The Acting MB General Guide’s Congratulations on the Advent of Ramadan
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah; and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his kinsfolk, companions, and followers:
Brothers and Sisters,
On the occasion of the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, I would like to congratulate you and the entire Muslim Nation, as Allah has made us among the holy month’s witnesses. In this regard, I do not know how to make special mention of any of the virtues of Ramadan, for it is a month that abounds with goodness, as it is the month of the Holy Qur’an. Allah Almighty says: {The month of Ramadhan is that in which the Qur'an was revealed, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion} (Al-Baqarah: 185).
It is a month in which the gates of Paradise are opened to those obedient to Allah’s commands. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of the (Hell) Fire are closed, and the devils are chained.” (Transmitted by Imam Muslim)
It is the month of repentance and Allah’s forgiveness. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The five (daily) prayers, Friday to Friday and Ramadan to Ramadan make atonement for what has happened since the previous one when major sins have been avoided.”
It is the month of deliverance from Hellfire. Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as saying: "When the first night of Ramadan comes,…, and a crier calls, 'You who desire what is good, come forward, and you who desire evil refrain.' Some are freed from hell by God, and that happens every night."
It is also the month of fasting, prayers, and charity; the month of patience and jihad; and the month of generosity and benevolence. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most generous person, and he used to become more so (generous) particularly in the month of Ramadan
Also, it contains Laylat al-Qadr, a night which is better than a thousand months, where he who is deprived of it, is deprived of all good, but only those who are denied prosperity are deprived of it.
And now Ramadan has come to bring Muslims together from the east and west of the world on fasting and obedience, and in the shrines of worship, hoping for Allah’s mercy and satisfaction.
Brothers and Sisters,
Ramadan came this year while there was a bleeding wound in the heart of our nation, in beloved Palestine, where the forces of evil summoned one another, to kill, displace, starve, and besiege its people. The tyranny of the enemy and the betrayal of the brother and friend have reached the utmost limit, at a time when a group of the noblest people our nation has ever produced stands in the face of aggression, in Beit al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) and the environs of Jerusalem, striving in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of a critic, defending our nation’s honour and sanctities.
We must all back, support, and pray for these noble people; and for their sake, I pray to Allah Almighty to make the month of Ramadan a key to full victory and a sign of an imminent relief.
On the other side, there in beloved Egypt, the people are groaning under the lash of poverty, injustice, and tyranny, while the best children of the nation, advocates of truth, change, and reform, are absent behind bars, for no other reason except for the fact that they wanted pride for their homeland, and freedom and prosperity for their people, so they have been shackled with iron and exhausted by torture. To the Egyptian people in general and these people and their families in particular, we pray to Allah Almighty to grant them all speedy relief; and perhaps Allah will bring about conquest or a command from Him, and will change the whole situation in Egypt to a happier one.
Brothers and Sisters,
These are our conditions and this is the reality of our nation. In this holy month, we will seek help from its outpourings of faith and its divine gifts to overcome these adversities and hardships, using ‘these’ to face ‘those’. It behooves us to fulfill the rights of Islamic brotherhood everywhere, and support our brothers in Gaza and assist them, turning to Allah, repenting, supplicating to Him, praying that He will establish us on the path of truth and that He will use us in supporting His religion and His Auliya' (allies). We also pray to Him, Glory be to Him, to remove the affliction from our nation, and to grant us happiness in both worlds; as He alone is worthy of this, and He has the power to bring it about.
Allah Is the Greatest; and May Praise Be to Allah
Dr. Salah Abdel Haq
Acting Muslim Brotherhood General Guide
(Sunday, 29 Shaaban 1445 AH / 10 March 2024 AD)