Today marks the 10th day since the start of the Islamic year and thus we are in the month of Muharram.
It is regarded as one of the sacred months in Islam and the concept of sacred months in Islam was touched upon in last week’s khutba. Allah SWT mentions the concept of Sacred Months in Sura Al-Tauba, ayat 36 which is translated as:
The number of months ordained by Allah is twelve in the Book of Allah since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred; that is the established principle of Deen. Therefore, do not wrong yourselves by violating them. But you may fight against the mushrikin in all these months if they fight against you in all of them. Know that Allah is with the righteous.
Dear brothers and sisters, as we can see, Allah SWT has placed special emphasis on certain months and this one is one of them. So, as Muslims, what can we practically do in this month to benefit from it sacredness?
Firstly, we need to understand that although sin is bad at any time, it is particularly harmful in the sacred months and therefore we should be extra vigilant in this month so as to stay away from sin.
Equally so, we should therefore make a real effort in this month to perform good deeds. From the simplest charity of a smile, to a concerted community effort, we all know what we are capable of doing so let’s put it into action and make it happen this month.
And of course, fasting. We know from last week that this month is one in which the Prophet SAWS fasted more than any month outside of Ramadhan.
We have a hadith of the Prophet SAWS to back this up in which he is reported to have said:
The best of fasting after the month of Ramadhan is the month of Muharram, and the best of prayers after the obligatory prayers is the nightly prayers.
Dear brothers and sisters, these three practical steps is all that is needed to make this month count for us and for us to treat a sacred month with the respect and attention it deserves.
Alongside these practical steps for this month is the need to address misconceptions about this month.
We all know that this month is a source of debate as to what can and can’t be done. Therefore we address the innovations that have come about and therefore must be avoided.
Firstly, leading on from the day of Ashura which is the 10th day of Muharram. This has been the cause of innovation because some people associate the sanctity of this day with the martyrdom of Hussain RA.
As Muslims, no doubt the story of Husain RA, is one of the most tragic episodes of our history. Yet the sanctity of Ashura cannot be ascribed to this event for the simple reason that the sanctity of this day was established during the days of the Prophet SAWS, much earlier than the birth of his grandson Husain.
We must therefore be knowledgeable of this fact as we may get questioned by our neighbours, friends and colleagues as to it’s significance and therefore present the right answer to them.
Some people consider this an unlucky or evil month because of Husain’s martyrdom. They mourn the death and hold ceremonies for it. They avoid marriages for example and this is also a form of innovation that should be avoided.
And to just touch upon the practices that are witnessed at this time, the following hadith ought to be mentioned in which the Prophet SAWS is reported to have said:
He is not of us that would hit his cheeks and the cutting of pockets and behaves as the ignorant behave.
Dear brothers and sisters, as Muslims our behaviour during this month should be like the behaviour of the companions in that it should be not one of mourning, neither one of celebrating.
Rather, we should value Muharram as one of Allah SWT’s sacred months in which we should do good deeds and be extra careful of sinning. We should try and fast as much as we can in this month.
We should not be superstitious about it and if someone wants to get married during it then they may.
Let’s revive the true essence of this month and use it as a platform to attaining Allah SWT’s pleasure and his mercy. And the sacred month of Muharram is just the time in which to do it.
May Allah SWT enable us to understand the significance of Muharram. May Allah SWT enable us to gain reward from the month of Muharram and may Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in the month of Muharram.
Ameen Walhamdullilahi Rabilalameen.
Read More
Dear brothers and sisters, we are now all present in the most important days in the calendar year, it’s the month in which muslims all over the world will perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
Allah SWT says in Sura Al-Baqara, ayat 197:
Hajj is during well-known months, so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Hajj.
And whatever good you do – Allah knows it. And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of allah. And fear me, O you of understanding.
Dear brothers and sisters, Allah SWT has specified this month as the month of pilgrimage and it is the month is which pilgrims gather from all over the world to visit the sacred house of Allah in Mecca.
This is backed up also by hadith in which it is reported that the Prophet SAWS said:
There are no days better with Allah SWT than the 10 days
Dear brothers and sisters, it is clear from the references given that this is an important time in the year for us all but as those who are not performing the Hajj pilgrimage, what can we do to make the most of these times?
What follows then are 7 things that we can all do in this time to make the most out of it.
- Read Quran – This is something that we all ought to have part of our daily routine but if not then there is no better time than these 10 days to begin and gain the extra reward.
- Remembrance of Allah – This can be from extensive zikr to simply manageable tasks such as reciting Bismillah before each and any task.
