Jumu`ah Khutbah As-Siddiq Mosque
O Muslims! O Believers! Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur’an:
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 ramadaana alladhee unzila feehi 'l-quraan hudan li 'n-naasi wa bayyinaatin mina 'l-huda wa 'l-furqaan. fa-man shahida minkumu 'sh-shahra f 'al-yasumhu wa man kaana mareedan aw `ala safarin fa`iddatun min ayyaamin ukhar. yureedullahu bikumu 'l-yusra wa laa yureedu bikumu 'l-`usra wa li-tukmiloo 'l-`iddata wa li-tukabbiroollaha `ala maa hadaakum wa la`allakum tashkuroon.
Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful. (2:185)
Allah is giving an explanation about this month and the importance of this month. He is saying, “The month of Ramadan is the month that the Holy Qur’an has been revealed to Sayyidina Muhammad (s).” In that month, no one knows what Allah (swt) will give His servants when they are fasting for Him. No one knows how much Allah will reward them. It is not like the reward of the prayers; when you pray it is for you. When you are praying, you have to show, “Allah, Yaa Rabb, You are my Lord and I am Your servant.”
Prophet (s) said in a holy hadith about Ramadan, “الصوم لي و انا اجزي به - Fasting is for Me (Allah) and I will reward not through my angels, but directly to those who are fasting.” How you dare then, as a Muslim, not to fast when Allah (swt) is saying, “I will reward you.” Allah’s rewards are not like human rewards. When you stop eating, when you stop backbiting, when you stop every kind of bad thing, you think Allah is not going to reward you for every hasanaat? He says, “Fasting is for Me. I will reward you for it.”
All those who are not fasting Ramadan, shame on you! Shame on you on the Day of Judgment. When Allah says, “Ramadan is for Me! What did you do for Me?” can you say, “O Allah, I didn’t fast.” You will tremble there! Already, you will be approaching trembling, because you will remember you didn’t fast Ramadan in dunya. And people might give many excuses. Like one of the countries in North Africa, I won’t mention its name. Not now but along time ago, one of the presidents issued a fatwa about the laborers who work hard, declaring they don’t have to fast. Instead of giving them a fatwa not to fast, give them vacation! Instead of your millions of dollars and resorts you own, sell it and give it to them and let them fast the month of Ramadan!
عن جابر بن عبد الله قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أعطيت أمتي في شهر رمضان خمساً لم يعطهن نبي قبلي: أما واحدة فإذا كان أول ليلة من شهر رمضان نظر الله تعالى إليهم، ومن نظر الله إليه لم يعذبه أبداً، وأما الثانية: فإن خلوف أفواههم حين يمسون أطيب عند الله من ريح المسك، وأما الثالثة: فإن الملائكة تستغفر لهم في كل يوم وليلة، وأما الرابعة: فإن الله تعالى يأمر جنته فيقول لها: استعدي وتزيني لعبادي، أوشكوا أن يستريحوا من تعب الدنيا إلى داري وكرامتي، وأما الخامسة: فإنه إذا كان آخر ليلة غفر لهم جميعاً، فقال رجل من القوم: أهي ليلة القدر؟ قال: لا، ألم تر إلى العمال يعملون فإذا فرغوا من أعمالهم وفوا أجورهم. شُعَب الإيمان للبيهقي
Sayyidina Muhammad (s) said, “My ummah has been given in the month of Ramadan five things. No prophet before me was given these five things except my ummah.” This is for the whole ummah and look at Allah’s mercy on us!
The first favor is granted on the first night of Ramadan, as soon as the month started but you didn’t fast yet. Then, Allah looks at the whole Ummat an-Nabi (s) and He doesn’t look at this fasting, this one not fasting, this one fasting, this one not fasting. Out of mercy for His Nabi (s), He is looking at all of them. “I am looking at them with that manifestation of Beauty and I am sending that to all of them.”
