Hajja Rukiye Sultan: Preparing the Heart for Ramadan

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Ramadan is the month of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ, and whoever is happy with Ramadan, Allah ﷻ is happy with him or her.

On the first night of Ramadan, Allah Azza wa Jalla looks at His servants. Whoever is preparing for Ramadan, becoming happy and excited for Ramadan, Allah ﷻ looks at them. And whoever Allah looks at, Allah will never punish him or her.

On the first night of Ramadan, all the doors of Heaven are opened, all the doors of Fire are closed, and all the shaytans are tied. The Ummah is safe, and worship is accepted, insha Allah.

Fasting is of three kinds.

The first kind of fasting is for the awam, the common people. This is to refrain from eating, drinking, and bodily desires, meaning relations with one’s spouse. This is the fasting of the common people.

Then there is the fasting of the special people, the khawas. It is to keep the tongue from speaking badly, the eyes from looking at what is forbidden, the hands from doing bad actions, and to protect every inner and outer part of oneself from sin. This is the fasting of the special people.

There is also the fasting of the special of the special, the khawas al-khawas. This means that in addition to all of this, they make the intention that this fasting is only for Allah ﷻ, and for nothing else. SubhanAllah. Allah Azza wa Jalla says, “Fasting is for Me, and I reward it.” Nobody knows its reward except Allah. When we have the right intention, and insha Allah we are striving to guard ourselves, only Allah knows the reward.

Allah Azza wa Jalla says in the Qur’an al-Karim: “Whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof” (Surat al-An‘am, 160). And it increases. At least ten rewards, then more, twenty five, seventy, one hundred, two hundred, seven hundred, or more. When you do something good, Allah ﷻ rewards and blesses you immensely. When you do something bad, each sin is counted as only one punishment. This is from the Mercy of Allah Azza wa Jalla toward His servants.

So when you do good deeds, you receive at least ten rewards immediately. But when you do something bad, it is counted one for one.

Allah Azza wa Jalla created two angels for every person, Raqib and ‘Atid. One is on the right side and one is on the left side. The angel on the right has authority over the one on the left. Everything we do is written by them, even what we say within ourselves or what we think.

Allah ﷻ knows what we think, but the angels do not know our thoughts directly. However, they sense them. When you think something good, a good scent comes from you, and the reward is written quickly. When you think something bad, a bad scent comes from you, and the angel on the left recognizes it as a bad thought.

The angel who records sins is made to wait, because the angel on the right says, “Wait. Perhaps this servant will say astaghfirullah, say bismillah, say alhamdulillah, or do a good deed.” The angel of sin waits for seven hours. If during those seven hours no good deed is done, then one punishment is written for that one sin. Not more. But for every good deed, Allah Azza wa Jalla grants at least ten rewards. This is from the Mercy of Allah Azza wa Jalla upon us.

In a Hadith Sharif, it is narrated that Allah the Almighty created one hundred mercies on the day He ﷻ created the heavens and the earth. Each mercy fills what is between the heavens and the earth. He sent down one mercy to the earth, and through it a mother shows compassion to her child, and animals and birds show compassion to one another. On the Day of Judgment, He will complete the remaining ninety nine mercies with this mercy.

Our Prophet ﷺ was sent as a mercy to us, al-rahmah al-muhdah. Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’an: “And We did not send you except as a mercy to all the worlds” (Surat al-Anbiya, 107). This is why the Prophet ﷺ was always praying for us and asking forgiveness for us. From the moment he ﷺ was born, he was calling out, “My Ummah, my Ummah.”

The Prophet ﷺ is Allah ﷻ’s mercy to us. We must do our best to be worthy of him, deserving of his mercy and his intercession on the Day of Judgment. Especially in Ramadan, we must watch ourselves, increase our worship, read more Qur’an, send more salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ, and give more sadaqah.

We must strive so that the month of Ramadan is filled with worship. We should wish for nothing except to be under the Mercy of Allah Azza wa Jalla and to make the Prophet ﷺ pleased with us.

I would like to remind you about zakat al-fitr in the month of Ramadan. The head of the household, whether the father or the mother, must pay zakat on behalf of every member of the household. In every country, Muslim authorities determine the amount of zakat al-fitr. For example, in our country it is approximately six dollars. Each country has its own amount.

You should count how many people are in your household and multiply that number by the amount set for zakat al-fitr. You must count every Muslim in your household, including Muslim servants, and even a newborn baby if the baby is born before the Eid prayer. Zakat al-fitr is paid once for each Muslim person. If there are non-Muslims in the household, there is no zakat al-fitr for them, as zakat is only for Muslims.

If your servants or maids are Muslim, it is your responsibility to give zakat al-fitr on their behalf. They are considered part of the household. If you have workers in your fields and you are responsible for them, you must also include them and give zakat al-fitr for them. Zakat al-fitr must be paid once during Ramadan, before the Eid prayer. You may give it to your servants or workers as well.

As for the major zakat, it is calculated according to the lunar Hijri year, not the solar year. This is very important because the Hijri year is shorter. Every thirty three years, the lunar calendar gains an additional year. Zakat is calculated according to the Islamic Hijri calendar. Many people choose Ramadan to give zakat to help them remember, and it carries more reward, but zakat may be given at any time during the year.

Regarding suhoor, I want to emphasize that you should wake up for it and not neglect it. The Prophet ﷺ strongly encouraged waking up for suhoor, delaying suhoor, and hastening the iftar. When you hear the Maghrib adhan, you should break your fast immediately. As for suhoor, delay it until just before Fajr, before imsak. This carries greater reward.

Teach your children this. Do not say, “We eat suhoor and sleep.” Make sure to wake up, because the time of suhoor is the most blessed time of the night. It is the last third of the night. Even if you do not eat, wake up and drink even one glass of water with the intention of suhoor, so you receive the blessings of that time and uphold this important sunnah.

Most of you know how to fast and how to break the fast. It is recommended to break the fast with dates, preferably ajwa dates, or any dates. If dates are not available, then water. This brings barakah. If neither is available, olives may be used to break the fast.

Teach your children to fast. Encourage them from the age of nine or ten. Before that, it is not required, but if a child wishes to fast, they may try. If they complete a full day, that is good. If they manage half a day, that is also good. From nine or ten years old, encourage them gradually until they reach puberty or fifteen years of age. At that point, fasting the entire month becomes obligatory.

It is recommended by the Prophet ﷺ to recite Surat al-Fath on the first night of Ramadan. It will protect you for the entire year, insha Allah.

• Hajja Rukiye Sultanق

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