Welcome Ramadan 2024
Insha’Allah, in a few days, the month of Ramadan al-Mubarak is going to begin, which holds a special place among the twelve Islamic months of the year. It is the month of strengthening one’s connection with Allah Almighty. The central point of every act of worship and good deed performed in this month is to re-establish a weakening connection with one’s Lord anew. By improving our actions, we aim to please our Creator. By seeking forgiveness for our sins, we strive to avoid our Master’s displeasure. For this purpose, staying hungry and thirsty proves our love for Him.
Allah Almighty has made this a month of greatness and blessings, and the reality is that for eleven months, a person remains engaged in the hustle of the world and the pursuit of wealth, which places veils of negligence over his heart. Allah Almighty has bestowed this month so that a person can remove these negligences within him and reconnect with the original purpose of his creation.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ٥٦
I did not create the Jinns and the human beings except for the purpose that they should worship Me. (51:56)
Despite being infallible, the eager anticipation, enthusiasm, and fervor of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) for Ramadan, along with the significant increase in his acts of worship even before the onset of Ramadan, and his gathering of his companions to underscore the importance, virtue, and encouragement to observe Ramadan, teaches and advises us to also pay attention to this matter. It is crucial for us to develop a profound state of turning back to Allah, to strengthen our relationship with Him, engaging in humility and supplication to win His favor and appease His anger, so that He may protect us from the trials of this world and the hereafter.
The Method of Welcoming Ramadan
The true welcome of Ramadan is to minimize our engagements and free ourselves for worship. We should intend that compared to the previous Ramadans, this time we will make an even greater effort to seek the closeness of Allah Almighty, aiming to achieve His utmost nearness and work hard to enhance our relationship with Allah Almighty. We should utilize these blessed moments in such a way that Allah Almighty becomes pleased with us and decides to surely admit us into His guest house, Jannat al-Firdaus, in the hereafter. (Ameen)
