In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of ourselves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
Dear brothers and sisters! May be, some people started their Ramadan with a bang, and, lost the enthusiasm and zeal to carry with the same energy after a week or so? Fret not. You are not alone. Many people start off Ramadan with lofty ambitions and goals, only to find themselves slacking off mid way due to various reasons ranging from not planning ahead to losing the motivation and drive to continue. If you are struggling with decreased motivation and want to make the best of Ramadan in the last few days, read on.
Respected brothers and sisters! Remember, Ramadan isn’t over until it’s actually over! Ten days is a lot of time for you to make up for what you’ve missed. Since the last ten days have a prestigious position during the blessed month (because lailatul-Qadr could fall on any of the odd nights) it is increasingly essential for you to focus on what you can do, rather than brooding over what has already happened. Convince your mind and heart not to lose hope, because Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala hasn’t lost hope in you. He believes you can, so you can!
My beloved brothers and sisters! If you are planning to speed up your process of completing your goals during the last ten days to show off to your friends or family, you are fundamentally going WRONG. Always do your deeds with the right intentions and that involves beginning a deed with the intention to please Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala *alone*. Remember, you will be rewarded for your righteous intentions even if you are not able to complete the task, so purify your intentions and renew them every single time.
Fellow Muslims! Please, don’t slacken off because your 20 days went wrong. No! If Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala has allowed you to wake up during the last few days of Ramadan, it means that He Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala trusts that you *will* raise your standards and make the best use of the month. Make Du’a as much as you can, whenever you can. Be sincere and let your heart and mind feel every single letter you say. Du’a is only as strong as you use it. Use it well. An overdose never hurts! Additionally, nothing increases the quality of your life like repentance does.
Dear servants of Allah! As with anything, quality always takes precedence over quantity. What’s the point of indulging in speed reading the glorious Qur’an if your mind and heart is heedless? Imagine having completed the whole Qur’an and your heart is still not moved by a single verse or ayat?
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala sees who is best in deeds, not necessarily those who’ve done the most number of deeds that are lacking in ihsan, consistency or purity of intentions. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala loves deeds that are consistent, even if they are small.
So, set up goals that are consistent and feasible, and most importantly, remember to continue doing them even after Ramadan. Being a good Muslim and striving to get closer to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala doesn’t end with Ramadan. It needs to be a lifelong commitment and goal. Therefore, keep the end goal of paradise in mind rather than just keeping the end goal of Ramadan in mind.
And it’s always nice to have company that would motivate you to reach your goals and pursue them with zeal and enthusiasm when you feel down or out. Additionally, your rewards of deeds get multiplied manifold when you edge others to do good. So don’t be selfish and limit your performance of good deeds to yourself. Encourage and push your family members and friends to do the same.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala will reward you for every act of worship they do because of your persistence. Imagine getting a huge mountain of good deeds just because you gave others an encouraging word or pushed them to reach a higher level of faith (Iman).
Dear brothers and sisters! Know that wallahi nothing increases the Barakah and blessings of your life like charity does. It extinguishes sins like water puts off fire. Imagine having a clean book of deeds with no sins against your name?! So, give and give some more in charity. Since every single act of good deed is multiplied innumerably during the month of Ramadan, what better way to make the best use of the last ten days than in giving charity? It could be a single coins/Naira/Dollar/Riyals in your eyes, but when done sincerely, it could be counted as a billion Naira/dollars/Riyals or more in terms of rewards in Allah’s eyes. Purify your intentions and give. And you might just receive so much more than you ever dreamt off! Wallahi charity would be a satisfying way to end Ramadan.
Ibn Abbas (RA) relates that:
“Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) was the most generous of all people in doing good, and he was at his most generous during the month of Ramadan. Jibril (Gabriel) used to meet with him every year throughout the month of Ramadan, so the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) could recite the Qur’an to him. Whenever Jibril (Gabriel) met with him, he became more generous than a beneficial breeze.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Respected brothers and sisters! Wallahi the last ten days/nights of Ramadan contain great significance in the blessed month. The importance attached to these days comes from the words of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Allah Almighty has granted special distinction to the month of Ramadan. The biggest virtue of this month is that the noble Qur’an was revealed on the night of Qadr in Ramadan. Allah the Most High says:
“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’an) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree).” [Qur’an, 97:1]
The Night of Power, or Lailatul-Qadr, is one of the nights in the last ten days of Ramadan. According to a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), the believers are encouraged to seek this night in the last ten days of Ramadan:
“Seek Lailatul Qadr in the last ten days of Ramadan.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
The last ten days of Ramadan in 2025 are expected to fall ten days ahead of last year in the Georgian calendar. As Ramadan follows the lunar calendar, the dates change every year due to the sighting of the new moon. In 2025, Ramadan was started on the 1st March, which means the last ten days will start somewhere around 20th March 2025.