- Supplication – What better time than now to ask of your Lord? Now is the time to reconnect with Allah SWT and ask of Him for your dunya and akhira needs.
- Send salaam on the Prophet SAWS – This is a great habit to begin and no better time than now. All it takes is the memorization of a small sentence but one that weigh heavily in your favour with Allah SWT.
- Night prayers – It is said that the most virtuous prayer after the obligatory prayers is that during the depths of the night. This isn’t as hard as you may think because all it requires is that you wake up slightly earlier than the start time for Fajr and pray the night prayer.
- Fasting – The aim here is to try and fast in the days leading up to Eid but at the very least if you are able to do so then fast in the day of Arafat – this is the day before Eid next Wednesday.
The Prophet SAWS was asked about fasting on this day and in hadith it has mentioned the following reward for those who are not performing hajj but fast on the day of Arafat:
It will forgive the year before and the year after
Dear brothers and sisters, as you can see then the incentive for fasting on this day is great so let’s mark that day in our diary in the forthcoming week!
- Good deeds – And lastly, if nothing else then spend these time stepping up on good deeds. Interaction with family, parents, colleagues and non-Muslims. This is the time to step up a gear and earn the extra reward.
Dear brothers and sisters, we have been blessed with the opportunity to experience these days once again this year. Let’s make the most of them so that we can be of those who remembered the best days in this world.
May Allah SWT enable us to make use of these 10 days. May Allah SWT enable us to carry out the good actions in these 10 days and may Allah SWT reward us for our good actions in these 10 days.
Ameen Walhamdullilahi Rabilalameen.
Read More
Allah SWT says in Sura Al-Baqara, ayat 183:
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous
Dear brothers and sisters, the month of Ramadhan is now in full flow, with most of us accustomed to the hunger, thirst, early meals and late prayers.
There is a sense of buzz in this month, both brought on by the scientific benefits of fasting and of course, the spiritual blessings of this given month.
And one of those blessings has been narrated in the following hadith in which our Prophet SAWS said:
When the first night of Ramadhan arrives, the devils and rebellious Jinn are chained, the gates of Hellfire are closed till no gate thereof is open, and the gates of Paradise are opened till no door thereof is closed.
A caller cries out: “O seeker of good, proceed; O seeker of evil, desist.”
Allah saves some people from Hellfire- and that happens every night.
Dear brothers and sisters, this hadith is shedding some light onto the magnificent blessings of this month. Now is the time to really benefit fully from what this month is offering us spiritually.
Last week, we spoke of the SOS our hearts and soul yearn for throughout the year and this month is the reply sent by Allah SWT.
You’ll know that the Quran was brought down and revealed in this blessed month, and fasting and Quran both will intercede for the slave in Judgement day. Therefore, there is no better time to utilise this fact and begin reciting and reflecting on the book of Allah SWT.
It doesn’t matter how little you are able to read Arabic. In fact, greater reward is given to that person who struggles to read as opposed to a fluent reader.
We have the Quran here at the masjid for anyone wanting to start. We also have the Quran online through our website and there are apps for the Quran recitation to be done throughout the day.
For those who are interested, we are even contemplating a beginner’s course for reading Arabic; speak to myself or someone in the masjid if interested.
Dear brothers and sisters, fasting is so magnificent that it has a special attribute to it that no other act has. It was narrated in the Hadith Qudsi, that the prophet SAWS said:
Every action of the son of Adam is multiplied: by ten times to seven hundred times: then Allah (SWT) said: except fasting, which is for me and I will give the reward myself.
Allahu Akbar. Fasting is so praiseworthy in the sight of Allah SWT, that the reward is so extreme and marvelous, that this dunya cannot contain it; the reward can only be given in the next life, and we can only find out what this extraordinary reward is when we meet Allah SWT
So with the rewards so great, and the day so long, is there anything one can do to help themselves successfully fast in this month?
And thus this ends with 4 tips for Healthy Ramadhan fasting:
- Don’t skip the pre-dawn meal – They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and in Ramadhan it’s even more important!
- Don’t overeat when opening the fast – It will make you sluggish, suffer indigestion and make night prayers harder.
- Avoid eating fried, salty or high sugar foods – They may make you feel good in the short run, but you will suffer for it in the following day’s fast.
- Drink as much water as possible – Sip water throughout the permissible hours. It will help in the following day’s fast.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is Ramadhan and so let’s make the most of it and use it to replenish our souls and sooth our hearts for the 11 months ahead.
May Allah SWT enable us to appreciate the full blessing of Ramadhan. May Allah SWT enable us to fast in the month of Ramadhan. And may Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in the month of Ramadhan.
