We thank Allah for the blessing of Ramaḍān and for all that He has enabled us to do in this blessed month. Ahead of us is the last of the odd nights, the 29th night, in which Laylat al-Qadr is sought. It may also be the last night of Ramaḍān.

The Messenger of Allah said that on the final night of the month everyone would be forgiven. His Companions asked if this night was Laylat al-Qadr. He replied: “No, do you not see that when workers finish their work they are paid their wages in full?”

Every night in Ramadan Allah decrees the safety of 600,000 people from the Fire (in some narrations one million). Then on the last night he decrees the safety of the same number of people that he decreed on every night of the month.

We ask Allah for the best of endings as “actions are judged by their endings.” While using whatever is left of the month to perform good actions we should also spend some time seeking forgiveness (istighfār). As some of the early scholars said this patches up any “holes” that we may have made in our fasting and is like a seal on our actions.

We must also pay our Zakat al-Fiṭr if it is compulsory upon us to do so. The Messenger of Allah made Zakat al-Fiṭr compulsory as purification for the fasting person from vain and coarse speech and to provide food for the needy. It is thus a means of purification for the fasting person and a means of assisting the poor at a time of celebration which Allah wishes for all to take part in. It has also been narrated that our fasting is suspended between the heavens and the earth and not accepted by Allah until we pay our Zakat al-Fiṭr. One of the early scholars said that Zakat al-Fiṭr is to fasting what the prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahwu) is to the prayer. We should refer to the scholars in our locality for details on how it should be paid and distributed.

Be sure to also read our latest posts on giving life to the night of Eid and fasting the Six Days of Shawwāl.

Have a Blessed Eid.