that this Ramadhan heralds many signs of a revival in the faith of Muslims both within the UK and those outside. Indeed, the Islamic Ummah, and to Allah (swt) belongs All Praise and Benevolence, is increasingly turning to the Sacred Knowledge to look for personal as well as societal solutions to the problems it faces. Indeed the students of Sacred Knowledge are the only source of hope and expectation for this Ummah, to rise up and act as a Hujjah (a proof) and guide for this Ummah in both the Aqeedah and in Fiqh (jurisprudence) as well as in its manners. This Ummah requires its Tulaab ul-ilm to be true ambassadors and the vanguard for Islam, spreading its message to the wider society. O LCIS students! You are the exemplary embodiment of this Deen. You have removed the ignorance from yourselves and stand for the revival of the religion and the survival of Islam. For the survival of Islam depends on knowledge. You are the ones who live for this Deen and by it. You sacrifice your spare time to accompany the Scholars (our fathers in religion). You study its rulings day and night to support Islam and Muslims wherever they maybe. You have responded to the responsibility of establishing this Deen in the Ummah by firstly establishing this Deen in and upon yourselves in a just and balanced way by taking up dedicated studies in the Sacred knowledge. How can you then accept to sleep or slumber when you see the problems this Ummah faces? You are well aware of the consequences of failing to carry this Deen to others and the consequences of losing this race? If you want to reach the heights, then you have to stay up the nights

3 Indeed the burden on the carriers of knowledge for this Dawah in these days is heavy and the responsibility is huge. But with great responsibility there comes great reward! The sincere believers cannot but afford to be close to their Creator and Sustainer, Azza wa Jal. They have neither ally nor protector other than Allah (swt). They turn to and rely upon no one other than Him (swt) the perfect manifestation of the Tawheed. They rely on Him alone for the Rizq (worldly provisions), the Ajal (lifespan), and the Nasr (divine support). Allah (swt) said, And when my slaves ask you concerning me then answer them, I am indeed near. I respond to the du a of the supplicant when he calls on me. So let them obey me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. [EMQ Al-Baqarah: 186] Indeed the believers have no hope other than in Allah (swt), in whom they put their trust. Allah (swt) says, If Allah helps you, none can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allah let the believers put their trust. [EMQ Ale Imran:160] You are the leading vanguard reflecting the Ummah s turning towards Islam. So you are even more needy of Allah s help, and His Mercy and His Forgiveness and you are needy for drawing closer to Allah (swt). Inshallah, Allah (swt) will gift upon us the ability to witness the month of Ramadhan again, that we may benefit from it by drawing closer to Allah (swt), by making sincere repentance, and seeking His Mercy and Forgiveness, and all Praise is to Allah (swt) who gave us life when we were dead, will give us death when we were alive, and will once again bring us back to life after we die. Indeed the one who fails to benefit from the impending month of Ramadhan is indeed one of the losers, and deserves to be distanced from Allah (swt) and is not deserving of the responsibility and reward associated with being a student of knowledge and with carrying the Islamic call and Dawah to all and sundry. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (saw), climbed upon the Minbar and said: Ameen, amen, amen. So it was said, Oh Messenger of Allah (saws), you climbed upon the Minbar and said, amen, amen, amen? So he (saws) said Jibreel came to me and said, Whoever reaches the month of Ramadhan and does not have his sins forgiven and so enters the Fire, then may Allah distance him, say amen So I said Ameen *Ibn Khuzaimah, Ahmad and al- Baihaqi: Sahih] Dear LCIS students! The reward of the obedience in this month is great, and it is increased and multiplied greater than any other time. It is best to focus one s efforts, energy and sacrifices to sincere study of the sacred law, and the best time for the Dawah carrier to seek solace in Islam, and seek tranquillity in Iman and seek delight in Ibadaah. The reward of performing any Islamically sanctioned action, whether Fard (obligatory) or Mandoub (recommended) will be seventy times greater than performing it outside the month of Ramadhan. This is the month for visiting the sick and the needy and enquiring about them. The Prophet (saws) said, If anyone performs wudu well and pays a sick-visit to his brother Muslim seeking his reward from Allah, he will be removed a distance of sixty years from hell. *Sunan Abu Dawud+ This is the month of keeping good relation with one s relatives. Rasulallah (saws) said, The one who severs his ties with his relations will not enter Paradise.