Ameen walhamdulilahirabilalameen
Read More
My dear brothers and sisters, the month of Ramadhan is upon us. This month has the potential to carry so much weight for us into the next life. Repeatedly, Allah SWT talks of repentance in the Quran and one example of this is in Sura An-Nur, ayat 31 in which He ends it by saying:
And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
Dear brothers and sisters, with the month of Ramadan approaching, we need to take full advantage of the month and what it offers to us.
So how can this month serve to assist us in repentance to our Lord? The next hadith illustrates just how much as the Prophet SAWS said:
Whoever fasts, prays nightly prayers in Ramadan with belief and expectation, he is forgiven of his past deeds.
Dear brothers and sisters, we can deduce from this then that the month of Ramadhan is truly a mercy to us. It is a time to rest and revitalise our faith. It is a time to strengthen our connection with our Lord and to polish up on our faith.
For those of us who have been blessed with the ability to fast in this current month, the following advice is one to be mindful of. The Prophet SAWS said:
Do not fast a day or two before Ramadan expect those who used to fast so he can fast
Dear brothers and sisters, this is telling us that the preparation for Ramadan is to be carried out with thought and therefore if you are fasting this month, consider a break in the days leading up to the start of the next month so that you can remain fresh during it.
As Ramadhan approaches it is imperative that we begin thinking about how we can benefit from the journey ahead of us. Here are five simple ways that we can benefit from the month of Ramadhan:
1)Intention Make the sincere intention that you want this Ramadan to be a sacred and special Ramadan.
2)Make a plan: Plan how you would like to spend each day this Ramadan. Postpone things that can be postponed, and focus on activities that will benefit you,insha’Allah, in the hereafter. Here are some examples: Set a target for how much Qur’an you will recite, and make a plan for when you will recite it. Set a target for how many prayers you will pray at the masjid, and make a plan for how you will reach this target.
3)Make adu’a list: Make a list of supplications and include the following: a) your needs for this dunya; b) your needs for the hereafter; c) the needs of your family members and friends; d) the names of your friends and family members.
4)Serve: Go beyond just yourself and your own needs during the month of Ramadan. Before Ramadan begins, find an avenue for community service so you can serve others throughout the month.
5)Charity: Figure out how you can spend less on yourself so you can spend more on the needy during Ramadan. Begin calculating your assets, so that when Ramadan begins, you are ready to pay your zakat and sadaqah.
This month is so much more than just fasting. We know this from the example set by our beloved Prophet SAWS and just to highlight through one hadith, he said:
Fasting is not about stopping food and drink, but it is fasting from useless conversation, marital relations, and if someone bad mouths you then you say ‘I am fasting’
Dear brothers and sisters, this month has the potential for achieving so much for us. This is the SOS call our hearts send out 11 months of the year being answered. This is the remedy from the toll this life has on our hearts outside the month of Ramadan.
And in only a few days time inshAllah it will be here for us all to reap its benefits from.
May Allah SWT allow us all to experience the forthcoming month of Ramadhan. May Allah SWT accept our acts of worship in the month of Ramadhan. And May Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in the month of Ramadhan.
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
Read More
As we all know from a previous khutba, this is a month that we should not overlook. We are now in the month of Sha’ban and the month carries a lot of blessing in many different ways.
However, there is a night in the month of Sha’ban that needs to be mentioned as it carries a lot of weight and is often overlooked.
The night that is being talked of here is the 15th night of Sha’ban. This night is mentioned in many hadiths but the one mentioned in this khutba is the one in which the Prophet SAWS said:
Allah will oversee the night of Half of Sha’ban his slaves, and will forgive those who ask for forgiveness, and will give mercy to those who are merciful, and will leave the people of hatred as they are.
Another hadith states that the messenger SAWS said:
Allah looks at His creation in the night of mid-Sha’ban; He forgives all His creation except for a polytheist, or one who has illegitimate hatred of others.
Dear brothers and sisters, with this night approaching in the coming week, we need to remember that this month already has us needing to step up our efforts and what better time to ask of Allah SWT than this night?
Sometimes there is confusion on the night itself so to clarify, this will occur on Monday night. That is, this Monday evening after Magrib prayers all the way through Monday night until Tuesday morning at Fajr time.
This is the time that is spoken of in the hadiths mentioned previously. And coming back to the hadith themselves, one can contemplate upon their meaning and deduce practical steps that can be implemented in this night and beyond.
Firstly, as this night approaches one should do a self-audit and rid ourselves of any traces of shirk or polytheism. A word of caution here is that this isn’t just about associating partners with Allah SWT.
