Habib Umars Ramadan Advice

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah bless His chosen trustworthy servant, our liege-lord Muhammad; the one who brought to us guidance and the religion of clear truth. May Allah bless him, his pure family, his noble and blessed companions and those who follow in their footstep till the Day of recompense.
To proceed:
To our brothers (and sisters), and our beloved for the sake of Allah Most High, the people of Laa ilaaha iIlla Allah Muhammadur Rasulullah, the Muslims of Australia: Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
O Brothers and loved ones for the sake of Allah, transcendent in His Highness, those who believe in Him and His messenger, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions;
we congratulate you on the coming of the forgiveness and mercy and release from the fire; the arrival of the month of Ramadan. The noble month in which Allah began to send down the Quran; He the Exalted and Esteemed said, “The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Quran was sent down as guidance to mankind, with clear signs containing clear signs and discrimination.”
The coming of this month is highly significant for you, O believers. Indeed your chosen Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions, would endeavour and strive in Ramadan like no other month and he would strive in the last ten days of it like he would not in the rest of the days of Ramadan.
He, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions, was the most generous of people and he was most generous in Ramadan. When Jibreel Alayhissalam met him in Ramadan, he was more generous than a cool breeze.
It is duty upon you to welcome the month with happiness and thankfulness to Allah most high. Indeed His caller announces in the nights of Ramadan, “O seeker of good come forward, and O seeker of evil fail and fall short.” On the first night of this month the doors to heaven are opened so that not a door of them is closed for the duration of this month, and the doors to the fire are closed so that not a door is opened for the duration of this month; and the rebellious shayateen are chained.
O believers in the first night of the month Allah looks upon His creation and whoever Allah looks upon, He will never punish.
O believers, indeed it is a month of generosity and blessings from Allah most high. He made it obligatory upon us to fast the month, and the Messenger of Allah established the Sunnah of reviving its nights in prayer, thus whosoever fasts the month and revives its nights out of faith and anticipation of reward from Allah, comes out of his sins like the day his mother gave birth to him. Whosoever fasts the month, his past sins are forgiven; whosoever stands its nights in worship his past sins are forgiven.
O believers, in welcoming this month expand your intentions, Rise to your Lord, Transcendent Most High, by following his chosen servant Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his companions. Show those who surround you a reality from the beauty of this Deen, it is the month of generosity, be generous to your neighbors both Muslim and non Muslims. Give them what you can, offer what you can. Present to them a meaning of excellence, whereby a reality of your great Deen and the noble way of Alllah will be made clear to them, thereby following in the footsteps of your Prophet who was most generous in Ramadan.
Be people of generosity by displaying noble character traits.
Be people of generosity by giving and spending according to your ability, and by being of benefit to those around you both Muslim and non Muslim. Show them the greatness of this religion and its generous nature (samaha). Show them the noble character traits it contains, and the uprightness of its path.
Meet the month with reverence and humility because in this month are divine manifestations and superabundant blessings and goodness; He increases in it the reward of a nafl recommended to the reward of a fardh and the reward of a fardh is multiplied by 70 times. Moreover some narrations have stated that the reward is multiplied to 1000 times. This is the favour of Allah that he grants to whom he wishes; seize the opportunity of the honourable month.
Take advantage of the fasting in it. Indeed Allah is training us with this fasting so that we may ascend in the meanings of adherence to the commandments, and to ascend in the meanings of our aspirations and resolutions.
The abstaining from the necessities of life during the day, namely eating, drinking and marital relations and everything else that nullifies the fast is a declaration that we are a people of determination, we are not imprisoned nor are we enslaved by our lower selves or desires.
For the sake of Allah we leave our desires and for His sake we leave all that He has made forbidden for us, therefore we observe Adab (etiquette) in our fast for Him by being careful with speech so that we do not utter any lie, backbiting nor any harm to anyone of His servants.
O believers!
It is a blessing, to arrive at this noble month when in it is a night better than a thousand months; no one is denied its blessing save the deprived one.
O believers!
It is most becoming for us to revise our relationship with the Quran in this month. That which we have already memorized we repeat and contemplate its meanings; if we don’t understand the meaning in Arabic then a translation of these meanings in a language that we know and understand.
O believers!
It is the month of benevolence, the month of patience and the reward for patience is paradise. It is the month of maintaining family relations, it is the month of looking out for ones neighbours’.
O believers!
The month of seeking forgiveness and asking Allah for Jannah, seeking refuge in Him from the fire, and renewing the pledge with the two testimonies of faith. Our Prophet said, “Perform 4 actions abundantly in Ramadan, 2 actions are pleasing unto your Lord and 2 you cannot do without. As for those that are pleasing unto your Lord; to testify that there is no God other than Allah and seek His forgiveness (istighfaar). As for the 2 actions that you cannot do without, ask Him for Jannah and seek refuge from the fire. Therefore it is most becoming of a believer to repeat in this month “Ash-hadu an laailaha illah Allah nastaghfirullah nas alukal jannah wa nauthu bika mina annar.”
O believer!
Break your fast on Halal and delay the suhoor so long as you don’t fall in doubt. Do not delay the Iftar as soon as you are sure of sunset. Uphold the taraweeh prayer every night, it is best 20 raka’as, surely the one who upholds it will have revived the nights of Ramadan in prayer and you have heard the authentic hadith, “Whosoever stands the nights of Ramadan in worship out of faith and anticipation of reward from Allah all his past sins are forgiven.”
Allah forgives in this month and its last night everyone who does not associate partners with Allah, all the Muslims; except one who breaks family ties, the disobedient to his parents, the one who consumes intoxicants and the one who holds grudges in his heart against Muslims. So cleanse yourself and your house from that which denies you this mercy.
Be truthful to your Lord and be joyous at the flowing generosity from the presence of the All Merciful, Loving, Kind, Most High.
May Allah take by my hand and yours, O believer, may He assist you and guide you to integrity in conduct and assist you with His enabling grace to properly take advantage of the nights and days of the month so that you may attain His vast blessing and generosity, Most high.
O Allah! Bless for us Ramadan. O Allah! Make us from the emancipated, released and protected by You from the fire, in Ramadan.
O Allah! Make us from amongst those who are granted the maximum portion of its goodness. Indeed it has come to us that Your prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his companions, that You emancipate in every night of the month 600,000 people from the fire, and the last night You emancipate as many You emancipated in the whole month.
O Allah! Emancipate our necks from the fire and safeguard us from the humiliation of this dunya and the punishment of the Hereafter. Bless for us the nights of Ramadan and its days and make us from those who maximise their benefit from the month and grant us felicity through the recitation of the Qur’an; upholding the fast on the basis of Taqwa on the basis of Adab, scrupulousness, and an increase in faith and fear of You, love for You and Your Messenger Muhammad sallaAllahhu alaihi wa sallam and love for his family and his companions and all of the righteous of his nation and for all the people of La ilaha illaAllah. Grant us Your love and the love of everyone who is a means to achieve Your love and love of a deed that will draw us near to Your love.
O Allah! Deliver us to Ramadan and safeguard Ramadan for us and take it back from us having been accepted.
May Allah send his blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his companions and all who follow in his path, and praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds.

