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The Bounties of Fasting Ramadan

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

20 August 2010 Burton, Michigan

Jumu`ah Khutbah As-Siddiq Institute & Mosque (ASIM)

شهر رمضان أوله رحمة وأوسطه مغفرة وآخـــره عـــتق من النــــار

Shahr Ramadan awalahu rahmat wa awsatahu maghfira wa akhirahu itqan min an-neeraan.

The first (ten days) is Allah's mercy, the second (ten days) is Allah's forgiveness, and the last (ten days) is salvation from the Fire.

An-nadhaafatu min al-imaan.

Cleanliness is from faith.

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani´r-rajeem, bismillahi´r-Rahmaani´r-Raheem. Alhamdulillah...man yahdillah fa mudilla lah.. wa ashadu an laa ilaha illaAllah ...wa ashadu anna Muhammad abduhu wa habeebahu wa rasooluh...ridwan allahi ta`la alayhim ajma`een.

Bismillahi 'r-rahmaani 'r-raheem

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

shahru ramadan alladhee unzil feehi al-qur'an hudan li 'n-naasi wa bayyinaatin min al-hudaa wa 'l-furqaan. fa man shahid minkum ash-shahr fa'l-yasumhu wa wan kaana mareedan `alaa safarin fa `idattatun min ayyaamin ukhar

wa qaala ta`ala fee kitaabihil-kareem:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

ya ayyuhal-ladheena aamanoo kutib `alaykum as-siyaam kama kutib `ala al-ladheena min qablikum.

O Believers! The order for fasting in Ramadan came when the Prophet (s) migrated to Madinatu 'l-Munawwara. And as Allah (swt) wrote it for other people to fast, Ahlu 'l-Kitaab, "People of the Book (Jews and Christians), "As it was ordered for those before you to fast, you are also under that order to fast." And also it is one of the five pillars of Islam. Not fasting without an excuse takes one to the Hellfire. Allah (swt) gave a rukhsah that while traveling or sick, you don't need to fast. As narrated by `AbdAllah ibn `Umar (r), Prophet (s) said:

الصيام والقرآن يشفعان للعبد يوم القيامة

as-siyam wal Qur'an yashfi`an yawm al-Qiyamah.

The Qur'an and fasting will intercede with Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgment.

Ay yaa Rabbu, man`atauhu an it-ta`m wa 'sh-sharaab fi 'n-nahaar.

O Lord! You prevented him from food and drink during the day, so let me intercede for him.

So those who fast their whole lives and who are in their homes, Ramadan will intercede for them on the Day of Judgment. And Prophet (s) said on behalf of Allah (swt):

الصيام لي وأنا أجزي به

as-sawmu lee wa anaa ajzee bih.

"Fasting is for Me, and I give the reward for it." (Bukhari)

This means, "Salaat is for you, but no one knows what I will reward the one who fasts."

Salaat is written for you, but fasting is for Allah (swt). So if He says that for a fasting person, do you think He will reject the intercession of Ramadan for a fasting person? So Prophet (s) said, those who stopped eating and drinking in daytime, Ramadan intercedes for their sins. And for those trying their best to read Qur'an, it will intercede. Man`atahu min an-nawm fa-shafi`nee feeh, "I was keeping him awake at night so let me intercede for him," as most people read Qur'an at night and that is a good time to read it. And so the Holy Qur'an will intercede, as narrated by Ahmad (r) and Abu Umaamah (r):

So why are people not doing good in this life, to make Allah (swt) happy with them?

قلت يا رسول الله مرني بعمل قال عليك بالصوم فإنه لا عدل له قلت يا رسول الله مرني بعمل قال عليك بالصوم فإنه لا مثل له

Qaala Abu Umaamah, faqultu murnee bi `amalin yadkhulanee al-Jannah, Qaala `alayk bis-sawm fa-innahu laa `adil lahu. qultu ya Rasoolullah marnee bi-`amalin, qaala `alayka bis-sawm fa-innahu laa mithaal lah.

Abu Umaamah said "I came to the Prophet, and I said, "O Prophet! Order me to do something that makes me enter Paradise." The Prophet (s) said, "Fast, as there is nothing heavier than that in the balance, so fast and you will enter Paradise." So I came a second time and asked a second time, and Prophet (s) said, `alayk bis-sawm, "Fast and you will enter Paradise."

