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BlissfullyJaded
10-09-2006, 03:13 AM
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Catch up with the Remaining Days of Ramadaan
Shaykh Husayn Aal-Shaykh
15, Ramadaan 1425 (29, October 2004)

All praise is due to Allaah Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! How quick are days and nights and months and years pass! This is the nature of life. Days and years move quickly. There are lessons in the changes of the time and situations.

Brethren in faith! Days and nights of the month of Ramadaan are now getting fewer and fewer. The month is nearing its end. All praise is due to Allaah for all that He decided and we thank for all His blessings.

Dear brethren! Catch up with the remaining days of Ramadaan with righteous deeds. Let him who has done well continue and let him who had been negligent conclude the month with righteous deeds.

Fellow Muslims! The injunctions of Islaam have infinite wisdoms and unparalleled goals. One of the greatest goals of fasting is that it create God-consciousness in its widest form in the heart of a Muslim, so that his whole life with be characterized with piety.

It is imperative to make Ramadaan a school where resoluteness and strong will to do righteous deeds are learned. Ramadaan should be utilized to organize one's conduct, correct one's soul, regulate one's inclinations, refining one's inward and outward characteristics, purifying one's deeds and conscience and in upholding virtuous and noble deeds. It is then that a Muslim can come out with a clean page of his life full of righteous deeds and traits.

Fasting in itself is a safe fortress against sins. It purifies the Muslim's soul, softens his heart and refines his manners. Allaah says,
"O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may be pious." (Al-Baqarah 2:183)

Dear brethren! In these days that the Ummah is in the state of weakness and undergoing a lot of hardship, the Muslims need to learn lessons in this month of Ramadaan. They shouldn’t go out of these lessons except with reformed situation and self-examination in all their religious and worldly affairs.

In these days that the Ummah is facing waves crises, and in which desires are overwhelming and following divergent opinions is the order of the day; in these days that the Ummah is facing naked enmity and vicious challenges and conspiracies, we need to take this Ramadaan as a phase of changing into what is better in all our affairs, in the light of the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.

The Ummah must not allow this month to go without having understood its wisdom and benefiting from its blessings, so that Islaam can be really represented in our lives. And that is not difficult for Allaah to do.

The Muslims should know with all certainty, though they are living in different kinds of calamities, that there is no way out of these tribulations except through a sincere return to Allaah by following the path of the Prophet.

That is the basic principle for reform and the basis for glory, success and salvation. Nothing can correct the situation of the later generation of this Ummah except that which corrected the situation of its earlier generation.

Dear brethren! Ramadaan is the month of generosity and magnanimity. Ibn 'Abbaas said, "The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel visited him, and Gabriel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet used to recite the Holy Qur'aan to Gabriel, and when Gabriel met him, he used to be more generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare)." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Generosity is of different types. One of the most prominent manifestations of generosity is to be kind to the people and benefit them in all ways like feeding the hungry and helping the needy. The Prophet said, "He who feeds a fasting Muslim shall have the like of his reward without diminishing anything of the reward of the fasting Muslim."

One the righteous men craved for certain food while he was fasting. The food was presented to him at the time of breaking his fast. But all of a sudden a beggar came and started saying, "Who will lend to the Truthful and the Rich [Allaah]?" The righteous man replied, "A servant of His, who is devoid of any good deed." So he went out to the beggar, gave the food and passed the night on an empty stomach. It is in regard to men like this that Allaah says,
"And they give in preference over themselves even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful." (Al-Hashr 59:9)

Fellow believers! There are in the Muslim world, poor people who have no income and refugees who have no homes. Many of them live difficult days and they suffer indescribably. O you followers of Muhammad! Fear Allaah in these brethren of yours. Remember them and their conditions and be generous to them as much as you can. Allaah says,
"And whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allaah's Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers." (Saba' 34:39)

While you are in Ramadaan, remember your oppressed brethren everywhere. Make invocations for them. Allaah says, "There are three people whose invocation is not rejected." And he mentioned among them, "The fasting Muslim when he breaks his fasting."

