O’ people! The month of Ramadan has come with His mercy, blessing and forgiveness. Allah (SWT) has decreed this month the best of all months. Its days are the best among days, its nights best among nights, and its hours best among hours. This is a month in which you have been invited by Him to fast and pray. Allah (SWT) has honored you in it. Every breath you take in this month has the reward of praise of Allah (SWT). Your sleep is worship, your good deeds are accepted and your invocations answered. Therefore you must invoke your Lord in earnest, with hearts that are free from sin, and evil, and pray that Allah (SWT) helps you fast, and recite the Quran. Indeed, miserable is the one who is deprived of Allah’s forgiveness in this great month. While fasting, remember the hunger and the thirst on the Day of Judgment. Give alms to the poor and the needy. Pay respect to your elders, have sympathy for your youngsters and be kind toward your relatives and kinsfolk. Guard your tongue against unworthy words, and your eyes from scenes that are not worth seeing and your ears from sounds that should not be heard.
Be kind to orphans so that if your children become orphans they will also be treated with kindness. Repent to Allah (SWT) for your sins and supplicate with raised hands at the time of prayers, as these are the best times during which Almighty Allah looks at His servants with mercy. He answers if they supplicate, responds if they call, grants if they ask, and accepts if they entreat.
O’ people! You have made your conscience the slave of your desires. Make it free by invoking Him for forgiveness. Your back is breaking under the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate yourselves before Him for long intervals and make the load of your sin lighter. Understand well that Allah (SWT) has promised in the Name of His Majesty and Honor that He will not take to task such people who perform Salaat and Sajda and that He will guard their bodies against the fire of hell on the Day of Judgment.
O’ people! If anyone among you arranges *iftar *for any believer, then Allah (SWT) will reward him and forgive him his previous sins. (A companion of the prophet (s.a.w.s) asked: “But not everyone among us have the means to do so.” The prophet replied: “Do it even if it be with half a date or some water if you have nothing else.”)
O’ people! Anyone who cultivates in this month good manners will walk over the bridge leading to paradise on the day when feet will tend to slip. Anyone who does not harm another in it, Allah will keep him safe from His wrath on the Day of Judgment. Anyone who respects and treats an orphan with kindness in it, Allah will look at him with kindness on that day. Anyone who treats his kinsfolk well in it, Allah will bestow His mercy on him on the Day of Judgment while anyone who mistreats his kinsfolk, Allah will keep him away from His mercy.
Whoever offers recommended prayers in it; Allah (SWT) will save him from hell and whoever observes such obligations that are observed in other months, his reward will be that of seventy such obligations. Whoever recites blessings on me during this month, Allah (SWT) will keep scales of his good deeds heavy on the Day of Judgment while the scales of others will tend toward lightness. Whoever recites a verse of the Quran in this month, his reward will be that of reciting the whole Quran in other months.
O’people! The gates of paradise remain open in this month: pray to your Lord that they may not be closed for you. The gates of hell are closed during this month: pray that they never be opened for you. Satan has been handcuffed: invoke your Lord not to let him dominate you.
IQRA December 1998
The following was from a pamphlet i brought home from the (MCA) muslimcommunityassociation. While reading through the words and lines, understanding the meaning of it, i realized that the message is very simple! We’ve just made it hard for ourselves. I’m sharing this in the hope that you all will benefit from it somehow. And realize the importance of Ramadan. We should use this time as much as we can to pray to Allah and ask for his forgiveness. May Allah Al Gafoor ur Raheem have mercy upon us all Ameen !