After reciting the Tashahhud, the Ta’uz and the first chapter Al Fatiha of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Amirul Mo’menine, Zafrullah Domun said:

By the Grace of Allah we have almost reached the end of the month of Ramadan for this year. Eid will incha Allah be celebrated on either Sunday next or at latest on Monday. As usual Eid prayer at Baitul Rahma mosque will be held incha Allah at 9.30 a.m. We request all brothers and sisters to be present on time.

So once again Allah has, out of His sheer Grace given us another month of Ramadan in our life. Although we have met this month here inMauritius in winter, yet it was not an easy ride especially for the young ones. But for others, the elder ones it was more or less of what it has usually been since we started fasting. But no one can deny that at times it was tough because of the many deprivations, namely of food and drink and sleep. Anyhow on the whole, all of us I hope have tried to make the best of the opportunity that we were given to have our sins forgiven and also to be of help to those who are poor in society.

Now what next? Before the complete end of Ramadan  we still have at least about twenty four hours left or at most 48 hours to still continue to benefit from the month of Ramadan. So we should not start relaxing. We should still continue to pray and ask forgiveness till the sighting of the new moon if we want to fully benefit from what Allah has reserved for us in this most important and blessed month. So use the remaining hours of today and tonight to do your best to derive the maximum remaining spiritual benefits. May Allah enable each one amongst us to understand what He wants from us and may He enable us to do everything to try to get His Pleasure.

Today, being the last Friday of the month of Ramadan is usually known as the valedictory Friday (Jummatul Widah). The fact is that before the next Friday Ramadan will be gone. So in this Friday, we will be sending off Ramadan so to say. Unfortunately some Muslims labour under the delusion that by being present in the Mosque only on this day, they will have all their sins forgiven. As we have explained in previous years’ sermons this is a common misconception but unfortunately it is common practice. Usually this misconception is more prevalent in the Indo-Asian countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Today in all these places mosques are full to capacity and some people even read prayers on the street because they think that this prayer today is very special. But there is nothing in the Holy Quran or in the Hadith that give to this day any particular characteristic that are absent on other Fridays. Just as it is obligatory (farz) for all male Muslims to attend the Friday prayers throughout the year, so it is for today or for any last Friday of the month of Ramadan. Nothing more nothing less. Hence we should bear in mind that we are mistaken if we ever think that today’s worship will be enough to have our sins forgiven although we did not make any effort in the previous days of Ramadan. But if we decide today to turn a new leaf and to leave the world of sin to migrate to a new world where we will practice virtue then definitely this day will have a definite meaning for us if Allah accepts our repentance and turns to us with Mercy. But such a decision on our part may take place on any day of the year. The day itself does not contain any particular significance but it is made significant by what we make of it.

Many Muslims, unfortunately because they are not well versed in Islamic lore think that since Ramadan is nearing its end  and we are saying “Au Revoir”(goodbye) to it so we should revert immediately back to all our pre-Ramadan unislamic habits. The list of such habits is quite long. But to give some examples I may mention spending long hours watching stupid films or football matches or even playing video games or chatting on the internet. Most of these activities are mere waste of time. We should grow up and try to understand what is good and what is bad for us. Similarly there are many Muslims and even Ahmadis who swear when they talk or fight. There are some who indulge in backbiting others or in blaming others. Similarly there are many other bad habits that people have cultivated over the years. So if we have fasted and tried to practice virtue, how bad would it be that once Ramadan is gone we revert back to our old bad habits? If our fasting consisted only in being without food, drink and sex then we will behave like this. But if we fasted as Allah said that we might become righteous then our fasting should be a means to deliver us from all these distasteful habits that poison our life and that of those who are around us. Yes, today is the occasion to say “goodbye” not to the month of Ramadan but to those evil habits which the month of Ramadan helped us to do without for about thirty days. During the month of Ramadan we tried to fill our life with virtues like reading the Holy Quran daily, being kind with one another, waking up early to pray Tahajjud, being present in the mosque for our five daily prayers, refraining from joining prayers too often, showing solicitude to poor people, getting to know how a person without food feels, expressing joy at seeing our other brothers and sisters. All such good deeds should continue even after Ramadan. If that is not the case what is it else that Ramadan has brought to us? This is a matter on which you should reflect in order to deepen your understanding. I cannot make you realize all the benefits of the month of Ramadan that should stay with you. You have to think by yourself and find out.

