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Getting Past the Mid-Ramadan Dip | Khutbah
In this khutbah, Dr. Omar Suleiman talks about prophetic guidance on the second half of Ramadan, and making the most of its remaining days.
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. We begin by praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for him. And we bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in his blessed path until the day of judgment. And we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to think of Ramadan as one single day. One day. If Ramadan was a day, what would a day of Ramadan look like? And I'm going to break this down from the perspective of how the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us to see time relative to how Allah sees it, not as how we see it. And before I get to that breakdown in particular, I came across a powerful statement from an imam ibn al-Jawzi where he talks about the wish of those who have passed away. If those who have passed could speak, what would they be saying? And this is especially pertinent when you're in that middle point of Ramadan and you could be dipping at this point. You could have gotten used to the first part. You're not really geared up yet for the second part. And you're kind of in that middle point. What would the dead be saying right now? Now, in general, we know that the wish of the deceased is that they could still do more good deeds. And that's why we continue the good deeds on their behalf, those that were in the performance of those good deeds. And the wish of those who disbelieved is that they would have believed. And the wish of those who did not repent is that they would have repented. But in general, think about how sweet a moment of tasbih, a moment of glorification, two rak'ahs is to those that have passed away and can no longer do it. Especially when we have the narration of Az-Zuhri that one tasbih, one subhanallah in Ramadan
is like a thousand subhanallahs outside of Ramadan. These precious moments that you have. And he said, rahimahullah ta'ala, ta'al laahi, law qeela li ahli al-qaboori tamannu latamannu yawman min ramadan. He said, I swear by Allah, if you were to say or if it was said to the people of the graves, tamannu, what is your wish? They would wish for one more day of Ramadan. Not the beginning, not the middle, not the end. They would wish for one more day of Ramadan. And the scholars explain that, that they would have seen the blessings of the rewards, the multiplication of the rewards for the days of Ramadan that they would have put forward and the missed opportunities, as we all will on the day of judgment, animat nafsun ma qaddamat wa akharat. We'd all know not just what we put forth, but what we left on the table. And if you were to think about that powerful moment that Ibn al-Jawzi, rahimahullah, is capturing here, that a dead person would say, one more day of Ramadan. I want one more day of Ramadan. So not only is it one more day, but especially the day that you are living right now, a day of Jum'ah in Ramadan, a day where you have an opportunity to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, when others do not have that opportunity per se. This is a moment for you, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala, to really take advantage of something. Now let's get to this idea of one day. If Ramadan was one day total, if you had to break it down from the first half to the second half. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he says to us, yadkhuru fuqaraa al-jannah qabla al-aghniyaa bi-nisfi yawm. Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that the poor will enter into paradise before the rich by half a day, bi-nisfi yawm. Now if you stop there, you'd say that doesn't sound like it's that long, right? It's just half a day. But they asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, what is half a day?
He said, five hundred years, khams mi'ati aam. Why? Five hundred years because one day with your Lord is like a thousand years. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is even using that language to encapsulate something in your memory here, that it's only one day. And of course Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses this language in the Quran, that when a person passes away, kam labith, how long did you live, yawm an awba' liyawm, a day or part of a day. That if I was to capture it, I'd say I lived a morning and an afternoon because it's relative to those things. He also said in another narration, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, inni la arju an la tu'jiza ummati inda rabbiha an yu'akhirahum nisfa yawm. He said sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, that I pray, I hope that my ummah will maintain its position in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, its rank in the sight of Allah and not be compromised in the sight of its Lord, even if He delays them or if He chooses to delay them half a day. And they said to Sa'd radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu, who's the narrator of this hadith, wa kam nisfu yawm, how much is half a day, qala khamsu mi'ati sana, 500 years. This idea that it even becomes language and it even becomes a way that you frame your entire life and you frame the significant seasons in your life. If Ramadan is a day, if my life is a day, what does my life look like? If I was to call it a day? And what does my Ramadan now look like if I was to call it a day? Now why is this so profound, particularly with Ramadan? Because as al-Hafidh ibn Rajab rahimahullah ta'ala talks about, your peak of your life is right in the middle. And your peak of Ramadan should be right in the middle as well, where you've now developed the strength, the tolerance for that fasting.
