The Distinguishing Features of the Blessed 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. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. Allah the Exalted sent him as a mercy to the worlds, a model for those who act, and a proof against all those to whom he was sent. He granted him clear proofs such that humanity believes in their like. He guided by them those who were astray, gave sight by them to those who were blind, and directed by them those who were in error. Allah opened by them eyes that were blind, ears that were deaf, and hearts that were sealed. May the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows: This is a gathering on this night, the night of Sunday, the sixteenth of the month of Sha'ban, 1416. It is a gathering whose turn does not come except in the blessed month of Ramadan. Since it is in anticipation of the month of Ramadan,
it is fitting that we speak about that noble month. This month, I mean the month of Ramadan, Allah has distinguished it with specific features. Among them is that He sent down in it the noblest and greatest book He has sent down upon any messenger of the messengers, namely the Qur'an, as Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said: And what a great virtue this is for this noble month. Among its features is that it is the month in which there is the Night of Decree, about which Allah said that it is blessed, and He said that it is better than a thousand months. So He the Exalted said: meaning that its status is great. This interrogative form is for emphasis and magnification, as the scholars of language said. The angels, the angels of the Lord Mighty and Majestic, descend to the earth, and with them is the trustworthy spirit, who is Jibril (peace be upon him). meaning that they descend by the permission of Allah, for no one does any deed, neither in the heavens nor on the earth, except by the permission of Allah Mighty and Majestic and by the will of Allah. Indeed, Allah the Exalted does what He wills and judges what He desires. And your Lord is the Creator, the All-Knowing: They descend, and it is peace until the break of dawn. When the dawn breaks, the night ends. And Allah the Exalted said about this night: "It is a night in which every matter is decreed": He separates and clarifies, for in it is written what will happen in that year. meaning that every matter in it has wisdom, for everything that Allah Mighty and Majestic ordains, and everything He creates and decrees, is for a wisdom. Do not think that anything Allah does is without wisdom. If poverty befalls the servants, it is for a wisdom. If wealth befalls the servants, it is for a wisdom. If the land becomes barren and the sky withholds rain, it is for a wisdom. If the land becomes fertile and the sky rains, it is for a wisdom. Everything Allah does is for a wisdom. It is precise and well-crafted, with everything in its place. So in Ramadan, in this blessed night, in Ramadan, the chiefs of the devils, the strongest of them, are chained and shackled, and they do not reach what they used to reach before. For this reason, you find that sins decrease greatly among the believers, and the believers turn to their Lord with a turning that they do not find in any month other than Ramadan. Why? Because the chiefs of the devils are shackled and bound, and they cannot escape to what they used to reach before. Among the features of Ramadan, in addition to what has been mentioned, is that its fasting is obligatory upon all servants, indeed it is a pillar of their Islam. Islam is not complete without fasting the month of Ramadan. If a person fasted eleven months of the year except Ramadan, would his Islam be complete? Eleven months, his Islam is not complete. Why? Because Allah specified the obligatory fasting in Ramadan, and this is one of the features of this month. And among its features is that whoever stands in prayer during the night out of faith and seeking reward, Allah forgives him what has passed of his sin. Faith in what? Faith in Allah Mighty and Majestic. Faith in what? Faith in Allah Mighty and Majestic, faith in His promise and belief in His news, and seeking reward for His reward and wage. Allah forgives what has passed of his sin. Even if he stood in prayer the whole night in a month other than Ramadan, he would not attain this reward. Rather, whoever stands in prayer in Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward, he is forgiven what has passed of his sin. Standing in prayer the whole night, or part of the night, or what? We say: the matter, praise be to Allah, is broad. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood in prayer with his Companions one night until the middle of the night. They said: Praise be to Allah, meaning that if the imam's standing in prayer is only the length of one hour from a night that is twelve hours long, the standing of a complete night is recorded for the person. For this reason, we should strive, when we stand in prayer with an imam, not to leave him until he finishes, unlike some of the common people, poor souls. Some of the common people waste their times and nights without benefit. They pray with this imam one or two units of prayer, then they go to another mosque and pray with him likewise, then a third mosque. And this is an error. If you enter with an imam in the night prayer, remain until he finishes the tarawih, in order that what is recorded for you is what? Standing in prayer for the night, while you are sleeping on your bed, and while you are playing with your family, standing in prayer is recorded for you, praise be to Allah. This is one of the features of Ramadan. And among its features is also that, in addition to its fasting being obligatory and a pillar of Islam: just like standing in prayer, he is forgiven what has passed of his sin. Everything that has passed, Allah forgives it, covers it for him, and pardons it. And among the virtues of Ramadan is that if a person fasts, does he fast only from food and drink and intercourse? Does he fast from food and drink and intercourse? No, that is torment. By Allah, He does not torment anyone, and He does not want to torment us. But if we refrain from these desires, food and drink and intercourse, seeking the favor of Allah, it becomes a cause for the mindfulness of Allah, for whoever fears Allah the Exalted by leaving what he loves, his fear of Him in what is less than that is more likely. For this reason, He the Exalted said: "So complete it": This is the wisdom. The wisdom of Allah Mighty and Majestic in fasting is not to forbid us food and drink and intercourse, but the wisdom is that we fear Allah. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) affirmed that: Allah is rich in regard to you, in regard to your eating and drinking and your worship and everything. Allah does not need you. But for the sake of the mindfulness of Allah, Allah obligated fasting upon us. Allah obligated fasting upon us by our fearing Him, by doing what He commanded and leaving what He forbade out of fear of Him Mighty and Majestic.