Salaheddin Islamic Center Jummah Khutbah 27 Shaban 1437 Corresponding to June 3, 2016 كيف نستقبل رمضان How do we Receive/Welcome Ramadan? Given by: First Khutbah Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan Abu Sulaymaan ا ن ال ح م د الله ن ح م د ه و ن س ت ع ين ه ونستغفره ونعوذ باالله من شرور ا نفسنا ومن سيي ات ا عمالنا م ن ي ه د ه ا الله ف لا م ض ل ل ه و م ن ي ض ل ل ف لا ه اد ي ل ه و ا ش ه د ا ن لا ا ل ه ا لا ا الله و ح د ه لا ش ر يك ل ه و ا ن م ح مد ا ع ب د ه و ر س ول ه ي اا يه ا ا لذ ين ء ام ن وا ا تق وا ا الله ح ق ت ق ات ه و لا ت م وت ن ا لا و ا ن ت م م س ل م ون ي اا يه ا ال ناس ا تق وا ر بك م ا لذ ي خ ل ق ك م م ن ن ف س و اح د ة و خ ل ق م ن ه ا ز و ج ه ا و ب ث م ن ه م ا ر ج الا ك ث ير ا و ن س اء و ا تق وا ا الله ا لذ ي ت س اء ل ون ب ه و الا ر ح ام ا ن ا الله ك ان ع ل ي ك م ر ق يب ا ي اا يه ا ا لذ ين ء ام ن وا ا تق وا ا الله و ق ول وا ق و لا س د يد ا ي ص ل ح ل ك م ا ع م ال ك م و ي غ ف ر ل ك م ذ ن وب ك م و م ن ي ط ع ا الله و ر س ول ه ف ق د ف از ف و ز ا ع ظ يم ا فا ن ا ص د ق ال ح د يث ك ت اب ا الله ت ع ال ى و ا ح س ن ال ه د ي ه د ي م ح مد صلى االله عليه وسلم و ش ر الا م ور م ح د ث ات ه ا و ك ل م ح د ث ة ب د ع ة و ك ل ب د ع ة ض لال ة و ك ل وكل ضلالة في النار 1
As for what follows: ا يه ا ال ناس 1 Oh People! Allah says in His Honorable Book : ش ه ر ر م ض ان ا لذ ى ا نز ل ف يه ال ق ر ا ن ه د ى لل ناس و ب ين ت من ال ه د ى و ال ف ر ق ان ف م ن ش ه د م نك م ال شه ر ف ل ي ص م ه و م ن ك ان م ر يض ا ا و ع ل ى س ف ر ف ع دة من ا يام ا خ ر ي ر يد ا الله ب ك م ال ي س ر و لا ي ر يد ب ك م ال ع س ر و ل ت ك م ل وا ال ع دة و ل ت ك بر وا ا الله ع ل ى م ا ه د اك م و ل ع لك م ت ش ك ر ون The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Saum (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allah [i.e. to say Takbir (Allahu-Akbar; Allah is the Most Great) on seeing the crescent of the months of Ramadan and Shawwal] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him [2:185] The blessed month of Ramadan is upon us and we need to receive this month with the best of reception. For Ramadan is a time of great benefit. It is a month to obtain Taqwa. Imam Ibnul-Wardi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: وا تق االله فتقوى االله ما * * * جاورت قلب امريء ا لا و ص ل Fear Allah, for Taqwa of Allah is not Adjoined to the heart of a person except he will reach [all good in the worldly and life and hereafter] [Laamiyyah Ibnul-Wardi line no. 7] 1 This is from the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) as found in many Ahaadith. For more, see Shaikh Yahya ibn ali al-hajoori s excellent work Ahkaam ul-jummah wa bida iha pg. 364 2
Ramadan is a blessed month: Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: ا ت اك م ر م ض ان ش ه ر م ب ار ك ف ر ض ا الله ع ز و ج ل ع ل ي ك م ص ي ام ه ت ف ت ح ف يه ا ب و اب ال سم اء و ت غ ل ق ف يه ا ب و اب ال ج ح يم و ت غ ل ف يه م ر د ة ال شي اط ين الله ف يه ل ي ل ة خ ي ر م ن ا ل ف ش ه ر م ن ح ر م خ ي ر ه ا ف ق د ح ر م 'There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. In it the gates of heavens are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and every devil is chained up. In it Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived."' [Saheeh Nasaai no. 2105] Ramadan is a month of forgiveness Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ا ن رسول االله ص لى االله عليه وس لم رقي المنبر فقال : ا مين ا مين ا مين فقيل له : يا رسول االله ما كنت تصنع هذا فقال : قال لي جبريل : رغ م ا نف عبد دخل عليه رمضان لم ي غف ر له فقلت : ا مين ث م قال : رغ م ا نف عبد ا درك ا بو ي ه ا و ا حد هما لم ي دخ لاه الج نة فقلت : ا مين ث م قال : رغ م ا نف عبد ذ ك رت عنده فلم ي ص ل عليك فقلت : ا مين That the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ascended the minbar and said: Ameen, Ameen, Ameen. It was said: oh Messenger of Allah, you did not use to do this? He said: Jibreel said to me: May he be humiliated the servant who enters Ramadan and is not forgiven So I said: Ameen. Then he said: May he be humiliated the servant who has two parents or one of them and does not enter Paradise [due to them]. I said: Ameen. He said: May he be humiliated the servant who I am mentioned and he does not send peace and blessings upon me. I said: Ameen [ Graded Hasan by al-albani in Fadlus-Salah no. 18 and others] Ramadan is a month of Change and Transformation From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 3