And you are now looking forward to the greatest prize of the month. It's like you've lived half of your life. If Ramadan was a lifespan and it's encapsulated in a day, half of your life in terms of gathering strength and gathering experience and gathering wisdom, you're right there. And you can either have a midlife crisis or you can move towards what remains in terms of the ultimate prize of this month. And in every single form of holiness that we find in the seasons, the nafahat that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives to us, the second half is always superior to the first half. Ibn Mas'ud rahimahullah ta'ala says, for example, when it comes to the remembrances, adhkar al-sabah and adhkar al-masah, the remembrance that you do in the morning and the remembrance that you do in the evening, which is after asr. He said the remembrance after asr, adhkar al-masah, are superior to the remembrances that you make in the morning. Why? Because in the morning, you're still undistracted. You're still undistracted. And if we think about our own lives, I think most of us would probably have a very similar experience that if we were to start to pick up the habit of dhikr, the habit of remembering Allah, the morning remembrances are easier to start than the ones after asr. Because you've already gotten into your day. You've already started with the turmoil of the day. You've already started with your work. You've already gotten tired. You've already moved towards a significant point. And most of the time when asr comes around, we're done for the day. But in the morning, it's almost natural, easier for us to start to adopt that practice. And so a person should build from adhkar al-sabah to adhkar al-masah. If they can move on from the beginning of the day to the end of the day and continue that regimen, then that is far more superior in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And of course, beyond all of that, this idea that the Prophet ﷺ said, the end is always superior to the beginning. Innamal a'malu bilkhawateen. The end is superior to the beginning. The end is superior to the beginning. Actions will be judged by their endings. And that's why we have such an emphasis of asking Allah for husn al-khitam, for a good ending. You work your entire life hoping for a good ending. You know, subhanAllah, a dear brother that we know in this community of Dallas, brother Anwar Tawfiq, rahimahullah ta'ala, beautiful brother that many of you know. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala delayed him from his sickness in February. Until today, yawm al-jumu'ah, in Ramadan, in Mecca, to pass away. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant him shahada. May Allah make that a sign of his goodness. And you think about the types of people that this stuff happens for and you go, you know, subhanAllah, there is something there. There is something there. You long for that type of an ending. You long for that type of a story. The end is what makes the beginning worth it. The end is what makes the middle worth it. In fact, oftentimes the end puts it all into perspective. Because those types of endings don't come naturally. They come through hard work. And so what does this mean for us in this lifetime of Ramadan, which might be our last Ramadan in particular? I want you to pay attention to the words that Jibreel alayhi salam would use with the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam when he was looking for Laylatul Qadr. The Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam was secluding himself in the masjid, in those last ten, looking for that prize. Because if you catch that one night, you have a lifetime. Laylatul Qadr khayru min alfi shahr. You have a lifetime if you bank that one Laylatul Qadr, if you get that one night. And the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam was meeting Jibreel alayhi salam every day,
