Purify your heart before Ramadan
“From now, ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for forgiveness.”
As Ramadan approaches, Muslims should use Sha'ban to purify their hearts from shirk, resentment, and people-pleasing, repair relationships, and seek Allah's forgiveness while avoiding newly invented rituals.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Sha'ban is presented as physical and spiritual preparation for Ramadan.
- The sermon explains subtle forms of shirk, including misplaced fear, hope, reliance, showmanship, and attributing provision to created means.
- Listeners are urged to remove envy, hatred, grudges, backbiting, and namimah, beginning within the family.
- The speaker cautions against singling out the middle of Sha'ban for special prayers, fasting, sweets, or celebration.
- The khutbah calls for immediate repentance, self-examination, reliance on Allah, and preparation for Ramadan.
- It warns against both feeling secure from Allah's plan and despairing of His mercy.
In the khateeb's words
“So as if like how the fasting to prepare the body, but this is to prepare the heart, to prepare the heart should be pure from other than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.”
“Yes, take the means. But in your heart, to believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the rizq from Him.”
“But to single this day and this night to fast, to have some form of celebration, to distribute sweets and other things, all of this what's called is bida' from the deen.”
“So to use this opportunity and this day is coming I don't need to wait until the mid of shabam but from now ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for forgiveness”
For the dinner table
The khateeb reminded us that Sha'ban is a time to prepare for Ramadan with both our bodies and our hearts. Along with fasting, he encouraged us to worship Allah sincerely, watch out for showing off, and remember that our provision comes from Allah even as we work and accept help. He warned against envy, hatred, gossip, and keeping family arguments alive by bringing up old hurts. He asked us to begin with ourselves and our families rather than pointing out everyone else's faults. We can start today by asking Allah for forgiveness and mercy, putting our trust in Him, and working toward kinder relationships before Ramadan arrives.
- What is one way we can prepare our hearts for Ramadan this week?
- What good deed could you do quietly without looking for praise?
- What could we do differently when a disagreement starts at home?
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