A talk on competing in good deeds during the seasons of goodness and after them.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
This is the one hundred and seventeenth session of the Open Door sessions, which take place every Thursday of every week, and this is the first session after the month of Ramadan in the year 1416.
It is well known that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has established seasons of goodness in which those who compete race toward obedience in order to invigorate their ambitions, increase righteous deeds, and perfect them, for the more these seasons recur, the stronger the resolve becomes. But let us ask: if these seasons pass, do the times in which deeds are performed also pass, or do deeds remain as long as the person remains in this world?
The answer is the second: that righteous deeds are required of the servant as long as he is in this worldly life. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:[Al-Baqarah 2:132] meaning: continue in your Islam until death. And Allah the Exalted said: meaning: death, as al-Hasan al-Basri and other scholars interpreted it. So Allah did not set a limit for the cessation of deeds except death; therefore, the person is commanded to perform the obedience of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) as long as he is in this life.
It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Riyad as-Salihin 949 So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not make the cessation of deeds occur except by death. Let us look at whether these days have functions that the servant performs to draw near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? We say: Yes.
For example: the month of fasting has ended, but has fasting ended? Fasting is still prescribed, praise be to Allah, at all times. Its highest and most excellent form is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) guided to, which is for a person to fast one day and break the fast the next day. This is the fasting of Dawud. Next in rank is what is more frequent, and among this is fasting the six days of Shawwal. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding them:Riyad as-Salihin 1254.
The virtue of these days is not attained unless a person completes Ramadan in full. Accordingly, if a person has days to make up and fasts these six days before making them up, he will not attain the reward that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned and linked to fasting Ramadan in full:Sunan Ibn Majah 1716Sahih (Darussalam).
This is clarified by an example: if a person had five days of Ramadan to make up, and he delayed making them up and fasted the six days before them, can it be said that he fasted Ramadan? No, it is said that he fasted twenty-five days of Ramadan. It is necessary to fast Ramadan in full to attain its reward. This is not based on the disagreement among the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) regarding the permissibility of voluntary fasting before making up missed days, but rather this is an independent issue based on the ruling of the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him), that fasting six days of Shawwal is like the regular voluntary prayer that comes after the obligatory prayer.
As for voluntary fasting other than the six days before making up missed days, this is a matter of dispute among the scholars. Some of them permitted it, and some said that it is not permissible to fast voluntarily until one performs the obligatory. This is the most cautious and preferable for a person, and more deserving of action, for it is not good to start with the voluntary and leave the obligatory. The obligatory is more important, for if you die, it will be a debt in your liability. But the voluntary, if you do it, it is good, and if you do not do it, there is no sin on you and no blame.
Also among this, meaning among the prescribed fasting: that a person fasts three days of every month, whether from the beginning of the month, the middle, or the end. But it is better that they be on the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days.
And among this: that it is recommended for a person to fast the days of Monday and Thursday, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to fast them and said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 2358Hasan (Darussalam).
And among them: fasting the ninth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the Day of 'Arafah, for one who is not performing Hajj. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1730Sahih (Darussalam).
And likewise: fasting the remaining days of the ten days, from the first of Dhu al-Hijjah to the ninth, for fasting in them has a distinction over other days. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 757Sahih (Darussalam) And fasting is undoubtedly a righteous deed.
And among what should be fasted: fasting the tenth day of Muharram, and the ninth with it, or the eleventh, or all three: the ninth, tenth, and eleventh, or fasting most of the month, meaning the month of Muharram.
And among the prescribed fasting: fasting Sha'ban, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast it all, or fast it except for a little of it, as is established from 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
Does standing in night prayer end with the end of Ramadan?
The answer is: No, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to stand in prayer all the nights of the year. But as Allah said about him:[Al-Muzzammil 73:20] And the best standing in prayer is the standing of Dawud; he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth of it. And this, as it is best by the Shari'ah, is also easier for the person naturally, for the person sleeps half the night and gets a lot of sleep, then stands for a third of the night to perform tahajjud for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), then sleeps for a sixth of the night to rest before he begins his daily works. For this reason, the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 3420.
It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 753 So when the time of the Divine Descent coincides with the person performing tahajjud for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and drawing near to Him Sunan Abi Dawud 875Sahih (Al-Albani), much good is attained for the person in this.
Then the remaining acts of worship remain prescribed, praise be to Allah, such as wudu' and the dhikr before and after it, and likewise spending in the way of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whether it is sadaqah given to others, or given to his family by spending on them, or even on himself. Indeed, if a person spends on himself, that is sadaqah for which he is rewarded and given reward. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas:Sahih al-Bukhari 56 He said: Even though spending on the wife is a matter of exchange, for you spend on her in return for your enjoyment of her, and yet you are rewarded for it.
