All perfect praise be to Allah, The Almighty, Who bestowed upon us countless graces and blessings. Peace and blessing of Allah be upon whom Allah made him a role model for humans, and upon his honorable household and companions and those who follow them as long as days and nights go on.
How many graces and gifts that Allah, The Almighty, has conferred upon his servants that no one can count in any way!
Our dear readers, we are welcoming one of the best graces that come all through years. It is the month of fasting and performing voluntary prayer during night, the month of obedience and offering the acts that bring one closer to his Lord, and the month of victory and pleasure. Allah, The Almighty, Says (what means): {The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.} [Quran 2: 185]
We do think that there is no Muslim live in this present time in which Hadeeths became widespread, admonishments became everywhere and the sources of instructions became several ignore the virtues, goodness, the great blessings and rewards of this blessed month. It is sufficient for us the promise of Allah, The Almighty, of doubling the reward of a good deed seven hundred times and even much more than this as it was reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Moreover, Allah, The Almighty, made in it the ten days that include Laylat Al-Qadr that equals in reward ten thousand months. What a great generosity that a sane person, who cares about his future and Hereafter, cannot realize and does not work for it!
Therefore, we will not talk in details about such virtues that any Muslim individual hear or read them day and night. However, we will have some important thoughts about it so that they may guide us to the best approach to deal with this blessed month so that one may get its benefits in this life and the life to come.
Firstly, Glad tidings are for our dear brothers and sisters for reaching this blessed month. Glad tidings are for you due to the great rewards that you will get, by the permission of Allah, The Almighty, and the multiple virtues that can never be counted in any way. Glad tidings are for you as long as you have sincere intention, renew your determination in your fasting, perform voluntary prayer during night and all other acts of worship, avoiding misdeeds even if they are minors or less in number. Glad tidings are for you as long as you know well the value of this blessed month and thus you get knowledge about and act upon it, strive, spend and show patience, make the most use of time, hold yourself accountable even if you made mistakes. Glad tidings are for you and all who are like you.
Secondly, it is really good while welcoming this month with all of our feelings, minds and emotions not to suffice with these feelings and emotions only , even if they are the starting point. Rather, we should go beyond them to make a perfect program for time and actions so that we may reach the desired level and the top that our righteous predecessors reached and deal properly with this month. Let us put a program for the day and night and distribute actions according to them. Let us make a program for actions and distribute them and what we need to fulfill according to time in much the same way as the owners of companies and business men do with resources and spending. Everyone is according to his job, work and position in his family and society so that the minor actions may not consume us and the night and day pass while only few things were recorded in your balance. The competitors preceded the forerunners and the time does not come back. I think this simple and clear initial programming is one of the most important helpers and elements to reach the desired aim of the blessed month and reap the fruits of this divine gift.
Thirdly, the real Muslim individual is the one who live in this life seeking highness in this life to reach the top and thus his name is included among the forerunners and winners. Amongst the great graces of Allah, The Almighty, is that winners and forerunners are not restricted in a certain number.
This blessed month should teach us that there is no limit for the good deeds that are accompanied with sincere intentions. Let the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, be the role mode and the leader that the Muslim individual look at and thus get encouraged and be powerful. Here is the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performs the voluntary prayer at night until his feet became swollen while all his past and future sins forgiven and said, “Should I not be a grateful slave?” Should not he, peace and blessings be upon him, be our role model?
Also, Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, used to come to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in Ramadan to teach him the Noble Quran and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to be the most generous of people, and he was at his most generous in Ramadan. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, furthermore, used to wake his family so that they may get the most of the Laylat Al-Qadr, tie his lower garment (Izaar) tight and stay up at night, stay at mosque and keep away from the pleasures of the worldly life on the last ten days. How about many people whose desires go right and left and walk in all roads except that of salvation and safety and sail in all boats except that of reaching highness! Is not our negligence in all other days and nights enough to stop and return with this chance that may never come again!
Fourthly, you are not alone my dear Muslim brother and sister in a distant planet away from your fellow Muslims all over the world. You with your body, soul and emotions are among your fellow Muslims, feel their happiness and pains. It is really good thing to live and feel such times of happiness and pains and participate in developing such pleasures and treat such pains by money, giving food for fasting people to break their fasting, seeking to solve the problem of a widow, or be kind to the poor, spend on an orphan, calling people to good, sincere supplication from the heart to the rulers of the Muslims to follow the religion of Allah, The Almighty, establish its limits and obligation, and to the Muslim scholars to be upright, and to the Muslim callers to be sincere and resolved, and to every responsible person to perform his responsibilities, and to fathers and mothers to educate their children and build their families well and to the poor, needy, weak, those who strive in the Cause of Allah, The Almighty, and to all Muslim brothers and sisters. Be generous even in your supplication and know that you will get the benefit of your supplication in this life and the life of to come.
Fifthly, Your family has a right upon you. Rather, they have great right and thus you should have in your plan a great share for improving their conditions, encouraging them and sharing them and to see in you their role model in your words and actions, fasting and your voluntary prayer during night, spending, and generosity. Let them feel your love, kindness and care towards them. Tell them about the great reward for the one who make the most of this month and the great loss of the one who neglects it. Help them in fulfilling all what implies good, spend as much as you can from your money to find good results, listen to their reciting of the Noble Quran, demonstrate your happiness with it, encourage the hard worker of them, explain the mistake of the mistaken, and treat the wrong action. Prepare rewards and incentives from them and you will see the effect of this on you and them in this life and Hereafter.
Finally, we welcome Ramadan with all pleasures and happiness. Let us have strong determination, renew intention and feel well the greatness of this blessed month and the great rewards it implies, do great deal of the acts that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to do.
May Allah provide me and all Muslims the best fasting and performance of the voluntary prayer during night! May Allah honor us with acceptance and pleasure! Peace and blessings of Allah be upon our master and Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his household and companions.