Prophet Muhammad’s Sermon Welcoming the Holy Month of Ramadan

March 16, 2023

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Prophet Muhammad’s Sermon Welcoming the Holy Month of Ramadan

خطبة النبي الأكرم (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) في استقبال شهر رمضان

Imam al-Rida (p) and his forefathers (pbut) to Amir al-Muminin (p), narrate that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hp) addressed us one day and said:

“O People!

“Indeed, the blessed month of Allah has arrived with blessings, mercy, and forgiveness for you. A month that is considered the best of months by Allah. Its days are the best of days, its nights are the best of nights, and its hours are the best of hours. It is a month in which you are invited to be the guests of Allah. In this month you are considered to be people worthy of the grace of Allah. In this month, each breath you take glorifies Allah, your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted, and your prayers are answered.

“So, ask Allah, your Lord, with sincere intentions and pure hearts, to aid you in fasting and reciting His Holy Book. The unfortunate one is he who is denied Allah’s forgiveness during this great month. Through your hunger and thirst, remember the hunger and thirst that you will experience on the Day of Judgment. Give charity to the needy and poor, honor your old, show kindness to your young ones, maintain relations with your kin, guard your tongues, look away from that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of other people so compassion may be shown to your orphans.

“Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands and ask Allah during times of prayer, for these are the best of times; Allah looks at His servants with mercy, answering their supplications, answering their call if they called, and granting their prayers if they asked.

“O People! Indeed, your souls are tied to your deeds, so free them with repentance. Your backs are heavy with sins, so lighten them with long prostrations. Know that Allah swears by His Might that He does not punish those who pray and prostrate, and He will not frighten them with the fire of the day when people stand before the Lord of the worlds.

“O People! One who gives food to a believer to break his fast is given the reward of freeing a slave and his past sins will be forgiven.”

Some people listening to the sermon said, “O Prophet of Allah, not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting”

The Prophet (pbuh&hp) said, “You could avoid hellfire with even a piece of date or a drink of water.

“O People! One who attains good morals during this month will be able to pass the sirat on the day that feet will slip. The one who forgives his slaves in this month Allah will forgive him on Judgment Day. The one who abstains from evil in this month, Allah will save him from His anger when he meets Him. The one who honors an orphan in this month, Allah will honor him when he meets Him. The one who maintains relations with his kin in this month, Allah will shower him with His mercy when he meets Him. The one who cuts ties with his kin, Allah will cut His mercy from him when he meets Him. Whoever performs a recommended prayer in this month, Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him. Whoever performs one obligatory prayer, Allah will give him the reward of seventy prayers prayed in other months. Whoever increases his prayers (salawat) on me in this month, Allah will increase his scale of good deeds when other people’s scales become light. The one who recites one verse from the holy Quran in this month will be given the reward of reciting the whole Quran during other months.

“O People! The doors of heaven are open during this month, so ask your Lord not to close them for you. The doors of hell are closed, so ask your Lord not to open them for you. Shaytan is imprisoned during this month, so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you.”

Amir al-Muminin, Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him) said, “I stood up and said, ‘O Messenger of God! What is the best worship in this month?’ The Prophet (pbuh&hp) said, ‘O Aba al-Hasan, the best worship in this month is to abstain from that which is forbidden by God Almighty.’ Then he [the Prophet] cried and I said, ‘O Messenger of God! What makes you cry?’ He said, ‘O Ali, I cry because of what will happen to you this month. You will be praying to your Lord, and a wretched person—the brother of the one who slaughtered the camel of Thamud—will strike you on your head, drenching your beard with blood.’ Amir al-Muminin said, ‘O Messenger of God, will my death keep my religion safe? He [the Prophet] said, ‘Yes, it will keep your religion safe.’  Then the Prophet (pbuh&hp) said, ‘O Ali, the one who kills you has killed me, and the one who hates you has hated me, and the one who curses you has cursed me. This is all because you are from me; your soul is my soul, and your clay is my clay, God Almighty has created you and I, and He has chosen you and I. He chose me as His prophet and chose you as His imam. He who denies your imamah has denied my prophethood. O Ali, you are my successor, the father of my sons, and the husband of my daughter. You are the successor after me in my ummah (nation), during my life, and after my death. Your command is my command, and your prohibition is my prohibition. I swear by the One who has sent me as His prophet and made me the best of His creation, that you are the proof of God on His creation, the trustee with His secret, and the successor amongst His servants.’”

[Shaykh al-Sadouq, “Uyun Akhbar al-Rida” vol. 1, p. 295–297.]