Recognising and appreciating the great favours of Allah, among which are the virtues of certain seasons and the opportunity of worshipping Allah during them:


Imaam Ibn Rajab  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him said: “Allah has made some months more virtuous than others just as He has made some days and nights more virtuous than others; an example of this is His making the Night of Al-Qadr (the loft night during which matters are decreed) better than one thousand months; Also, Allah swore by the first ten days of the month of Thul-Hijjah to reflect their virtue.”


Every one of these virtuous seasons has certain acts of worship and specific forms of obedience to Allah, and blissful is he who utilises these seasons, months, days or hours to draw closer to Him.


Muhammad Ibn Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “Amongst the days of Allah are seasons of mercy, so expose yourselves to them; perhaps one of you will attain some of this mercy and therefore never suffer after that.” [At-Tabaraani]


Mujaahid  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him said: “Every new day that arrives addresses the son of Aadam saying: `O son of Aadam! I have come to you at this moment never to return; therefore, analyse what you do during my stay.` Once it has ended, it is folded and sealed, and will remain so until Allah opens the seal on the Day of Resurrection.”


He  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him also said: “O son of Aadam! A new day is your guest, and every guest eventually departs with either praise or dispraise for you - and your nights do likewise."


Bakr Al-Muzani  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him said: “Every new day calls, saying: `O son of Aadam! Utilise me; perhaps you will not have any day after me` - and the nights say the same.”


Once, three men came to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and embraced Islam; they then went and stayed with Abu Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him. Later, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) sent these men in a batch of troops to a battle, and one of them was martyred; at a later date, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) sent the remaining two in another batch of troops to another battle, during which another of the three was martyred; at a later time, the third died in his house. After this, Abu Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “I saw these three men in a dream and saw that they were in Paradise. The leader of the three was the last one, who died on his bed in his house, followed by the second martyr, while the first one who was martyred was last, so I went to the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) and informed him about the dream; he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “Are you surprised by the order that they were in (in) Paradise? Didn’t the latter one stay a year longer, during which he fasted the month of Ramadan and prayed such and such prayers?”  It was said: “Yes!” Then he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “The distance between them (in Paradise) is like that between the heavens and the earth.”


Some of the Salaf  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them said: “Prayer takes you half of the (distance) of the road, fasting leads you to the gate of the King (i.e., Allah) and charity takes you by your hand into His presence (i.e., to the attainment of His pleasure).”


Apologies to you, O Ramadan! You used to come to people who prepared to meet you, understood your secrets and appreciated your reality; they would thus await your arrival and prepare for you by praying, fasting, and performing other acts of worship; they would supplicate to Allah for six months prior to your arrival that He would allow them to live long enough to enjoy your virtuous period; they would then supplicate during the remainder of the year for Allah to accept the deeds that they performed during your stay. They would say: ‘O Allah! Make us live long enough to reach Ramadan, and accept (the deeds we perform in it) from us.’


These people appreciated that you came to teach them how to elevate themselves above the animalistic conduct of having their main objectives being eating, drinking and satisfying their sexual desire. They realised that you came to teach them how to divest themselves of their desires.


Once, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn ‘Awf, may Allah be pleased with him, was fasting, and when the time came for him to break his fast, two types of food were brought to him; when he saw this, he began to weep. His wife asked him why he was crying, to which he replied: “I remembered the day Mus’ab Ibn ‘Umayr died, and nothing could be found to shroud him except a small garment, (it was so small) that when we covered his head, his feet would be exposed, and when we covered his feet, his head would be uncovered; but today, I am enjoying these types of food, and I fear that we are exhausting all our share of pleasures by enjoying them now.”


O Ramadan! But nowadays, who do you meet when you arrive? People whose opinion of you is that you are a month of hunger and thirst during the day, and stuffed stomachs during the night; people who think of you as a month of cooking varied dishes in outrageous quantities; people whose preparation for meeting you was nothing except to supply themselves with food and drink, it is as if you only came to teach them the art of cooking and preparing meals in varied forms.


Apologies to you, O Ramadan! You used to come to people who would stay up at night in worship during you; they realised that you are a season of virtue and they therefore sacrificed everything during your stay. They heard the saying of Allah (which means): "A limited number of days…" [Quran 2: 184] Thus, they certainly did not wish to miss out during these few days.


You would look at them and they would be crying, standing in the optional night prayers, heedless of this life, their main worry being the Hereafter; they shunned this life and would prostrate and supplicate, placing their hope only in Allah.


Safwaan Ibn Saleem  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him would pray the optional night prayer until his veins became protruded and their green colour would become apparent.


‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, would cry to the extent that there became two permanent lines engraved on his face.


‘Abdullaah Ibn Al-Fudhayl  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him heard a verse that made him faint and fall; it was the saying of Allah  (which means): "If you could but see when they are made to stand before the Fire and will say: 'Oh, would that we could be returned [to life on earth] and not deny the signs of our Lord and be among the believers.'" [Quran 6: 27]


It surely is applicable to these people, the saying of Allah (which means): "Their sides part [i.e., they arise] from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend. And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes [i.e., satisfaction] as reward for what they used to do. " [Quran 32: 16-17]


O Ramadan! But nowadays, who do you meet when you arrive? Miserable people whose only worry during the night is entertainment and frivolity; foolish people who have abandoned prayers and busied themselves with satellite television channels; lazy people, some of whom only strive to pray eight Rak’ahs of Taraweeh with the Imaam and then leave the mosque, bragging about it as if they have therefore fulfilled their due worship and all other responsibilities towards Allah; hardhearted people who hear the Qur’aan being recited day and night and yet whose hearts do not move, and whose eyes never shed a tear.


