live in it forever. For no condition is permanent and everyone will be called to account. Whoever depends on this worldly life will be afflicted with an unending preoccupation, wish and covetousness. Its days and months move quickly and astonishingly and its time hastily slopes off away. The world itself is insignificant and nothing remains of it except the insignificant.

This world is full of dangers and crises; and full of major and minor sins. People are living there and among them believers and disbelievers, pious and sinful, loser and victorious. Blessed then is he who protects himself, his children and women from causes evil and Allaah's wrath. Allaah says,



"And whoever holds firmly to Allaah, then he is indeed guided to the right path."



Fellow Muslims! The month of gains has come to you with gifts and beauty. It is a generous visitor whose virtue is pure and is full of blessings. Its beauties can never be enumerated. It is a month that spreads good among us where you only see a devoted worshipper who bows for Allaah in worship, recites the Qur'aan with humility; a worshipper whose heart has become softened and weeps out of fear of Allaah when he reads or hears verses that removes spiritual thirst and hunger. So thank Allaah that He spared your lives to reach it and gave you strength to fast it. For many had wished to reach it whom death has taken away.



Brethren in faith! We are fortunate to have lived to witness this year's Ramadaan, for many loved ones we have been bereaved of.



My dear brethren! Passages of those among us who have died is a warning to us. Death is now near to us and yet we have not made any provision. Let us repent now before there will be no more time for repentance and no money can ransom. Endeavour to change for better with all determination and show Allah the good that is in you. For it is through determination and seriousness that those who succeeded attained success. Know that whoever is insolent will never achieve his aim and is bound to fail. Aaishah said, "The Messenger of Allaah used to strive to do much acts of worship in Ramadaan which he did not do in other months." (Muslim)



Fellow Muslims! This is the month of acceptance of good deeds and prosperity; month of liberation from Hell and that of generosity, and this is the best period of spiritual upliftment. Loss is the lot of those who spend this period in sleeping and blocking the ways to good deeds. The Prophet said, "Allaah says: If my slave comes closer to Me an inch, I will come closer to him a cubit length and if he comes closer to Me a cubit length, I will come to him a arm's length, and if he comes to Me walking, I will come to him running." (Al-Bukhaaree)



Dear Brother! This is a time for good deeds if you are serious and ready to do good deeds. This is the time of acceptance of good deeds. The Satan is now locked up and the doors of good are opened for whoever wants. The Prophet said, "When Ramadaan comes, gates of Paradise will be opened and gates of Hell will be closed and the devils will be locked up." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)



Fellow Muslims! This is the time for sincere return to Allaah in repentance; a blessing from Allaah. Hasten to repentance now before it is too late. For Allaah loves to be generous to His creatures and have mercy on them and to forgive them their sins. Blessed is the one who cleanses himself from sins in this month and shun all misdeeds. O the captive of sins, this is the month when captives and sinners are set free and a month where the wrong-doer is forgiven. Zeise the opportunity of this great period and do not like him by whom Ramadaan came and yet did not achieve forgiveness and pleasure of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah one day ascended the pulpit and said, "Aameen, Aameen, Aameen." He was asked, "O Messenger of Allaah! You ascended the pulpit and said: Aameen, Aameen, Aameen?" The Prophet then answered, "Angel Jibreel came to me and said: Whoever witnessed the month of Ramadaan and yet did not have his sins forgiven and then entered Hell, may Allaah keep such a person away from His Mercy. Then I said Aameen."



Fellow Muslims! Beware of that which the corrupt people and callers to error has prepared for you of misleading and despicable programmes. For these people have no conscience and are free and no man can subject them to punishment. They are also criminals who have no regard for fasting at all. They feed the youth with poisoned drink and increased them in perdition. O the one who has chosen evil fate for himself and committed all kinds of immoralities, your bargain will end in a huge loss and your companions are the most evil ones.



O you who look at forbidden things, you are now in the best of all months. So beware not to violate the honour of this month. The Prophet said, "Whoever does not abstain from falsehood in word and deed, Allaah has no need of his abstention from food and drink." (Al-Bukhaaree)



O you who feels free while you are actually in captivity. O you who blindly follows the Path of destruction, O you who prefer filth to purity and spends his nights in sins. I wonder how can you abandon the clear path for an erroneous one. How can you have ears without ability to hear and eyes without the ability to see. Get out of your constant heedlessness and illusion and make proper use of your life. Do not be like those whom when they are asked to repent, they procrastinate. Blessed are those who abandon the present lust for the promised enjoyment of the Last Day which they have not seen, but yet they believed in it.



"And he who has brought the truth and those who believe therein, those are the pious. They shall have all that they will desire with their Lord. That is the reward of good-doers. So that Allaah may expiate from them the evil of what they used to do."



O you fasting Muslims! The best thing in which you can spend your time in this blessed month is reciting and studying the Book of Allaah a reflecting upon its meanings. Angel Jibreel used to meet the Messenger of Allaah every night during Ramadaan and he would study the Qur'aan with Him." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)



The Qur'aan is the healing to all heart diseases. It is the just judge in all affairs. It is full of deterrent admonition, excellent wisdom and astounding evidence on Islaamic Monotheism. It is more generous than rain and more pleasant to eyes than sleep. It is the soul to the everlasting life and without soul nobody can live. Therefore, concentrate on it and expunge its pearls. Study causes of revelation and the books of exegesis. Implement its injunctions in all your affairs. The fortunate is the one who gives his attention to the Qur'aan.



