The Distinctive Features of the Month of Ramadan.

The Shaykh : All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides, no one can mislead, and whoever He misleads, no one can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. May Allah send blessings and peace upon him, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
We were proceeding with the exegesis of the end of Surat al-Furqan. We had reached the verse: "A trial for you." To what? We read this. And we read . And we spoke about His saying: . But the period has been long, and it seems you have forgotten. In any case, we will postpone the discussion of the exegesis for the occasion of the approaching blessed month of Ramadan.
First: The month of Ramadan has great virtues. Among them is that Allah the Exalted revealed the Qur'an in it as guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and the Criterion, as Allah the Exalted said: . Consequently, Allah made its fasting obligatory so that its fasting would be a thanksgiving to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for this great favor, which is the revelation of the Qur'an as guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and the Criterion.
Among them is that Allah made its fasting an obligation. Its obligation was established in the second year of the Hijrah. Initially, when it was made obligatory, people were given the choice between fasting or paying a ransom. After that, fasting became mandatory, and the ransom became for those who cannot fast on a continuous basis. Based on this, how many years did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fast? Yes? Nine years, may Allah send blessings and peace upon him.
Among them—meaning among the distinctive features of this month—is that Allah the Exalted prescribed standing in night prayer in a specific manner. It is prescribed that the standing be in congregation, in congregation with the imam. This is established in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He prayed with his Companions for three nights, then he left off the standing. He said that he left it off for fear that it would become obligatory upon us. The people continued to pray in groups. A man alone, a man with two, three, or four, until the time of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). When it was the time of 'Umar, he said: . So he ordered two men: Ubayy ibn Ka'b and Tamim al-Dari, Ubayy ibn Ka'b and Tamim al-Dari, to lead the people in eleven rak'ahs. - Pay attention to this -! To lead the people in eleven rak'ahs. Based on this, the prayer of tarawih is eleven rak'ahs according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Sunnah of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). As for the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Mother of the Believers, A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), was asked: How was the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Ramadan? She said: - Listen to the answer - . Then she elaborated and said: . And the meaning of her saying: is: he grouped them in one time, not in one taslim. Rather, the four are with two taslims, as that came detailed in her hadith (may Allah be pleased with her). Then he rests, then he prays four with two taslims, then he rests, then he prays three. And thus this standing was named tarawih because the people take a break and rest in it. Standing in night prayer other than this is a recommended practice, without doubt. A person should not leave standing in night prayer, even if it is little, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed . But its being in congregation in the mosques is specific to what? To what? To Ramadan.
Among the distinctive features of this month is that its fasting is a cause for the forgiveness of sins, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . Everything that has passed, if you fasted it with faith in Allah and seeking the reward of Allah, Allah will forgive you what has passed of your sin. Everything that has passed, and praise be to Allah.
Among its distinctive features is that whoever stands in it with faith and seeking reward, Allah will forgive him what has passed of his sin. Everything that has passed will be forgiven for you if you stand with faith—complete it—and seeking reward, faith in Allah and seeking His reward, for then He will forgive you what has passed of your sin.
Among them—meaning among the virtues of this blessed month—is that it contains the Night of Decree. The evidence is that Allah the Exalted said in the great Qur'an: . And He said: . So if you combine the two evidences, the result is that the Night of Decree is in Ramadan. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform i'tikaf seeking the Night of Decree. He performed i'tikaf in the first ten days, then he performed i'tikaf in the middle ten days, then it was said to him that it is in the last ten days, so he performed i'tikaf in the last ten days.
Among them—meaning among the distinctive features of this month—is that it is recommended to perform i'tikaf in its last ten days; it is recommended to perform i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan. In other months, i'tikaf is not recommended. But if one performs i'tikaf, there is nothing wrong with it. It is just that people are not asked to perform i'tikaf other than in Ramadan. And in which part of it? In the last ten days, seeking the Night of Decree.
Among the distinctive features of this month is that 'Umrah in it is equivalent to Hajj. . Even if you perform 'Umrah, circumambulate, walk between al-Safa and al-Marwah, and shorten your hair, it is equivalent to Hajj. Meaning, it is not necessary to stay for a day or two or more. No. One 'Umrah is equivalent to Hajj.
On this occasion, I say: 'Umrah in Ramadan is a recommended practice, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . And this means encouragement to do it. But if a person is an imam of a mosque or a mu'adhdhin of a mosque, is it his right to go from the first day of Ramadan and stay there until the end of the month? No. It is not permissible for him to do so, because his performance of the duty of imamah and the duty of the adhan is mandatory, obligatory, a mandatory obligation upon him. So how is it fitting for a believer to prioritize a voluntary act over an obligatory one? Some people worship Allah the Exalted and want good, but they are ignorant. He says: I will go there in Ramadan to enjoy the company of the Haram and the world. We say: There is nothing wrong with that. This is good. But your staying to perform your duty is better, because if you go and leave your duty, you have sinned. And some people go with their family there, and they have no duty. But they go with their family and leave their family, the girls and the boys, not caring for them. They go out to the markets and wander in them, and perhaps they will be harmed by the foolish. And he is sitting in the Sacred Mosque, leaving what is obligatory upon him. What is obligatory upon him? Caring for his family. It is obligatory upon him to care for his family and protect them from bad morals. But most people, as I say, or many people, their 'Umrah is just an emotion. They do not look at the matters and weigh some against others until they know what is best and most excellent. This month has another distinctive feature: when the month of Ramadan enters, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of the Fire are closed. The gates of Paradise are opened to welcome those who do good deeds. And this means encouraging people to do good deeds so that they enter through these gates. And the gates of the Fire are closed so that people turn away from the deeds that lead to the Fire, because its gates are closed. And among the distinctive features of this month is that the chiefs of the devils are chained in it, meaning they are bound, so they do not reach what they reach in other times. And it has virtues.