Part One
Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Who says in the Holy Hadith, “Every deed
of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward [the
fasting person] for it.” I praise Him, Glorified be He, and I thank Him. He says:
... and with Allah is the best of rewards. (Al ‘Imran: 195)
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners. He says:
And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards
seeks Allah’s Forgiveness, he will find Allah OftForgiving,
Most Merciful. (An-Nisa’: 110)
And I bear witness that our master and prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and
messenger, who said, “Fasting is a shield [i.e. it protects one from falling into sin].”
May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and
Companions.
Now then!
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fast) is
prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before
you, that you may become AlMuttaqun
(the pious). (Al-
Baqarah: 183)
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There are many things in which people take pleasure and find delight, but such
pleasures and delights are transient and short-lived, and some of them even end in
remorse and regret. The true pleasure is the spiritual pleasure; it is the pleasure that the
heart finds in worship, which makes a Muslim experience the highest degree of happiness
and joy. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “He has found
the taste of faith who is content with Allah as his Lord, with Islam as his religion,
and with Muhammad as his Prophet.” In this hadith, the Prophet, peace and blessings
be upon him, informs us that faith has a taste that the heart can feel, just as the tongue
tastes food and drink. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, also
said, “There are three qualities that whoever possesses will taste the sweetness
of faith ...” Faith, then, has sweetness and pleasure that make the heart happy and the
soul calm and peaceful, and it is with this feeling of pleasure that the servant can reap the
true fruits of his deeds and find eternal happiness. Such feeling of pleasure sets the heart
right, makes it successful, joyful, and sound, and causes it to find peace and tranquillity.
Nothing else could give the servant this feeling, even if he got all that can cause pleasure
to people.
All the delights of the world provide only one type of pleasure which soon fades
away, except for the worship of Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, which results in
three types of pleasure: the pleasure you feel while performing the act of worship, the
pleasure you feel when you remember performing it, and the pleasure you will have when
you are rewarded for it. When the heart finds the sweet taste of worshipping Allah in all
purity to Him, nothing else will be better, sweeter, or more pleasurable than this taste.
Indeed, loving Allah and drawing nearer to Him by doing what He loves overwhelm the
heart with total delight and never-ending pleasure.
Experiencing the delight of worship and obedience to Allah and the pleasure of
talking privately to Him, one of the righteous predecessors once said, “I was in a state in
which I said, ‘If the people of Paradise have this feeling, then they will be living in great
bliss.’” Describing how faith creates pleasure and blissful joy in the heart, another one of
the righteous predecessors said, “The heart experiences moments when it is thrilled and
elated with joy. Nothing in this worldly life is akin to the delights of the hereafter except
the bliss of faith and true knowledge.”
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, always found comfort and peace
of mind in performing prayers. He would say, “Prayer has been made the comfort of
my eyes.” Standing in prayer at night provides pleasure and sweetness that none can
taste or describe except for those who spend the night worshipping Allah. One of the
righteous predecessors said, “I rejoice at the night when it falls, for the night is the delight
of my life and the comfort of my eyes and it makes me able to talk privately to the One I
love. I feel sad when the dawn breaks, because the daily chores distract me from all that
joy.”
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One also finds pleasure, joy, beauty, and majesty in reciting the Qur’an. When the
words of Allah are recited and reach the ears, the souls become humble, the hearts
become soft, and the body becomes calm, out of fear, submission, love, and joy. For
those who love Allah, there is nothing sweeter than the words of their Beloved, for He is
the delight of their hearts and the only One they seek. How can a lover feel that he has
had enough of the words of the One he seeks? Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased
with him, said, “If your hearts were purer, they would never feel they had enough of
Allah’s words.”
There is also pleasure in giving charity. This the pleasure that Abud-Dahdah, may
Allah be pleased with him, found when he spent the best and most precious of his
property in the cause of Allah, then he came to his wife and said, “O Umm Ad-Dahdah!
Get out of the farm, for I sold it for the sake of Allah.” Upon that she said, “What a
profitable deal!” She went out of the farm all delighted and overjoyed, for instead of the
farm Allah has given her a great reward and made her feel the pleasure of spending in His
cause and taste the sweetness of faith which makes the servant elated with joy while
giving away his most precious property.
Similarly, scholars and the custodians of the religion, who are preoccupied with
acquiring religious knowledge, stay up late at night reading and studying despite all the
challenges and difficulties, because of the pleasure they find in searching for knowledge.
