Use Rajab to prepare for Ramadan
“You cannot say, I want to be the best person ever in the month of Ramadan.”
Rajab should be used as a sacred opportunity to avoid wrongdoing, repair relationships, increase good deeds, and prepare ourselves and our families for Ramadan.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Exhorts believers to fear Allah and speak rightly, then explains that Rajab is a sacred month without special prescribed worship.
- Describes sacred months as a time to avoid wrongdoing and increase good deeds, with heightened spiritual consequences.
- Applies this principle to leaders and personal conduct, warning against shirk, harmful media, disobedience, and neglected relationships.
- Uses the story of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and the bankrupt-person hadith to show that injustice toward others can outweigh personal worship.
- Calls listeners to review the past year, repent, seek forgiveness, repair relationships, and prepare gradually for Ramadan.
- Encourages Islamic identity among families and youth, supports the mosque expansion, offers condolences, and closes with prayers and Quranic recitations.
In the khateeb's words
“Most of the scholars said there is nothing, an act of worship that is special to the month of Rajab.”
“You cannot say, I want to be the best person ever in the month of Ramadan. And in the night of the month of Ramadan, you're going to click in the button and you're going to be transformed completely.”
“We're not taking anything with us. We're not taking any bitcoins or any dinar or durham or any dollars with us. We're only taken from this dunya our good deeds.”
For the dinner table
Imam Ahmed reminded us that Rajab is a sacred month and an opportunity to prepare our hearts for Ramadan. He explained that this preparation takes time, like building muscles, and encouraged us to increase good deeds and leave harmful habits behind. He asked us to repair relationships, treat people fairly, and seek forgiveness from Allah and anyone we have wronged. Through the teaching about spiritual bankruptcy, he reminded us that prayer, fasting, and charity do not erase our responsibility for hurting others. He also encouraged families to plan for Ramadan, support spaces for young people at the masjid, and comfort those who are grieving.
- What small good habit could our family practice together before Ramadan?
- What does treating someone fairly look like at home, at school, or online?
- How could we help someone who is feeling sad after losing a loved one?
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