Welcoming the Month of Ramadan, Preparing for It, and the Connection Between Fasting and Taqwa
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The questioner:
We begin this episode with what our dear brother Muhammad from Riyadh sent. He says: May Allah bless you. Regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted[Al-Baqarah 2:183], he asks, may Allah bless you, about the blessed month of Ramadan: how should a Muslim welcome it, and what are the preparations of a Muslim in this noble, blessed month?
The Shaykh:
[Al-Fatihah 1:1-2], and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon to his Companions on the last Friday of Sha'ban, and he said: It is a great, blessed month, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described it. A Muslim should rejoice at the arrival of this month and welcome it with repentance, and welcome it with joy and happiness, so that he may utilize it for the benefit of his religion and his worldly affairs. It is a great month in which Allah has singled out this community to expiate their evil deeds, to raise their ranks, and to provide an opportunity for those who compete in obedience and righteous deeds to draw near to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. A believer should rejoice at the arrival of this month and benefit from it for his Hereafter, for it is a great market among the markets of the Hereafter. It is an opportunity for one whom Allah has destined for happiness and good to utilize it in what befits him of obedience, recitation of the Qur'an, and prayer of the tarawih after performing the obligatory prayers at their times. For some people consider the month of Ramadan a month for filling their bellies, and they consider it a month for sleeping—sleeping during the day and staying up at night. This is a deprivation.
And a Muslim does not know when his term will suddenly overtake him and he will transition to the abode of the Hereafter. So he should seize this opportunity to find it stored for him with Allah, presented to him by Allah, Mighty and Majestic. He should store up for himself whatever he is able to do of righteous deeds in this great month and in other times. But this month has a distinction over others by what Allah has honored it with and by the opportunities He has provided in it. As in the hadith that whenMishkat al-Masabih 1966 the gates of the Fire are opened, and the gates of Paradise are opened, Sunan Ibn Majah 1642Hasan (Darussalam). Yes.
The questioner:
Yes, may Allah bless you. Also, to complete the verse, may Allah protect you:[Al-Baqarah 2:183], regarding the obligation of fasting, and also the connection between fasting and taqwa?
The Shaykh:
Fasting is prescribed[Al-Baqarah 2:286] for its fasting and its night standing, but the path of action differs in every time according to what Allah, Exalted is He, has legislated, according to what Allah has legislated for every community. And fasting is shared among the communities, as it is prescribed, meaning. [Al-Baqarah 2:183] This is the fruit, hoping that you will fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, avoid His prohibitions, and compete in His obediences and what brings you near to Him. A person may not attain this after this year, so we must utilize it with obedience and righteous deeds, and occupy his times with the obedience of Allah: his night with standing, his day with fasting, and his hours with recitation of the Qur'an, supplication, and seeking forgiveness. It is blessed from all directions. Yes.
The questioner:
Yes, may Allah bless you and reward you. The connection between fasting and taqwa, as the questioner asked?
The Shaykh:
Fasting causes taqwa, "so that you may fear Allah." It causes the fear of Allah, Exalted is He. Hearts soften in it, and souls draw near to the obedience of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. One is trained in the obedience of Allah, one becomes alert, one pays attention, and one seizes the opportunity before it is lost. So it is a great month that must be valued with its due value through obediences and righteous deeds, not through play and amusement. For some people prepare programs for Ramadan that include play, amusement, and heedlessness. And this is a deprivation. A deprivation for them; they have deprived themselves of the blessings of this month and occupied themselves with the desires of their souls. So this is a deprivation and a loss, and a Muslim must be aware of that. Yes.
The presenter:
Yes, may Allah bless you.
We begin this episode with what our dear brother Muhammad from Riyadh sent. He says: May Allah bless you. Regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَThe Shaykh:
(1) In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. (2) [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَO people, a great, blessed month has come upon you. Allah has made its fasting obligatory, and its night standing voluntary.
أيها الناس، قد أظلكم شهر عظيم مبارك، جعل الله صيامه فريضة، وقيام ليله تطوعا،Whoever performs a good deed in it is like one who has performed an obligatory act, and whoever performs an obligatory act in it is like one who has performed seventy obligatory acts in other times.
من أدى فيه خصلة من خصال الخير فهو كمن أدى فريضة، ومن أدى فيه فريضة فهو كمن أدى سبعين فريضة فيما سواه،And a Muslim does not know when his term will suddenly overtake him and he will transition to the abode of the Hereafter. So he should seize this opportunity to find it stored for him with Allah, presented to him by Allah, Mighty and Majestic. He should store up for himself whatever he is able to do of righteous deeds in this great month and in other times. But this month has a distinction over others by what Allah has honored it with and by the opportunities He has provided in it. As in the hadith that when
when the month of Ramadan began
إِذَا دَخَلَ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ أَطْلَقَAnd a caller cries out: ‘O seeker of good, proceed, O seeker of evil, stop.’ And Allah has necks (people) whom He frees (from the Fire), and that happens every day.
ونادى مناد يا باغي الخير أقبل، ويا باغي الشر أدبر، ولله عتقاء من النار، وذلك في كل ليلةThe questioner:
Yes, may Allah bless you. Also, to complete the verse, may Allah protect you:
O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَThe Shaykh:
Fasting is prescribed
upon those before us
عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَاas it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -
كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَThe questioner:
Yes, may Allah bless you and reward you. The connection between fasting and taqwa, as the questioner asked?
The Shaykh:
Fasting causes taqwa, "so that you may fear Allah." It causes the fear of Allah, Exalted is He. Hearts soften in it, and souls draw near to the obedience of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. One is trained in the obedience of Allah, one becomes alert, one pays attention, and one seizes the opportunity before it is lost. So it is a great month that must be valued with its due value through obediences and righteous deeds, not through play and amusement. For some people prepare programs for Ramadan that include play, amusement, and heedlessness. And this is a deprivation. A deprivation for them; they have deprived themselves of the blessings of this month and occupied themselves with the desires of their souls. So this is a deprivation and a loss, and a Muslim must be aware of that. Yes.
The presenter:
Yes, may Allah bless you.
Source
فتاوى على الهواء 28-08-1438هـ — af.org.sa (1:31)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.