O Ramadan! Forgive us! Our hearts have become hard and our eyes are dry; we no longer feel the sweetness of obedience to you, nor do we sense the beauty of worship.


Apologies to you, O Ramadan! You used to come to people who were brothers without any blood relationship, but they realised the value of brotherhood, understood its significance, and thus fulfilled its rights; they perfectly comprehended the saying of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) when he said: “A Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim.”


They would be like a single body, the elders would be merciful towards the young and the young would honour the elders; they lived compassionate lives and dealt with each other based on love; they lived in harmony and had no hatred, envy or spite. They would suffer at the suffering of their brothers and strive to fulfil the needs of their brethren.


Once, a man came to Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, and found him residing in the mosque during I’tikaaf; he asked him to help him fulfil a need, so Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up to accompany him and help him, so people said to him: “You are in your I’tikaaf! How can you leave?” He, may Allah be pleased with him, replied: “It is better for me (i.e. more rewarding) to accompany my brother, aiming to fulfil his need, than staying in I’tikaaf for two full months in the mosque of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.”


O Ramadan! But nowadays, you only meet people who have replaced brotherhood with enmity, and love with hatred; it is as if they have never heard the saying of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ): “Deeds are raised to Allah every Monday and Thursday, and He forgives all people except for any two who have a dispute among them; it will be said: `Delay these two until they reconcile.`”


You only come nowadays to find people whose sense of brotherhood, as well as the bond set forth between them by Allah, has diminished; they do not react to the disasters of their fellow Muslims around the globe. They are not moved when their sisters are raped, or their rights are transgressed; it is as if they have never heard the saying of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ): “He who is not concerned about the worries of other Muslims is not one of them.” You only come nowadays to find people who hardly even know anything about their next door neighbour.


Apologies to you, O Ramadan! These are our wounds and this is the reality in which we live!


Make the month of Ramadan be the beginning of a new life, full of obedience and virtue; make it be the start of your maintenance of prayers in the mosque; make a pledge now to never again abandon even a single prayer; forget the notion that you cannot wake up and pray Fajr with the congregation; purify your hearts with the recitation of the Quran; shed tears over the evil you have committed in the past, perhaps Allah may forgive you and transform your sins into reward; remember that the mercy of Allah is greater than the sins of anybody; end sinning and pay no attention to the criticism that you would draw by doing so; never underestimate any sin - stop shaving your beards, shun cigarettes and intoxicants and adhere to the Hijab.


If you are one who used to consume intoxicants, then shun them immediately, because they are prohibited. If you had dealings that involved Ribaa (i.e., interest or usury) then cease doing so. If you were accustomed to taking bribes, then content yourselves with that which is lawfully attained, because it is better for you and your children; purify your wealth from all ill-gotten money and be assured that by doing so, Allah will replace that which you dispose of from the ill-gotten money with something blessed and better. If you used to prevent others from doing virtuous deeds, then repent to Allah, and do not continue being a human devil. Train yourselves during this month to compete in virtue because this is a characteristic of the Prophets, may Allah exalt their mention, about whom Allah Says (what means): "…Indeed they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive." [Quran 21: 90]


Pay no attention to those who wish that you remain disobedient and far from the guidance of Allah; they do this because, usually, fornicators wish to see everyone around them doing the same, and those who deal in Ribaa wish that all others partake in the same types of financial transactions as theirs, so beware, lest they prevent you from repentance and deprive you from goodness, because Allah likes that you repent while those who follow their desires like that you become inclined towards them and their actions. Some people wish that everyone around them will become supporters and assist them in their evil; listen to what Allah Says (which means): "Allah wants to accept your repentance, but those who follow their passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation. And Allah wants to lighten for you [your difficulties]; and mankind was created weak." [Quran 4: 27-28]


O young men! O you who is deceived by his youth! Be merciful to yourself; protect your honour and preserve your religion. Stop wasting your life in disobedience to your Lord; do you not ever think about the Day on which Allah will question you about this youth and how you spent it? Why do you insist on excluding yourself from those whom Allah will shade under His throne on the Day when there will be no other shade but His? Why are you lagging behind in following and imitating your Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, who would rush towards virtue? This is an advice to you, and I hope you will follow it; repent now and adhere to the commandments of Allah and fulfil His rights upon you; be of those who never miss a prayer in the mosque, because that is where success lies, and it is the way leading to Paradise and its rivers and maidens; open a new page in your life full of obedience and dutifulness towards your parents.


Dear sisters! Obey Allah and His messenger  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ); be obedient wives as long as your husbands do not order you to do an act of disobedience to Allah; help your husbands become obedient men and know that the first step in your true repentance is materialised in your adherence to the Hijab. Also, beware of walking in the streets adorned and never shake hands with non Mahram (i.e., unmarriageable men).


Many are those who were advised but never listened; they saw people passing them by, on their way towards success, but never joined the caravan; time began running out for them, but they insisted on remaining heedless, until their time came to an end; they then regretted what they did during their lives, but alas … it was already too late.


Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him said: “Whenever you see a man with a heart that has shunned the love of Allah and has ceased to prepare for His meeting, and has replaced that with loving others, and is content instead with the pleasures of this life, then know that such a heart is ruined; whenever you see that the eyes have become dry, then know that this resulted from the hardness of the hearts, and the furthest people from Allah are the hardhearted ones; whenever you see one who rejoices in being with other people more than being in isolation in supplication to Allah, then know that this is a useless heart and one that leads (its owner) to punishment."