Sha'ban is here - Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Centre

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My dear brothers and sisters, today is the first of Sha’ban. Alhamdulillah, the moon was sighted very clearly in many parts of the United States. We are very happy that we have started the month of Sha’ban. One month left for Ramadan al-Karim. So let us make sure that we spend this time in a way which prepares us for Ramadan to be able to take full advantage of the month of Ramadan. Sayyidina Ubaidah bin Samit reports that Rasulullah used to teach the Sahaba this dua at the approach of Ramadan. Safeguard me for the month of Ramadan and safeguard the month of Ramadan for me and accept it from me. So, Salim ni li Ramadan, safeguard me for Ramadan means by making me see the month of Ramadan fit and healthy and able to take advantage of the month. Wasallim ramadan li, safeguard the month of Ramadan for me means by making the conditions in it such that I take maximum benefit from it. And then wasallim hu li mutaqabala means accept it from me. Another Malik radiAllahu anhu narrated that Rasulullah was asked which fasting is the most virtuous, the most Mubarak, the most beneficial after Ramadan and he said Shaban in honor of Ramadan. So Alhamdulillah we are in the, today is the first day of Shaban. Let us make sure that we fast as much as we can this month. Rasulullah did not like fasting in Shaban and continuing to the end and then directly going off into Ramadan. He didn’t like that. He recommended and he commanded that we take a clear break between Shaban and Ramadan. So the last three, four days of Shaban, maybe a week of Shaban, do not fast and then start fasting again the first Ramadan inshallah. But that still leaves us three weeks. So let us try to fast as much as possible in those three weeks, if not all the three weeks, definitely Mondays and Thursdays and then the Yomul Bid, the White Nights which is 13th, 14th and 15th of the month. And Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam they asked him also which charity is the best and he said the charity in Ramadan. So this is the thing that I want to remind myself and you. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to help us to make the best of this month of Shaban and try and do our best to prepare ourselves for the month of Ramadan. My brothers and sisters, we have a whole month to plan and plan our schedule, plan our working hours, plan our free time, plan our priorities, do some extra work and finish it off so that in Ramadan you’ll be free. And then make sure that we fast and we pray and we read extra Quran and we make extra dhikr and we send extra Salat and Salam on Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and so on all through Ramadan. And the way to do that is to start now and get into the flow of it so that it becomes easy as we go along. At least alhamdulillah here, even everywhere, at least in Northern Hemisphere it’s all winter months so the weather is not too hot. Southern Hemisphere, Australia, South Africa, it’s the opposite where they’re going into their hotter months. May Allah make it easy for all of us inshallah. And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to accept, to give us ikhlas in niya and make it easy for us in every way and be pleased with us and to forgive our shortcomings and our sins and to enable us to make the best of this month of Sha’ban and then of course as Ramadan comes the month of Ramadan.

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