In fact, one of the righteous predecessors spent forty years on writing a single book. It is
through knowledge and the pleasure of learning that scholars rise in higher ranks of virtue
and perfection of character. Most people, however, are unaware of this sweetness and the
great value that is associated with learning; otherwise, they would fiercely compete with
one another to obtain such pleasure. As this pleasure is surrounded by hardships and most
people are ignorant of it, they are unaware of its great value, and Allah chooses to bestow
His great favours upon whom He wills from among His servants.
Servants of Allah!
Taking pleasure in the remembrance of Allah brings about rest and inner
fulfilment, and it is for this reason that the gatherings for remembering Allah are called
the Gardens of Paradise. Indeed, there is nothing more delightful to the soul than the
remembrance of Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him. Truly, there is no act of worship
that is simpler to perform and more pleasurable, joyful, and delightful to the heart than
the remembrance of Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
Verily, the Abrar (the pious believers of Islamic
monotheism) will be in Delight. (Al-Infitar: 13)
Such delight is not confined to the Day of Resurrection alone, but the pious are in delight
in all the three abodes (i.e. this worldly life, the grave, and the hereafter). Is there any
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delight in this worldly life that is more sublime than that of righteousness, soundness of
the heart, knowledge of the Lord, Blessed and Exalted be He, and love for Him?
It is a sign of suffering, deprivation, pain, and loss for a servant to be denied the
pleasure of obedience and worship. Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allah, Exalted be He, have mercy
on his soul, said, “One of the monks of the Children of Israel said, ‘O Lord! I have
disobeyed You so many times, but You have never punished me!’ It was said to him, ‘I
have punished you so many times, but you do not know it. Have I not deprived you of the
sweetness of privately talking to Me?’” One of the righteous predecessors was asked,
“Can a person who disobeys Allah feel the pleasure of obedience to Him?” He said, “No.
Nor can the one who intends to do so.”
Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “If you
do not feel the sweetness and joy of a good deed that you have done in your heart, then
doubt its sincerity, for the Lord, Exalted be he, is Appreciative of good deeds.” Ibn Al-
Qayyim said, “This means that Allah will definitely reward the good-doer for his deeds in
this worldly life by granting him sweetness which he feels in his heart, in addition to
great joy and comfort. If the servant does not experience this, then his deed has not been
done purely for the sake of Allah.”
Permanent, lasting pleasure, servants of Allah, i.e. the pleasure which is not
mixed with sorrow, not followed by pain, and not diminished by worry and sadness, is
the pleasure of the hereafter. This is the best and greatest of all pleasures and delights.
Allah says:
And verily, the reward of the Hereafter is better for those
who believe and used to fear Allah and keep their duty to
Him (by abstaining from all kinds of sins and evil deeds
and by performing all kinds of righteous good deeds).
(Yusuf: 57)
The greatest pleasure and ever-lasting bliss is that of looking at the Countenance
of Allah, the Most Generous, Blessed and Exalted be He. Therefore, the Prophet, peace
and blessings be upon him, used to say in his supplication, “… And I ask You [O
Allah!] to grant me the pleasure of looking at Your Countenance, and the longing
to meet You, without any harmful adversity or deluding trial.”
May Allah bless you and me with the Great Qur’an and make us benefit from its
verses and wise words. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allah,
the Most Great, for myself and for you. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft-
Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
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Part Two
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds. I praise Him, Glorified Be He, and
thank Him for the blessing of fasting and for this religion. I bear witness that there is no
god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, the Protector and Helper of the patient; and I
bear witness that our master and prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, who
was sent with guidance and clear light. May Allah bestow His peace upon him, his
family, and all his Companions.
Now then!
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has
ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden)
as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him,
and remember Him always], and die not except in a state
of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to
Allah)]. (Al ‘Imran: 102)
Ramadan provides us with matchless bliss and unparalleled pleasure, which
overwhelm the heart with sweetness and fill it with joy and happiness at having this great
opportunity to do acts of obedience to Allah. It combines contemplation of the Qur’an,
the spirituality of fasting and performing prayers, and the splendour of solitude and silent
supplication to Allah. In Ramadan, the heart becomes soft, the eyes shed tears, and the
body becomes calm. Ramadan restores to the heart and the body their health that has been
taken away by worldly preoccupations and life distractions. It also purifies the soul from
any blemishes and impurities.