عن أبى سعيد الخدرى رضى الله عنه: أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: لا يصوم عبد يوما فى سبيل الله إلا باعد الله بذلك اليوم النارَ عن وجهه سبعين خريفا

Hakim Abu Sa`eed (r) said that Prophet (s) said, laa yasoomu `abdan fee sabeelillah illa ba`d dhaalik `abd `an an-naar saba`een khareefah

"If a servant of Allah fasts one day in the way of Allah, then Allah will distance Hellfire from him by 70 years."

So if you fast two days, 140 years of Hellfire is away, three days, 180 years.

إن في الجنة بابا يقال له الريان يدخل منه الصائمون يوم القيامة لا يدخل منه أحد غيرهم يقال أين الصائمون فيقومون لا يدخل منه أحد غيرهم فإذا دخلوا أغلق فلم يدخل منه أحد." رواه البخاري.

Inna lil-jannati babun yuqaal lahu Rayyaan. Yaqul ayn as-saaimoon. fayaqoomoon. laa yadkhulu minhu aahadun ghayrihim fa idhaa dakhaloo ughliqa falam yadkhul minhu aahada."

There is a door to Paradise called "Rayyaan," And on the Day of Judgment a voice will say, "Where are those who are fasting?"

There is a door to Paradise called "Rayyaan," which can give sak bara`ah, a certificate of safety and beautiful rewards to the believer. And on the Day of Judgment a voice will come when everyone is shivering from what they did, and say, "Where are those who are fasting?" and those who were fasting will stand up and enter and no one but they will enter. Once all of the fasting people have entered the door will be locked and no one else will be allowed in.

And today there are many people in our countries who are not fasting anymore. They say, "Oh, you are old-fashioned, old-style." People don't care. And if you ask them, "Are you fasting?" they say,"We didn't fast for many years, ten years." It doesn't matter; now you got guidance, so calculate how many days fast to make up or to pay for food for the poor, don't leave that matter unattended until you are near death!

We used to fast when we are five or six years old; we used to cheat and take water from the tap and put it on our faces, because we were young. And when they were fasting on very hot days, Prophet (s) used to put water on his head. That time the temperature was 50 centigrade and that voice calls, "Where are those who are fasting Ramadan?

So before judgment on anyone, the intercession of fasting comes until all of them enter Paradise, then that door is locked and no one else can enter that door.

Bushra lana ya ma`ashar al-islami

inna lana ruknun ghayr munhadimi.

Good tidings to the people of Islam.

Verily we have a pillar that is never destroyed.

Islam is one thing and Muslims are something else. From the blessing of our fasts, we have something we can lean on; we can lean on Islam and Allah (swt) will save us. None other than Islam can save you!

And it is said, in that verse, Imam Busayri (q) meant "the presence of Prophet," as we are his ummah which, with his shafa`ah, we enter Paradise. So Ramadan is a fasting month and there are three different obligations, al-furood. First, sawmu Ramadan wa sawm al-kaffaaraat wa sawm an-nadhr, "Fasting what is Ramadan and then making up." And when those people make nadhr, a vow to fast, they have to make up those days.

قد جاءكم شهر مبارك افترض عليكم صيامة تفتح فية ابوب الجنة و تُغلق فية أبواب الجحيم و تُغل فية الشياطين , فية ليلة خير من ألف شهر , من حُرم خيرها فقد حُرم

Lamaa hadar Ramadan qaala an-nabi qad jaakum shahrun mubarakun. aftarad `alaykum siyaamahu tuftahu feehi abwaabu 'l-jannat wa tughlaqu feehi abwaabu 'l-jaheem wa tughal feehi 'sh-shayaateen. feehi laylatun khayrun min alfi shahr. man hurim khayriha faqad hurim.

When Ramadan approached, the Prophet (s) said, "Verily there has come to you a blessed month."

We are coming now to ten days of holy Ramadan. That is a heavenly barakah month that came to you now, and Allah ordered you to fast." On the third night of Sha`baan in the second year of Hijrah, the order came to Sahaabah (r) to fast (Ramadan).

He said, "You are obligated to fast its days, and in it the doors of Paradise are opened and the doors of Hell are closed, and all shaytans will be chained in that month, and Iblees is chained. And there is in it a night better than one-thousand months. Who is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived."

Who did not feel that night of Laylat al-Qadr, it means he was forbidden from many blessings. Try to stay up in that night in order to receive those blessings, for that night is better than one-thousand months, then if you worship all that night it is as if you worshipped a thousand months!

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ

Laylat ul-Qadri khayru min alfi shahr.

The night of al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months. (Al-Qadr, 97:3)

And in that month there are a lot of good tidings, and we will continue in the next Jumu`ah about them.

(Salawaat and du`a.)

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