اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
The last Friday of 1401
This Friday is the last Friday of the year 1401. It is the last Friday of winter. And it is the last Friday of the month of Sha’ban.
We are facing three beginnings: the beginning of the New Year; the beginning of the spring; and the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, the spring of the holy Qur’an.
In the last days of the year, we ask God for forgiveness for the neglects and sins we committed during the year. And in the last days of winter, we ask the almighty God for the end of suffering and pain for all humans. Also in the last days of Sha’ban, we offer that: اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ لَمْ تَکُنْ قَدْ غَفَرْتَ لَنَا فِی مَا مَضَى مِنْشَعْبَانَ فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا فِیمَا بَقِیَ مِنْهُ؛ O Allah, if you did not forgive us in what passed the month of Sha’ban, forgive us in the rest of it.
The last Friday of Sha’ban
According to the words by Imam Ali, peace upon him, the sermon of Shabaniyah is the words of the Messenger of God. It is appropriate that every year, at the beginning of the month of Ramadan, in order to enter the holy month with insight, a person should review it once, to remind himself of what a great month he is facing.
Imam Ali reports that on the last Friday of the month of Sha’ban, the beloved Messenger of Islam spoke about the attributes and blessings of the month of Ramadan in his Friday prayer sermon and said:
أیُها الناس، إنّه قد أقبلَ الیکم شهرُ اللهِ بالبَرکة وَ الرّحمة وَ المَغفرة،
Ramadan is the month of God’s mercy and forgiveness. All sinful people want to be forgiven, but what is the way? In this month, which is the month of forgiveness, what should we do so that our sins will be forgiven by God?
The Prophet himself mentioned it in the middle of this sermon and said:
أیها الناسُ، مَن فَطّرَ مِنکُم صائِماً مُؤمِناً فِی هذا الشّهرِ کانَ لَه بِذلکَ عندَاللهِعِتقُ رقبَةٍ،وَ مغفرةٌ لِما مَضَی مِن ذُنُوبِهِ،
O people, whoever among you feeds a fasting believer in this month, he will have freed a slave for God and it is considered forgiveness for his past sins.
قیلَ: یا رَسولَ اللهِ، وَ لیسَ کُلّنا یَقدِرُ عَلَی ذلکَ،
It was said: O Messenger of God, not all of us can do that.
فقالَ صلّی اللهُ علیه و آله: اتّقوا النّارَ وَ لَو بِشِقّ تَمرَةٍ،اتقوا النّارَ و لَو بِشَربَةٍمِن ماءٍ،
He, may God’s prayers be upon him and his family, said: keep yourself away of the fire even with half a date, avoid fire even with water.
Due to the flood of fasting and needy refugees, this way for the forgiveness of sins in this month is much more open for you believers living in Europe than those living in other countries.
شهرٌ هوَ عندَ اللهِ أفضلُ الشّهورِ،و أیّامُهُ أفضلُ الأیّامِ،و لیالیهِ أفضلُاللّیالی،و ساعاتُهُ أفضلُ السّاعات،
Ramadan is the best of the months, and its days are the best of the days, and its nights are the best of the nights, and its hours are the best of the hours.
What does it mean that a special “time” has superiority and virtue? It may mean that the activity is more blessed at that time; or having otherworldly effects and more rewards; or to be accompanied by more divine success.
A person who does a good deed will be more blessed in the month of Ramadan than in other months, and in its days and nights than in other days and nights of the year, and in its hours than in other hours;
And the one who worships, in these times, will have more rewards in the hereafter;
And whoever wants to do something, he will be more successful in these times; success sometimes means smoothing the way to do that thing where that thing is right and according to the interest of that person, and sometimes it means making the way to do that thing rough, where that thing is wrong and detriment to that person.
هوَ شهرٌ دُعِیتُم فیهِ الی ضِیافَةِ الله، وجُعِلتُم فِیهِ مِن أهلِ کرامةِ اللهِ،
It is a month in which you are invited to God’s hospitality, and you are made among the people of God.
أنفاسُکُم فِیهِ تسبیحٌ، ونَومُکُم فِیهِ عِبادَةٌ، وَ عَمَلُکُم فِیهِ مَقبولٌ، و دُعاؤُکُم فِیهمُستجابٌ،
Your breathing in it is glorification, your sleep in it is worship, your deeds in it are accepted, and your supplications in it are answered.
Imam Sadiq reports that the Prophet said:
أَرْبَعَةٌ لَا تُرَدُّ لَهُمْ دَعْوَةٌ حَتَّى تُفَتَّحَ لَهُمْ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ وَ تَصِيرَ إِلَى الْعَرْشِ :
1 _ الْوَالِدُ لِوَلَدِهِ .
2 ـ وَ الْمَظْلُومُ عَلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَهُ .
3 ـ وَ الْمُعْتَمِرُ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ .
4 ـ وَ الصَّائِمُ حَتَّى يُفْطِرَ.
There are four groups for whom the doors of heaven are opened and ascend to the throne of God:
1- Father’s good prayer for his child;
2- The curse of the oppressed against the one who did wrong to him;
3- The prayer of the pilgrim to the House of God until the day he returns to his homeland from the Umrah journey;
4- Prayer of a fasting person until the moment he breaks his fast.
We hope that God will grant us the success of proper fasting, proper worship, and use of the blessings of this great month.