Download The Specialty Of Ramadan

FRIDAY SERMON
6 Ramadan 1435H / 4 July 2014
The Specialty Of Ramadan
Ustaz Azli Bin Abdul Rahman
Imam
Islamic Centre UTM
• Dear beloved Brothers,
• Let us have taqwa towards Allah with the utmost taqwa. May we become the thankful servants to Allah SWT. Allah says in surah al‐
Nisaa verse 59:
• Which means:
• “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.”
• Brothers,
• Alhamdulilah. Let us be thankful to Allah SWT for all the priceless blessings and grace that He has bestowed upon us to this second, that we are able to meet Ramadan, the holy month that is full of blessing, this year.
• Ramadan came to give chances for the ummah to increase their good deeds and to not waste it’s presence. • Rasulullah pbuh said:
• “Rejab is the month of Allah, Syaaban is my month and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.” • It is clear that Ramadan is a specific and special month as compared to the other months that Allah has given only to the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad saw. • Therefore, it is required for us to celebrate and welcome Ramadan every year by reflecting it and increase our deeds in it. • May we be among the people of taqwa like Allah SWT says in surah al‐Baqarah verse 183:
• O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.
• Brothers of Islam,
• The month of Ramadan is full of trials and tests because throughout the day, it triggers our souls and our emotions. • This is the trial from Allah to build the spiritual shield in order to increase the faith and piety towards Allah SWT. • That is the reason why Allah makes Ramadan a month full of blessing and forgiveness and the increase of rewards with every good deeds that we perform.
• Whoever serves food for those who are breaking their fast, they will receive the same among of rewards as those who are fasting, no less. • An‐Nakhaie explained that a day fasting in the month of Ramadan is better than a thousand day fast in other months. • The rewards for performing a prayer in the month of Ramadan is more than performing prayers in other months and giving charity in the month of Ramadan is like spending money for war in the name of Allah.
• Dear brothers,
• The highlight of the holy month of Ramadan is one special night, Lailatul Qadr, which is better than a thousand month as Allah SWT said in Surah al‐Qadr verse 3:
• The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.
• Lailatul Qadr is a night that no one knows when and that night all the Angels with descend with the permission of Allah SWT in the state of reciting the praises to Allah non‐
stop until Fajr, this is specifically towards the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad pbuh who is busy praying.
• Dear brother in Islam,
• That is some of the specialties and advantages in the month of Ramadan. • Therefore, I called upon myself and all of you to focus on this Ramadan so that we will not let it pass by just like that. • It is a shame for us Muslim to uphold this third pillar of Islam yet some of us fast and gain nothing apart from thirst and hunger because we failed to perform the Ibadah, some still waste their time and money and some could not restrain their bad intention. • Allah SWT says in Surah Al‐Baqarah verse 185 which 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.
• Dear Brothers,
• All the forgiveness and goodness that we gain in the month of Ramadan will be nothing if we return back to our old habits after that. • In this month, we are required to restrain all evil doings, useless things and being distracted. Rasulullah pbuh said, narrated by Imam Bukhari from Abu Hurairah:
• Whoever fails to abandon their lies, Allah did not wish upon their restrain of food and water (fasting).
• Hence, fasting is to show thanks to Allah SWT for the unlimited blessing He has bestowed upon us. • The arrival of Ramadan is to educate desire from bad desire (ammarah) to good desire (lawwamah) and lastly towards Nafs Mutmainnah which is the highest desire that is blessed by Allah SWT, clean oneself from bad characteristic, educate the self by being patient with hardship and trials that we faced in life.
• Dear Brothers in Islam,
• Why don’t we make this Ramadan as the month to increase our Ibadah and good deeds for our self, families, society and country. • Why don’t we use this Ramadan as a means to fix our spiritual self and lifestyle. The truth is, to gain rewards from Allah SWT in the state of hunger and thirst, is not easy. • But for the sake of a strong faith, piety and spirituality, we have to strive to do the good deeds. If we succeed, it means that we managed to face a bigger Jihad which is the jihad of Nafs by obeying Allah SWT.
• Apart from that, fasting too gives a positive impact towards our spiritual and physical self. • With that, let us grab this opportunity and advantage for the rewards in this month of Ramadan towards being a better person. Increase taubah for the sins towards Allah and towards other humans as long as we are living. • May we gain blessings, forgiveness and escape from the hellfire. Allah says in surah al‐Mu’minun verse 7:
• But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors.
O servant of Allah, remember that this world is a place for temporary lodging. Truly, hereafter is the everlasting and permanent abode. So let us devote to Allah for obtaining happiness and escape from the punishment of hellfire.
• Allah says in Surah Al Ahzab verse 56:
• Which means:
“Indeed Allah confers blessing upon the prophet and His angels (ask Him to do so). O! You who have believed, ask Allah to confer blessing upon him and ask Allah to grant him peace.”
• Let us pray that may Allah SWT be
please with the khalifahs of
Rasulullah s.a.w i.e Sayyidina Abu
Bakr al‐Siddiq r.a., Sayyidina Umar
al‐Khattab r.a., Sayyinda Uthman ibn
Affan r.a., Sayyidina Ali ibn Abi
Thalib r.a.
• And to his companions who struggle to uphold
the religion of Allah, also to his uncles Sayyidina
Hamzah and Sayyidina Abbas r.a. and to his
granchildren Sayyidina Hassan and Sayyidina
Hussain r.a., his daughters Sayyidatina Fatimah al‐
Zahraa’, his wives Sayyidatina Khadijah and
Sayyidatina Aisyah r.a. and the other wives.
Followed by his family, companions, followers of
the companions and those who come after them
from time to time until the end of the world.
• O Allah, forgive all Muslims and believers,
whether surviving or deceased. O Allah, grant
us glory and prosperity to those who fight and
spend their wealth in your way such as those
who pay zakat, waqaf etc.
• Ya Allah, bestow your guidance and help to the leaders and kings of the Muslim countries especially to Abdaka Al‐Harith Lishariatika Al‐
Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Al‐
Sultan Iskandar, the Sultan and ruler for the State of Johor Darul Takzim.
• And to Raja Zarith Sofea Binti Al‐Marhum
Sultan Idris Shah, Tengku Ismail Ibn Sultan
Ibrahim, Pemangku Raja Johor and, the Prince
and Princess, the royal kinship, and all
Muslims.
KEPADA PARA JEMAAH SEKALIAN,
SILA PENUHKAN SAF YANG KOSONG
DIHADAPAN ANDA
www.utm.my/islamiccentre/
/pusatislam.utm