By Sheikh Salah Al-Budair – 22 Shabaan 1435

His Eminence Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday Khutbah entitled, “Receiving the Blessed Month”, in which he talked about receiving the month of Ramadan, giving advice to all Muslims to seize the opportunity of its blessed days by doing acts of obedience to Allah, such as fasting, performing prayers, giving charity, and remembering Allah, Exalted be He, in addition to turning in repentance to Allah and seeking His forgiveness. He also stressed the issue of sighting the new moon inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Praise be to Allah, Who possesses all the attributes of perfection and majesty. I praise Him for His favours, gifts, grace, and kindness. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, a testimony that I save for a Day on which there will be neither mutual bargaining nor befriending. I also bear witness that our prophet and master, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, the caller to the soundest words and the best deeds. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and Companions, who were the best of all families and companions.

O Muslims!
Fear Allah, for fear of Allah is the best of all gains and obedience to Him is the most honourable source of pride.
“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)

In Ramadan one perseveres in words and deeds, 

Fasting during the day and standing in prayer at night.

Therefore, receive it with repentance and returning to Allah; turn your faces to your Lord, Exalted be He, and seek His mercy, blessings, favours, and benevolence. Ask Him to pardon your mistakes and humbly implore Him to wipe away your slips. For so many are the sins that you have committed and that He has recorded against you!

When Ramadan starts and you have been fortunate enough to witness it,
Take off the garments of desire and be hard at work.
Protect it from any forbidden acts that may be the cause of your destruction,
And control yourself just as bridles control horses.
Keep your fast valid by avoiding obscene words,
And shutting your eyes against unlawful sights.
Do not go two-faced among people,
For a two-faced person is the worst of all mankind.

O you who are going to abstain from eating and drinking during the days of Ramadan! Abstain from doing wrong to your Muslim brothers, taking their property unjustly, violating their honour, and denying them their rights.

O You who abstain from eating!
If only you abstained from wrong-doing!
Will fasting benefit a wrong-doer,
Whose heart is full of sins?

O Muslims!
If anyone missed fasting any day last Ramadan and has no excuse that prevents him from making up for it, then he should hasten to fast it before the start of Ramadan. In addition, it is prohibited to fast on the day of uncertainty (i.e. the day when one does not know whether or not the following day is Ramadan) unless one is making up for some missed days or unless it coincides with a day on which one habitually fasts. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “None of you should fast on the day or two days before Ramadan unless it is a day on which one is in the habit of fasting voluntarily, in which case one should fast on that day” (Agreed upon). ‘Ammar ibn Yasir, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Whoever fasts on the day of uncertainty has disobeyed Abul-Qasim (i.e. the Prophet), peace and blessings be upon him” (Reported by Al-Bukhari with a missing narrator in its chain of transmission and by the four hadith compilers (Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah) as a hadith with a complete chain of transmitters).

O Muslims!
Remember your needy brothers in Ramadan. Remember the poor, the weak, and the afflicted. Show mercy to them. Give them charity and keep them free from want during that month. Draw them closer to you and do not let them feel lonely. Provide food to the needy, affectionately stroke orphans’ heads, and do good, for Allah loves the good-doers.

O Muslims!
Guard against wastefulness and extravagance in Ramadan, for they lead to the withdrawal of favours and the infliction of punishments. Give thanks to Allah for the prosperous life and abundant provisions you are enjoying by preserving Allah’s favours from the foolishness of spendthrifts and the wrong practices of squanderers. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“And give to the kindred his due and to the Miskeen (needy) and to the wayfarer. But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayatin (devils), and the Shaitan (Devil-Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” (Al-Isra’: 26-27)

O Traders at Markets! O You who supply and sell goods! Beware of greed and avarice. Beware of raising and manipulating the prices of goods in the month of Ramadan. Never sell counterfeit goods and rotten food. Do not cheat Muslims lest you should be victims of their supplications against you and be destroyed by their complaints to Allah about you. Ill-gotten money is a bad omen for those who get it; it will turn into fire that burns its owners and a disaster that befalls its seekers.

O Allah! Let us live to witness the month of Ramadan. O Allah! Let us live to witness the month of Ramadan while we are in good health, safety, peace, and security, O Most Generous! O Most Merciful! O Most Benevolent!