Ramadhân Karîm or Ramadhân Mubârak?

Q. When some people, for example, lie in Ramadan, or when he cheats or backbites, and others prohibit him saying to him, 'This is haraam (forbidden),' he says 'Ramadan kareem'. What is the ruling for that?

A. The ruling of that is that the statement 'Ramadan kareem' is not correct. Rather it should be said 'Ramadan Mubarak', or whatever is similar to it, because it is not Ramadan itself that gives so that it can be kareem (generous), in fact it is Allah who placed the grace in it, and made it a special month, and a time to perform one of the pillars of Islam.

It is as if the one saying this thinks that the sacredness of the time allows him to commit transgressions. This is turning around what the people of knowledge have said that bad deeds are greater at special times and places, the opposite of what the one saying this imagines. They say that it is obligatory to fear Allah - the honourable and majestic - at all times, and in all places, especially in special times and special places.


Allah - the honourable and majestic - says,

O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious - see V.2:2). [2:183]

Allah shows that the wisdom of fasting is taqwa (God-consciousness) of Allah - the honourable and majestic - by fulfilling His commandments and avoiding His prohibitions. It has been ascertained from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam that he said, "Whosoever does not leave speaking falsehood, or acting with it or ignorance, then Allah has no need that he leaves his food and drink." Fasting is cultivation of the self, guarding it from the prohibitions of Allah, and not as this ignoramus says that due to the sacredness and blessing of this month it allows commiting transgressions.

From a collection of the Shaykh Ibn al-'Uthaymeen's fatwas, As`ilah wa ajwibah 'an alfaaz wa mafaaheem fee meezaan al-sharee'ah ("Questions and Answers on Expressions and Concepts in the Scale of the Shariah") printed by Maktab al-Da'wah of Britain.

