Prepare for the First Night of Ramadhan

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

What will be your state on the last day of Sha’ban? Make sure you end Sha’ban in the best of states, for Allah, the Exalted, records the rewards that we will receive and the supererogatory actions that we will perform before Ramadhan enters. Allah, the Exalted, also records the bad deeds and the wretchedness of those that will be deprived the blessings of Ramadhan.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) ascended the minbar and said: “Ameen, Ameen, Ameen.” It was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you ascended the minbar and said, ‘Ameen, Ameen, Ameen.” He said: “Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to me and said: ‘If Ramadhan comes and a person is not forgiven, he will enter Hell and Allah will cast him far away. Say Ameen.’ So I said Ameen. He said: ‘O Muhammad, if both or one of a person’s parents are alive and he does not honor them and he dies, he will enter Hell and Allah will cast him far away. Say Ameen.’ So I said Ameen. He said: ‘If you are mentioned in a person’s presence and he does not send blessings upon you and he dies, he will enter Hell and Allah will cast him far away. Say Ameen.’ So I said Ameen.” [Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan]

How unfortunate and miserable are these three kinds of people against whom Jibreel has supplicated that they be turned away from the Mercy of Allah, and the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said, 'Ameen,' for this supplication.

Prepare for the first night of Ramadhan, for on this night Allah gazes at His creation, a special gaze which is unique to this Ummah. Allah will never punish the one upon whom He gazes.[Narrated by Al-Baihaqi] Look at how many gifts have been given to you – when Ramadhan enters the gates of the Garden are opened and the gates of the Fire are closed. [Bukhari & Muslim]

If someone who is destined for the Fire dies during Ramadan he will see that the gates of the Fire are closed.

Every night Allah decrees the safety of 600,000 people from the Fire (in some narrations one million). Then on the last night he decrees the safety of the same number of people that he decreed on every night of the month. He also decrees the safety of others during the day – particularly at sunrise and sunset.

This is not to mention what happens on Laylat al-Qadr! Allah make us amongst those who reach that night and attain all that it contains. Ask from Allah in the best of ways because Allah does not accept a du`a from a heart which is heedless. Likewise a du`a from a sound heart is more likely to be accepted than a du`a from a tongue which is fluent.

'A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) what she should ask for if she knew that it was Laylat al-Qadr. He replied:

اللهمَّ إنَّكَ عَفُوٌ تُحِبُّ العَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنَّا

Allahumma innaka `afuwun tuhibbu-l’`afwa f`afwa `anna

O Allah, truly You are all-Pardoning, You love to pardon so pardon us.”[Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi]

May Allah give us the biggest portion of all goodness and make Ramadhan a cause of rectification and the removal of tribulations.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grants success.

Wassalaam