For example, scholars state that minor shirk is performed when one makes a show of good deeds. For example, showing off one’s charitable acts, acts of worship or of fasting.
We need to be clear that we are not falling into this category and therefore inadvertently excluding ourselves from the blessings of Allah SWT.
Secondly, we need to soften our hearts to one another. We have an esteemed guest coming next month in the form of the month of Ramadhan and what better preparation is there then reconciling with one another?
With so much animosity around and visible to us all these days, let’s not harbour any ill feelings towards each other. Now is the time to recognise and eliminate hatred, jealousy and envy we may have for others.
Dear brothers and sisters, we live in a world that has distorted into one that flourishes on these traits of Shaitaan. After all, consumerism can only flourish if we are made to feel jealous and envious of one another.
The constant striving for what someone else has got is implanted into us through clever marketing and a powerful media.
However, as healthy as it is to be ambitious, we cannot allow it to encourage feelings of hatred, jealousy and envy for one another.
Therefore, perform that self-audit, recognize and change that mind-set in order to be a recipient on the blessed night next week.
May Allah SWT reward us on the night of mid-Sha’ban. May Allah SWT enable us to be part of the night of mid-Sha’ban. And may Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in the night of mid-Sha’ban.
Ameen Walhamdullilah Rabilalameen.
Read More
My dear brothers, the month of Ramadhan is upon us. This sacred month in which the Prophet (SAWS) used to give glad tidings.
This month has the potential to carry so much weight for us into the next life. An Ibn Majah hadith illustrates just how much:
Talha ibn ‘Ubaydallah May Allah be pleased with him, reported that two men came to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) who had accepted Islam at the same time. One of them used to partake in Jihad more-so than the other, and so (one day) he fought in a battle and was martyred. The other remained behind him for another year, and then he passed away.
Talha said, ‘I saw in my dream that I was at the door of Paradise when behold, I was with both of them (the two men). Someone came out of Paradise and allowed the man who passed away later to enter first. Then he came out again and allowed the martyred one to enter. Then he returned and said to me, ‘Go back, for your time has not come yet.’
Talha woke up and began to inform others about this and they were all surprised. This reached the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and when they informed him of it, he said:
He (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘What are you surprised about?’They said,‘O Messenger of Allah! Out of them both, this one strove harder (in Jihad) then he was martyred but this other one was entered into Paradise before him.’ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Did he not remain behind him for one year?’ They said, Yes (he did).’He said, ‘Did he not reach Ramadan, fast and pray with such and such number of prostrations in the year?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said,‘So the difference between them is greater than what is between the heavens and the earth.’
In another sahih Hadith regarding this sacred month, the Prophet SAWS has mentioned the whisperings of Shaytaan that we all suffer from throughout the year and what impact the sacred month of Ramadhan has on this:
When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained
And alongside this, the Prophet Peace be upon him has said:
In it, i.e. Ramadhan, there is a night that is better than a thousand months, whoever loses the benefit of it has lost something irreplaceable.
Dear brothers, we can deduce from this then that the month of Ramadhan is truly a mercy to us. It is a time to rest and revitalise our faith. A time to strengthen our connection with our Lord and to polish up on our faith.
As Ramadhan approaches it is imperative that we begin thinking about how we can benefit from the journey ahead of us. Here are five simple ways that we can benefit from the month of Ramadhan:
1)Intention Make the sincere intention that you want this Ramadan to be a sacred and special Ramadan.
2)Make a plan: Plan how you would like to spend each day this Ramadan. Postpone things that can be postponed, and focus on activities that will benefit you,insha’Allah, in the hereafter. Here are some examples: Set a target for how much Qur’an you will recite, and make a plan for when you will recite it. Set a target for how many prayers you will pray at the masjid, and make a plan for how you will reach this target.
3)Make adu’a list: Make a list of supplications and include the following: a) your needs for this dunya; b) your needs for the hereafter; c) the needs of your family members and friends; d) the names of your friends and family members.
4)Serve: Go beyond just yourself and your own needs during the month of Ramadan. Before Ramadan begins, find an avenue for community service so you can serve others throughout the month.
5)Charity: Figure out how you can spend less on yourself so you can spend more on the needy during Ramadan. Begin calculating your assets, so that when Ramadan begins, you are ready to pay your zakat and sadaqah.
And my dear brothers, in only a few days time inshAllah it will be here for us all to achieve.
May Allah SWT allow us all to experience the forthcoming month of Ramadhan. May Allah SWT accept our acts of worship in the month of Ramadhan. And May Allah SWT enable us to hold on permanently to new good habits we begin in this month of Ramadhan.
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
Read More
