O believing servants of Allah! There is not the slightest doubt that every person who fasted the month of Ramadan that has passed from us and performed prayers, including additional night prayers, everyone wants Allah (pure and exalted is He) to accept from him his fast, his qiyam, his worship. And so that his efforts do not go in vain and are rewarded by Allah (pure and exalted is He). Naturally, every person asks Allah (pure and exalted is He) for this, so that this desire will come true and this goal will be realized.
Has Allah (pure and exalted) accepted from us or not? There are signs that point to this and there is evidence for this that confirms the acceptance of fasting and worship. There are qualities in which you can hope that Allah (pure and exalted is He) has indeed accepted your worship from you.
The most important sign is if a person sees in himself a desire for good and improvement in relation to the observance of the religion of Allah (pure and exalted is He), how he firmly began to hold on to this religion and became more submissive after Ramadan – this is a sign that Allah (pure and exalted is He) accepted his worship from him. That is, if a person sees that after Ramadan he has become better than he was before Ramadan in terms of obedience to Allah (pure and exalted is He) and goodness, in relation to istiqama – to firmly adhere to the religion of Allah (pure and exalted is He).
– if he sees that after Ramadan his desire for worship has increased and that he begins to cherish even more the observance of the duties (fards) that Allah (pure and exalted is He) has imputed to him. And he began to perform the five-time prayers even better and began to perform them as expected, that is, these are not just prayers in which a person simply uses his body, but his thoughts are elsewhere at this time and he simply taps out bows and often does not even know how many bows he has made. And it often happens to people that they do not know how many rakats they have performed, because they are in prayer only with their bodies, and with their hearts they are not in prayer, but somewhere else.
– if a person sees that his prayer after Ramadan has become better and has become a real prayer, and he tries to perform the obligatory prayers (fards) in a group (in a jamaat) in a mosque, if there is an opportunity for this.
– if he sees that after Ramadan he fell even more in love with what is approved (ma’ruf) – what Allah (pure and exalted is He) loves and began to do it even more, and began to encourage others to do so.
– if he discovers in himself that he has increased hatred for what is condemned (munkar) by Allah (pure and exalted is He) and he himself leaves it and keeps others from it.
– if you see that you have begun to respond even faster to the order of Allah (pure and exalted is He), when you hear “said Allah” and “said the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)” – do not let it pass your ears, like a funnel, into which water is poured and then this water leaves, and no benefit remains in this funnel – as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says. So you quickly respond to the orders and call of Allah (pure and exalted is He).
These are signs that Allah (pure and exalted is He) has accepted from a person his fast and his worship in the month of Ramadan.
– if the person’s condition was the same before Ramadan and remains so, sometimes it even became worse than it was before Ramadan
– if he was mired in delusions, deviations, innovations (bid’ats), in disobeying Allah (pure and exalted is He) and remained so or got even further lost
– if he was lazy in relation to doing what Allah (pure and exalted) ordered or feared people more than Allah (pure and exalted is He) because of which he does not follow the orders of Allah (pure and exalted) (he is afraid of what people will say) – and it was like that with him and it remained like that with him or even increased
– if he neglects even more or the same as before
– if he is immersed in “Muharramat” – what Allah has forbidden (pure and exalted is He)
– if he commits forbidden (haram) with his heart, his tongue and his organs.
This is a sign of a loss! This means that the person suffered damage and did not receive any profit from this Ramadan. This means that he did not receive the gifts of Allah (pure and exalted is He) during this blessed time, because Ramadan is a time of special submission to Allah (pure and exalted is He), when the gifts of Allah (pure and exalted) are distributed. And this man did not want to receive gifts from Allah (pure and exalted is He) and he did not use this blessed time. He did not properly ask Allah (pure and exalted) to forgive him and he did not do what is the reason for forgiveness from Allah (pure and exalted) and receiving pleasure from Allah (pure and exalted). This is truly offensive and great damage! This is truly a great misfortune that affected him and the terrible outcome that this man received.