4 And there is much reward for the one who smiles at his brother, forbids what is truly evil and enjoins what is truly good, who helps the lost traveller, who guides the blind and who removes obstacles from the path of the wayfarer. Allah s Messenger (s) said, When you smile in your brothers face, or enjoin what is reputable, or forbid what is objectionable, or direct someone who has lost his way, or help a man who has bad eyesight, or remove stones, thorns and bones from the road, or pour water from your bucket into your brothers, it counts to you as Sadaqah. *Tirmidhi] More than this, this is the month for reciting, memorising and digesting the Qur an al-kareem. It goes without saying that the Qur an is the basis of this Deen (and the associated shariah sciences) with which we pride ourselves with before the whole world. It is the revealed word of Allah (swt), with which we are made to worship Him (swt). We should aim to complete its recitation at least once during this month. There is no heavier burden than the carrying of the Dawah with the true and correct knowledge. The knowledge of the infallible texts, the knowledge of the meaning of the mutashabihat (intricate texts) to the muhkamat (perspicuous texts) and the dhanniyat (inconclusive texts) to the qat iyyat (conclusive texts). The knowledge to understand the furu and the juzi iyyah (secondary concepts and subsidiary judgements) in the light of the usul and kulliyat (principles and generalities). The knowledge of ijtihad (personal reasoning) and tajdeed (renewal) and denouncing rigidity and taqleed (blind imitation). You advocate the commitment to proper conduct, not looseness in the field of morals. You advocate tayseer (facilitation) not ta seer (making things difficult and hard) in the field of Fiqh for this ummah. You advocate tabsheer (being affable to people and dealing with them nicely) rather than tanfeer (scaring them away by behaving harshly with them) in the field of da wah and guidance. You devote attention to the cultivation of true and firm Iman and not jidal (empty argumentation) in the fields of Aqeedah. You devote attention to the ruh (spirit and content) and not just to the shakl (form) in the field of Ibaadah. You wish to read and implement the Qur an in your life and the lives of others. For the Qur an charges the believer with this amazing energy which revives the idle souls and turns them into people who trivialise hardships and make light of all the worldly pleasures, for the sake of gaining the bliss of Jannah, and for the sake of gaining the Pleasure of Allah (swt). Abu Umamah heard Allah s messenger (saw) say, Recite the Qur an, for on the day of Resurrection it will come as an intercessor for those who recite it. Recite the two bright ones, al-baqarah and Surah ale-imran, for on the Day of Resurrection they will come as two clouds or two shades, or two flocks of birds in ranks, pleading for those who recite them. *Sahih Muslim+ In this month, the believers avail themselves of the opportunity to congregate in the mosques in order to pray, and recite the Qur an and make sincere Tauba from Allah (swt). He (saw) said, And bring glad tidings to those who walk in the dark towards the mosques, that they shall be in total light on the Day of Judgement. The Messenger of Allah (saw) also said: he who purifies himself in his home and then walks towards a house from among the houses of Allah in order to perform one of the duties by Allah, one step of his will remove a sin and another step will elevate him one degree.

5 The Prophet (saw) used to make Tahajjud until his feet swelled, to fast until people thought he never would break it and to give Sadaqah like the one who never fears poverty. Upon starting his mission he (saw) said to his wife Khadija (ra) No more rest after today. This was the Messenger of Allah (saw) whose sins were already forgiven. He (saws) was the believer who knew that Allah would give him victory. Where then does that leave us? If we truly claim to follow the Prophet and his Companions, if we truly believe we are students of Sacred knowledge, we will find in our life very little time for rest, knowing that the real rest is in the Hereafter only! In this month there are many actions that are specific to Ramadhan that we must benefit from. One of those actions is to partake in the Suhur, the pre-dawn meal as there is a blessing in it.. In the nights of this month there is much opportunity for repentance and supplication, both collectively in the Taraweeh prayers and also individually in the other prayers such as Salah al-tahajjud, Salah al-tasbeeh, Salah al-istikharah, Salah al-haajah and by remembering Allah (swt) by perfoming Dhikr, and by praising and glorifying Allah (swt) with the heart and the tongue. Dear LCIS students! Allah (swt) has honoured you by your studying the Deen and by you conveying his Dawah with knowledge. So keep your covenant with Allah (swt) lest he makes you busy in the worldly life and takes you away from the path of those Pious Predecessors. ammunition and increase our supply of piety for the thorny and arduous journey of carrying the Dawah, since we have pledged ourselves to serve our Deen and to revive our Ummah and to benefit mankind and the wider society. Oh Allah! Make the Qur an al-kareem, a pleasure for our hearts, the light of our sight and the banishment of our sorrows and a lightening of our worries Oh Allah! Teach us from it what we were ignorant of, and remind us of it what we have forgotten, and provide us with the ability to recite it throughout the day and the night Oh Allah! Make us from those who maintain the Halal as the Halal and the Haram as the Haram, and recite it as it truly is. Oh Allah! Make it a guide for us in our lives, and accompany us in our graves, which become a veil for us from the fire, and a guide for us to the path of Jannah. And may peace be upon our Master, the Messenger (saws) and upon his family and companions, and those who follow him with the best of blessings until the day of judgement. Dr. Hayder Khan PhD Principal London College for Islamic Studies 28 th July th Shaban 1432 AH We the students of knowledge, the Dawah carriers should be leading from the front when it comes to performing the Mandubat and drawing closer to the Master of the Day of Judgement; we are the ones who need to increase our spiritual