Dear Family of Believers,

In a day or two (if you haven’t seen it already) you’re going to begin hearing and seeing people lament about how quickly Ramadan is going. You may even be amongst those thinking that the blessed month is quickly rushing away. You may be having fears, regrets, and anxiety due to feeling that you’ve not benefited from this month.

In the past 24 hours I’ve been told of at least 4 deaths of people I either directly know or know of them. Blessed Imams who have lit up our lives and our communities such as Imam Sohaib Sultan, and stories of a father who passed away in the arms of his son as they prepared to go out as a family on one of the blessed days of Ramadan. May God have mercy on them all. 

As I was speaking to this young man I reminded him of a Hadith I was told years ago. A hadith of two men who fought for the sake of God. One died just a single year later than the other and was said to have been given a higher rank in Paradise. The companions asked the Prophet ﷺ how this could be, did they both not embark on one of the greatest actions in the faith, that of declaring the religion of God and protecting its honor?

To this, the Prophet ﷺ replied, “And did not the latter meet the month of Ramadan?”

That was it. As simple as that. The blessing of this month is not comparable to the blessings found in any other month. This month is special. 

Yes, it may feel as though it is going fast, but that is because you’re not counting your breaths. You’re counting the minutes, the hours, the days, and the weeks. You’re seeing the calendar quickly race from one month to the next, but stop.

Breathe.

In that breath was creation. In that breath was the Jamal of the Divine. In that breath was mercy. In that breath was strength. In that breath is the forgiveness of God. 

The forgiveness of God that you will find in this month, the month that has not ended yet, and a month that represents forgiveness that will never end. 

And this is a reminder…

For Those Who Believe.

Your servant,

Arthur K. Richards