the angel Gabriel, every day in Ramadan. And he's looking to Jibreel alayhi salam for a sign. And every night of the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam was a beautiful night of worship, outside or inside of Ramadan. The Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam was consistent. He always gave charity. He was always generous. Anyone in his sight always felt his generosity. Anyone that was around him at night always saw him standing up and praying all night long. You always saw what looked like Laylatul Qadr to the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. But he looks to Jibreel alayhi salam every day, and Jibreel alayhi salam says to him, إِنَّ الَّذِي تَطْلُبُ أَمَامَكَ Look at the words. What you're seeking is still ahead of you. إِنَّ الَّذِي تَطْلُبُ أَمَامَكَ Not you missed it last night. Not it wasn't worth it. Not you wasted your time. Because every night in Ramadan is precious. Every day in Ramadan is precious. You might be forgiven on the 16th or 17th or 18th night of Ramadan because that's the night that you're most sincere with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So he doesn't say you missed out. He says what you're seeking is still out there. إِنَّ الَّذِي تَطْلُبُ أَمَامَكَ Keep going Ya Rasulullah because the prize is still there. And the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam exerts himself another night, and he exerts himself another night, and he exerts himself another night. This is a powerful reframing of how you approach the end of this blessed month. إِنَّ الَّذِي تَطْلُبُ أَمَامَكَ Nothing was in vain. Your qiraat, your qiraat, your dua, your salah, your recitation, your supplication, your prayer, your charity, all of it was beautiful. If you reconciled, if you finally made up with someone, relinquished the grudge, it was worth it. If you gave charity, it was worth it. Every single day is going to be worth it because it all builds up to that moment when the prize eventually presents itself to you. Because not all of those who catch Laylatul Qadr catch it the same way. Not all of those who catch Laylatul Qadr catch it the same way, but we all hope to
catch it in the best of ways. But it's all part of that preparation. And so now, whether you're sad over the first half and you're not meeting your goals, or you're worried about how you're going to build up the strength, think of Jibreel alayhi salam saying to the Prophet ﷺ, إِنَّ الَّذِي تَطْلُبُ أَمَامَكَ It's still there for you. What you're seeking is still there. The prize is still there for the taking. So push yourself, energize yourself, take these next few days to rest, rejuvenate and focus and think about that idea that what's ahead of me or what I want is still ahead of me and I still have the opportunity to capture it. May Allah ﷻ allow us to be amongst those who catch Laylatul Qadr. May Allah make the best of our deeds the last of them. May Allah make the best of our lives the end of them. May Allah grant us beautiful endings of Ramadan and beautiful endings to our lives. May Allah ﷻ forgive us for any mistakes in our beginnings. And may Allah ﷻ allow us to energize in the present with sincerity. May Allah ﷻ forgive us for any shortcomings that we have had. May Allah instill in us that desire for His pleasure. And may Allah ﷻ guide us to the deeds that are most pleasing to Him. Allahumma ameen. I say this and I ask Allah ﷻ to grant you the message of the Muslims. So ask His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salamu ala Rasulullah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala. Allahumma khfir lil mu'minin wa l-mu'minat wa l-muslimin wa l-muslimat, al-ahya'i minhum wa l-amwat. Innaka sami'un qareebu l-mujeebu d-da'wat. Allahumma khfir lana wa arhamna wa a'fu anna wa la tu'adhibna. Rabbana dhalamna anfusana wa in lam takfir lana wa tarhamna. Lana kuwanna min al-khasireen.
Allahumma innaka a'fuun kareemun tuhibbu al-'afwa fa'afu anna. Allahumma khfir diwalidina. Rabb arhamuhumma kama rabbuna sigara. Rabbana hablana min azwajina wa dhurriyatina qurra ta'ayun. Wa ja'anna lil mu'taqina imama. Allahumma ansur ikhwana al-mustadha'afina fi mashariki al-arad wa magharibiha. Allahumma i'iza al-Islam wa al-muslimin wa idhilla al-shirka wa al-kathibin. Wa dammir a'da al-deen. Allahumma ahlik al-dhalimeena bil-dhalimeen. Wa khurijina wa ikhwana man baynihim salimeen. Ibadullahi Allah ya'muru bil-'adli wal-ihsan wa ita'idhi al-qurba wa yanha'a al-fahsha'i wal-munkari wal-baghi. Ya'idukum la'alakum tathakkaroon. Fathkuru Allahi yadhkurukum wa shkuruhu ala ni'ma'i yazid lakum. Wa ladhikru Allahi akbar. Allah ya'mu ma tasma'oon. Al-Fatiha.
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