The Prophet's sermon/Khotbah on welcoming Ramadan

On the advent of Ramadan, the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HP) had a beautiful sermon/khotbah about the month ahead.

The Prophet (PBUH&HP) has said: O' People ! Indeed, ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessings, mercy and forgiveness. A month which is considered by Allah as the most superior month and its days as the most superior and its nights as the most superior and its hours as the most superior. This is a month in which, you are invited to be Allah's guests. You have been in this month, selected as the recipients of the honors of Allah. Each breath you take in this month, glorifies (Tasbih) Him; your sleep in it, is considered worshiping Allah; your deeds in it, are accepted by Allah; your supplications and prayers in it, are answered therefore, ask Allah with sincere intentions and pure hearts so that Allah may grace you with the success of fasting in this month and reciting His Book. Surely, miserable and afflicted is he who is deprived [by his own negligence]of Allah's forgiveness in this great month. With your hunger and thirst in this month, remember the Hunger and Thirst of Qiyaamat [the Judgment Day]. In this month, give alms to the needy and poor; pay respects to your elders; show kindness and mercy to your young ones; maintain relations with your blood relatives; guard your tongues; cast your sights down from that which is not permissible to be seen; close your ears to that which is forbidden to be heard; show compassion to the orphans of other people so compassion may be shown to your orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in supplication after Salaat [daily prayers]; because those times are the most superior, Allah looks His servants with mercy in those times, He responds their supplications, he answers to their calls, he grants their requests.

O' People! surely, your souls are under the yoke of your actions, so free your souls with repentance; your backs are breaking under the heavy loads of your sins, so lighten your loads by long prostrations to Allah; and know that Allah -exalted is His Remembrance- swears by His Might that there shall be no punishment for those who pray and prostrate and they shall have no fear from Hell on the Day people shall stand before the Lord of the Worlds.

O' People! Any of you who feeds a fasting Believer [at the end of his fast] in this month, that is as if he has freed an entangled person and his past sins, shall be forgiven.

Someone in the audience said: O' Prophet of Allah! not all of us are able to do so.

The Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HP) replied: Guard against the fire of Hell, even by half of a date or a sip of water. [given to a fasting Believer]

O' People! Any one who has well manner in this month, his well manner shall be the pass from him to cross the Seraat [a bridge Hereafter] on the Day when feet will slip. Anyone who in this month, lighten the work load of his servants, Allah shall ease the accounting of his actions. Any one who keeps his bother from other people, Allah shall keep His wrath from him on the Day he shall stand before Allah. Any one who honors an orphan, Allah shall honor him on the Day he shall stand before Allah. Any one who maintains attachments to his blood relatives in this month, Allah shall attach His Mercy to him on the Day he will stand before Allah; any one who cuts off relations from his blood relatives, Allah's Mercy shall be cut off from him on the Day he will stand before Allah. Whosoever performs a recommended prayer in this month, there shall be a freedom-permit from the fire for him; whosoever performs an obligatory religious duty in this month, seventy times the reward of performing that duty in any other month shall be for him. Whosoever recites repeatedly Salaat and Salawaat upon me, Allah will make his deeds heavy on the Scale, in the Day when deeds on the Scale of Judgment shall be light. Whosoever recites only one verse of Qur'an in this month, he will be rewarded in a manner as if he has recited the whole Qur'an in any other month.

O' People! surely, the gates of heavens are open in this month; therefore request Allah, not to close them for you. The gates of Hell are closed in this month; therefore request Allah, not to open them on you. During this month, the devils are imprisoned; therefore request your Lord, not to let them have power over you.

Imam Ali (PBUH) -who was present in the audience- raised and asked:

O' Prophet of Allah! what is the most virtuous deed, in this month?

The prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HP) replied:

O' Abal-Hassan ! The most virtuous deeds in this month, are to avoid those acts which Allah has declared forbidden.

Then the tears started to fall from the Prophet's eyes.

Amir-Ol-Mo'menin (PBUH) asked: What is making you cry?

The Prophet(PBUH&HP)responded: Oh' Ali! I am crying for that which is going to happen to you in this month; I can clearly see you while you will be praying and prostrating to your Lord, at that time your face and beard shall turn bloody red from a strike of sword on your head by the most wicked man who ever lived, a man as wicked as he who killed the Prophet Saaleh's miracle-camel. Then Imam Ali (PBUH) asked :Oh' Prophet of Allah! at the time, when that will happen to me, Will my religion and beliefs be on the right path ?

The Prophet (PBUH&HP) responded:

Yes, your religion shall be on the right path.

Then the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HP) continued:

O' Ali! any one who kills you , he has actually killed me; anyone who dislikes you, he has disliked me; anyone who insults you, he has insulted me. Because you are from me, just like my soul ; your spirit is from my spirit ; your Tinat is from my Tinat; Allah -the Exalted and Glorified- created me and you; He selected me and you; He chose me for Prophet-hood and you for Imamat; Anyone who denies your Imamat, he has denied my Prophet-hood. O' Ali, you are my executor, you are the father of my offspring, you are the husband of my daughter, you are my successor and caliph in my people, during my life time and after. Your command is my command ; your forbiddance is my forbiddance.

I swear by He Who designated me His Prophet and chose me the best of His creations, you are the Hojjat and proof of Allah over His creations and you are he whom Allah has trusted His secret to and you are His Caliph over His Servants.

(Oyoon Akhbaar Reza, ...)