Once Ramadan is gone what should we do? The Holy Prophet Mohammad ^saw said that he who fasts during Ramadan and follows it by six other fasts in Shawwal, it is as if he has fasted for ever or he has fasted the whole year according to some other versions. The good Muslim is hereby encouraged to fast some more days after Ramadan in order to get more spiritual benefits. If the Holy Prophet has encouraged us to fast these additional days, I think this is more in line with the hadith Qudsi where he said that Allah told him during his ascension ( mi’raj )that “as for those who would draw nigh to Me, their best means of drawing nigh is by performance of obligations which I have laid upon them. My servant continually seeks to win My favour by works of supererogation until I love him; and when I love him, I am to him an ear and an eye and a hand and a helper : through Me he hears , and through Me he sees and through Me he takes.” Someone has explained that by “performing obligations” we serve Allah and to do “works of supererogation” we love Him. In simpler terms words “works of supererogation” only means additional voluntary devotions whether it is prayer or fasting or Zakaat or even Hajj. Allah knows best. So all those who wish to get additional blessings and move closer to Allah should try to fast for six additional days in the month of Shawwal. But remember this is not an obligation it is only recommended.

You will notice that if we are not grown up enough to realize the full benefits of the month of Ramadan we would like this month to end as soon as possible because the deprivations that we go through during these days are too tough. But those people who understand the full importance that fasting plays to help one to realize one’s spiritual potential they regret the passing away of the month of Ramadan. To such people Ramadan was a real spiritual treat in addition to the physical benefits that it brought them. The believer does not stay at one stage for ever. He has been created to progress in the recognition of his Lord. So we should do our best to progress in this field and understand the role that Ramadan plays to help us to achieve that goal.

I was thinking what is that single most important benefit that Ramadan came to give us and then left us with? Of course as per the verse of the Holy Quran it is “that you may become righteous” as we have explained several times. I think all of you will agree that it is not by just remaining without food and drink and sex for about thirteen hours a day for twenty nine or thirty days that a person automatically becomes righteous. Experience has taught us that these deprivations are not enough unless they are accompanied by a deliberate attempt to get rid of the bondage of sin and of striving to lead a life of virtue. But to get rid of sins requires a constant effort on our part because Satan is always on the lookout to make us stumble and fail. There is no doubt at all that this effort on our part is most important. But the experience of countless friends of Allah bear witness to the fact that without Allah’s Grace we will never be able to get rid of the power of Satan on us. Recently I have been reading some volumes of the Malfoozaat of Hazrat Masih Maood^as and I have seen that whenever he spoke with his disciples he used to tell them about this fact that I have just mentioned.

Now the question is how do we get Grace from Allah? It is not a common commodity that you can order and you will get it. You need to seek it. And in the month of Ramadan I think that the gates of the Mercy of Allah are fully opened for any sincere seeker. We seek it by spending hours and hours with our head bowed at Allah’s threshold day and night. This is a piece of wisdom that you should all try to understand. I think also that during the month of Ramadan we are able to make utmost efforts to seek this Grace by making plenty of supplications to Allah. I think also that it is this great benefit of Ramadan that we should try to transport in our lives in the other  months and days of the year. If we do this each coming Ramadan we will progress further on this path because we have been practicing an essential feature of Ramadan during the whole year.

 Hence we cannot deny that we will not be able to fast during a whole year, nor will we be able to give charity everyday nor will we feed the poor everyday but what we can and should do every single day of the year is that we should make supplications to our Lord. Hazrat Masih Maood ^as has never stopped emphasizing in all his speeches and casual conversations that the person who wants to progress in spirituality should become addicted to making supplications to Allah. He went further by saying that you should weep in your supplications everyday. If you understand this point you will progress and meet with an Eid that will never end because your Ramadan never ended. I will speak more about this matter in the Eid sermon incha Allah. May Allah help each one amongst us to know such Ramadans and such Eids incha Allah. Ameen