The month of Ramadan was such a month, one of the wise meanings of which is to accustom oneself to submission to Allah (pure and exalted is He). That is, the wisdom of Ramadan is that a person accustoms himself and his soul to godly deeds, to obey Allah (pure and exalted is He) and to be diligent and active in the path of Allah (pure and exalted is He). To be active, serious and diligent in the worship and service of Allah (pure and exalted is He) and to compete with other people not in worldly goods and not in authority in this world, but to compete in being CLOSER TO ALLAH (pure and exalted is He), that is, in good deeds. This is one of the important purposes of Ramadan:
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“so perhaps you will become mindful “ Quran, Surah “Cow”, 2:183
That is, for a person to accustom himself during this month to be submissive to Allah (pure and exalted is He). The month of Ramadan is that type of school. And how disgusting it is if Ramadan has passed like this and this month of humility has ended and a Muslim gets rid of the worshipping Allah (pure and exalted is He). That’s it, the sun has set on the last day of Ramadan and a person finishes worship and throws off his fear of God (takua), like a person who throws off some seasonal clothing. Well, how can one throw off one’s religiosity and fear of Allah (takua), the same way one throws off some seasonal clothing (a jacket or coat)?! And unfortunately, this is the state of many people who know Allah (pure and exalted is He) only in Ramadan. And to such people we say: “You, who in Ramadan knew that you have a Lord, a Master, Whom you must worship, serve and be submissive; Whom you must fear and in Whom you must hope. How did you, who knew this in Ramadan, forget after Ramadan?! During Ramadan, you knew that Allah (pure and exalted is He) made it your duty to pray five times a day and to perform it in the best possible way, and if there is an opportunity to perform it in the mosque, how after Ramadan do you pretend as if you don’t know this?! You knew in Ramadan that Allah (pure and exalted is He) forbade you to disobey, how after Ramadan did you forget that Allah (pure and exalted is He) forbade you to do this?! You knew in Ramadan and your heart and yours soul remembered, that before you are Heaven and Hell and that before you is a reward or punishment (retribution), how after Ramadan suddenly do you fall into carelessness again?!
During Ramadan, the mosques were filled, they came and worshiped Allah (pure and exalted is He), read the Quran, after Ramadan the mosques become empty and you are no longer there, people saw you in the mosque, but now they don’t see you. And after Ramadan, you threw the Quran behind your back and rarely remember studying and reading the Quran. Amazing are those people who know and fear Allah (pure and exalted is He) only in the month of Ramadan! They asked one of the predecessors about such people, he said:
بِئْسَ الْقَوْم لا يَعْرِفُونَ الله إلَّا فِي رَمَضَان
“How bad (vile) are those people who know Allah only during the month of Ramadan!”
O servants of Allah, be “Rabbaniyin” – people of the Lord Allah and do not be “Ramadaniyin” – people of Ramadan who only do something during Ramadan and come into some kind of movement. Because the Lord of all months is One and in all months there is One Lord. He Who is the Lord of Ramadan is the Lord of Shawwal, Sha’ban and all twelve months. Their Lord is Allah (pure and exalted is He)! Therefore, a Muslim is obliged to worship Allah (pure and exalted is He) and avoid disobeying Allah (pure and exalted is He) always at all times throughout his life. Allah (pure and exalted is He) says in the Quran:
وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ
“and worship your Lord until the inevitable comes your way.”
Quran, Surah Hijr, 15:99
“الْيَقِينُ” (conviction) – something about which there is no doubt. A thing in which you are 100% convinced. What are we all convinced of, that this will certainly happen? What will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we don’t know, but you and I are convinced that it will certainly happen to each of us – this is death. So Allah (pure and exalted is He) says: “Worship your Lord until conviction comes to you.” That is, constantly be in worship of Allah (pure and exalted is He) and turn your heart to Him. Your entire life should be dedicated to Allah (pure and exalted is He) until the hour of death comes to you and until the period that Allah (pure and exalted) has determined for you on this earth ends. Because our life with you is not our property, but the property of Allah (pure and exalted is He). And Allah (pure and exalted is He) wants this property of His, our lives, to be filled with service and submission to Him (pure and exalted is He).
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“Say, “Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah—Lord of all worlds.”
Quran, Surah The Cattle, 6:162
How are you going to maintain your commitment (istikama) on this Straight Path and fill your life with the worship of Allah if you do not study knowledge, the Quran and the Sunnah?! And if you constantly communicate with careless people of this world, who will not remind you of eternal life (akhira), but rather turn you away from it, whose hearts are careless and you are surrounded by them all the time, then who will remind you of Allah (exalted is He and exalted)? This is how you are going to fill your life with serving Allah if you do not receive any knowledge and you are far from the Revelation of Allah and your communication is not with those people who will remind you of Allah (pure and exalted is He)?! And you will later regret communicating with these people.