And the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said:Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 131 The narrator said: And I think he said: Sahih Ibn Hibban 17:33 The one who looks after the widow and the poor is the one who takes charge of their custody, sufficiency, guidance, and upbringing. And this includes even the poor who are under your care, whether they are male or female children, as well as sisters, wives, and others.
So the important thing is that the virtue is the vastness of Allah's favor, praise be to Allah, and the acts of worship are many. We ask Allah the Exalted to help us and you in His remembrance, His gratitude, and the excellence of His worship.
And among the wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is that when the season of the obligatory fasting ended with the end of Ramadan, the season of Hajj to the Sacred House began, which is also a pillar of Islam. For the months of Hajj begin from the first day of Shawwal, for the months of Hajj are: Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah, and Dhu al-Hijjah. And all these months are a time for performing Hajj, whether it is obligatory or voluntary.
And Allah the Exalted made these months because people may need them, as if they were in distant lands and transportation was difficult. For this period is usually sufficient to reach the House. For this reason, people in the past used to prepare for Hajj from the entry of the month of Shawwal. But now, praise be to Allah, and transportation has been made easy, they may not prepare or get ready until a later time. And we do not know; perhaps one day people will need what they used to need before, such as camels, mules, and donkeys. So we do not know whether things will remain as they are now or change. The matter is entirely in the hand of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So the person is always fluctuating between seasons of goodness: fasting and Hajj, then the month of Muharram comes after that, and so on forever. Praise be to Allah for this blessing, and we ask Allah to help us and you in His remembrance, His gratitude, and the excellence of His worship.
And now to the question round, we start from the right.
As for what follows:
This is the one hundred and seventeenth session of the Open Door sessions, which take place every Thursday of every week, and this is the first session after the month of Ramadan in the year 1416.
It is well known that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has established seasons of goodness in which those who compete race toward obedience in order to invigorate their ambitions, increase righteous deeds, and perfect them, for the more these seasons recur, the stronger the resolve becomes. But let us ask: if these seasons pass, do the times in which deeds are performed also pass, or do deeds remain as long as the person remains in this world?
The answer is the second: that righteous deeds are required of the servant as long as he is in this worldly life. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:
And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Jacob, [saying], "O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims."
وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَAnd worship your Lord until certainty comes to you.
وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُIt is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
When a man dies, his deeds come to an end, except for three: A continuous charity, knowledge by which people derive benefit, pious son who prays for him.
إذا مات الإنسان انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاث: صدقة جارية، أو علم ينتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو لهFor example: the month of fasting has ended, but has fasting ended? Fasting is still prescribed, praise be to Allah, at all times. Its highest and most excellent form is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) guided to, which is for a person to fast one day and break the fast the next day. This is the fasting of Dawud. Next in rank is what is more frequent, and among this is fasting the six days of Shawwal. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding them:
He who observes As-Saum (the fasts) in the month of Ramadan, and also observes As-Saum for six days in the month of Shawwal, it is as if he has observed As-Saum for the whole year.
من صام رمضان ثم أتبعه بست من شوال كان كصيام الدهرThe virtue of these days is not attained unless a person completes Ramadan in full. Accordingly, if a person has days to make up and fasts these six days before making them up, he will not attain the reward that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned and linked to fasting Ramadan in full:
Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it
من صام رمضان ثم أتبعهThis is clarified by an example: if a person had five days of Ramadan to make up, and he delayed making them up and fasted the six days before them, can it be said that he fasted Ramadan? No, it is said that he fasted twenty-five days of Ramadan. It is necessary to fast Ramadan in full to attain its reward. This is not based on the disagreement among the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) regarding the permissibility of voluntary fasting before making up missed days, but rather this is an independent issue based on the ruling of the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him), that fasting six days of Shawwal is like the regular voluntary prayer that comes after the obligatory prayer.
As for voluntary fasting other than the six days before making up missed days, this is a matter of dispute among the scholars. Some of them permitted it, and some said that it is not permissible to fast voluntarily until one performs the obligatory. This is the most cautious and preferable for a person, and more deserving of action, for it is not good to start with the voluntary and leave the obligatory. The obligatory is more important, for if you die, it will be a debt in your liability. But the voluntary, if you do it, it is good, and if you do not do it, there is no sin on you and no blame.
Also among this, meaning among the prescribed fasting: that a person fasts three days of every month, whether from the beginning of the month, the middle, or the end. But it is better that they be on the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days.
