Assalamu Alaykum
I just want to spend 10 minutes or so the fact that on this night the Angel of Death receives a scroll on which are the names of all those who are destined to die in the coming year. The companion ‘Ata’ bin Yasar said: “A man may plant crops, get married and build a house while his name has already been recorded amongst the dead. The Angel of Death is only waiting for the order to take his soul.”
One of the things we should always do is, look at how the pious before us spent these nights. On this night, the pious didn’t plead their name isnt written on this day, but they used to make Dua’, Ya Allah, if we are to leave this world this year, let us be written amongst the righteous, in other words, let us die in good company. They would ask for plentiful provision and ask for a long life. When the pious ask for a long life, it is never in years, as they know death is written, but they always ask for a life full of barakah so it feels long. A person might die at 45, but Allah places so much barakah in his life, it’s like he did an additional 20 years of ibaadah.
So when we make dua tonight, we should ask for barakah in our life and homes. In our homes why? Because each one of us is a shepherd, each one of us has a family we are responible for.
Considering Ramadhan is round the corner. The Prophet and the companions used Shaban as a stepping stone to Ramadhan.
We shouldn’t see Ramadhan as yet another Ramadhan. But another opprtunity to fix ourselves. If you have a sharp tongue, you bite it, if you get angry quick, you back down, if you think you are better than others and more sucessful, you elevate others and if you tell lies, you remain silent. It’s the month in which we purify our hearts.
Think of cleaning your house. Often we clean it well but maybe there is dust here and there and parts you missed. Then there is that one-off deep clean. This is Ramadhan. It is deep cleaning the heart. And maybe some of us havent cleaned up in a while. This is our chance to become purified.
Some of you might be wondering what do you mean by heart. For one, there is the outward heart, the muscle in our chest, it pumps blood around the body and sitting on top of it, is the spiritual heart, which is even more wonderful. And it needs to be purified if we want a good Akhira. Allah says in the Qur’an قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ , Certainly, the one who has purfiied himself has succeeded.
A seeker once came to a Sufi master and said, “I want to purify my heart and become closer to Allah, but no matter how much I pray, my heart feels heavy with darkness.”
The master smiled and handed the seeker a dirty cup. The inside was coated with filth and grime. He then poured clean, fresh water into it. The water became murky and undrinkable.
The seeker looked at the cup in confusion. The master asked, “Would you drink this water?”
The seeker shook his head, No.
The master then took the cup and slowly scrubbed it clean from the inside. Once it was spotless, he poured fresh water again. This time, the water remained pure.
The master then said, “Your heart is like this cup. You fill it with worship, but it still holds impurities—pride, jealousy, anger, and heedlessness. Until you cleanse your heart from these, no amount of outward worship will purify it.”
The seeker understood. He left, focusing not just on prayers but on removing the impurities from within—through sincerity, patience, and love. Over time, his heart became as clear as a polished mirror, reflecting only the light of truth.
There are signs which indicate a pure heart, so I just wanna share some, and these can be used as a test at the end of Ramadhan.
The first is when it comes to sinning, you don’t feel like doing it, you have a thought that you shouldn’t do it. It’s like wearing a dark black jubba, and you go for a walk, now if you step in mud, or dirt falls on you, you might not even notice it. But if you are wearing a white garment, then even a little speck shows up. So now you are gonna become super vigilant in making sure no dirt goes on. This is what happens when your heart is clean.
Another sign is when some does you wrong, or perhaps they slip up or sin infront of you and you have an urge to tell them or others, to expose the. Or say it behind their back. But you hold back. You let it fly. This is a sign of purity. You don’t treat your brother with disdain.
A third sign is people enjoy being around you. ‘Amr ibn ‘Absah reported: A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is Islam?” The Prophet, said: That you surrender your heart to Allah and that Muslims are safe from your tongue and hand. In other words people arent afraid that you might abuse them with your tongue or even being physical. When a person purifies themselves, angels of mercy start to surround him, and when other people come to you, they also feel at peace. This is why, when you meet a pious person, you feel sukoon.
May Allah make our Ramadhan one of work. The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon evil deeds, and being ignorant of sins, Allah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.” In other words, if we don’t focus on our bad traits, then all we’ll do is go hungry in Ramadhan.