Repent and repair before Ramadan
“Ramadan is not a season; it's a test.”
Because Sha'ban may be our last bridge to Ramadan, believers should awaken through repentance, purified faith, repaired relationships, and concrete worship habits begun now.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Death may make this Sha'ban and the coming Ramadan a believer's final opportunity to return to Allah.
- Sha'ban prepares believers through fasting, elevated deeds, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
- Listeners are urged to examine hidden shirk, worldly dependence, and the condition of their hearts.
- Following the salaf, believers should begin repentance and Qur'an preparation before Ramadan.
- The khutbah recommends heart detox, daily Qur'an, careful prayer, two rak'ahs of night prayer, and fasting three days.
- The khutbah closes with repentance-focused poetry and prayers for reaching Ramadan and relief for oppressed Muslims.
In the khateeb's words
“Ramadan is not a season it's a test a witness it will stand on the day of judgement either for you or against you”
“try to fast at least three days of sha'ban just three days either 13th, 14th, 15th, Mondays, Tuesdays any manageable three days in this month to be ready for Ramadan”
For the dinner table
The khateeb reminded us that none of us knows whether we will reach Ramadan, so Sha'ban is a precious chance to turn back to Allah. We should clean our hearts by leaving sins, letting go of hatred, repairing relationships, and checking whether we depend on worldly things more than Allah. We can rebuild our connection with the Qur'an a little each day and protect the five daily prayers, especially Fajr. We were also encouraged to begin with two sincere night-prayer rak'ahs and fast at least three days of Sha'ban. Even small steps taken sincerely can be rewarded, so we should start today rather than wait.
- What is one small habit you could start before Ramadan to make your heart cleaner?
- Which sounds more doable this week: one page of Qur'an, two night-prayer rak'ahs, or three days of fasting, and why?
- Is there someone you could forgive or make peace with before Ramadan?
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