By Sheikh Osama ibn Abdullah Khayyat – 12 Ramadan 1437

His Eminence Sheikh Osama ibn Abdullah Khayyat –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday Khutbah entitled “The Specific characteristics of the Month of Ramadan” in which he talked about the month of Ramadan and the special qualities with which Allah has distinguished it from the rest of the lunar months. The Sheikh also mentioned one of the Prophet’s traditions which every Muslim should endeavour to follow in this month. It is namely reading as well as reflecting on the Holy Qur’an and the great reward which results therefrom.

Praise be to Allah, the Generous, the Gracious, the Giver of blessings, the Munificent the Eternal Benevolent! I praise Him –May He be glorified– and I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner. He bestowed upon His servants the gift of fasting the days of this blessed month, Ramadan, and performing Qiyam (night prayer), and I bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah. He is the best person ever to have prayed, fasted, and performed Qiyam in dedicated worship to his Lord, the King, the Judge. O Allah send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) and Peace upon Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, his family, his Companions, the Tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– after his death), and all those who follow in their footsteps until the Day of Judgement!

Now then,

O Servants of Allah! Observe taqwa vis-à-vis Allah (fear of disobeying Him): “And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allâh. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.” [Al-Baqarah: 281]

O Servants of Allah!

Among Allah’s abundant blessings, succeeding graces and great favours is that He has reserved for the Muslim Ummah matchless moments whose value is higher than any other period of the year and has bestowed upon it the favour of living certain moments which represent the pinnacle of time and the crown of days. During such periods, worshippers’ reward is multiplied and devout people’s status is raised high for their meritorious service. They are constantly in quest for performing good deeds; they profit enormously from invaluable opportunities, aspire to higher ranks, and enthusiastically seek to attain higher goals. They are highly motivated to accede to lofty positions and to gain eternal bliss in the Gardens of pleasure.

One of those consecrated moments is definitely this blessed month. It is indeed the master of all months! It is the month which is accorded special merits not available in any other month. This is why it is at the forefront of the months of the year. Thanks to this divine privilege, Ramadan occupies the loftiest position and is endowed with incomparable honour. Suffice it to say that it is the month during which the guidance, the enlightenment, and the remedy for the heart –the Qur’an– was revealed. It is the un-severed bond of Allah, the unmistakable insight, the efficacious remedy, the shelter and the salvation for those who hold fast to it and follow it, as it is asserted by Allah –May He be glorified:

“The month of Ramadân in which was revealed the Qur’ân, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)…” [Al-Baqarah: 185]

What an unparalleled honour, indeed! What a supreme virtue! Besides, the month of Ramadan is also accorded extra characteristics not available in the other months, which has enhanced its privileged status, set a high value on its intrinsic merits, and multiplied its advantages.

One of such characteristics is that Ramadan is a month during which the gates of Paradise are opened and those of Hell are locked. This is confirmed by the hadith reported by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari in their two Sahih books. Abu Huraiarah –May Allah be pleased with him– narrated that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “With the advent of the month of Ramadan, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained.” It is a clear expression about the extent of His Mercy ‒Glorified be He‒ the liberal betowal of His Pardon, Forgiveness, and Salvation from Hellfire.

In another version of the hadith: “… the gates of Mercy are opened.” In yet another version, we read: “… the gates of heaven are opened.” All such signs epitomise the abundance of divine gifts, as Allah liberally bestows upon His servants all types of gifts and all aspects of blessings to the extent that there is no room for restriction on divine benevolence, enjoyment of bliss, or deprivation.

A further characteristic of Ramadan is that fasting and qiyam are two acts in return for which the worshipper’s sins are expiated. This is mentioned in the hadith narrated by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari in their two Sahih books. Abu Huraiarah –May Allah be pleased with him– reported that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Whoever fasts during Ramadan, motivated by faith and in full devotion to Allah, will have his prior sins forgiven.” This is also cited in the hadith narrated by Imam Muslim and Imam Bukhari in their two Sahih books. Abu Huraiarah –May Allah be pleased with him– reported that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Whoever performs qiyam during Ramadan, motivated by faith and in full devotion to Allah, will have his prior sins forgiven.”

However, as explained by the majority of scholars of Islam, this expiation of sins concerns only wrongdoings below the level of Kaba’ir1 (major sins) whose expiation is conditioned by repentance, in addition to the requirement that full restitution of rights shall be made to their original claimants in case the sins in question have to do with people’s reclaimed rights. This is conveyed in the hadith of Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– when he said: “The five (daily) prayers, the period from one Friday prayer to the following Friday prayer, and the period from Ramadan to the following Ramadan expiate interval sins as long as major sins are avoided.” [An agreed-upon hadith]

Nevertheless, this is a great merit and a sublime characteristic of this month. It shows its high status, lofty position, and the unique divine honour which distinguishes it from the rest of the lunar months.