It is very well known that upon whom Allah looks with the divine manifestation of His Attribute of Beauty and Beautiful Names, Allah will never punish him. If Allah is looking at someone with that Divine Look of Mercy and Beauty and maghfirah since the beginning of Ramadan, do you think Allah will throw him into Hellfire? Allah is not like us: when He gives, He gives. He doesn’t take it back. When we give, we like to take back. Allah will not punish him. Allah is Merciful. So we don’t want to be ashamed when you break your fast for no reason. Allah said in Holy Qur’an, wa man kaana mareedan aw `ala safarin fa`iddatun min ayyaamin ukhar. yureedullahu bikumu 'l-yusra wa laa yureedu bikumu 'l-`usra, "Who is sick or who is traveling, no problem, you can fast it later; Allah will not burden you with more than you can carry.” Allah (swt) gives you an excuse, but know that you have to fast. Still there are people not fasting. Still Allah is looking at them that first night because they say, la ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadur Rasulullah.
The second favor is, people who are fasting wake up in the morning and brush their teeth. Allah didn’t allow you to brush your teeth when you fast. When Allah said to His Prophet (s), “The smell of their mouth when they fast is to Me better than musk.” You are not putting anything in your mouth, and your breath turns sour, but to Allah it is a heavenly smell. Musk is the smell of heavens. So Allah is saying the breath of one who fasts for Him is more beautiful than the smell of heavens! Don’t worry that people will think you have bad breath, no: that smell is better than musk. Allah is changing that smell into a beautiful smell so the angels can approach you. Angels don’t approach bad breathe. That’s why don’t smoke cigarettes: it is not accepted. Scholars say it is makrooh (undesirable) but makrooh repeated many times becomes something else. Cigarettes make you smell bad, so don’t smoke! Cigarettes make your mouth dirty. Prophet (s) was praying taraweeh in Ramadan with Sahaaba and Sayyidina Jibreel (a) was coming with revelation and he was not reaching Prophet (s): he was in-between revelation and Prophet.
Prophet (s) said, “Jibreel, why are you not coming down?”
He said, “Some of your Sahaaba ate onion and garlic. From that smell, I cannot come down.”
So Prophet (s) ordered those Sahaaba to move away. They didn’t move. They love Prophet (s) so they didn’t move. So Prophet (s) wants the revelation to come, so he said, “`Umar, go smell their mouths.” As soon as they heard Umar coming, they went running away.
Prophet (s) said, “I am going to send that same manifestation, tajalli, that is coming on us.”
Angels will never take their prayers. That is why zakaat al-fitr came, because there are a lot of mistakes in your fast and that payment compensates for them. So don’t forget to pay your zakaat al-fitr on time.
The third favor granted by Allah (swt) is, those who are fasting they are lucky because day and night, angels are going to ask Allah forgiveness on their behalf.
So why are you making excuses to break your fast? In Arab countries, when Ramadan arrives they travel, especially in summer. They want to cheat Allah (swt) by avoiding fasting due to travel. Allah doesn’t know their intentions?! They travel specifically in order not to fast. Once I was on a plane coming from one very well-known Muslim country in the Middle East to London. It is only a four-hour flight. A husband and wife were sitting together with the family, all sitting there in business class. I was fasting. When food came, they ordered with it wine. The women removed their black cover and ate and drank with their husbands, saying, “because we are travelers.” Four hours! They considered it traveling. Prophet (s) traveled in the desert in dry weather, when they cannot breath with the heat of the sun and the dry heat, and still they fasted!
The fourth favor granted by Allah (swt) is for those who are fasting in dunya when the time of their death arrives. Prophet (s) said, “Allah swt orders Paradise ‘Decorate yourself!’ Allah instructs the angels, “Put ornaments all around because My servants are coming to My territory and they fasted for Me, so I am rewarding them to enter without any hisaab (account).”
The fifth favor granted by Allah (swt) in Ramadan is on the last night. Allah will forgive those who fasted, and declare their innocence from the Hellfire.
The first ten days of Ramadan is full of Allah’s mercy. The second ten days or Ramadan is full of Allah’s forgiveness. In the last ten days of Ramadan, Allah (swt) grants freedom from the Hellfire.
O Muslims, as we are granted such things, we must always look forward to fasting in the holy month of Ramadan! We must not think it is too difficult!