When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade the practice of
continuous fasting (wisal), his Companions said to him, “But you practise it yourself.” He
said to them, “Who amongst you is like me? My Lord gives me food and drink
during my sleep.” Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “Food and
drink here mean the knowledge that Allah grants His prophet, the overwhelming pleasure
that his heart feels when he privately supplicates His Lord, the comfort of being near
Him, the bliss of loving and longing for Him, and all the accompanying conditions that
feed the heart, delight the soul, and comfort the eyes, which provide the best and the most
beneficial type of food. This type of food will strengthen the body to such an extent that it
may dispense with material food for a period of time.”
O Servants of Allah! Ask Allah to bestow His peace and blessings on the
Messenger of Guidance, as Allah has commanded you to do so in His Holy Book. Allah,
Exalted be He, says:
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Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy)
on the Prophet (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him)) and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive
him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to
bless) him (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him)), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic
way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As-Salamu ‘Alaikum). (Al-
Ahzab: 56)
O Allah! Send Your peace upon Muhammad, his wives, and his offspring as You
have sent Your peace upon the family of Ibrahim, and send Your blessings upon
Muhammad, his wives, and his offspring, as You have sent Your blessings upon the
family of Ibrahim; You are All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. O Allah! Be pleased with the
four Rightly-Guided Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with their
families and the Prophet’s honourable Companions, and also be pleased with us together
with them, by Your forgiveness, generosity, and benevolence, O Most Merciful of All the
Merciful!
O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and
glory to Islam and Muslims, subdue disbelief and the disbelievers, and destroy Your
enemies, the enemies of Your religion. O Allah! Make this country and all other Muslim
countries safe and secure.
O Allah! Protect Muslims everywhere. O Allah! Grant victory to whoever
supports Your religion, and disgrace whoever forsakes Islam and Muslims. O Allah!
Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, Your Prophet’s Sunnah, and Your believing
servants. O Allah! Bring Muslims together, gather them around a single word, guide their
shots, and gather them around the word of truth, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! We ask you for Paradise and every word or deed that brings us closer to
it, and seek refuge in You from Hellfire and every word or deed that brings us closer to it.
O Allah! We ask You for the ways to good, the outcomes of good, the beginnings
of good, and the ends of good, and we ask You for all good. We ask You for the highest
ranks of Paradise, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! We ask You for all that is good in this world and in the hereafter, both
what we know and what we do not know. O Allah! We seek refuge in You from all evil
in this world and in the hereafter, both what we know and what we do not know.
O Allah! Make good for us our religion, which safeguards our affairs; make good
for us this world in which we live; and make good for us the hereafter which will be our
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eternal abode. O Allah! Make our life an increase for us in all goodness and our death a
respite for us from all evil, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Be with us and not against us, render us victorious and not defeated,
plan for us and not against us, guide us and lead us to guidance, and grant us victory over
those who have oppressed us.
O Allah! Make us among those who remember You and praise You, who are
humble to You, and who often implore You and return to You in repentance.
O Allah! Accept our repentance, forgive our sins, approve our cause, guide our
tongues to say the truth, and purify our hearts from envy.
O Allah! Have mercy on our dead, cure the sick among us, relieve our distress,
release our prisoners, ease our affairs, and grant us success, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Bless our deeds, our lives, our spouses, and our offspring, and make us
blessed wherever we are, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Guide our leader and ruler to what You love and accept. O Allah! Lead
him to Your guidance, make his deeds pleasing to You, and guide his two Deputies to
what You love and accept, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Guide all Muslim rulers to act according to Your Book and to rule
according to Your Shari‘ah, O Lord of the Worlds!
... Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive
us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall
certainly be of the losers. (Al-A‘raf: 23)
... Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have
preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred
against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed
full of kindness, Most Merciful. (Al-Hashr: 10)
... Our Lord! Give us that which is good in this world and
that which is good in the Hereafter, and save us from the
torment of the Fire! (Al-Baqarah: 201)
Verily, Allah enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping
none but Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan
[i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah,
totally for Allah’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah
(legal ways) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
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him) in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and
kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them, e.g.
wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of
help), and forbids Al-Fahsha’ (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal
sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell
lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right), and
Al-Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic law:
polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil
deeds), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression), He
admonishes you, that you may take heed. (An-Nahl: 90)
Remember Allah and He will remember you. Thank Him for His favours and He
will give you more. Verily, remembrance of Allah is greater than all, and Allah knows
what you do.
