My dear brothers and sisters, Assalamu Alaikum;
May the Peace, Mercy and Blessing of Allah be with you all!
On this important and auspicious occasion, the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan, I would like to wish all Guyanese and especially our Muslim brothers and sisters, “Ramadan Mubarak!”
Ramadan Mubarak to all our brothers and sisters, the Imams, President and leaders of our country! Ramadan is the month in which the Holy Quran was revealed to our Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Almighty Allah (SWT) said in the Holy Quran Chapter 2: Verse: 183
O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may learn self-restraint (Taqwah).
Regarding the Holy Month of Ramadan, our Beloved Prophet, Muhammad (SAW) has beautifully and comprehensively described what a blessed month it is by saying “O people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which there is a night better than a thousand months. A month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer to Allah by performing any good deeds in this month shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time. Whoever discharges an obligatory deed in this month shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is heaven. It is the month of charity. It is a month in which a believer’s sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast shall have his sins forgiven, he will be saved from the fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all”.
In another narration, our Beloved Prophet (SAW) said, in the first part of Ramadan we earn the mercy of Allah, the second part we earn the forgiveness of Allah and during the third part we earn freedom from the Fire of Hell.
Our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said whoever does not give up false statements and evil actions, Allah will not be in need of him giving up his food and drink.
Dear brothers and sisters, we have the most noble visitor; in the Holy Month of Ramadan let’s make maximum use of the short time that we have to earn the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah.
Let us in this month of Ramadan, the month in which the Quran was revealed, go back to the pages of the Holy Quran and reflect on the message of the Quran because it is the greatest message and the final message sent to mankind by Allah.
Let us use our time in Ramadan, to study the life, the mission and the achievements of the greatest benefactor of humanity, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). We should let our lives reflect our love for him and all those ideals that he spoke about and taught us.
There is a cry in the world for this noble way of life; the message of peace, the message of love, the message of unity of all humanity, the message of tolerance, the message which if we follow it sincerely and implement it in our lives, our lives will be changed for the better and the world will be a better place for all.
Islam has the solution for all the problems facing humanity whether these problems are religious, social, economic or otherwise. The Month of Ramadan is a time to reflect on all these challenges that mankind faces today and we seek the solution which can only be found through our dedication, prayer, charity and fast.
Fasting and charity will earn us His grace and His mercy. We need to make maximum use of the Holy Month of Ramadan by praying to Allah, by taking care of the poor and needy in our community, by seeking the forgiveness of Allah for all our sins and turning to Him in repentance.
We should utilise the opportunity to pay our zakaat as our blessings are multiplied tremendously during Ramadan. Muslims make full use during Ramadan to share out their zakaat which is made payable to the destitute especially our near relatives by taking care of their needs. You are
therefore encouraged to pay your zakaat upon reaching the Nisaab (Gy$115,500), Allah’s willing.
Let us in the month of Ramadan try our best to make peace with all our family members, neighbours and fellow citizens. Let us visit the sick and pray for them. Let us extend our mercy to the orphans in our community. Let us sympathise and help the widows and elderly people in society. These actions will earn us God’s forgiveness and mercy; this is what Ramadan stands for. Let us rededicate our lives to prayers and righteous deeds to make our homes, our community and country a better place for all Guyanese.
I pray that God Almighty give us the strength and health to fast throughout the month of Ramadan and also to stand in prayer during the nights of the Ramadan.
Once again Ramadan Mubarak! Ramadan Mubarak!
Ramadan Mubarak! May Allah bless us all and bless our country…
WASSALAMU ALALAIKUM WARAHMATULLAHI WABARAKAATUHU!
Al-Hajj SHAHABUDEEN AHMAD
President (ag), CIOG