Still another characteristic is that one of its nights is the Night of al-Qadr (Decree), whose worth alone exceeds that of a thousand months, as it is stated by Allah, the Almighty, in the Holy Qur’an: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful:

“Verily! We have sent it (this Qur’ân) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree). And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is? The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allâh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months). Therein descend the angels and the Rûh [Jibrael (Gabriel)] by Allâh’s Permission with all Decrees, Peace! (All that night, there is Peace and Goodness from Allâh to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn.” [Al-Qadr: 1-5]

It is the very blessed night which Allah –Be He glorified– mentioned in the following verse:
“We sent it (this Qur’ân) down on a blessed night [(i.e. night of Qadr, Sûrah No: 97) in the month of Ramadân the 9th month of the Islâmic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship]. Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments.” [Al-Dukhan: 3-4]

It is again the very night which expiates the previous sins of anyone who spends it performing qiyam out of faith and in full devotion to Allah. This is in conformity with the hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari in his Sahih book where Abu Huraiarah –May Allah be pleased with him– reported that the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “Whoever performs qiyam during the night of Qadr motivated by faith and in full devotion to Allah will have his prior sins forgiven.”

Another characteristic is that it is known as the month of patience, for the true nature of patience and its concomitant manifestation only become clear during the act of fasting. Fast is half of patience, knowing that those who show patience will be bountifully rewarded and without account, as Allah ‒Glorified be He‒ says:

“Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning.” [Al-Zumar: 10]

Among its other characteristics is that in Ramadan every Muslim is granted an answered supplication, as mentioned in the hadith reported by Imam Ahmed in his book titled Al-Musnad where Jaber ibn Abdullah –May Allah be pleased with him and his father Abdullah– related via a good chain of narration that the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– said: “For every Muslim, there is an answered supplication as he supplicates Allah in Ramadan.” This represents a strong motive for Allah servant to take advantage of such a privilege in order to come closer to his Lord, showing Him love, longing, supplication, and humility, imploring Him for assistance, seeking refuge in the Dominion of Allah –May He be glorified‒ cherishing favour with Him and aspiring to gain His higher esteem.

O Servants of Allah!

Based on the aforesaid, it is no wonder that fasting this month should be a reason for the realisation of servitude to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds (humans and jinn). For no imsaak (time just before fajr when fasting begins) or iftaar (breaking the fast) is proper unless it is in accordance with the prescriptions of Allah and the teachings His Messenger –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. Thus, the fasting person is a servant of Allah whose servitude can never be attained except through worshipping Him exclusively –May He be glorified– in accordance with His preordained method.

Therefore, the essence of religion is exclusive worship of Allah and exclusive observance of the rituals decreed by Him. As a result, neither fast nor worship could possibly be accepted unless it is weighed with a balance whose two scales hang on the pivot of devotion to Allah and adherence to the teachings of the Messenger of Allah –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him.

This is why fasting, as some scholars of religion say, is: “about total submission to Allah’s command. Therefore, neither food, beverages, nor (sexual) pleasure (with one’s wife) remain permissible after the white thread (light) of dawn becomes discernible from the black thread (darkness of night) and until sunset, regardless of the degree of unrestraint the ego might show and however irresistible the instinctive drive to eat and drink might prove to be. Likewise, after sunset, there is no room for abstention from food, beverages, and acts otherwise interdicted during the daytime, however strong one’s sense of asceticism and devoutness might be. O servants of Allah, one must not give in to the rule of the human self, lust, or social norms, for submission must be solely to the Will of Allah alone. The more the fasting person is detached from personal whim, guided by the rule of Allah, and resigned to His Will and laws, the more truthful and firmly submitted he would be with regard to his Lord.”

It is almost impossible to count the virtues of this blessed month ‒O servants of Allah! They all form irrefutable evidence to the great extent of the Grace of Allah –Glorified be He– with respect to His servants, His Will to grant them ease, and relief from hardships.

Indeed, mere remembrance of the virtues and great characteristics of the blessed month must illicit within the fasting person that special feeling of consummate gratitude towards Almighty Allah, the Bestower of such graces. This is to be carried out by observing proper performance, care, and prudence not to neglect such virtues and features and miss out on the great opportunities they offer and the wonderful promises they engender.

Therefore, do observe taqwa of Allah –O servants of Allah– and seize this great opportunity so that you may attain a lofty degree of honour, and achieve a great reward and a high repute in the eyes of your Lord.

May Allah grant me and you benefit from the Great Qur’an and the Guidance of the Sunnah of His Prophet, Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. I say this, and I ask Allah ‒the Almighty, the Glorious‒ to forgive my sins, yours, and those of all the Muslims, so ask Him for forgiveness, for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful!