Advice for the one who has been negligent at the beginning of Ramadan

The Shaykh:
May Allah greet you and bless you.

The questioner:
May Allah keep you in good health, Shaykh Salih. A questioner says: Six days have passed of Ramadan, and the days of Ramadan are very fast. As for the one who has been negligent at the beginning of this month, O our Shaykh, how can he make up for what remains? And what is the Shaykh’s advice to the viewers?

The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, the blessed month of Ramadan is an opportunity that Allah has provided for His believing servants so that they may draw near to Him in it with what He loves and what benefits them with Him. This is because they are in need of such an opportunity, as it passes them by during the year while they are in their works and occupations. Perhaps among them is the one who is heedless, perhaps among them is the one who sins—and this is common—perhaps among them is the one who has a desire for good. So this month passes by the Muslims in their various states, and everyone benefits from it. The one who was upright in all his time increases in good in this month in addition to what he had.
And the sinner who had sins needs to get rid of them, so this month is an opportunity to get rid of sins, and that is by repenting to Allah the Mighty and Majestic and replacing bad deeds with good deeds. And the one who was heedless, occupied with his worldly life and his affairs, he becomes alert in this month to himself and accounts himself for what has passed of his life, so he prepares for his future and makes up for his time before it is lost. He makes up for his time before it is lost, so this month becomes an alert for people, and this month becomes an opportunity for the one who wants to provision himself with good, and this month becomes an opportunity for the one who wants to repent and seek forgiveness, and this month becomes an opportunity for the one who was heedless in his worldly life and his worldly works to return to Allah. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), despite being in a state of much good, used to single out the month of Ramadan for increased devotion to his Lord the Mighty and Majestic. He would free himself from many of the works he used to engage in, which were in the interest of Islam and the Muslims, but he would single out this month for increased devotion to Allah by reciting the Qur'an, performing i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque), increasing in the remembrance of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and increasing in prayer, especially the night prayer. And the Companions likewise followed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in this, and they would say: When the month of Ramadan comes, it is nothing but recitation of the Qur'an and feeding people. So they would turn to Allah, and they were turning to Allah in all their time, but they would increase in turning to Allah the Exalted and Majestic in this month.
The truth is that this month is a great blessing from Allah the Exalted and Majestic. How many a heedless person became alert, how many a sinner repented and sought forgiveness, and how many a person desiring good provisioned himself with more good than what he had. So it is a great opportunity that passes in the lives of Muslims, especially since this month, as Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: . Allah’s singling out of this month for the revelation of the Qur'an in it indicates its greatness and indicates the desire to recite the Qur'an in this month more than in others, because it is the month of the Qur'an, in which the Qur'an was revealed. So likewise, this month, as is known, contains one night that is better than a thousand months, and that is Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree). So it is an increase in the Muslim’s life, a gain that passes by him; if Allah guides him to seize it, he will obtain much good, and the one who works in this night is like the one who works in a thousand months. And a thousand months, as is known, is more than eighty years. This is a long life for the one whom Allah guides, and this is a gift from Allah to the Muslim, an increase in his work and an increase in his life with good. So this month is all good, and praise be to Allah, and the favor is from Allah.
And the one whom Allah guides and catches this month, he will have obtained much good. Perhaps this month will be the end of his life. Perhaps this month will be an awakening for him in his future. Perhaps this month will be a launch for him into good in his life. So this month is all good, wherever you reflect on it, you will find good, and praise be to Allah. Yes.