this is an excerpt from the khutbah:
"30 day Shaytan-free Trial"

...People are often making excuses for their unwillingness to change. Sometimes they blame the shaytan, sometimes their nafs (desires), and other times exclaim that “it’s just too hard.” Let us tackle these excuses one at a time, inshaAllah.

First there are people who blame their inner lusts and desires that enslave them, and eventually drive them to do things that they know they shouldn’t do. A practical step in dealing with this problem is to ‘avoid’ the sin instead of ‘fighting’ it. For example, if a person has a drinking problem, instead of going to a party where there is 1) alcohol and 2) people who like to drink, this person should take a detour and avoid the party all-together.

Secondly, there are those people who cry that “it’s just too hard,” when, in reality, they have made absolutely no effort to change. It’s said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. How many steps have you taken to earn paradise?

Finally, you have the people who always blame the shaytan for everything. For those people, alhamdulillah, we have the “30 day Shaytan-free Trial.” It’s now up to them to make the most of this offer.

People often blame everything but their own willingness to change; may Allah protect us and have mercy on us.


If one is willing to change, there is no better time, as Ramadan is a month of change; gates of Paradise are wide-open, gates of Hell are locked, shayateen are chained-up, halaal becomes haraam (eating during the day), sunnah is (rewarded as) fardh, fardh is multiplied manifold, the seriousness of sinning is greater, peoples’ greed, envy, and gossip becomes generosity, love and remembrance of the Exalted and Majestic.

Allah has changed so much for us so that we can turn to Him, but how much of an effort will we make?

As I was growing up in the NY tri-state area, I utilized the NYC Subway quite often. There are many busy people in the ‘city that never sleeps.’ To accommodate their schedule, the trains make only brief stops, especially during rush hours. One thing I’ve come to learn over time is that if the train has arrived at the station and you are not standing their with your belongings, ready to jump on, it will pass you by!

Brothers and sisters, how many speeches have you heard about Ramadan in khutbahs, halaqas, and lectures? Some of us have heard so many that it is difficult to enumerate them. This fact illustrates the importance of this virtuous month. Today, we are four days away from Ramadan, and I can assure you that every minbar (pulpit) in every corner of the world is proclaiming the greatness of this month!

In fact, had we understood the status of this month, we would have wished that Ramadan was all year long.

Brothers and sisters, think of Ramadan as a train that will take you from this pathetic, lowly station to the next. And the following year, the same train will take you from that station to the next. But if you miss the train this year, you will always be one station behind. So it is imperative that we take some time to gather our belongings and prepare for the train that’s arriving at our station very soon, lest it passes us by.

Following are some tips on preparing for this month, so that inshaAllah we can make the most of it.

Remember, firstly, that just as an investor waits for the news that a stock will multiply before he invests, we wait for the perfect opportunity to invest our time and energy. During Ramadan, there is a projected profit of 70,000%. In other words, you investment will multiply 700 times. And did I mention this was a guaranteed profit?! No risk involved!

1) Read Quran – start reading Quran as often as possible, because it’ll help you 1) pickup speed and 2) make time for it in your schedule.

2) Make a list of Duas – Duas of three people are not rejected; one of them is the fasting person when he breaks his fast. Iftar time is usually very hectic, and even IF we have the time to make dua, we often times cant remember what to pray for. We should pray for our physical, emotional, spiritual well-being, and for the well-being of our families and friends (muslim AND non-muslim), and the Ummah of Muhammad (saw), and for our needs (from a spouse to a shoe-lace, not to mention everything in between). From experience, I’ve learned that the best way to remember all these things is to write them down, and sit with your family five minutes before Iftar and make dua, whether collectively or individually.

3) Start changing habits – like I said earlier, the seriousness of sins increases during Ramadan; last thing you want is to be sinning unconsciously. It’s good to start changing habits now; whether its long hours on the internet, watching TV, or smoking. In fact, unplugging the TV, wrapping it in a cloth, and placing it in storage is really helpful.

4) Do all chores NOW – Ramadan seconds are valuable and wasting them in grocery stores, barber shops, and laundromats is just foolish.

Oh worshippers of Ramadan, know that Ramadan will end. Glad tidings to the worshippers of Allah, as He has no end, the Majestic, the Exalted.

Enjoy the ride and see you at the next station.

written by: Umer Akbar, September 2005/Sha'ban 1426