Remaining are just a few days that will pass in the blink of an eye, then the month of repentance, mercy, goodness, abstinence, generosity and blessings shall come to us. Remaining are a few days that will rapidly fold away, and then by the Will of Allah the Lord of the worlds, the best of all months –Ramadan- will come.
O slaves of Allah, the month of Ramadan is a month the pious people await. Men and women await its days and nights to perform more acts of worship therein.
Consider the example of Zubaydah (may Allah have mercy on her) who was the wife of Harun Ar-Rashid (may Allah have mercy on him). She did a great deed. She ran the water from a distant land to the land of ^Arafat. This water was known as the Water of Zubaydah. Had it not been for that water, hardships would have befallen many of the pilgrims of that time.
She did this good deed merely to seek reward from Allah and the water still exists in ^Arafat today. In the past the wives of the kings used to do acts of obedience that served the Muslims in great ways.
Take also the example of ^Abdur-Rahman Ibn Abi Nu^m who was one of the righteous Salaf (As-Salaf As-Saleh). He was so prepared for Judgement Day that had he, at any given time, been told that the next day would be Judgement Day, he would not have been able to do more acts of worship, because he had already been occupying all his time with worship and what is rewardable and beneficial.
In summer, he used to wake up at night and pray inside his home, to remain alert due to the heat. And in winter, he used to pray at night on the roof of his house to stay alert due to the cold. That was how the righteous Muslims of the early eras used to take advantage of their days and breaths.
So, brothers in Islam, acquire benefits from the month of blessings and ask your Lord to make you among those who will be chosen during this month of Ramadan to be pardoned in the Hereafter from Hellfire. Ramadan is the month which motivates towards Allah’s obedience.
It was related from the route of Ibn ^Abbas (may Allah raise his rank), the interpreter of the Qur’an as well as the cousin of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam) that he used to give intensified lessons in abundance to the scholars of his time at the Mosque during the month of Ramadan. The scholars used to stay at the mosque for the purpose of teaching and acquiring knowledge. This was their way of life.
Another example is our Master ^Othman Ibn ^Affan (may Allah reward him greatly). He used to pray during the night and he would recite the whole Qur’an in one rak^ah of the witr prayer.
Brothers in Islam, fasting is an obligatory act of obedience. The sincerity of the fasting person is known only to Allah. It was related by Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said what means: “the reward of every good deed is multiplied by ten, up to seven hundred times, except that of fasting which if done in sincerity to Allah, it is rewarded greatly. The fasting person abstains from his desires and resists his appetite for food to gain reward from Allah.”
So, do not indulge in fulfilling your desires and appetite, rather, try to do as many acts of worship as you can for the sake of gaining reward from Allah the Exalted.
In the end, we ask Allah to grant us the intercession of Prophet Muhammad and to make our acts of obedience in this life rewarding assets in the Hereafter.
