https://www.khutbah.info/bidding-ramadan-farewell/ Indeed bidding farewell to Ramadan is heart-wrenching and sorrowful. Because it separates one from the beloved month and deprives one of enjoying it and basking in its bounties and blessings. Also, there is the uncertainty that this may be one’s last Ramadan. And we just welcomed Ramadan yesterday and it is about to depart and leave. So shall we bid Ramadan farewell with apathy, lethargy, looking for it to end, desiring to escape from the burden and get ridding oneself of the restrictions? Or shall we bid Ramadan farewell like the men of understanding and the elite of Allah’s creation? Those following the path of the pious predecessors and the best of this ummah (nation). Those who combined diligence in carrying out and perfecting deeds with concern afterwards of their acceptance and fear of their rejection. They are like those about whom Allah Almighty said: Al-Muminun (23) 60: And they who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they will be returning to their Lord
إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ ,نَحْمَدُهُ ,وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ , وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا ,مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ , وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ , وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of our selves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102
Al Imran 102 : O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.
Oh people:
Praise be to Allah, who mandated fasting upon His servants, and made it a pillar of Islam.
Indeed bidding farewell to Ramadan is heart-wrenching and sorrowful. Because it separates one from the beloved month and deprives one of enjoying it and basking in its bounties and blessings. Also, there is the uncertainty that this may be one’s last Ramadan. And we just welcomed Ramadan yesterday and it is about to depart and leave. So shall we bid Ramadan farewell with apathy, lethargy, looking for it to end, desiring to escape from the burden and get ridding oneself of the restrictions? Or shall we bid Ramadan farewell like the men of understanding and the elite of Allah’s creation? Those following the path of the pious predecessors and the best of this ummah (nation). Those who combined diligence in carrying out and perfecting deeds with concern afterwards of their acceptance and fear of their rejection. They are like those about whom Allah Almighty said:
وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَا آتَوا وَّقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ رَاجِعُونَ-المؤمنون:60
Al-Muminun (23) 60: And they who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they will be returning to their Lord
Aisha asked about this verse:
أَهُمُ الَّذِينَ يَشْرَبُونَ الْخَمْرَ وَيَسْرِقُونَ قَالَ ” لاَ يَا بِنْتَ الصِّدِّيقِ وَلَكِنَّهُمُ الَّذِينَ يَصُومُونَ وَيُصَلُّونَ وَيَتَصَدَّقُونَ وَهُمْ يَخَافُونَ أَنْ لاَ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ
Are they those who consume intoxicants and steal?” He said: “No, O daughter of As-Siddiq. They are those who fast, perform Salat, give charity while they fear that their Lord will not accept it from them: They are those who hasten to do good deeds, and they are the foremost in them. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3175]
Their hearts are full of fear from their Lord. Fearing that that their good deeds will be outweighed and that they will run out of good deeds. Fearing that they have not fulfilled the right of Allah Almighty due to their knowledge of their Lord and what He deserves of honor and glorification. They are afraid that when they return to their Lord what they did will not save them from the punishment of Allah. For the believer feels Allah’s grace upon him, and feels Allah’s favors in every breath and every pulse. Therefore the believer feels that his level of worship and acts of obedience are insignificant in comparison to the favors of Allah Almighty.
Al Hasan Al-Basri said: The believer combines doing good with fear, and the hypocrite combines sinning with feeling secure from the punishment of Allah.
And the Prophet taught us that the deeds are gauged by how they conclude:
وَإِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالْخَوَاتِيمِ
Indeed, (the rewards of) the deeds are by their conclusion. [Bukhari 6607]
For this reason, Sahl bin AbdAllah At Tustaree (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The truthful fear for the bad conclusion in every moment and in every movement.
The pious predecessors used to strive in performing righteous deeds and upon performing them they were full of concern as to whether they would be accepted from them. They used to supplicate Allah for six months that they would realize the month of Ramadan. Then they supplicated to Allah for six months that He would accept it from them.
And it is important to give this matter the proper attention and not to be heedless of it. Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Be more concerned with your deeds being accepted than you are with the deed itself. Did you not hear words of Allah Almighty
إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ-المائدة:27
Al Maidah (5) 27: Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].
And it was narrated from him, may Allah be pleased with him, that he used to call in the last night of Ramadan: “If only I knew the accepted ones so that I could congratulate them and the deprived, so I could console them.”
They are deprived because they did not attain forgiveness in spite of the many means for forgiveness in Ramadan, such as fasting, praying, providing meals, charity, joining kinship, recitation of Quran, remembrance of Allah and other matters. Those missing out on being forgiven in Ramadan are truly deprived.
One of the greatest ways that a fasting person can bid farewell to Ramadan and conclude their fasting is reciting the phrase of tawhid, La Illaha ila Lah (there is no rightly worshipped deity but Allah) and seeking forgiveness. Ibn Rajeb (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the phrase of Tawhid wipes out the sins and erases them without a sin remaining and necessitates liberation from the Fire. And whoever recites it sincerely, Allah will make the fire forbidden for him. As the Prophet ﷺ said:
لَنْ يُوَافِيَ عَبْدٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَقُولُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ. يَبْتَغِي بِهِ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ، إِلاَّ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ النَّارَ ”.
