O believer, reflect on how you end the month of Jumada al-Akhirah, and prepare yourself for the arrival of Rajab, the sacred month that stands alone. Even in the times of Jahiliyyah, this month was revered, and Islam came to reinforce this veneration.

O believer in Allah, one of your greatest aims in life is to focus your heart fully on Allah while striving to unite the hearts of others.

A profound manifestation of focusing your heart on Allah is being conscious of your shortcomings, seeking refuge in Him, asking for His forgiveness, repenting sincerely, and pleading with Him to overlook your faults out of His boundless kindness.

Rajab: Seeking forgiveness (istighfar) is central to this focus on Allah. When you seek forgiveness:

• You acknowledge your errors and shortcomings toward Him.
• You affirm your certainty in your Lord, Who takes people to account for their sins, and Who may either forgive or punish them. You acknowledge that the matter is in His hands.
• You express your need for Allah, which drives you to plead for His forgiveness.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who was protected from sin and was the purest of souls, would seek forgiveness from Allah one hundred times in a single sitting. He would say:

“My Lord, forgive me and turn to me, truly You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful.”

This teaches us how the Prophet lived his life and conducted his gatherings with his Companions. Strive to emulate them. Beware of gatherings where Allah is not mentioned, where His forgiveness is not sought, and where there is no reminder of returning to Him. O believer, beautify your gatherings as your guide, the Chosen One, Muhammad (peace be upon him), beautified his. He said: “Good tidings to the one who finds in his record of deeds much istighfar.”

Seeking forgiveness is a remedy for sins, which are the root cause of tribulations in this life and the next. The fire of your sins can only be extinguished by seeking the forgiveness of the Living, the Eternal, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

Throughout your life, you have opportunities to seek Allah’s forgiveness, but there are specific times that are especially favorable for doing so, both during the day and night, as well as throughout the year. The last portion of the night is one of these times. Allah describes the people of taqwa in the Qur’an as: “Those who show patience, who are truthful, who worship devoutly, who spend in Allah’s cause, and who seek forgiveness in the last portion of the night.”

Another time for seeking forgiveness is after performing the prescribed prayer, where you remember the deficiencies in your prayer and ask for acceptance.

Even when leaving the toilet, your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught you to say three times: “I seek Your forgiveness.”

When you go to bed, saying this three times will lead to your sins being forgiven, even if they are as numerous as the foam on the sea:

“I seek the forgiveness of Allah, the Most Great, besides Whom there is no god; the Living, the Sustainer, and I repent to Him.”

Among the months, Rajab is known as the month of seeking forgiveness. Al-Daylami narrates from ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah ennoble his face) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Seek abundant forgiveness in Rajab, for in every hour of the month, Allah frees people from the Fire.” When the month began, the Prophet would say, as Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:

“O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Sha‘ban and enable us to reach Ramadan.”

It is a blessed month; may Allah bless us and the Ummah in it. Even in the times of Jahiliyyah, the noise of battle would not be heard in this month due to the respect people held for it, despite being polytheists. Allah revealed regarding this month: “They ask you about the sacred month and fighting therein. Say: fighting therein is a grave offense.”

Look at the state of the Ummah today. Some Muslims have declared war in the month of Rajab, not against disbelievers, but against each other. Some have traveled to spill the blood of their brothers. See how far the Ummah has fallen by abandoning Allah’s guidance and surrendering its affairs to corrupt people, disbelievers, and those deceived by their philosophies!

Our Master said: “Repent to Allah, for truly I repent to Allah seventy (or one hundred) times every day and night.” Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi: “O son of Adam, if your sins were so numerous that they reached the heavens, and you sought My forgiveness, I would forgive you, and it is nothing to Me.”

If someone allows Rajab to pass without any concern for their wrongdoings, then they do not truly possess taqwa. The believer views their sins as a mountain towering over them, fearing it will collapse upon them, while the hypocrite sees their sins as a fly landing on their nose, brushing it away with ease. One of the Followers was informed that a group of people were discussing matters that did not concern them. He remarked: “If they were concerned with their own sins, they wouldn’t have spoken about such things.”

Seek forgiveness abundantly and strive to unite people’s hearts. Beware of spreading hatred or tale-bearing, for “among the worst of Allah’s servants are those who constantly bear tales and cause division between those who love each other.” Choose words that unite people: “Say to My servants that they should only speak what is best, for the Devil sows dissension among them.”

Strive to fast during this month. ‘Ali bin Muhammad al-Rabi‘ narrates from a chain of reliable sources that one of the Followers asked a Companion: “Did the Messenger of Allah fast during Rajab?” He replied: “Yes, and he would honor the month.” He would honor and elevate the month by fasting. May Allah awaken our hearts!

Prepare for the first night of Rajab. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are five nights on which du‘a is not rejected: the first night of Rajab, the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban, Thursday night, the night before Eid al-Fitr, and the night before Eid al-Nahr (al-Adha).” Sayyiduna ‘Ali would spend this night in worship.

May Allah purify our hearts and enable us to make the best use of the time we have left in this life.