Brethren in Islaam! In the land of the two sacred cities, we are living in abundance blessing of Allaah under the shade of implementing the law of Islaam and its everlasting fundamentals. One of the things that we enjoy in this country is mutual love and affection that are the goals of the rulers and the citizens alike. Among the manifestations of this are the charity organizations that are found everywhere in this country. These organizations are in need of your support and generous assistance, especially in this blessed month. The Messenger of Allaah said, "Charity diminishes nothing from the wealth." (Muslim) He also said, Protect yourselves against Fire even if it with half of a date." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Fellow Muslims! Zakaah is an obligation that every Muslim should know as a matter of necessity. Zakaah is a protection against all undesirables and the way to success. The Messenger of Allaah said, "Fear Allaah your Lord, perform your five daily prayers, observe fasting in your month [of Ramadaan], give the Zakaah of your wealth and obey your rulers, you will enter the Paradise of your Lord." (At-Tirmidhee)

Dear Muslims! Allaah directed His severe threat to those who fail to give the Zakaah and those are negligent in this obligation. Allaah says,
"O you who believe! Verily, there are many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks who devour the wealth of mankind in falsehood, and hinder (them) from the Way of Allaah (i.e. Allaah's Religion of Islaamic Monotheism). And those who hoard up gold and silver (al-Kanz: the money, the Zakât of which has not been paid), and spend them not in the Way of Allaah, announce unto them a painful torment. On the Day when that (Al-Kanz: money, gold and silver the Zakaah of which has not been paid) will be heated in the Fire of Hell and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, (and it will be said unto them): "This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard." (At-Tawbah 9:34-35)

The Messenger of Allaah also warned his followers in many ways against treating Zakaah with disregard. He warned that the defaulters of Zakaah would be punished severely in the Hereafter so that the heedless souls could awaken and greedy people would take heed.

Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim reported that the Messenger of Allaah said, "Whoever is made wealthy by Allaah and does not pay the Zakaah of his wealth, then on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will be made like a bald-headed poisonous male snake with two black spots over the eyes. The snake will encircle his neck and bite his cheeks and say, 'I am your wealth, I am your treasure.'"

Then the Prophet recited the holy verses,
"And let not those who covetously withhold of that which Allaah has bestowed on them of His Bounty (Wealth) think that it is good for them (and so they do not pay the obligatory Zakaah). Nay, it will be worse for them; the things which they covetously withheld shall be tied to their necks like a collar on the Day of Resurrection." (Aal 'Imraan 3:180)

Aboo Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said, " If any owner of gold or silver does not pay what is due on him, when the Day of Resurrection would come, plates of fire would be beaten out for him; these would then be heated in the fire of Hell and his sides, his forehead and his back would be cauterized with them. Whenever these cool down, (the process is) repeated during a day the extent of which would be fifty thousand years, until judgment is pronounced among servants, and he sees whether his path is to take him to Paradise or to Hell." (Muslim)

As for you whom Allaah blessed with many blessings and much money, remember those of your brethren who are living in hardship and need. Remember that whenever the refusal to pay the Zakaah becomes widespread among a people, blessings are removed from the land and the people are afflicted with calamities and drought. The Prophet said, "If a people refuse to pay the Zakaah, Allaah afflicts them with drought."

The Messenger of Allaah also said, "If one pays the Zakaah of his wealth, he has removed the evil of that wealth." (At-Tabaraanee)

Ibn Maajah, Al-Bazzaar and Al-Bayhaqee narrated that the Prophet said, "If they refuse to pay the Zakaah of their wealth, they will be denied rain from the heaven, and if not for animals, they would not have rains."

Fear Allaah and pay the Zakaah of your wealth willingly, so that you can fortify your wealth and purify your worldly life and the Hereafter. Allaah says,
"Take alms from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allaah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them." (At-Tawbah 9:103)

As for you who have been weaken by your soul from paying what is obligatory upon you, do you not fear the wrath of Allaah? Do you fear that you may be afflicted with calamities in your body or your wealth and thereby denied the enjoyment of that wealth? The Prophet said, "Let the slave of Dinar and Dirham, of Khameesah and Khamisa perish as he is pleased if these things are given to him, and if not, he is displeased. Let such a person perish and relapse, and if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him." (Al-Bukhaaree)

The Prophet also said, "Every morning and evening, two angels pronounce: O Allaah, give the one who spends a substitute and give the one who withholds from spending destruction of his wealth!" (Al-Bukhaaree)

Fellow Muslims! The wealth in which Zakaah is due, the amount due, the time of its payment, how to pay it and the rules and conditions of Zakaah, are all known. Every Muslim must know these rules by asking the scholars. Allaah says,
"So ask of those who know the ure if you know not." (An-Nahl 16:43)

Zakaah is obligatory in gold and silver. The same thing applies to monetary currencies that people use today for their livelihood. Zakaah is also obligatory on the produce of the land of all seed and dates that are measured. It is obligatory on livestock and commercial commodities of all kinds be they real estates like lands or houses. If these properties are held in possession for a whole year, they are valued and the owner pays its Zakaah that amounts to 2.5% of its total value. But if ones keep some landed properties for rent and not for sale, the Zakaah is based on the rents collected on those properties if they are held in possession for a whole year.
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08-16-2008, 09:12 AM
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