If anybody comes on the Day of Resurrection who has said: La ilaha illal-lah, sincerely from his heart, seeking to attain Allah’s Pleasure, Allah will make the Hell-Fire forbidden for him. [Bukhari 6423]
As for requesting forgiveness, it is one of the greatest means of attaining forgiveness. For seeking forgiveness is a supplication, and the supplication of a fasting person is answered when he is fasting and when he breaks his fast. And Allah combined the word of Tawhid and forgiveness in the verse:
فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا اللَّهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ-محمد:19
Muhammad (47) 19: So know, [O Muḥammad], that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women.
And all good deeds are concluded by seeking forgiveness. Prayer, the hajj (pilgrimage) and the night prayers are concluded with seeking forgiveness. And the gatherings are adjourned by seeking forgiveness.
And the Caliph Omar bin Abd Al-Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote a letter to the people of the villages, commanding them to conclude Ramadan by seeking forgiveness and offering Zakat al-Fitr. He wrote in his letter: Say as your father Adam, peace be upon him, said:
قَالاَ رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ-الأعراف:23
Al Araf (7) 23: They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.”
And say as Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said:
وَالَّذِي أَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لِي خَطِيئَتِي يَوْمَ الدِّينِ-الشعراء:82
Al Shu’rah (26) 82: And who I aspire that He will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense.
And say as Noah, peace be upon him, said:
وَإِلاَّ تَغْفِرْ لِي وَتَرْحَمْنِي أَكُن مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ-هود:47
Hud (11) 47: And unless You forgive me and have mercy upon me, I will be among the losers.
And say as Musa, peace be upon him, said:
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي-القصص:16
Al Qasas (28) 16: My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me
And say as Yunus, peace be upon him, said:
لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ-الأنبياء:87
An (21) Anbiya 87: There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.
Seeking forgiveness is most beneficial when accompanied with sincere repentance. For the one who only seeks forgiveness with his tongue and is determined to return to sinning after the month of Ramadan, is not seeking forgiveness in reality. Rather he is only deceiving himself and following the steps of shaytan.
And from the greatest ways of concluding Ramadan is by asking Allah for paradise and seeking refuge in Him from the fire. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet ﷺ:
كيف تكون في الصلاة؟ قال: أتشهد وأقول: إني أسألك الجنة وأعوذ بك من النار، أما إني -والله- لا أحسن دندنتك ولا دندنة معاذ. فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: “حولها ندندن “.
What do you say during your prayer?” He said: “I recite the Tashahhud then I say: I ask you for Paradise and seek refuge with You from the Fire. But, by Allah, I am not able to invoke like you and Muadh. Then the Prophet ﷺ said: What we invoke revolves around that (requesting Paradise and seeking refuge from Hell). [Sunan Abi Dawud 792]
And since the fasting person anticipates that his supplication will be answered, especially when he breaks his fast, he should supplicate for the most important matters and comprehensively for all goodness.
Allah Almighty commanded exalting and thanking Him upon completing Ramadan. Allah said:
وَلِتُكْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ-البقرة:185
Al-Baqarah (2) 185: 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.
So be conscious of Allah and bid farewell to Ramadan in the best fashion. And conclude it with goodness for the deeds are gauged by their conclusion. And take advantage of what remains, for it is only a few nights and days. So bid farewell with good deeds that will be the best witness for you on the day that you stand before Allah, Glory be to Him, a day when neither wealth nor children will benefit except for those who come to Allah with a sound heart.
أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgives from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Second Khutbah
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ , وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَاْ إِلَهَ إِلَّاْ اَللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَاْشَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
All praise is to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
Oh Muslims:
As one bids farewell to Ramadan, he must remember that the doors of goodness opened in Ramadan are not closed with its departure. And that the arenas of obedience are not closed by Ramadan ending. Even though the fasting of Ramadan is coming to a close, the worship of fasting remains. There is the fasting of the six days of Shawwal. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ explained that fasting them after Ramadan is like fasting for the entire year. And there is fasting on Mondays and Thursdays of every week, and fasting the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month, and fasting on the day of Arafah and fasting on Ashura, and fasting in the month of Muharram, which is the best fasting after Ramadan, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed.
And as the night prayer of Ramadan nears its end, we must remember that this great and blessed worship remains without end. And the Messenger of Allah informed us that the night prayer is the best prayer after the obligatory prayer and it has generous rewards. For the successful are those who continue with the goodness initiated in Ramadan. And there is no end to the deeds of the believer aside from death. As the Almighty said:
وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ-الحجر:99
Al-Hijr (15) 99: And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty [i.e., death].
We ask Allah Almighty to grant us success in concluding Ramadan in the best possible fashion and to help us sustain the momentum throughout the year. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.
هَذَا وَصَلُّوا وَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى نَبِيِّكُم كَمَا أَمَرَكُمْ بِذلِكَ رَبُّكُمْ , فَقَالَ
I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet as your Lord commanded:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Al Ahzaab (33) 56: 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.
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لنا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ بِهِ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ كُلَّ قَضَاءٍ قَضَيْتَهُ لَنا خَيْرًا
O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge. O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good
عِبَادَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Servants of Allah. Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
اُذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ واشْكُرُوهُ يَزِدْكُمْ واسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لكُمْ واتّقُوهُ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مَخْرَجًا وَأَقِمِ الصّلَاة
Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favors – He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.
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