DATE 01032019 THE THREE SACRED MONTHS THE SEASON OF

date: 01.03.2019 the three sacred months: the season of blessings honorable muslims! the beginning of the three sacred months, whi

DATE: 01.03.2019

THE THREE SACRED MONTHS: THE SEASON OF BLESSINGS
Honorable Muslims!
The beginning of the three sacred months, which is the season of
compassion and mercy, is just around the corner. Thanks and praise be
to Allah for allowing us to make it to these blessed days. Peace and
greetings be to the Prophet Muhammad (saw) who was sent as mercy to
the worlds.
The Night of Raghaib marks the beginning of the three sacred months,
which are Rajab, Sha’ban, and Ramadan. Along the way come the Night of
Miraj and Bara’ah, and the peak is reached through the Night of Qadr,
which is more blessed than a thousand months. Finally, the Eid
al-Fitr, which cements our unity and togetherness and increases our
fondness and compassion, crowns the three sacred months. The season of
the three sacred months is the long-awaited sacred guest at the home
of our hearts. In this respect, The Messenger of Allah used to welcome
the three sacred months with the following prayers: “O Allah! Bless
the months of Rajab and Shaban for us, and allow us to reach the month
of Ramadan.”1
Dear Believers!
The season of the three sacred months is when the divine compassion is
felt all around and the hearts are filled with spiritual peacefulness
and serenity. It is on these blessed occasions that we account for the
deeds we do in life and make sense of the purpose of creation. We turn
towards servitude to Allah, worshipping, doing charitable works and
good deeds more than ever, as well as render the world of our hearts
prosperous. We get to remember all the duties and responsibilities
that we keep neglecting in the rush of life.
Dear Muslims!
Next week Thursday night is the Night of Raghaib, full of virtue and
blessings. Raghaib means ‘the longed for, the demanded for, and the
valued for’. The Night of Raghaib is the herald of the three sacred
months and the news-bringer of Ramadan, the month of the Qur’an. The
Night of Raghaib reminds us that the true gain in this life that flows
away is to turn towards Allah and keep our promise of servitude to
Him.
Honorable Believers!
Allah the Almighty says in the verse I have recited at the beginning
of the khutbah, “O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every
soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allah.
Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.”2 According to this
divine appeal, we as Muslims should look for opportunities to do good
deeds more than ever in these three sacred months full of compassion
and mercy. There are many ways to do good deeds. Sometimes it can be
to show the direction for someone who lost their ways. Some other
times it is to rid of an obstacle causing inconvenience for people.
Still other times it is to help those people in need and give charity
(infaq) to them. Infaq does not always have to be a good deed done by
way of giving out an amount of money. The Prophet Muhammad (saw)
pointed out to several ways of infaq, with his following saying,
“Enjoining all that is good is a Sadaqa.”3 It is also a kind of infaq
to provide a cure or remedy for a patient’s illness. What a noble act
it is to be a beam of hope for patients through organ-, bone marrow-,
and blood stem cell-donation without expecting anything worldly in
return! These kinds of acts as required of our religious and human
responsibilities are no doubt among those deeds to help us get the
approval of Allah in this atmosphere of blessings and mercy of the
three sacred months. As Allah clearly states in the Holy Qur’an,
“…whoever saves one (soul) - it is as if he had saved mankind
entirely…”4
Dear Muslims!
The season of the three sacred months is a door opening to many
opportunities for us. We should turn such days and nights into
opportunities to get Allah’s approval, on condition that our efforts
in this regard do not discontinue once they are past. Our ‘raghaib’
should be for the Almighty Allah for life long.
As I conclude, I would like to congratulate you all for the Night of
Raghaib, and pray Allah that the climate of compassion, mercy, and
blessedness of the three sacred months contribute to the salvation,
peace, and serenity of humanity.
1 Tabarani, Al-Mu'jam Al-Awsat, IV, 189; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 1,
259.
2 Hashr, 59/18.
3 Bukhari, Adab, 33.
4 Ma’idah, 5/32.
General Directorate of Religious Services
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