♦♦♦Ramadan Mubarak♦♦♦

Daily Ramadan Duas (30 days)

It is not compulsory to pray each Dua on specific day.
You can also pray any Dua on any day.
Even if you don't pray these Duas nothing harm for you.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 1

ALLAH, on this day make my fasts the fasts of those who fast (sincerely), and my standing up in prayer of those who stand up in prayer (obediently), awaken me in it from the sleep of the heedless, and forgive me my sins , O God of the worlds, and forgive me, O one who forgives the sinners.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 2

ALLAH, on this day, take me closer towards Your pleasure, keep me away from Your anger and punishment, grant me the opportunity to recite Your verses (of the Qur'an), by Your mercy, O the most Merciful.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 3

ALLAH, on this day, grant me wisdom and awareness, keep me away from foolishness and pretension, grant me a share in every blessing You send down, by You generosity, O the most Generous.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 4

ALLAH, on this day, strengthen me in carrying out Your commands, let me taste the sweetness of Your remembrance, grant me, through Your graciousness, that I give thanks to You. Protect me, with Your protection and cover, O the most discerning of those who see.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 5

ALLAH, on this day, place me among those who seek forgiveness. Place me among Your righteous and obedient servants, and place me among Your close friends, by Your kindness, O the most Merciful.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 6

ALLAH, on this day, do not let me abase myself by incurring Your disobedience, and do not strike me with the whip of Your punishment, keep me away from the causes of Your anger, by and Your power, O the ultimate wish of those who desire.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 7

ALLAH, on this day, help me with its fasts and prayers, and keep me away from mistakes and sins of the day, grant me that I remember You continuously through the day, by Your assistance, O the Guide of those who stray.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 8

ALLAH, on this day, let me have mercy on the orphans, and feed [the hungry], and spread peace, and keep company with the noble-minded, O the shelter of the hopeful.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 9

ALLAH, on this day, grant me a share from Your mercy which is wide, guide me towards Your shining proofs, lead me to Your all encompassing pleasure, by Your love, O the hope of the desirous.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 10

ALLAH, on this day, make me, among those who rely on You, from those who You consider successful, and place me among those who are near to you, by Your favor, O goal of the seekers.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 11

ALLAH, on this day, make me love goodness, and dislike corruption and disobedience, bar me from anger and the fire [of Hell], by Your help, O the helper of those who seek help

Ramadan Dua: DAY 12

ALLAH, on this day, beautify me with covering and chastity, cover me with the clothes of contentment and chastity, let me adhere to justice and fairness, and keep me safe from all that I fear, by Your protection, O the protector of the frightened.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 13

ALLAH, on this day, purify me from un-cleanliness and dirt, make me patient over events that are decreed, grant me the ability to be pious, and keep company with the good, by Your help, O the beloved of the destitute.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 14

ALLAH, on this day, do not condemn me for slips, make me decrease mistakes and errors, do not make me a target for afflictions and troubles, by Your honor, O the honor of the Muslims.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 15

Ramadan Dua: DAY 16

ALLAH, on this day, grant me compatibility with the good, keep me away from patching up with the evil, lead me in it, by Your mercy, to the permanent abode, by Your God ship, O the God of the worlds.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 17

ALLAH, on this day, guide me towards righteous actions, fulfill my needs and hopes, O One who does not need explanations nor questions, O One who knows what is in the chests of the (people of the) world. Bless Muhammad and his family, the Pure.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 18

ALLAH, on this day, make me love goodness, and dislike corruption and disobedience, bar me from anger and the fire [of Hell], by Your help, O the helper of those who seek help.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 19

ALLAH, on this day, multiply for me its blessings, and ease my path towards its bounties, do not deprive me of the acceptance of its good deeds, O the Guide towards the clear truth.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 20

ALLAH, on this day, open for me the doors of the heavens, and lock the doors of Hell from me, help me to recite the Qur'an, O the One who sends down tranquility into the hearts of believers.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 21

ALLAH, on this day, show me the way to win Your pleasure, do not let Shaytan have a means over me, make Paradise an abode and a resting place for me, O the One who fulfills the requests of the needy.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 22

ALLAH, on this day, open for me the doors of Your Grace, send down on me its blessings, help me towards the causes of Your mercy, and give me a place in the comforts of Paradise, O the one who answers the call of the distressed.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 23

ALLAH, on this day, wash away my sins, purify me from all flaws, examine my heart with (for) the piety of the hearts, O One who overlooks the shortcomings of the sinners.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 24

