Indeed, all praises and thanks are due to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His Help and and we seek His Forgiveness. And we take refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the bad of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide. And whomever Allah misguides, none can guide. And I testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May blessings and peace be upon him and upon his family and companions.
To proceed:
O slaves of Allah! Indeed, Allah bestows upon His slaves seasons of immense blessings. Ramaḍān is truly one of these seasons. A season of mercy, forgiveness and salvation from the Fire of Hell, it is sadly about to leave us for another year. However, Allah has kept the best for last, and has placed at the end of this blessed month a series of extra-blessed nights. These are none other than the last ten nights of Ramaḍān. So dear slaves of Allah, I urge you to be more diligent in worshipping your Lord in these final ten days of this blessed month. The Master of all worshippers ﷺ would strive in worship during these ten nights more than he did during the other nights of Ramaḍān, a month during which he already strove more as compared to the other months. For in these ten nights most likely falls the greatest night of the year—Laylat al-Qadr. Allah ﷻ says in this regard:
"Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of Decree) is better than a thousand months." (Qur’ān 97:3)
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever stands in prayer on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven for him" (Narrated by the Six Imams except Ibn Mājah, and by others)
Seek this especially-blessed night on each of the last ten nights of this blessed month, particularly on the odd-numbered nights, i.e. the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th. Let this night find you absorbed in good works, remembering Allah ta‘ālā, neither distracted, heedless, nor absorbed in foolishness. Stand in prayer in obedience to your Lord on these nights, even if little, for the best prayers after the obligatory prayers are those performed at night. Make plenty du‘ā’ during these nights, particularly during the middle and last third of the night, for du‘ā’ made at these times is like an arrow which never misses its target. Make du‘ā’ both for yourself and your fellow brothers and sisters. Ask your Lord for your needs and have confidence that your du‘ā’ will be accepted, for He is Most Generous. Complain to your Lord of your suffering and grief, for He is All-Hearing. Shed your tears out of shame of your Lord and express your deep regret over your past mistakes, and know that He is Most Kind, Ever Merciful, more so than a mother is to her child. For we are truly in need of cleaning the filth of our sins, so let us show our helplessness and neediness before our Lord so that He may grant us what we need—the washing away of our sins.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught us to say the following du‘ā’ on Laylat al-Qadr:
"O Allah! Indeed, you are Oft-Pardoning; you love pardoning, so pardon me." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Majāh, Aḥmad and others)
So repeat it often throughout these nights.
The Best of all worshippers ﷺ would perform i‘tikāf—remaining in the masjid in spiritual retreat—for the full last ten days of Ramaḍān. So try to emulate him in this act of worship. If you cannot perform i‘tikāf for the full ten days, then at least every time you enter a masjid, make the intention to be in the state of i‘tikāf for as long as you remain in it.
The last ten days are the days of salvation from the Fire of Hell. Know that you can save yourself from Hellfire by giving just a little amount in charity. The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Protect yourselves from the Fire, even with half a date [in charity]." (Narrated by al-Bukhārī, Muslim and al-Nasā'ī)
Have confidence that your Generous Lord will give you better replacement for what you have spent in His cause. Allah ﷻ says:
"If you loan Allah a goodly loan (i.e. give charity for the sake of Allah), He will multiply it for you and forgive you." (Qur’ān 64:17)
Now is an especially crucial time to donate to the needy, given the dire state of our Muslim brothers and sisters suffering abroad.
I once again remind you and myself to take maximum advantage of this last portion of Ramaḍān before it departs for another year. Spend it in prayer, du‘ā’, seeking forgiveness from Allah, tawbah and charity. For the greatest night of the year—a night better than 1000 months—is most likely to fall on one of these ten nights. Whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived. So don't waste this chance, for you may never live to see such an opportunity again.
To proceed:
O slaves of Allah! Indeed, Allah bestows upon His slaves seasons of immense blessings. Ramaḍān is truly one of these seasons. A season of mercy, forgiveness and salvation from the Fire of Hell, it is sadly about to leave us for another year. However, Allah has kept the best for last, and has placed at the end of this blessed month a series of extra-blessed nights. These are none other than the last ten nights of Ramaḍān. So dear slaves of Allah, I urge you to be more diligent in worshipping your Lord in these final ten days of this blessed month. The Master of all worshippers ﷺ would strive in worship during these ten nights more than he did during the other nights of Ramaḍān, a month during which he already strove more as compared to the other months. For in these ten nights most likely falls the greatest night of the year—Laylat al-Qadr. Allah ﷻ says in this regard:
لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
وَمَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
Seek this especially-blessed night on each of the last ten nights of this blessed month, particularly on the odd-numbered nights, i.e. the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th. Let this night find you absorbed in good works, remembering Allah ta‘ālā, neither distracted, heedless, nor absorbed in foolishness. Stand in prayer in obedience to your Lord on these nights, even if little, for the best prayers after the obligatory prayers are those performed at night. Make plenty du‘ā’ during these nights, particularly during the middle and last third of the night, for du‘ā’ made at these times is like an arrow which never misses its target. Make du‘ā’ both for yourself and your fellow brothers and sisters. Ask your Lord for your needs and have confidence that your du‘ā’ will be accepted, for He is Most Generous. Complain to your Lord of your suffering and grief, for He is All-Hearing. Shed your tears out of shame of your Lord and express your deep regret over your past mistakes, and know that He is Most Kind, Ever Merciful, more so than a mother is to her child. For we are truly in need of cleaning the filth of our sins, so let us show our helplessness and neediness before our Lord so that He may grant us what we need—the washing away of our sins.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught us to say the following du‘ā’ on Laylat al-Qadr:
اَللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ اَلْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
So repeat it often throughout these nights.
The Best of all worshippers ﷺ would perform i‘tikāf—remaining in the masjid in spiritual retreat—for the full last ten days of Ramaḍān. So try to emulate him in this act of worship. If you cannot perform i‘tikāf for the full ten days, then at least every time you enter a masjid, make the intention to be in the state of i‘tikāf for as long as you remain in it.
The last ten days are the days of salvation from the Fire of Hell. Know that you can save yourself from Hellfire by giving just a little amount in charity. The Prophet ﷺ said:
اتَّقُوا النَّارَ وَلَوْ بِشِقِّ تَمْرَةٍ
Have confidence that your Generous Lord will give you better replacement for what you have spent in His cause. Allah ﷻ says:
إِن تُقْرِضُوا ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَٰعِفْهُ لَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ
Now is an especially crucial time to donate to the needy, given the dire state of our Muslim brothers and sisters suffering abroad.
I once again remind you and myself to take maximum advantage of this last portion of Ramaḍān before it departs for another year. Spend it in prayer, du‘ā’, seeking forgiveness from Allah, tawbah and charity. For the greatest night of the year—a night better than 1000 months—is most likely to fall on one of these ten nights. Whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived. So don't waste this chance, for you may never live to see such an opportunity again.