Fellow Muslims! The believers are encouraged to make a lot of Du’a during the final days of the month. There are certain times in Ramadan that contain special virtues and when the Du’a of a Muslim has the highest likelihood of being accepted. The odd nights of the last ten days form an essential part of such blessed times. Aisha, the mother of the believers, asked the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) about the Du’a to be recited on Lailatul-Qadr. He taught her the following Du’a in response:
“Allahummah innaka Afuwwun [Karimun] tuhibbul afwa fa’fu anni.”
“O Allah, indeed, You are Pardoning, [Generous,] You love pardon, so pardon me.” [At-Tirmidhi]
The final days of the noble month are sometimes known as the “last Ashra” of Ramadan, which means the last ten days. The last Ashra offers salvation to believers with the promise of forgiveness and redemption from fire. According to a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him):
“Whoever stays up during Lailatul-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of earning reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
As discussed above, the presence of Lailatul-Qadr in the last ten days gives them greater virtue. In replying to Aisha about the best Du’a to be recited on Lailatul-Qadr, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) mentioned the following Du’a:
“Allahummah innaka Afuwwun [Karimun] tuhibbul afwa fa’fu anni.”
“O Allah, indeed, You are Pardoning, [Generous,] You love pardon, so pardon me.” [At-Tirmidhi]
Dear servants of Allah! There are several quotes about the importance of the last ten days in the Qur’an and Hadith. It is narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that.
“When the (last) ten (days of Ramadan) began, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) would stay awake at night, wake his family, strive hard (in worship) and tie his izar (waist belt) tight.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
In the final days of Ramadan, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to make a special effort to engage in worship and to wake his family up at night, too. In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Seek it in the last ten days of Ramadan, when there are nine days left, and seven days left, and five days left.” [Bukhari]
There are many acts of worship established from his noble Sunnah. I’tikaf is one such righteous act. According to authentic narrations, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to observe I’tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan, and the companions continued this tradition after him. A distinguished scholar of Islam, Imam Nawawi, is reported to have said:
“The best I’tikaf is that which is accompanied by fasting, and the best of that is in Ramadan, and the best of that is the last ten days.” [See Al-Majmu…, volume 6, page 514]
Describing a sign of Lailatul-Qadr, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Lailatul-Qadr is a pleasant night, neither hot nor cold, and the following day, the sun rises red and weak.” [Sahih Ibn Khuzaimah]
This tells the believers how to recognise Lailatul-Qadr from the other ten nights.
Stressing the importance of the glorious night of Qadr in Ramadan, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is reported to have said:
“This month (of Ramadan) has begun and there is a night in it better than one thousand months. (So,) any one deprived of its (blessings) is actually deprived of all goodness. Indeed, He is truly deprived who is kept away from its good.” [Ibn Majah]
Dear brothers and sisters! As I said earlier, charitable deeds are rewarded highly in the blessed days of Ramadan. In authentic Hadith, the increase in the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) generosity during Ramadan is compared to ‘strong winds.’ Following the noble example of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), the believers are encouraged to do more charity in the noble month. Donate to Charity Meals this Ramadan and secure your reward on the most virtuous days of the month.
Respected brothers and sisters! For those who want to donate FISABILILLAH, those who want to help our Da’awah for Allah’s sake, those who want to help the cause of Allah, here are the account details:
Account number: 1779691620
Account name: Murtala Muhammed
Access Bank.
Or:
Account number: 0048647196
Account name: Murtala Muhammed
GTBank
Jazakumullah Khairan as you kindly assit for Allah’s sake.
Ya Allah, on this day, show us the way to win Your pleasure, do not let Shaitan have a means over us, make Paradise an abode and a resting place for us, O the One who fulfills the requests of the needy.
May Allah forgive us for our sins, shortcomings and failings, and pour His mercy and blessings upon us. Ameen.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly and sincerely until the establishment of the Hour.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected] or +2348038289761.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Ramadan 21, 1446 AH (March 21, 2025).