ا ذ ا ك ان ا ول ل ي ل ة م ن ش ه ر ر م ض ان ص فد ت ال شي اط ين و م ر د ة ال ج ن و غ لق ت ا ب و اب ال نار ف ل م ي ف ت ح م ن ه ا ب اب. و ف تح ت ا ب و اب ال ج نة ف ل م ي غ ل ق م ن ه ا ب اب و ي ن اد ي م ن اد ي ا ب اغ ي ال خ ي ر ا ق ب ل و ي ا ب اغ ي ال ش ر ا ق ص ر و الله ع ت ق اء م ن ال نار و ذ ل ك ك ل ل ي ل ة "On the first night of the month of Ramadan, the Shayateen are shackled, the powerful jinns are restrained, the gates of the Fires are shut such that no gate among them would be opened. The gates of Paradise are opened such that no gate among them would be closed, and a caller calls: 'O seeker of the good; come near!' and 'O seeker of evil; stop! For there are those whom Allah frees from the Fire.' And that is every night." [Reported by Tirmidhi and graded Saheeh by Al-Albani in Saheeh Tirmidhi no. 682] Imam al-mubaarakfoori (may Allah have mercy upon him) commented on the Hadith saying: " O seeker of evil stop: that is, oh the one who wants disobedience, hold back from your disobedience and return to Allah because this is the time of the acceptance of repentance and the time to prepare for forgiveness. It is possible that the obedience of the obedient, repentance e of the sinner, and the return of the deficient ones in Ramadan is from the effects of the two calls and the result of Allah turning towards those seeking. Like this we see most of the Muslims fasting even the children and the neighborhood. Rather the majority of those who abandoned prayer become then praying people. Although fasting is harder than prayer and it creates the weakness of the body which is leads to laziness in worship and a lot of sleep usually. Along with this, you see the masaajid full and the revived nights flooded. And All praise is due to Allah and their is no strength or might except with Allah. This is what was mentioned in Mirqaa " [Taken from Tuhfatul Ahwaadhi (2/219)] So we see how Ramadan helps us stop our disobedience and we are encouraged to do so during this month. It is a month to break bad habits and transform ourselves. The devils are chained. With all the good that occurs by the permission of Allah and by way of the call of the caller, it is important for Muslims not squander this great opportunity. Ramadan is more than just food and drink. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ليس الصيام من الا ك ل والشر ب ا نما الصيام من اللغو والرف ث Fasting is not from eating and drinking, verily fasting is from idle speech and obscene speech [Saheeh Targheeb no. 1082] 4
Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: ب ا ن ال م ر اد ا ن ك م ال ال صو م و ف ض يل ت ه ال م ط ل وب ة ا نم ا ي ك ون ب ص ي ان ت ه ع ن ال لغ و و ال ك لا م ال رد يء لا. ا ن ال صو م ي ب ط ل ب ه The intent is that complete fasting and the virtue which is desired is only by protecting oneself from idle speech and debased speech. Not that the fast is invalidated due to this [i.e. idle speech and obscenity] [Majmoo' ( 6/399)] And it comes in another Hadith also from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: رب صاي م ليس له من صيامه ا لا الجوع ورب قاي م ليس له من قيامه ا لا السهر There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are those who pray and get nothing from their prayer but a sleepless night [Saheeh Targheeb no. 1083] Imam al-munaawi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said commenting on the Hadith: قال الغزالي: قيل هو الذي يفطر على حرام ا و من يفطر على لحوم الناس بالغيبة ا و من لا يحفظ جوارحه عن الا ثام "al-ghazali said: it was said: it is the one who broke his fast with haram or the one who broke his fast by upon the flesh of the people by backbiting or it is the one who did not preserve his limbs from sins" [Fayd al-qadeer Sharh Jami' as-sagheer (4/16)] Ramadan is supposed to improve our behavior from lying, foolishness, betrayal. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet said: م ن ل م ي د ع ق و ل ا ل زور و ال ع م ل ب ه, و ال ج ه ل, ف ل ي س الله ح اج ة ف ي ا ن ي د ع ط ع ام ه و ش ر اب ه Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink [Bukhari no. 6057] 5