And among this: that it is recommended for a person to fast the days of Monday and Thursday, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to fast them and said:
Those are two days in which deeds are shown to the Lord of the worlds, and I like my deeds to be shown (to Him) when I am fasting.
هما يومان تعرض فيهما الأعمال على الله، فأحب أن يعرض عملي وأنا صائمAnd among them: fasting the ninth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the Day of 'Arafah, for one who is not performing Hajj. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I hope from Allah, expiates for the sins of the year before and the year after.
أحتسب على الله أن يكفر السنة التي قبله والتي بعدهAnd likewise: fasting the remaining days of the ten days, from the first of Dhu al-Hijjah to the ninth, for fasting in them has a distinction over other days. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than those ten days.
ما من أيام العمل الصالح فيهن أحب إلى الله من هذه الأيام العشرAnd among what should be fasted: fasting the tenth day of Muharram, and the ninth with it, or the eleventh, or all three: the ninth, tenth, and eleventh, or fasting most of the month, meaning the month of Muharram.
And among the prescribed fasting: fasting Sha'ban, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast it all, or fast it except for a little of it, as is established from 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
Does standing in night prayer end with the end of Ramadan?
The answer is: No, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to stand in prayer all the nights of the year. But as Allah said about him:
Indeed, your Lord knows, [O Muhammad], that you stand [in prayer] almost two thirds of the night or half of it or a third of it, and [so do] a group of those with you
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَى مِنْ ثُلُثَيِ اللَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُ وَثُلُثَهُ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الَّذِينَ مَعَكَthe prayer of David who used to sleep for (the first) half of the night and pray for 1/3 of it and (again) sleep for a sixth of it
أفضل القيام قيام داود: كان ينام نصف الليل ويقوم ثلثه وينام سدسهIt is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, descends to the lowest heaven every night when a third of the night remains. He says, 'Who is calling on Me so that I can answer him? Who is asking Me for something so that I can give to him? "Who is asking Me for forgiveness so that I can forgive him?'"
إن الله ينزل في كل ليلة إلى السماء الدنيا حين يبقى ثلث الليل الآخر، فيقول: من يدعوني فأستجيب له؟ من يسألني فأعطيه؟ من يستغفرني فأغفر له؟The nearest a servant come to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself
وأقرب ما يكون العبد من ربه وهو ساجدThen the remaining acts of worship remain prescribed, praise be to Allah, such as wudu' and the dhikr before and after it, and likewise spending in the way of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whether it is sadaqah given to others, or given to his family by spending on them, or even on himself. Indeed, if a person spends on himself, that is sadaqah for which he is rewarded and given reward. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas:
You will be rewarded for whatever you spend for Allah's sake even if it were a morsel which you put in your wife's mouth.
واعلم أنك لن تنفق نفقة تبتغي بها وجه الله إلا أجرت عليها حتى ما تجعله في فم امرأتكeven what you put in your wife's mouth
حتى ما تجعله في فم امرأتكAnd the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
The person who strives on behalf of the widows and poor is like those who strive in the way of Allah
الساعي على الأرملة والمساكين كالمجاهد في سبيل اللهLike the one who fasts and does not break his fast, and like the one who stands in prayer and does not sit
كالصائم لا يفطر وكالقائم لا يفترSo the important thing is that the virtue is the vastness of Allah's favor, praise be to Allah, and the acts of worship are many. We ask Allah the Exalted to help us and you in His remembrance, His gratitude, and the excellence of His worship.
And among the wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is that when the season of the obligatory fasting ended with the end of Ramadan, the season of Hajj to the Sacred House began, which is also a pillar of Islam. For the months of Hajj begin from the first day of Shawwal, for the months of Hajj are: Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah, and Dhu al-Hijjah. And all these months are a time for performing Hajj, whether it is obligatory or voluntary.
And Allah the Exalted made these months because people may need them, as if they were in distant lands and transportation was difficult. For this period is usually sufficient to reach the House. For this reason, people in the past used to prepare for Hajj from the entry of the month of Shawwal. But now, praise be to Allah, and transportation has been made easy, they may not prepare or get ready until a later time. And we do not know; perhaps one day people will need what they used to need before, such as camels, mules, and donkeys. So we do not know whether things will remain as they are now or change. The matter is entirely in the hand of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So the person is always fluctuating between seasons of goodness: fasting and Hajj, then the month of Muharram comes after that, and so on forever. Praise be to Allah for this blessing, and we ask Allah to help us and you in His remembrance, His gratitude, and the excellence of His worship.
And now to the question round, we start from the right.