In Ramadhan we refrained from halal for the sake of Allah by fasting. Similarly, we must refrain from haram for the sake of Allah after Ramadhan. What a loss it is for those who only recognise Allah in Ramadhan. The Lord of every month is one; Allah.

The following is some parting advice before the end of Ramadhan;

1. Shukr (Thank Allah ﷻ) – Every dua the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us, is a miracle. Whenever he ﷺ would complete a task, he would recite the following:
الحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَاتُ
All thanks to Allah by his gift the good actions are being completed [Ibn Majah]

Best position to thank Allah ﷻ is in sajdah. Spend around 30 minutes thanking Allah for giving us the opportunity to do good actions.  

2. Istighfaar (Seek forgiveness) – Seek forgiveness for mistakes made during fasting and ibadat. We can never truly worship Allah the way He deserves to be worshipped.
Some angels have just been created to be in sajdah until the day of judgement saying;
ما عبدناك حق عبادتك
O Allah, we have not fulfilled the ibadat the way Allah deserves

At the end of every action we do istighfar. After completing salah we say istighfar three times. After completing Arafat (in Hajj) Allah informs us to do istighfar. Even coming out of the lavatory we recite the istighfar dua (غفرانك). Therefore, at the termination of fast, we must do istighfar.

The last full surah to be revealed in the Quran was Surah An-Nasr. Allah informed the Prophet ﷺ to say;
فسبح بحمد ربك واستغفر
Praise your rabb by thanking Him and seeking forgiveness
Though the Prophet ﷺ was completely pardoned he ﷺ still did istighfar. We should increase in seeking Allah’s forgiveness especially in these last few moments of Ramadhan.

3. Sadaqatul Fitr – We give but it is a mercy from Allah ﷻ. The sahaba r.a would give sadaqatul fitr in advance one or two days before Eid so the poor can enjoy their Eid. The sahaba r.a mentioned two reasons of giving it;

  • To purify the mistakes in our fasting (Sadaqah is an action of istighfar).
  • To benefit the poor. Do not look at the cheapest rate rather the more we pay, the more our sins and mistake are purified.

4. Obtain Taqwa (Piety) – Taqwa is attained by doing good actions. In the khutbah of nikah, after mentioning the verses about taqwa, Allah informs us to do good actions. One of signs of attaining taqwa is seen in the manner we speak to others and our behaviour with our community. If one continues to backbite after Ramadhan or disobeys Allah, then one has not obtained taqwa.

Taqwa means to remember Allah, obey Him, and do not disobey Him. If we remember Allah when a haram act approaches us leading to refrain from it, then that too is taqwa.

Allah ﷻ has mentioned the word taqwa roughly 250 times in the Quran. Mentioning the word taqwa once in the Quran would have been enough for Allah but the beauty of repetition is showing us the importance of taqwa.

5. The night before Eid – It is a blessed night. Whoever stays awake in worship will be rewarded. On the day of judgement, the hearts that will stay alive will be those who stayed awake during the night before Eid contemplating on their actions and seeking forgiveness. If one is unable to stay awake, then if possible perform Esha and Fajr with Jamat at home (Due to lock-down). The time from Esha to Fajr will be equal to a person who worshipped the whole night.

6. Maintain the sweetness of iman – In Ramadan we realise what true iman is and what it feels like to be a good Muslim. Do not spoil this, continue in gaining closeness to Allah and the sweetness of iman will remain.

One of the ways sweetness of iman is decreased is by showing off. Avoid telling others of achievements in Ramadhan, telling people how much we have prayed and how much we have recited. Shaytan will make us destroy our good actions by showing off. ‘And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong..’ [16:92]

7. Time – Ramadan has come and gone. In the same manner, time will come, and it will go. Allah even takes an oath by time in the Quran; والعصر By the token of time [Surah Al-Asr] which shows the importance of time.

The word Asr is derived from Asara which means ‘to squeeze’. Therefore, our time in this world is being squeezed. It comes, goes and is very limited in time. Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda r.a used to say; Time is more expensive than gold because gold you can replace but time you cannot.

We still have few hours left. Make the ending the best, those who did not value the past 29 days of Ramadhan still have hope! Therefore, seek forgiveness and turn to Allah. Value and do not waste the last few moments.
Allah ﷻ said;
والعاقبة للمتقين
The best outcome is for the righteous

8. Dua for acceptance – Continue making dua for acceptance of all your good deeds. The sahaba r.a used to spend half of the year making dua for the coming Ramadhan and then the other half of the year for Allah’s acceptance of actions done in Ramadhan.

We should read the dua Prophet Ibrahim a.s made after building the Kabah;
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
“Our Lord, accept this from us. Indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. [2:127]

May Allah ﷻ accept our fast, salah, Quran recitation, ibadat, donation, assisting and helping others and all other good deeds.
امين يا رب العالمين امين يا ارحم الرٰحمين

Above is a summary from Shaykh’s jumuah speech on 22/05/20 in Quwwatul Islam. Click here to listen to the full audio (Audio no.72)