Part One


Praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek


refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from our wrong deeds. He whom Allah


guides, none can misguide, and he whom Allah sends astray, none can guide. I bear


witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, and I bear witness that


Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah bestow his bountiful peace and


blessings upon him and upon his family and Companions.


Now then!


Fear Allah as He should be feared, and grasp the trustworthy handhold of Islam.


O Muslims!


Allah has created mankind and jinn to worship Him. Allah, Glorified be He, is


Free from any need to them, while they cannot do without Him. Worshipping Allah alone


is the means for entering the Gardens of Delight. A man came to the Prophet, peace and


blessings be upon him, and said, “Direct me to a deed by which I will enter Paradise.”


He said to him, “Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, perform


the prescribed prayers, give the obligatory charity (zakah), and fast in the month


of Ramadan” (Agreed upon).


While worshipping Allah, Exalted be He, should be observed in all places and at


all times, Allah, Glorified be He, has made the month of Ramadan a season for


worshipping Him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, devoted himself to acts


of worship in Ramadan more than he did in any other month. The Prophet’s Companions,


may Allah be pleased with them, were keen on availing themselves of every moment of


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it. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “When they fasted, they would sit


in the mosque.”


It is a sign of Allah’s grace, Glorified be He, that He has granted us other seasons


within the season of Ramadan. He has favoured the last ten nights of Ramadan over other


nights and has made the Night of Decree the best night in the month. The Prophet, peace


and blessings be upon him, singled out the last ten nights of Ramadan with deeds that he


did not do in the other months of the year. When the last ten nights of Ramadan began, he


would stay up at night for prayer, wake up his family, tighten his waist-wrap, and work


hard in obedience to Allah, seeking a blessed night which is the jewel in the crown of all


nights – a night whose blessings are numerous and whose hours are numbered. Allah,


Glorified be He, has praised this night and shown us how great it is. Allah, Glorified be


He, says:


And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr


(Decree) is? (Al-Qadr: 2).


Few good deeds on this night are considered many, and many good deeds are


multiplied many times over. Worshipping Allah during this night is far better than


worshipping Him for a thousand months. The Noble Qur’an, the best of all holy books,


was revealed during that night. Allah, Glorified be He, says:


Verily! We have sent it (this Qur’an) down in the night of


Al-Qadr (Decree). (Al-Qadr: 1)


Part of honouring the Great Qur’an is to recite and read it in the month in which it was


revealed:


The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an


... (Al-Baqarah: 185)


Jibril (Angel Gabriel), peace be upon Him, used to recite the Qur’an to the Prophet, peace


and blessings be upon him, in Ramadan, and in the year in which the Prophet passed


away, he recited the Qur’an to him twice. A Muslim should read the Book of Allah very


often in this virtuous month so that he may obtain the blessings of the Qur’an while


enjoying the blessings of Ramadan.


The Night of Decree is a great night. Allah informs us that every matter is decreed


on that night. That is, matters of death, provision, good, and evil, among other things that


will happen in the following year, are sent down from the Preserved Tablet to the Scribes


from among the angels on that night. An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on his soul,


said, “It is called Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Decree), that is, the night on which


judgements are made and matters are settled.” On that night, the Lord maintains relations


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with some and severs them with others, raises some in ranks and subdues others, and


gives some His bounty and deprives others of it. As Allah, Exalted be He, said:


Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of


ordainments. (Ad-Dukhan: 4)


That is, whatever Allah decrees on it is perfect and will not be altered or changed.


It is such a blessed night that the angels descend on it – and the angels generally


descend with blessing and mercy. It is all peace from Allah. All of it is good with no evil


whatsoever until the break of dawn. Its exact time within the last ten nights has been


hidden so that those who seek it may try hard to attain it and their worship may increase


in the entire ten nights.


A servant is recommended to increase his supplication, prayers, and good deeds in


these ten nights of Ramadan. Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said,


“Everything has a fruit, and the fruit of prayers is supplication.” Aishah, may Allah be


pleased with her, said, “I once said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night the


Night of Decree is, what should say in it?’ He said, ‘Say, “O Allah! You are Oft-


Pardoning and You love pardoning, so pardon me!”’ (Reported by At-Tirmidhi). A


person who engages in voluntary prayers on this night will have his sins forgiven. The


Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever spends the Night of


Decree in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward will have his previous sins


forgiven” (Agreed upon).


The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to perform i‘tikaf (seclusion


in the mosque for worshipping Allah alone) in the last ten days of Ramadan, seeking the


Night of Decree. Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “The Prophet, peace and


blessings be upon him, used to perform i‘tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah,


Glorified be He, took his soul to His mercy” (Agreed upon). Commenting on this hadith,


Ibn Battal, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “This indicates that i‘tikaf is a


confirmed sunnah because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, practised it


regularly. Therefore, the believers should follow in the footsteps of their prophet in this


respect.”


When performing i‘tikaf, one severs all ties with people to devote oneself


completely to worshipping the Creator. If the servant’s relationship with Allah is strong,


the Lord will be pleased with him. Ibn Shihab Az-Zuhri, may Allah have mercy on his


soul, said, “How strange the case of Muslims is! They have abandoned i‘tikaf though the


Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, never abandoned it in the last ten days of


Ramadan every year since he entered Al-Madinah until Allah took his soul to His


mercy.”


