The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and bidding farewell to Ramaḍān

The conclusion to Part 1 and Part 2

In the Name of Allah, the All Merciful, the Most Merciful

Ramadan, how sweet was our short meeting
And how bitter it shall be the day we bid you farewell
Oh but for those nights
They passed by like a flash of lightning when it sparkles

By Asmāʾ Ramaḍān

Translated by Mahdi Lock

When we have entered the final days of this sublime month, we should thank Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for this sublime blessing that He has bestowed upon us, the blessings of fasting, standing at night, reciting the Qurʾān, doing lots of dhikr, being removed from obscenity, our limbs fasting from every obscenity, whether a statement or an action (such as backbiting, slander, vilification, insults, empty talk, oppression, cheating and all other vile actions), for fasting was our effective weapon that gave us the ability to overcome them.

This is what is being alluded to in Allah the Exalted’s statement in the context of fasting: “You should complete the number of days and proclaim Allah’s greatness for the guidance He has given you, so that hopefully you will be thankful.” [al-Baqarah 2:185]

And it is for this immense blessing, the magnitude of which is known only to those whom Allah has guided from amongst His slaves and placed them upon light from Him along with guidance and clear signs: “Is he who knows that what has been sent down to you from your Lord is the truth like him who is blind? It is only people of intelligence who pay heed.” [ar-Raʿd 13:19]

This is from Allah the Exalted’s bounty towards us and his enabling success (tawfīq): that He has made us Muslims and from the Ummah of the Seal of the Prophets, peace and blessings be upon him, and He has not made us Jews, Christians, Magians or atheists.

When faced with bidding farewell to Ramaḍān, we should ask Allah the Exalted for more of His bounty, mercy and tawfīq, and to make us firm upon the truth until we meet Him upon that truth and He is pleased with us. We should ask Him to accept our fasting, our standing at night, our recitation of the Qurʾān and our dhikr, seeking our Lord’s countenance. We must ask our nafs how it has changed after this fasting; has it become a true Muslim? Has the love of Allah, His Messenger and His Book become more beloved to you than your own self, your family, your wealth and all of humanity? If that is the case then rejoice and hope for the best. If you find that your nafs is still falling short and that it hasn’t changed through fasting and hasn’t benefitted from worship, and that it is still making you incline toward vain desires and passions, then ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to cure you of this, and know that reciting the Qurʾān and the dhikr of Allah is your path to being cured from whatever you’re suffering from. Allah the Exalted has said, “We send down in the Qurʾān that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, but it only increases the wrongdoers in loss.” [al-Isrāʾ 17:82]

And be wary of being amongst those who oppress any of Allah’s slaves, for indeed oppression is layers of darkness on the Day of Resurrection. Be wary of being amongst those who cling to disobedience, remaining persistently in sin, because such people gain nothing from their fasting except hunger and thirst and they gain nothing from their standing at night except fatigue and sleeplessness.

Be wary of letting this month come to an end and you have not been forgiven, and know that in this month, every night, Allah the Exalted has people who are emancipated from the Fire, so ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to make you one of them. The Exalted has said, “Those who say, ‘Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell. Its punishment is inescapable pain.” [al-Furqān 25:65]

Then, ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to let you live longer so that you can reach another Ramaḍān, and Allah can provide you with its fasting and standing at night, for how many are those who have reached this Ramaḍān but will not reach the one that is coming, and who knows whom from amongst us will be one of them?

Allah, Mighty and Majestic, loves those who repent and seek His forgiveness, so repent to Allah in sincerity and seek His forgiveness, indeed He is Ever Forgiving, All Merciful.

We ask Allah to accept this from us in full and to make us amongst those who listen to speech and then follow the best of it.

And praise be to Allah, Lord of all creation.

And may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, his family and Companions.