ALLAH, on this day, I ask You for what pleases You, and I seek refuge in You from what displeases You, I ask You to grant me the opportunity to obey You and not disobey You, O One who is generous with those who ask

Ramadan Dua: DAY 25

ALLAH, on this day, make me among those who love Your friends, and hate Your enemies, following the way of Your last Prophet, O the Guardian of the hearts of the Prophets.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 26

ALLAH, on this day, make my efforts worthy of appreciation, and my sins forgiven, my deeds accepted, my flaws concealed, O the best of those who hear.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 27

ALLAH, on this day, bestow on me the blessings of Laylatul Qadr, change my affairs from (being) difficult to (being) easy, accept my apologies, and decrease for me [my] sins and burdens, O the Compassionate with His righteous servants.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 28

ALLAH, on this day, grant me a share in its nawafil (recommended prayers), honor me by attending to my problems, make closer the means to approach You, from all the means, O One who is not preoccupied by the requests of the beseechers.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 29

O ALLAH, on this day, cover me with Your mercy, grant me in it success and protection, purify my heart from the darkness of false accusations, O the Merciful to His believing servants.

Ramadan Dua: DAY 30

O ALLAH, on this day, make my fasts worthy of appreciation and acceptance, according to what pleases You, and pleases the Messenger, the branches being strengthened by the roots, for the sake of our leader, Muhammad, and his purified family. Praise be to ALLAH, the Lord of the worlds.

President Barack Obama-Ramadan Message

On behalf of the American people – including Muslim communities in all fifty states – I want to extend best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem.

Ramadan is the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with a simple word – iqra. It is therefore a time when Muslims reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith, and the responsibility that human beings have to one another, and to God.

Like many people of different faiths who have known Ramadan through our communities and families, I know this to be a festive time – a time when families gather, friends host iftars, and meals are shared. But I also know that Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection – a time when Muslims fast during the day and perform tarawih prayers at night, reciting and listening to the entire Koran over the course of the month.

These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.

For instance, fasting is a concept shared by many faiths – including my own Christian faith – as a way to bring people closer to God, and to those among us who cannot take their next meal for granted. And the support that Muslims provide to others recalls our responsibility to advance opportunity and prosperity for people everywhere. For all of us must remember that the world we want to build – and the changes that we want to make – must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities.

This summer, people across America have served in their communities – educating children, caring for the sick, and extending a hand to those who have fallen on hard times. Faith-based organizations, including many Islamic organizations, have been at the forefront in participating in this summer of service. And in these challenging times, this is a spirit of responsibility that we must sustain in the months and years to come.

Beyond America’s borders, we are also committed to keeping our responsibility to build a world that is more peaceful and secure. That is why we are responsibly ending the war in Iraq. That is why we are isolating violent extremists while empowering the people in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is why we are unyielding in our support for a two-state solution that recognizes the rights of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. And that is why America will always stand for the universal rights of all people to speak their mind, practice their religion, contribute fully to society and have confidence in the rule of law.

All of these efforts are a part of America’s commitment to engage Muslims and Muslim-majority nations on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect. And at this time of renewal, I want to reiterate my commitment to a new beginning between America and Muslims around the world.

As I said in Cairo, this new beginning must be borne out in a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground. I believe an important part of this is listening, and in the last two months, American embassies around the world have reached out not just to governments, but directly to people in Muslim-majority countries. From around the world, we have received an outpouring of feedback about how America can be a partner on behalf of peoples’ aspirations.

We have listened. We have heard you. And like you, we are focused on pursuing concrete actions that will make a difference over time – both in terms of the political and security issues that I have discussed, and in the areas that you have told us will make the most difference in peoples’ lives.

These consultations are helping us implement the partnerships that I called for in Cairo – to expand education exchange programs; to foster entrepreneurship and create jobs; and to increase collaboration on science and technology, while supporting literacy and vocational learning. We are also moving forward in partnering with the OIC and OIC member states to eradicate polio, while working closely with the international community to confront common health challenges like H1N1 – which I know is of particular to concern to many Muslims preparing for the upcoming hajj.

All of these efforts are aimed at advancing our common aspirations – to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. It will take time and patient effort. We cannot change things over night, but we can honestly resolve to do what must be done, while setting off in a new direction – toward the destination that we seek for ourselves, and for our children. That is the journey that we must travel together.

I look forward to continuing this critically important dialogue and turning it into action. And today, I want to join with the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world – and your families and friends – in welcoming the beginning of Ramadan, and wishing you a blessed month. May God’s peace be upon you.