A person who fills his time and life and who gives his health, free time, his strength and his youth, his mind, thought, heart, his tongue NOT to what Allah (pure and exalted is He) commands and NOT to what He has established The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) be it obligatory orders (wajib) or desirable actions or permissible things (mubah), but turn them into the worship of Allah (pure and exalted is He) and in approaching Him – such a person commits evil, which is directed against what he has most dear – this is his soul. So a man took and oppressed his soul and oppressed it with such great oppression that later he will regret very bitterly and will grieve on the Day of Judgment for his omissions. Moreover, his degree of regret will correspond to the degree of omission, neglect and carelessness.
O servants of Allah! If a person sticks to something all the time, stands and is constant in something all the time, then he will die in the state in which he was all the time. That is, if you are constant in something, you will die in this state. And if you die in this state, then in this state you will be resurrected. This is the rule (Sunnah) of Allah (pure and exalted is He), which does not change. In relation to creation, it is like this: Allah (pure and exalted is He) requires from His close servants that they be constant in serving Him – that they be constant in their Islam and that they be constant in obedience to Allah (pure and exalted) and in observance of His instructions until death.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
O believers! Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves, and do not die except in ˹a state of full˺ submission ˹to Him˺.
Quran, Surah “The Family of Imran”, 3:102
“Muslims” – those who betray and submit to Allah (pure and exalted is He)
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him), when interpreting this verse, says:
“Allah Almighty (pure and exalted is He) says: “O you who believe, fear Allah truly and die not otherwise than as Muslims” – that is, take care of your Islam when you are healthy and prosperous, so that you die on it. Because the Generous (Al-Karim) and the Magnanimous (Allah (pure and exalted is He)), in His generosity and magnanimity, established the following rule: “He who lives on something, dies on it.” And whoever dies on something is resurrected on it.” And may Allah (pure and exalted be He) protect us from the opposite of this.”
Imam Ahmad, Imam at-Tirmidhi, Ibnu Majah and other imams cite a hadith from Mujahid – one of the followers (tabi’een) who said: “Once people made tawaf around the Kaaba and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (cousin of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Allah bless him), an expert on the Quran (ترجمان القران)) was sitting nearby and in his hands was a staff with a curved end (mikhjan). And he said:
قالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «﴿يا أيُّها الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقاتِهِ ولا تَمُوتُنَّ إلا وأنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ﴾، ولَوْ أنَّ قَطْرَةً مِنَ الزَّقُّومِ قَطَرَتْ لَأمَرَّتْ عَلى أهْلِ الأرْضِ عَيْشَهُمْ، فَكَيْفَ بِمَن لَيْسَ لَهُ طَعامٌ إلّا الزَّقُّومُ»
“O you who believe! Have fear of Allah as is His due, and die not except as Muslims. (Then he said): ‘If a drop of Zaqqum were to be dropped on the earth, it would ruin the livelihood of the people of this world, so how about those who have no food other than it (i.e. Zaqqum)?’”
Ahmad (2735), Ibn Majah (4325), at-Tirmidhi (5285) and Ibn Abi Hatim (1098)
That is, this drop of Zakkum would upset the entire life of all the inhabitants of the earth. This droplet that can poison this entire earthly world, and he will feed on it.
One of such capacious du’a (prayer) with which Allah (pure and exalted is He) teaches us to turn to Him, and we must know such prayers in order to turn to Allah (pure and exalted is He). This is the du’a of Yusuf (peace be upon him), who turned to Allah (pure and exalted is He) with the following words:
أَنتَ وَلِيِّي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ
“You are my Guardian in this world and the Hereafter. Allow me to die as one who submits and join me with the righteous.”
Quran, Surah Yusuf, 12:101
You will not live normally in this world and you will not have happiness, security and peace in this world if you do not hold on to this religion and do not follow all the rules, teachings, regulations and instructions of this religion. Because the normal state and being in order in this world (salah ad-dunya) is closely directly related to the order of your religion. If your religion is in order, then your life will also be in order. Do not think that there could ever be a deviation from this rule in any way. There is no deviation from this rule! Shaitan deceives a person into retreating because it is better. And the person thinks that this is indeed better for his worldly life (dunya), BUT it will not be better. It will be good here only if there is a good religion. So look, in the du’a the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) combined these things and said:
اللَّهُمَّ أصْلِحْ لِي دِيني الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أمْرِي، وأصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي
” O Allah, set right for me my religion which is the safeguard of my affairs. And set right for me the affairs of my world wherein is my living.
