{And race toward forgiveness from your Lord...} (Chapter 57, verse 21) Allah has blessed us by extending our lives to witness another month of Ramadan. It is said that our righteous predecessors would spend six months of the year asking Allah to allow them to live until the next Ramadan. Then, they would spend the next five months hoping that Allah would accept their fasting, prayers, and supplications. Why would they exert such great efforts? Allah says in the following verse in the Holy Qur'an, {Say: O my servants who have transgressed against themselves (by sinning) despair not of the mercy of Allah, indeed Allah forgives all sins. It is He who is the Forgiving the Merciful.} (Chapter 39, verse 53) Ramadan is a month of forgiveness. Allah forgives his slaves and saves them from the Hellfire. He admits them to His mercy and Paradise, and forgives their sins. Abu Umaamah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "At every breaking of the fast, Allah has people whom He redeems from Hell." (Ahmad, Sahih by Al-Albani) Ramadan is more than just experiencing the worship of fasting and the communal ‘brotherhood' bond. Ramadan is a golden opportunity to get our sins forgiven. It offers salvation and access to paradise. Our destination in the Hereafter is at stake during this month. It is quite simple to attain Allah's mercy, to attain His forgiveness, and to attain His Paradise. It is no surprise therefore, that when the angel Jibril supplicated, "Whoever lives to witness Ramadan and does not have his sins forgiven, may Allah separate him from His mercy", that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Ameen." Imagine; the best of the angels and the best of humans have made this supplication. Is it not accepted by Allah? Allah is the All Merciful; He wants to forgive us. However, we must make the effort. We have to know that Allah's mercy is beyond our imagination. His mercy is far greater than our hopes, so much so, that on the Day of Resurrection even the devil will hope to enter Paradise by the mercy of Allah. We cannot even begin to conceive the extent of Allah's mercy and forgiveness. When a prominent person gives gifts, he gives them according to his rank and status, meaning the gifts will be expensive, special, and exclusive). Now imagine when Allah gifts us with His mercy and forgiveness, He is the King of all kings, should not his gifts be worth much more to us? And for Allah is the best of examples. He (Glory be to Him) knows all our faults, mistakes, shortcomings and sins, yet He still showers us with the opportunity of forgiveness. We have to understand that Ramadan is filled with prospects of forgiveness and mercy from Allah. We have to make use of it, before it passes by. We may not live to see the next Ramadan. How many people were here last Ramadan who are not here to experience this one? How many of us know someone who has lost a loved one in the past year? Procrastination is a tool of deception deployed by Shaytan. We have to act today, and benefit from Ramadan. Various aspects of Ramadan carry the blessing of having our sins forgiven. Allah gives us ample opportunities and He makes it easy for us in this month by removing the distractions of Shaytan. Abu-Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan with sincere faith and hope and anticipation that Allah will forgive his sins, all his previous sins will be forgiven." (Sahih Al-Bukhari) We must be sure to have a sincere and proper intention, to fast solely for the pleasure of Allah. Similarly, in another Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever stands for qiyam in Ramadan, with sincere faith and hope and anticipation that Allah will forgive his sins, all his previous sins will be forgiven." Allah is the Most Forgiving; His forgiveness is a corner-stone of Ramadan. Moreover, in Ramadan Allah has given us the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr), an even greater chance to get our sins forgiven. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said, "Whoever stands Laylatul Qadr with sincere faith and hope and anticipation that Allah will forgive his sins, all his previous sins will be forgiven." When Aisha asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), about what to say on the night of Laylatul Qadr, he instructed her to ask, "Allahumma innak ‘afuwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa'fu ‘anni," (O Allah! You are the Forgiving, and You love to forgive, so forgive me.)" Allah will respond to our supplications. Allah blesses us with so many chances to ensure that we make the most of it, to ensure that our sins are forgiven. He has created Paradise for us, and He wants to give it to us. Each day of fasting is an opportunity to obtain Allah's gift of forgiveness, every night we stand in prayer. Every moment of Ramadan is a chance for forgiveness. We have to ask ourselves, do I want to get the gift of having my sins forgiven this Ramadan, or will I be one of those who are separated from the Mercy of Allah? May Allah accept our fasting, and our night prayers.