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: من لم يدع الخنا والكذب فلا حاجة الله ا ن يدع طعامه وشرابه Whoever does not give up betrayal and lying, then Allah has no need for him to leave off his food and drink [Saheeh Targheeb no. 1080] As it comes in the Hadith Qudsi: ي ت ر ك ط ع ام ه و ش ر اب ه و ش ه و ت ه م ن ا ج ل ي ال صي ام ل ي و ا ن ا ا ج ز ي ب ه و ال ح س ن ة ب ع ش ر ا م ث ال ه ا 'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times". [Bukhari no. 1894] With that in mind, we need to receive Ramadan in the best of manners to benefit from this great opportunity Second Khutbah الحمد الله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على نبينا محمد وعلى ا له وصحبه ا جمعين As for what proceeds: How can we prepare for Ramadan? We can do the following things: 1. Before Ramadan, the Salaf used to ensure that they made up any fasts they missed due to an excuse from the previous Ramadan. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: كان يكون علي الصوم من رمضان فما ا ستطيع ا ن ا قضيه ا لا في شعبان I had to complete some of the fasts of Ramadan, but I could not do it but during the month of Sha'ban [Saheeh Muslim no. 1146] Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: The school of thought of Malik, Abu Hanifa, Shafi ee, Ahmad, and the majority of the Salaf and Khalaf is to that the one who has to make up missed fasts due to menstruation and travel can delay it and it is not required for him/her 6
to take initiative to complete them at the beginning of the affair. However, they say: it is not allowed to delay it from the coming Sha baan because he/she will then delay it to a time it will not be accepted and it is the next Ramadan... [Sharh Saheeh Muslim (4/141)] 2. Feeling Happy About it s Arrival Hafidh Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy upon him) said quoting some the Scholars: كيف لا يبشر المو من بفتح ا بواب الجنان كيف لا يبشر المذنب بغلق ا بواب النيران كيف لا يبشر العاقل بوقت يغل فيه الشياطين من ا ين يشبه هذا الزمان زمان "How can a believer not be glad with the opening of the gates of Paradise? How can a sinner not be glad with closing of the gates of Hell-fire? How can an intelligent one not be glad with the time the devils are chained? How can this time be compared to any other time? [Lataaif al-ma aarif (1/158)] 3. Reading Much Qur an: ع ن اب ن ع باس رضى االله عنهما ق ال ك ان ال نب ي صلى االله عليه وسلم ا ج و د ال ناس و ا ج و د م ا ي ك ون ف ي ر م ض ان ح ين ي ل ق اه ج ب ر يل و ك ان ج ب ر يل ع ل ي ه ال سلا م ي ل ق اه ف ي ك ل ل ي ل ة م ن ر م ض ان ف ي د ار س ه ال ق ر ا ن ف ل ر س ول ا الله صلى االله عليه وسلم ا ج و د ب ال خ ي ر م ن ال ريح ال م ر س ل ة. 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (ﷺ) was the most generous of all the people, and he used to become more generous in Ramadan when Gabriel met him. Gabriel used to meet him every night during Ramadan to revise the Qur'an with him. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then used to be more generous than the fast wind. [Reported in al-bukhari no. 3554] 4. Staying in the Masjid: ع ن ا ب ي ال م ت و كل ال ناج ي, ق ال : ك ان ا ب و ه ر ي ر ة و ا ص ح اب ه ا ذ ا ص ام وا ج ل س وا ف ي ال م س ج د, ق ال وا : " ن ط هر ص ي ام ن ا On the authority of Abu al-mutawakil an-naaji (may Allah have mercy upon him) who said: 7
If Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions were fasting, they would sit in the masjid and say: Let us purify our fast [Reported by Hunnad ibn as-sari in Kitab az-zuhd no. 1207. The chain is Saheeh] This is because the Masaajid are the best places in the sight of Allah and are places of worship. The Salaf used to go to the Masjid whenever they had free time, as comes in the following narration from Sha bi (may Allah be pleased with him): كانوا ا ذا فرغوا من شيء ا توا المساجد When they (the Companions and the Salaf) were unoccupied, they came to the Masaajid [Reported by Bayhaqi in Shu ab al-imaan no. 2690 and the Muhaqiq Mukhtaar an-nadawi said: Its narrators are reliable ] نسا ل االله للجميع التوفيق والهداية وصلاح النية والعمل We ask Allah for Tawfeeq and guidance for us all and good intentions and righteous action ق وم وا ا ل ى ص لا ت ك م ي ر ح م ك م ا الله 2 Stand for you Prayer, may Allah have mercy upon you ----------End of the Khutbah---------- 2 This is how Abu Bakr as-sideeq radiallahu anahu ended his first Khutbah as found in Seerah Ibn Hisham with a Saheeh chain. 8