| In the name of Allah, the compassionate and the merciful.All our praises and glorifications is for Allah, the lord of the worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad, his family and his companions.My dear brothers and sisters, we used to here often the following couplet from my father, our Sheikh:
As the twentieth of the month of Sha?ban arrives, live your nights as your days The writers of this couplet asks us to drink a lot of water in those days when the month of Shaban is near to the end and the holy month of Ramadan approaches, and hence get prepared for Ramadan, and even more, he nearly commands us to do so. If we go through this couplet, we see that by ‘Do not drink water from small glasses, use big glasses to drink’, the poet means that ? Oh Humankind! If you are near to the end of your days, if you spend most of your life and you are left with the less of it, then try to spend that rest of your days with prayers, good deeds and thinking of Allah.? Indeed, Oh humankind! As your days passes on, as the sunset of your days comes closer, pray more and do more good deeds. In any case, not only the elders must get prepared for the end of their life, by also the youth should get ready for the death. If the life of one person is full of sins, he or she should spend the rest of his or her days with prayers and good deeds. That life (whose holiness and brightness is) severely damaged should be repaired by prayers and good deeds by the grace of Allah. My dear brothers and sisters, we indeed need to use our time to good account. If we have not spent our time with prayers until now, we should put effort to spend at least the rest of our lives by praising Allah and worshiping Him. In one of his hadiths, Value five things before five others; My dearest brothers and sisters, the most of our time is gone. At least we need to be careful about the rest of our lives. We should spend the rest of our lives with prayers and good deeds. We should keep ourselves prepared before the death arrives. My dear brothers and sisters, I’ve heard from my father, my Sheikh (k.s). He was saying that: ‘A person who wishes the blessing and mercy of Allah should try every door (that will help him to realize that wish) and should try to have the blessing of Allah before he or she dies.’ For a human being cannot know what is going to happen to him, he or she always try to increase his or her prayers and good deeds. Just like a woman who loses her child. If a mother loses her child, it is impossible for her to be cheery, go to weddings and have fun. She always keeps looking for her child. My dear brothers and sisters, we indeed need to use our time valuably. Especially in these days that Ramadan approaches, we need to do more prayers and good deeds. As the poet says; If wind blows, do not oppose it. My dear brothers and sisters, in these days that Ramadan approaches, we need to increase our prayers, good deeds, the commitment of our hearts, reading Holy Quran, our salats and praising of Allah. Especially we, as followers, must pay great attention to the rehabilitation of our hearts. My dear brothers and sisters, before being a follower in an order, humans do not know what is a real praising or real peace. However, after being a follower, he or she must pay a great deal of attention to his or her heart, praising, inspection. Our Sheikh used to ask to the followers; How much peace do you feel? How long in a day you think of Allah-u Taala? If it is 10 minutes, try to increase in on the second day. Make it 15. Make it 20 on the third day. Make it 30 on the fourth day. Try to increase it every single day and may you spend the whole they praising of Allah one day.? He used to say. My dearest brothers and sisters, what a follower needs in the month of Ramadan is to increase his or her dhikr and inspection. He or she should make more prayers. Such that, at the end of Ramadan, he or she must be able to keep his or her prayers as it is. He or she must keep his or her prayers so that he or she will be able to reach at inspection level. For a Muslim who reaches at the inspection level it is not possible to commit a sin after Ramadan. Even if someone pushes him or her to commit a sin and if there is a child next to him or her, he or she cannot commit that crime. He or she will be ashamed and afraid of that child. Indeed my brothers and sisters, if a person feels the inspection of Allah, is it possible for him to commit a sin and rebel against him? It is not possible at all. My plea to Allah is that may He let us spend the rest of our lives with prayers and good deeds. May he protect all Muslims from all kinds of troubles and dangers. May he renders us all prepared for the month of Ramadan. Our Lord is the Almighty One. |