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A person performing i‘tikaf devotes all his time to showing obedience to Allah as


he stays the whole period of i‘tikaf in the mosque, which is the most beloved place to


Allah. During this period, he spends all his time performing acts of obedience and


worship, showing total humility and submission to Allah, and praying to Him earnestly.


Allah is then his only concern; he resorts to none but Allah and seeks none but Allah,


Might and Majesty be to Him. He leaves the state of i‘tikaf after his heart has been


dedicated to the obedience of Allah and after he has become more tender-hearted and


more repentant to Allah, Glorified be He.


Ramadan is a season for giving charity, in which the rich compete with one


another to spend their money in performing good deeds, doing what is right, and giving


help, support, and charity to the destitute, the needy, and the poor. Therefore, O Muslims,


treat the sick among you by giving charity, for charity fights illnesses and removes their


traces. Search for the weak and the needy. Give them charity and Allah will give you


more provision. Show mercy to them and Allah will bestow His mercy upon you. Indeed,


the poor only complain when the rich neglect their duty to them.


One of the traits of righteous people is that they give charity sincerely for the sake


of Allah without asking the poor to thank them or to pray for them. Therefore, do not


give charity in the hope of getting the poor to pray for you. Rather, give charity with the


intention of attaining the good pleasure of Allah, Glorified be He. Allah, Exalted be He,


says:


And they give food, in spite of their love for it (or for the


love of Him), to the Miskin (the needy), the orphan, and


the captive, (saying): “We feed you seeking Allah’s


Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from


you. (Al-Insan: 8-9)


Commenting on this verse, Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, may Allah have mercy on his


soul, said, “Whoever gives charity and asks the poor to thank him or to pray for him is


excluded from those mentioned in this Qur’anic verse.”


O Muslims!


In Ramadan, rewards are multiplied and the gates of Paradise are open. This


month does not last long, so one should not be idle in it. It passes quickly and so


negligence in it cannot be tolerated. Therefore, hasten to do good deeds, and if you can


make your way to Allah before anyone else, then do not hesitate to do so. I seek refuge in


Allah from the accursed Devil:


Whoever works righteousness – whether male or female –


while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic


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Monotheism), verily, to him We will give a good life (in this


world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and


We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the


best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the


Hereafter). (Al-Nahl: 97)


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


for myself, for you, and for all Muslims, for any sin that we have committed. Ask Allah


for forgiveness. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.


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Part Two


Praise be to Allah for His kindness to us; and all forms of gratitude are due to


Him for the success He has blessed us with and for His graciousness. I bear witness that


there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, in glorification of His dignified


position. I also bear witness that our prophet, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger.


May Allah bestow His bountiful peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and


Companions.


O Muslims!


Ramadan is a great opportunity to turn in repentance to Allah. In this month,


Allah forgives mistakes and wipes away sins and evil deeds. Therefore, turn to Allah


with full regret for any negligence and with strong determination to avoid sins, for Allah,


Glorified be He, loves those who return to Him and rejoices at their repentance. Take


advantage of your Lord’s gifts and ask Him for forgiveness so that He may send down


His bountiful provision upon you. A wise person is one who takes full advantage of the


remaining moments of this month by engaging in acts of obedience to Allah and deeds


that bring him closer to Him and by replacing his evil deeds with good ones. Whenever


you feel that you are not keen on doing good, remember the Qur’anic verse in which


Allah, Exalted be He, says:


[Observing Saum (fast)] for a fixed number of days… (Al-


Baqarah: 184)


Those who have returned to their Lord and done good deeds in this month must


take care to keep up the good work they have started and thank Allah for His grace, and


must not be like the woman who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has


become strong.


Know that Allah has commanded you to ask Him to send His peace and blessings


upon His Prophet. Allah says in His perfect Revelation:


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)


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O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon our prophet,


Muhammad, and be pleased with the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, who ruled by truth and


thereby established justice, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with all the


Companions, and also be pleased with us together with them, by Your munificence and


generosity, O Most Generous of all the generous!


O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims, subdue polytheism and the


polytheists, and destroy the enemies of the religion. O Allah! Make this country of ours,


as well as all other Muslim countries, safe, secure, and prosperous.


O Allah! Make whoever harbours evil intentions towards us, towards Islam and


Muslims, or towards our countries, preoccupied with his own problems, let his plots


against us be the cause of his own destruction, and strike terror into his heart, O All-


Mighty! O Most Strong!


... 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 Hellfire! (Al-Baqarah: 201)


O Allah! Accept our fast and our night prayers, save us from Hellfire, make us


among those who will be admitted into Paradise without being held to account and


without prior punishment, and grant us the highest rank in Paradise, by Your generosity


and grace, O Most Generous of all the generous!


O Allah! Improve the condition of Muslims everywhere. O Allah! Spare their


blood. O Allah! Cure the sick among them. O Allah! Make their homelands places of


safety, security, true monotheism, and prosperity, O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! Lead our ruler to Your guidance, make all his deeds pleasing to You,


and guide all the rulers of the Muslims to act according to Your Book and rule by Your


Shari’ah.


Servants of Allah!


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


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


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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, the Great, the Sublime, 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.