/Allahumma aṣliḥ lī dīn al-lathi huwa ‘iṣmatu amrī, wa aṣliḥ lī dunya-ya al-lati fīhā ma’āshī/
Muslim (2720)
When the new lunar month began and appeared, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned to Allah (pure and exalted is He) with the following du’a:
اللَّهُمَّ أهِلَّهُ عَلَيْنَا بِالأمْنِ وَالإيمانِ، وَالسَّلاَمَةِ وَالإسْلاَمِ، رَبِّي وَرَبُّكَ اللَّهُ
“O Allah, bring it over us with blessing and faith, and security and Islam. My Lord and your Lord is Allah”
/Allāhumma ahlilhu `alainā bil-yumni wal-Īmān, was-salāmati wal-Islām, rabbī wa rabbuk Allāh/
at-Tirmidhi (3451)
That is, our Lord and Lord of the month is Allah. Be careful and think, it is said: “O Allah, make this month for us the month of “amn” or “yumn” – that is, prosperity, security, happiness and the month of faith.” Hear the consonance of “amn” and “iman”! That is, you will have happiness and prosperity and security if you have faith (iman), they are connected with each other.
Then it says: “وَالسَّلاَمَةِ وَالإسْلاَمِ” – again single-root words. “السَّلاَمَةِ” – well-being and deliverance from everything bad. “الإسْلاَمِ” – to surrender oneself to Allah (pure and exalted is He). You will have happiness, prosperity and you will be protected from everything bad if you always have faith (iman) and Islam. If you live by this all the time. The one who believes in Allah (pure and exalted is He) and adheres to the Sharia of Allah (pure and exalted is He), which He revealed in His Revelation to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the one who has not clouded this worship of his and faith (iman) by polytheism (shirk) or disbelief (kufr), or innovation (bid’a), or internal disobedience (dissatisfaction with what Allah (pure and exalted) has ordained, envy, showing off (riya)) or external disobedience Allah (pure and exalted is He). If you have not clouded your iman with these things, then Allah (pure and exalted is He) then guarantees you safety, well-being and a guarantee that Allah (pure and exalted is He) will guide you.
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ
It is ˹only˺ those who are faithful and do not tarnish their faith with falsehood who are guaranteed security and are ˹rightly˺ guided.
Quran, Surah “Cattle”, 6:82
Fasting (syyam), during which you and I abstained from food, drink and other things. Allah (pure and exalted is He) allowed you and me to complete the number of his days. What joy does a person experience who fasts, refusing food, drink and other things that are usually permitted when breaking the fast (iftar)?! What joy does a fasting person experience during Iftar?! So, this fast is in relation to food and drink, and there is also a fast that has not yet ended with the end of Ramadan and it lasts all the time. You and I refused to eat and drink during Ramadan, but we must refuse to disobey Allah (pure and exalted is He) and sins throughout our lives. This fast lasts throughout our entire life and this fast will end with a joyful iftar for those who observed this fast, during his hour of death he will be told: “O good soul, come forth to acceptance (pleasure of Allah) of your Lord.”
Allah (pure and exalted is He) says in the Quran:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ ❁ نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَاؤُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ ❁ نُزُلًا مِّنْ غَفُورٍ رَّحِيمٍ
Surely those who say, “Our Lord is Allah,” and then remain steadfast, the angels descend upon them, ˹saying,˺ “Do not fear, nor grieve. Rather, rejoice in the good news of Paradise, which you have been promised.
We are your supporters in this worldly life and in the Hereafter. There you will have whatever your souls desire, and there you will have whatever you ask for:
an accommodation from the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful ˹Lord˺.”
Quran, Surah Explained, 41:30-32
In a hadith narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says:
“Whoever wishes to be delivered from the fire and enter the garden should die with faith in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the people as he wishes to be treated by them.”
Muslim (1844) and an-Nasai (4202). See Sahih al-Jami’ (2403)
That is, you need to preserve your iman until the moment when Allah (pure and exalted is He) rests your soul.
Don’t be a dreamer! That you run like this and, sticking out your tongue, rush after this world, behind its pleasures and riches, and you will not be a “mustakim” – firmly hold on to the religion of Allah (pure and exalted is He) and suddenly you will enter Paradise. These are fruitless dreams!
Allah (pure and exalted is He) says:
لَّيْسَ بِأَمَانِيِّكُمْ وَلَا أَمَانِيِّ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ
“˹Divine grace is˺ neither by your wishes nor those of the People of the Book!” Quran, Surah “Women”, 4:123
But only to those who labored for His sake (pure and exalted is He)
We ask Allah (pure and exalted is He) to allow you and me to live in Islam. To kill us in faith (in iman) and to establish us on the path of truth and on the right road until the moment we meet Him (pure and exalted is He).