"The month of Ramadaan in which was revealed the Qur'aan, a guidance for mankind ad clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)."



Fasting and the Qur'aan shall intercede on behalf of man on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, "O my Lord! I prevented him from food and his lust, please allow me to intercede for him." and then the Qur'aan will say, "O my Lord! I prevented him from sleeping, so allow me to intercede for him." (Ahmad)



Fellow Muslims! This is a month of righteous spending and compassion. O you rich brethren! Remember the hungry and the destitute who have been afflicted by hardships and possess nothing. Assist them and provide for them. Feed the hungry and remove their hardship and do not enumerate your favour on them. Listen all to the word of the Prophet, "O son of Aadam! It is good for you to spend out of your excess wealth and it is evil to withhold. You will not be blamed if you do not have. Start with your dependants first. The hand that gives is better that the one that takes." (Muslim) The Prophet also said, "The best charity is the one given out in Ramadaan."



Brethren in faith! Seasons of blessings are only few days that soon end. Do not therefore be negligent in this great month. Endeavour to do many acts of worship, obligatory and supererogatory. Follow the etiquettes of fasting like early breaking as soon as the sun sets and eating predawn meal. The Messenger of Allaah used to break his fast on fresh dates and dried dates or few gulps of water. When he broke his fast he said, "Dhahabadh-dhama' wabatallatil urooq, wathabatal ajr insha Allaah." [The thirst has gone and the veins are moist and the reward is recorded, insha Allaah.] He also said, "Whoever eats or drinks forgetfully, let him complete his fast, for it is Allaah Who gave him food and drink." No payment or expedition is incumbent on him.



He also said, "Whoever is overwhelmed by vomiting while he is fasting, there is repayment on him. But whoever causes vomit by himself should repay the fasting of that day." "Whoever fasts Ramadaan faithfully and hoping to get reward for Allaah, all his past sins will be forgiven and whoever prays in the night of Ramadaan faithfully and hoping to get the reward of Allaah, his past sins will be forgiven."



"Whoever prays with the Imaam until he finished, the reward of night prayer will be recorded for him."



"Whoever provides food of Iftaar for a fasting Muslim, he will be given reward equal to that of the fasting Muslim without diminishing anything of the latter's reward."



Fellow Muslims! Beware of breaking your fast before the prescribed time. Beware of violating the honour of your blessed month by breaking fast with no legal excuse. The Prophet said, "While I was sleeping, two men came to me, took hold of my sides and brought me out to a rough rock. They told me, 'Ascend' and I said, 'I cannot.' They said, 'We shall make it easy for you.' So I ascended and when I reached the middle of the rock, I heard severe and loud sounds and asked, 'What are these sounds?' The two men answered, 'This is the cry of the dwellers of Hell.' I then preceded and then saw some people who are hanged by their ankles with their jawbones cracked and bleeding and I asked, 'Who are these?' The two men said, 'They are those who used to break their fasting before the appointed time.'" (Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibbaan)



As for the Muslim woman, she should not touch any perfume whenever she is attending Ishaa and Taraweeh prayers. She should also abstain from ornamental garments that can tempt people of weak minds and faith. She should not be alone with a strange male driver for that has evil consequences. The Prophet said, "If anyone of you women attends the congregational prayers, let her not use any perfume." (Muslim) Aaishah said, "Had the Messenger of Allaah seen what women are doing now, he would have prohibited them from attending the mosque as the women of the children of Israel have been prevented."



Women's prayer in their homes are however better for them. The Prophet said, "The best place in which women can perform prayers is the inner part of their houses." (Ahmad)



Fellow Muslims! The remedy of ignorance is to ask. Ask scholars about what is not clear to you, for whoever goes acting with no knowledge, he will have his deeds rejected.



Brethren in faith! It I saddening that an ugly habit has become widespread among some Muslims. The habit of extravagance in food and drink during the month of Ramadaan. Greediness and excessive eating causes disease, damages the intellect and cause many to throw remnants into waste bins, while there are some people who are hungry and looking for what they can satiate their hunger with. Fear Allaah, dear Brethren, for this is not how to thank Allaah for His blessings and this is not how to avert His retributions. He says,



"Spend not wastefully (in the manner of the spendthrift). Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the devils, and the Satan is ever ungrateful to his Lord."



There is no good in extravagance as there is no extravagance in good. Allaah says,



"If you give thanks, I will give you more (of My blessings), but if you are thankless, verily, My punishment is indeed severe."



Fellow Muslims! Every fasting Muslim is entitled to an accepted supplication each day and night. Endeavour then to make much invocation in this month of Ramadaan, for yourselves and you families. Raise up your hand to Allaah in supplication and invoke His Pleasure through many righteous deeds. Beseech Him to help your persecuted, oppressed and expelled brethren. For the Muslim Ummah is now undergoing worst and most difficult situation under the evil conspiracy of her enemies and there is no way out of Allaah's affliction except by escaping to Him.



We therefore must put our trust in Him, for He alone can help us and id us in the time of need. Let us know that Allaah tests this Ummah with affliction so that she can wake up from her slumber, know friend from foe and go back to her religion practically.